The celebrations devoted to the 10th anniversary of Jewish Foundation “Hesed-Arieh” will take place on May 15 in the premises of the 1st Ukrainian theater for children and youth.  The chief of the department for external relations and promotions of  Lviv Regional Council Taras Voznyak marked that the Foundation helps elderly people and children, without any support from the state renders assistance to thousands of Jews and people of non-Jewish origin. On these days Director of the Foundation Dianova Adel celebrates her 60th anniversary.  

For many years Heseds are an integral part of Jewish life in Ukraine. Due to the support of American Jewish Distribution Committee “Joint” many Jews have realized that they are not left to the mercy of fate any more.

Elderly, sick and lonely people do not enjoy today’s life in Ukraine. There are many objective and subjective reasons for that, but the only essence is that it is impossible to survive without proper pension and social assistance.

The ceremony of awarding of Ukrainians - Righteous Among the Nations took place on February 20 in the building of Regional Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Arieh”, - informs Christian Megaportal  invictory.org.co with reference to RISU.  Medals and diplomas were presented by Plenipotentiary  and Extraordinary Ambassador of the State of Israel in Ukraine Zina Kalaj-Klajtman. Only one Ukrainian woman Iryna Maksymiv-Saik personally received her award. For many months her family had been hiding 16 Jews. Another 8 medals were presented to the relatives of the Righteous Among the Nations- their children or grandchildren. In her speech Ambassador of Israel underlined that far not all names of Ukrainians who had been saving Jews during WWII, were found and marked.

Lviv Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Arieh” has started big action – the project “People of the World inscribe the Bible”, which has already covered over 50 countries of the world.

Each participant rewrites one of the Bible verses in his own language. Thousands of pages will be composed in one book which will be send to the House of The Bible in the Bible Valley on Holly Land.

“Hesed-Arieh” librarian Olga Fadeyeva says that the purpose of this project is to attract public attention to the Book of Books. The Bible and God’s covenants have to unite people regardless their nationally and confession. The headquarters of the project in Jerusalem has prepared special sheets for inscribing the Bible.

Theatrical relay-race in Lviv catches the IYth International Festival of Jewish theatrical art “Constellation of Lion” . Performances will take place on December 4-6 at the 1st Ukrainian theater for children and youth and Lviv Theater “Voskresinnya”.

Nine amateur groups from Lviv, Khmel’nytskyy, Poltava, Odessa, Saint-Petersburg , Moscow, Kazan’ will demonstrate before the audience their acting technique. “Constellation of Lion” will not get a cent from municipal budget, it will take place exceptionally due to the charitable donations. They explain greediness for art because of the economic crisis…. Entrance to the Festival is free, but everyone, who wishes, can make a voluntary donation.

Director of Lviv Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Arieh” Ada Dianova says that Festival will present the audience dramatic art of high quality.  Among numerous performances there will be the play by B.Brecht “Jewish wife”, “ Do not believe Mr. Kafka” by Z.Sagalov, “ Brooch” by I.Beshevis-Zinger, “Guest” by E. Schmidt, “ The same dream” by D.Rubina as well as dramatization of the stories by I.Babel “Shabos Nahamu”,  by Sholom- Aleichem “ Wedding in shtetl” and the dairy by Anna Frank.

The winners will be selected by the jury. The best performance will be awarded with a glass lion.

Iryna Semeniv , “Vysokyy Zamok” - 29.11.2008

Lviv theater “Debut” got the gran-pree for the performance “The same dream”.

During the IYth International Festival of Jewish Theatrical Art “Constellation of Lion” the audience gave its prize to the amusing performance “Wedding in shtetl” by Sholom-Alechiem performed by plastic theater “Eva” from  St. Petersburg. Deep and emotional performances about the Holocaust received from the audience and jury secondary awards. 

Lviv theater “Debut” got  the gran-pree for the performance “The same dream” by D.Rubina. The same theater was awarded with the diploma of the 3rd level for th performance “Jewish wife” by B.Brecht. Jewish chamber theater “Gavel Gevolim” from Odessa got the 1st  level diploma for the performance “Shabot Nahamu” by I.Babel.

“Lvov, Leopolis,  Lemberg, Lviv, Lwow…. So many names this beautiful, unusual European city has and will have. Europe! Paved streets, old street lamps, Dominican and Francisian  cathedrals, High Castle, City Hall and , certainly, synagogues….

In December unusual temperature  + 13 but in our bodies seems it is higher than  +36.6 and our pulses increase their  frequency, because we are running from one theater to another in order to see all performances of the Festival not forgetting to rehearse in the hotel lobby frightening guests and chambermaids. There is reason to be frightened: “whites ghosts” occupied the space before the elevator and the hall of the 7th floor.  Those were our dressed up Hilel’s actors who frightened the hotel guests.

The performance “Cinnamon heavens” has become almost a single theatrical appeal to the personality of word-known writer Bruno Schulz.

The premiere of one-act ballet produced by Sergey Nayenko took place at the Lviv theater “Voskresinnya” with the framework of International Festival of Jewish theatrical art “Constellation of Lion”.

Sergey Nayenko is not only a ballet dancer at Lviv National Theater of Opera and Ballet named after S.Krushelnytska, but also a producer of the ensemble “Jewish miniatures” at Lviv Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Arieh”. The production of Bruno Schulz’s works is not so easy.

Stained glass picture by 13 years old artist had been sold by auction.

Communal Festival of Jewish Applied Art “Fame-mane Lion“, organized by Lviv Regional Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Arieh”,  was completed with charitable auction. Eighteen leads of the auction were the best works made by hundreds of festival  participants from the whole Ukraine. Gained money will be returned to the native towns of the authors and will be used for the support of educational artistic programs.

“Fame-mane Lion” presented works of different styles: painting, ceramics, embroidery, leather goods, etc. Painted ceramic plates, pictures made of straw, bright silk batic had been sold by auction.

Under the guardianship  of President of Poland Alexander Kvasnevskiy , Minister of Culture Waldemar Davrovskiy and Minister of  Foreign Affairs Adam Rotfild the second multicultural festival “Galychyna” takes place in Lviv.

Artists from Austria, Czech  Republic,  Israel, Slovakia, Ukraine, Rumania, Hungary participate in it. This joint action has united cultures of different people who lived in Ukraine long ago. One of such are Jews. Historical exhibition devoted to Galician Jews is opened at Lviv Regional Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Arieh”. Warsaw Charitable Foundation “Heritage”, which supports development of regional culture, is an organizer of this festival. You can visit exposition in the premises of the museum-room “Tracing Galician Jews”.

This is a single Jewish museum in Lviv and Ukraine, which searches the traces of Jews, which made up the third part of Galician population and which had been exterminated during WWII.   Here you can get acquainted with many-sided life of Lviv Jewry of the end of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th centuries.

Svitlana Kozak, "Vysokyy Zamok" - 11.07.2005

Jewish world of Lviv… In our city there are many places (in the streets and inside the buildings) where you can shoot a film about the life of Jewish community of the 17th-18th centuries.

The atmosphere of such places does not change since old times (Galician Jews appeared app. in the 14th century). Here they carefully save ancient Jewish traditions. Here they have their own life: cook kasher food, celebrate religious holidays, edit newspapers and books.

Radical  party “Svoboda” requests the prosecutor’s office to bring an action against Jewish Foundation “Hesed-Arieh”

Fraction of the party “Svoboda” in Lviv requests the prosecutor’s office to bring an action against Jewish Foundation “Hesed-Arieh”. Representatives of the fraction “Svoboda” at Lviv Municipal Council requested the government executive Andrey Sadovyy and the prosecutor of Lviv region Aleksey Baganets with the demand to audit Jewish Foundation “Hesed-Arieh” and to bring an action because of the violation of  equality of citizens’ rights depending on their racial, national belonging or their attitude to the religion.

Lviv Regional Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Arieh” (“Mercy”) is officially prohibited to tell about the Holocaust at local schools. It was announced by the Director of Lviv Foundation Ada Dianova. 

“Lviv Regional Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Arieh”( in translation from Hebrew “hesed” means “mercy”, “arieh” – “lion”) has been unjustly blamed by the fraction “Svoboda” in anti-Ukrainian activity what caused damage to the honor, dignity and business reputation of our charitable foundation: “On November 3, 2008 at State school # 3 with Polish language of teaching at the address City of Lviv, Churpynky Str. 1 took place infamous anti-Ukrainian and anti-state provocation, organized by Jewish Foundation “Hesed-Arieh”.

Next scandal caused by radical nationalists in order to introduce their own vision of history and national problems  got big resonance last week in Lviv.  The leader of Lviv branch of the party “Svoboda” I.Grynda sent to the prosecutor’s office ( 8/12/2008) a request where blamed Jewish non-governmental organization “Hesed-Arieh” in anti-Ukrainian activity. The reason for that was the project about the familiarization of  schoolchildren with the Holocaust in Lviv. The project was presented in seven schools.

“Hesed-Arieh” in Lviv asks the authorities to defend them from “Svoboda”

“Among numerous charitable foundations in the city Lviv Regional Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Arieh” takes a leading place. In translation from Hebrew “hesed” means “mercy”. Exactly “mercy” makes up the main direction of Foundation’s activity. Mercy, assistance to all needy people are our main purpose”.

Jewish non-governmental organization “Hesed-Arieh” is forbidden to tell schoolchildren about the Holocaust.

“Hesed-Arieh” (Lviv) is a social organization, financed by “Joint”, renders assistance to elderly Jews, who do not intend to immigrate to Israel. Competitors of Sohnut. “Hesed” has its own staff and definite range of tasks connected with material assistance to the elderly people and arrangement of their leisure.