A sold-out four-day conference of Limmud FSU Ukraine is taking place this weekend in Lviv (historically known as Lvov or Lemburg), the cultural capital of Ukraine. The conference opened with a moment of silence for Ukrainians who have fallen in the country’s ongoing civil conflict.

Lvov’s Mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, a rising political persona, attended the opening ceremony in the city’s Center for Science and Technology. Other distinguished guests included Israel’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Eliav Belotserkovsky, and local Jewish communal leaders.

The Israeli envoy, noting an exhibition about Ukrainian Jewish history on display during the conference, said the community can serve as a “human bridge” to help build ties between Israel and Ukraine. More than 600,000 Jews from Ukraine have immigrated to Israel.

Meanwhile, Sadovyi said he hoped Limmud FSU Ukraine would become an annual local tradition, to help recognize the historical significance of the city’s Jewish community.

Limmud FSU Ukraine was originally launched in 2008, and has been held in Yalta, Truskavets, three times in Odessa, in Vinnitsa and in Uzhgorod.

Despite the turmoil in the country, the conference has been sold out for the past two months.

photos by Yossi Aloni