I was in Ukraine between 10 and 20 February. The Russian aggression has been going on for two years and it was my third trip in this period. Anna and I mainly wanted to meet friends, but we also used the time for a tour from Ternopil to Skala-Podilska – with stops in Skalat, Hrymailiv, Husiatyn, Probizhna and Chortkiv.
2024 is already the third year of the war against Ukraine. Russia’s barbaric aggression continues. With this calendar, I would like to remind you that people are still dying every day in Ukraine, cities are being destroyed and the country’s cultural heritage is being devastated – even if the war has disappeared from the headlines or is overshadowed in the public consciousness by other wars and conflicts.
The calendar can be downloaded free of charge and contains the main Christian and Jewish holidays in a German and English edition. Most of the pictures were taken while travelling in Western Ukraine in December 2022 and July 2023.
It’s been more than five years since I was last in Budapest. A lot has changed since then and if you don’t think too much about politics during such a trip, Budapest continues to be a fascinating destination – also and especially because of its Jewish heritage.
Is it possible to travel to Ukraine under the conditions of the Russian war of aggression? Whatever, at some point in autumn I decided to go. From 20 to 30 December 2022 I was in Lviv, Ternopil and the surrounding area. I wanted to know how my friends were doing – my long-time travelling companions and the activists who care for the Jewish heritage in Galicia. And also Anna, who fled the war and has been living with me since March, wanted to see her boyfriend and her mother again. But beyond that, there was also a very simple reason for this trip: I was homesick for Lviv.
2021 had been a difficult year for me and I hoped for a better 2022. The hope was in vain. On 24 February, Russia invaded Ukraine, a country where I have many friends, where I have travelled a lot and which I love. I had also planned a trip to Ukraine for spring 2022. It was not possible. Instead, I went to Lithuania twice to take photos for my book “Grenzland | Borderlands”, which will be published in early 2023. However, the trips to Lithuania were more than a substitute for Ukraine. The country looks back on an incredibly rich Jewish history. A selection of the photos taken during these trips can be seen in the new Vanished World calendar. May 2023 be better than 2022!
Our road trip through Lithuania came to an end on 7 April with a long drive back to Vilnius. Yuliya, Anna and I first returned to Žagarė, because this shtetl had caught our attention. Then we continued via Joniškis to Šiauliai, Lygumai, Pakruojis, Linkuva, Rozalimas and Šeduva.
Day 5 of our journey through Lithuania. After a rest day by the sea, my friends and I continued on 6 April towards the border with Latvia. Kretinga, Salantai, Plungė, Alsėdžiai, Telšiai, Seda, Tirkšliai and Žagarė were on the way. Žagarė turned out to be a remarkable time capsule.
4 April, the third day of our road trip through Lithuania. When Yuliya, Anna and I left Kaunas in the morning, the sky was still cloudless. In the course of the morning clouds came up, then it started to snow. Winter was back. On our route to Klaipeda were Čekiškė, Skaudvilė, Kaltinėnai, Laukuva, Rietavas, Veivirzenai and Švėkšna.
Yuliya, Anna and I continued our journey through Lithuania on 3 April. It was a sunny, spring-like day. We visited Jewish remembrance sites in Miroslavas, Veisiejai, Lazdijai, Simnas, Kalvarija, Marijampolė and Garliava. It was a day when we saw the efforts that have been made since Lithuania’s independence to preserve its Jewish heritage.
On the morning of 2 April, Yuliya, Anna and I set off for Alytus. A 6-day road trip to Jewish places of remembrance in Lithuania lay ahead of us. The first day took us through the border region of Belarus. Eišiškės, Varėna, Merkinė, Daugai, Butrimonys, Balbieriškis and Alytus were on our route.
Vanished World 