In Dubno probably more historical substance is preserved then in much larger Rivne, where I stay in a hotel. At the market square a number of typical Jewish functional houses are still standing, with a shop in the ground floor and an apartment with balcony on the first floor. One of Dubno’s most important monuments is the former synagogue. It is easy to find and is located in close vicinity to the central market square.
It was Sergey again, the friendly taxi driver, who was bringing me to Dubno today. To his low price, it was hard to resist. The road is excellent, it is one of the main routes through Ukraine, which connects the west of the country with the capital of Kyiv. In an unusually short time we were in Dubno.
The synagogue is in a bad state. Through the broken windows, you can take a look inside to the collapsing ceiling. I walked around the building and took pictures. An aggressive young man barked at me, why I would photograph here. “I take pictures of the synagogue,” I told him. He complained that I did not speak Ukrainian with him, after all we were in Ukraine.
An old woman was watching the scene from her doorstep. She was at an age where she for sure would remember her Jewish neighbors. She spoke kindly with me, complained that the synagogue is in such bad shape. I wished I could understand more and talk to her.
I walked a bit through the streets of the Jewish district. There were the houses of the poor, and they still are today. The place looked bleak to me. It was time to go.
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Vanished World 