Marian Pretzel, b. 1922, Lvov, Poland. Immigrated to Australia 1949.

"Last May I visited my former home city of Lvov. The sentiments and love for the place where I spent my first twenty years were always dear to my heart. I refused to let the memory of living in the Ghetto and a short stay in the Janowska (concentration) camp obliterate 19 years of a happy life.

When I realised that more than fifty years have passed since I left Lvov, a sudden urge made me want to see it again. In a way, to say goodbye to my past. It was hard to decide whether it was wise to reopen old wounds and relive tragic moments. When finally the decision was made, a friend living in Israel agreed to join me.

What have I found there?
The centre of the city is as beautiful as ever, although the fifty years of neglect were obvious. The area where the ghetto was is partly demolished, but with some of the two and three storey houses still in existence. A most impressive monument is standing where the main entrance to the Ghetto was, and a paved walk leads to a large Menorah (Jewish candelabra). On both sides of the path, signs with the names of perished relatives are displayed. A Jewish organisation is putting them up.

What's left of Jewish life?
The beautiful Temple, once a landmark of Lvov, was gutted by fire the first week of the German occupation. There is a patch of grass and a few trees where the Temple once stood. Not a sign or plaque to commemorate the place.

The old Jewish cemetery, desecrated and completely demolished (under the Germans), was replaced with a new one. Not a single tombstone dated before 1945 could be found. At the entrance, a black granite monument was erected in memory of the victims of Shoah (the Holocaust).

We were told that there are more Jews living in Lvov (now) than during the Communist era, most of them from Russia or Western Ukraine. There is a synagogue and Rabbi from Israel, who started a Hebrew school two years ago. Learning about the revival of religious activities and a Hebrew school under the Ukrainian government was most heart warming."