In 1998 Jeremy and I took a group of North Londoners to visit the Jewish Community in the city of Lvov, the capital of Western Ukraine.  Accompanying our group was a young student who lived in Lvov and who had stayed with us the previous summer when she was attending a Folk Dance Festival in London.  That young woman, Victoria, is now a Dr and has a PhD in nanotechnology and works for a large pharmaceutical company in Germany.  She managed to obtain a visa to be at our daughter’s wedding 12 years ago and then met us in Lvov on Chanukah 2007 when we flew with 150 adults and children to rededicate the synagogue that we had restored in her native city.  Today Victoria and her husband are coming to join our Chanukah party at The Gables and it will be our first meeting in 9 years.  We are all very excited. We will take photographs and contrast them with those taken in 1998 (see  below).

Yesterday I received photographs from The Rebbetzin of Lviv (this is the name that is used for the city of Lvov today in Ukraine).  She and her husband have worked in the city for 20 years running a school and kindergarten and caring for the old and sick of the community. Tonight they will be lighting candles in Lviv with the schoolchildren just as we will light them tonight at The Gables.  Our thoughts will be of each other as we kindle the flame tonight and renew old friendships.