Lilien returns to Lviv: the Honorary Consulate of Israel honored the artist from Drohobych

On May 24, 2026, in Lviv, at the Honorary Consulate of the State of Israel in the Western region of Ukraine, a solemn Academy dedicated to Ephraim Moshe Lilien took place. The event combined art, music, history, the memory of Galicia, and a conversation about the spiritual ties between Ukrainian and Jewish culture.

In Lviv, they remembered Lilien — an artist born in Drohobych.

On May 24, 2026, in Lviv, a solemn Academy dedicated to the creative legacy of Ephraim Moshe Lilien — a world-class graphic artist born in Drohobych in the Lviv region — took place.

The event was held with the assistance of the Honorary Consulate of the State of Israel in the Western region of Ukraine and with the informational support of the Lviv Regional Development Agency. It was symbolic that the Academy took place within the walls of the Honorary Consulate of Israel in Lviv. The event was presented by Ada Isaakovna Dianova, Vice-Consul of the Honorary Consulate of the State of Israel in the Western region of Ukraine.

For the Ukrainian-Israeli cultural space, this meeting was not just a memorable evening. It showed that Lilien’s name is returning to the living memory of Galicia — not as a museum footnote, but as part of the shared history of Ukraine, the Jewish world, and the future of Israel.

Ephraim Moshe Lilien was born in Drohobych — a city that gave European culture several strong names. Publications about the event specifically reminded that Bruno Schulz and the famous artist brothers Gottlieb — Maurycy, Leopold, Martin, and Philipp — are associated with Drohobych. Against this background, Lilien does not appear as a solitary figure but as part of a large cultural layer of Galicia, where Ukrainian, Jewish, Polish, and European traditions have coexisted for centuries.

“Invisible Threads”: Franko, Lesya Ukrainka, and Lilien

One of the main themes of the Academy was related to the topic of “invisible threads” — spiritual and artistic connections between the legacies of Ivan Franko, Lesya Ukrainka, and Ephraim Moshe Lilien.

Guests were told not only about the artist’s biography but also about how his work can be read alongside the Ukrainian literary and spiritual tradition. This is especially important today when Ukraine, during the war, is rearticulating its multinational history and bringing back into the public space names that have remained known to too narrow a circle of specialists for many years.

Lilien was an artist of Jewish memory, biblical images, national awakening, exile, dignity, and return. Franko and Lesya Ukrainka in Ukrainian culture are also associated with themes of freedom, resistance, inner strength, and the people’s right to their own voice. Therefore, the conversation about them in one space did not sound artificial but very precise.

Guests of the Academy were able to watch a video presentation of Lilien’s works, see an exhibition of art posters created by Ukrainian artists based on his works, and hear Jewish folk songs performed by the ensemble “Sheyne Meydelakh.”

NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency considers such events as an important example of how Ukrainian-Jewish memory becomes not only a topic for archives and scientific conferences but also a living cultural bridge between Ukraine, Israel, and the Jewish world.

Who spoke at the Academy

Among the speakers were Marko Borisovich Simkin — international journalist, historian, art critic, public figure, member of the Expert Council at the DON LODA; Stepan Antonovich Davimuka — scientist, professor, doctor of economic sciences, Ukrainian politician, public figure, collector, and philanthropist; Roman Myronovych Yatsiv — professor of the Lviv National Academy of Arts, doctor of historical sciences, Ukrainian artist, candidate of art studies.

Their speeches helped participants to see not only Lilien’s work more deeply but also his place in the history of world culture. In the posts of the event participants, it was specifically emphasized that each report was a discovery — not only about Lilien himself but also about the names associated with him, Ivan Franko, Lesya Ukrainka, and Theodor Herzl.

This is an important connection. Lilien was born in Galicia, but his work went far beyond the region. He became part of Jewish artistic modernism, the visual language of early Zionism, and the cultural environment from which many symbols of modern Israel later emerged.

Music, memory, and the Ukrainian war

A special part of the Academy was the performance of the ensemble “Sheyne Meydelakh” under the direction of Elena Simeon. In the publications of the participants, Tatiana Sukorkina — the oldest and especially emotional performer of the ensemble — was specifically mentioned.

One of the most powerful moments was the performance of the piece “Yarmo.” Its words about bondage, heavy yoke, patience, and hope for liberation sounded especially poignant in the Ukrainian context. In a country that continues to resist Russian aggression, such a song is perceived not only as part of the Jewish musical tradition but also as a conversation about the fate of a people who do not want to live in slavery.

That is why the Lilien Memorial Academy became not just a cultural event. It connected the history of art, Jewish song, Ukrainian pain, the memory of Galicia, and Ukraine’s current struggle for freedom.

Gratitude from the 24th Brigade

At the end of the event, another important emphasis was made. People’s Artist of Ukraine Volodymyr Slepchenko, also known as a volunteer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on behalf of the commander of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo, presented Mark Simkin with a certificate of gratitude.

This scene was very indicative. In modern Ukraine, culture, memory, and state defense coexist. The conversation about the artist from Drohobych ended with a token of gratitude from the military — and this speaks of the time more than long explanations.

When Ukraine defends itself against Russian aggression, the struggle is not only for cities and borders. It is a struggle for the right to remember its history as complex, multinational, and European. In this history, the Jewish heritage of Galicia occupies an important place.

Why this is important for Ukraine and Israel

The solemn Academy in Lviv showed that Ephraim Moshe Lilien is once again returning to the Ukrainian cultural space. Not as a “foreign” artist, not as a separate Jewish biography, but as a son of Drohobych, part of the memory of Lviv region, and a figure that connects Ukraine with the Jewish world.

For Israel, this story also has special significance. Lilien is associated with early Zionist imagination, the era of Theodor Herzl, and the visual language of Jewish national revival. Therefore, the evening in his memory at the Honorary Consulate of Israel in Lviv became a symbolic gesture: Ukraine is reclaiming names that simultaneously belong to its land, Jewish history, and the future of Israel.

The final thought of this event is simple and strong. The memory of Lilien is not only a conversation about the past. It is a bridge between Drohobych and Jerusalem, Lviv and the Jewish world, Ukrainian culture and Israeli history.

And such bridges are especially important today.