The Lviv Museum of the History of Religion recently hosted the grand opening of an extraordinary exhibition by Israeli photographer and journalist Dmitry Brikman titled "Jerusalem — Not Just a City." This collection presents Jerusalem through Brikman’s eyes, highlighting the faces of its diverse residents — people of all ages, religions, and nationalities. The exhibition was organized with the support of the Embassy of Israel in Ukraine.
The director of the Lviv Museum of the History of Religion, Orest Malyts, described the exhibition as cultural diplomacy during the opening ceremony. He pointed out that both Jerusalem’s and Lviv’s coat of arms feature a lion.
"Lviv, like Jerusalem, is also a city of many religions," he noted, emphasizing that the museum was delighted to host the exhibition due to the strong thematic connection between the exhibit and the museum's mission.
"The professionalism of the artist, photographer Dmitry Brikman, his openness, and the way he portrays a city of many faiths — focusing especially on its people — is captivating. It fosters connection and sends a message of goodness, peace, and solidarity," shared Orest Malyts.
"Dmytro Brikman is an exceptional artist and a dear friend of mine. He has a unique ability to see the sacred in the mundane and the beauty in the everyday. He is a talented artist and a keen observer," said Michael Brodsky, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Ukraine, during the exhibition’s opening.
"When we first opened this exhibition in Kyiv before the war, I primarily spoke about Jerusalem. About the city — the heart of our state, the cradle of our civilization, depicted in the center of the known world on medieval maps. A city sacred to three religions, a pilgrimage destination, a point of spiritual longing, and a symbol of hope.
A city about which it is written in the Book of Psalms: If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill. Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
But today, as we open this exhibition here in Lviv, during a year-long war in Israel and the third year in Ukraine, I look at the photo portraits of people praying, and I think about something else: once, during World War II, British chaplain William Cummings said that there are no atheists in war.
And looking at these photo portraits, I think about how, both here in Ukraine and in Israel, people, while saying their prayers, are ultimately asking for the same things: that our soldiers endure and survive, that the prisoners and hostages captured by our enemies return home, that our loved ones, our families, and our children are safe, that when you hear “the subscriber is temporarily unavailable,” you can be sure it’s simply because their phone battery died, that we can forget the sound of the siren.
That our grandchildren will one day ask us: “Did you really sleep in shelters?” and won’t believe it — “That can’t be! People always sleep at home.” That we see white contrails in the sky and pay no attention because it’s just an everyday thing — someone is going on vacation.
That when creating a cultural event, we no longer have to wonder: “Is this the right time? Is this appropriate?” That joy, happiness, and beauty will always feel appropriate and timely again.
I wish for all our prayers to be heard. I wish peace and harmony for our nations!" the Ambassador concluded.
The Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, also highlighted the shared historical past of the Ukrainian and Jewish peoples, as evidenced by the numerous synagogues and cemeteries (kirkuts) on Ukrainian soil, as well as the legacy of figures such as Stanisław Lem, Bruno Schulz, and many others.
"We must, while holding onto our history, build new relationships in today’s world. Unfortunately, both Israel and Ukraine are currently at war. And the aggressor is the same — for some, it’s Russia, for others, it’s Iran — but it’s the same aggressor. Our task is to endure."
According to him, he attended the exhibition expecting to see Jerusalem. "But what I saw were people, their eyes, their souls. We need to learn, even during war, to see the individual, their values, their human dignity, their freedom, to help one another, to feel the human soul. This, probably, is the foundation of humanity, the foundation of our victory. And I so deeply wish for it to come as soon as possible," said Maksym Kozytskyi.
According to the exhibition organizers, Dmytro Brikman is an Israeli photo artist, journalist, and host of television programs. He is the author of the photo album "Jerusalem — Not Just a City" and the book "Photography. Seeing the Seen." Brikman came to photography at a relatively mature age when he visited Jerusalem and realized that what he saw needed to be somehow expressed and understood. The tool for this understanding became the camera. The presented exhibition reflects Jerusalem as seen through the eyes of the photojournalist.
The author could not attend the exhibition's opening but addressed the audience through a recorded video in which he introduced his work.
"Jerusalem reveals itself to everyone differently. Some may be unlucky and only see noisy, crooked streets, shabby walls, and sun-scorched stones. Others, after visiting the tourist attractions in a few days, may mentally check off ‘I was here’ and move on. Some may enter the city utterly convinced that they hold the truth, walking in with heads held high, ignoring everything around them. They, too, are likely to be unlucky. You cannot approach Jerusalem in this way. You cannot move from point to point, from dome to dome, along the shortest paths. There are no straight paths here at all," Brikman says about his exhibition.
"The exhibition is an attempt to pause and reflect on what you pass by without noticing. To look into the eyes of the people you encounter for a fleeting moment. To hear the silence of the eastern bazaar. To recognize that exact point where religion ends and faith begins. It is an attempt to touch the City, which is so much more than just a city."
In this way, the author invites exhibition visitors not just to view the photographs but to read them, as each one carries a human story, even those that do not feature people.
The exhibition comprises portraits, genre shots, cityscapes, and reportage photographs. "Although such genre classifications are very conditional. This enigmatic city does not like classifications. It will rearrange and mix them as it pleases," the organizers assure and encourage visitors to see more of Brikman's work on his website www.dimabrickman.com.
At the conclusion of the official program, Svetlana Tyapina, the cultural assistant of the Embassy of Israel in Ukraine and the event's host, shared that based on the exhibition, Dmytro Brikman created a photo film, or as he calls it, a photo translation, titled "The Prayer of Jerusalem."
"For millennia, people have been coming to Jerusalem. They come to speak directly and without intermediaries to the highest authority. They lift their eyes to the heavens, lower them to the ground, gaze into the fire, or look at the ancient stones of the Wall and utter words — words of prayer," begins the author’s narration in the film, immediately inviting viewers to imagine a scenario.
*"What you are about to hear and see is something that, most likely, will never happen. I simply imagined that one day, people of different nationalities, religions, and denominations, after passing through the gates of the old city walls, wouldn’t immediately scatter to their respective holy places. Instead, they would gather in one spot. They would come together to create a shared prayer composed of words from the prayers of the three main religions of this city: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Of course, each person would pray according to their customs and traditions. But together. Side by side. And no one would interfere with anyone else in the process."
The film transitions into the prayer itself — the prayer of Jerusalem — a prayer woven from the prayers of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
"... Our God and the God of our ancestors, let our prayer come before You; hear our plea. We are neither bold nor stubborn enough to claim before You, Lord, our God and the God of our ancestors: ‘We are righteous, we have not sinned.’ No, we have sinned, both we and our ancestors."
"Lord, grant me the peace of mind to face everything the coming day will bring. Help me to fully and completely surrender myself to Your Holy Will.
Guide and support me in all things at every moment of this day."
"Whatever news I may receive throughout the day, teach me to accept it with a calm heart and firm conviction that all is according to Your Holy Will.
In all my words and deeds, guide my thoughts and feelings.
In all unforeseen circumstances, do not let me forget that everything is sent by You.
Teach me to act directly and wisely with each member of my family, neither disturbing nor upsetting anyone.
Lord, grant me the strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events it brings.
Guide my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to endure, to forgive, and to love."
"Grant me, Lord, to be an instrument of Your peace:
to bring love where there is hatred,
forgiveness where there is offense,
reconciliation where there is discord,
faith where there is doubt,
hope where there is despair,
joy where there is sorrow,
to bring light into darkness.
Grant me, Lord, to console rather than to be consoled,
to understand rather than to be understood,
to love rather than to be loved,
for it is in giving that we receive,
in forgiving that we are forgiven,
and in dying that we are born to eternal life."
We invite you to watch the film and experience the full prayer.
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