Andrew Zalewski

There is never a right time to go to war and this was also true in 1914. The summer months brought the failure of diplomacy across Europe. In August, the inevitable happened and the newspaper headlines in Galicia screamed, “AUSTRIA IN WAR WITH RUSSIA.” Jewish lives in Lwów, Stanislawów, Bohorodczany and other towns of eastern Galicia are the backdrop to the stories about the war and the touching acts of humanity. The talk focuses on the military campaigns, Russian offensives and Austrian counter-offensives, intertwined with the tales of the ordinary people. Jewish lives are caught in the monumental changes around. The war stubbornly does not want to end; the familiar order of Galicia unravels, with the uncertainty what will happen next. This talk about the Great War (1914-1918) in Galicia is based on my research for “Galician Trails.” It is illustrated with maps and the newly discovered archival pictures.