For centuries, Ukraine was at the centre of the Jewish world. It was the heartland of Hasidism, Zionism and modern Jewish literature, from Sholem Aleichem to Hayim Nahman Bialik.
Ukraine was also a land of pogroms and antisemitism. Today, war-torn Ukraine has about 60,000 Jews, one of whom is the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. There are Jewish fighters in the Ukrainian armed forces, synagogues and JCCs in all major cities. Dr. David Fishman, Professor of History at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, directs the Jewish Archival Survey in Ukraine, which publishes guides to Jewish documents in the country’s archives. He visits Ukraine frequently, most recently in January. This special, free session will explore the following questions: How has the Jewish community fared during the war? What role has Zelensky’s Jewishness played in the unfolding events? How has Israel responded to the war in Ukraine? And what is the state of Jewish heritage in Ukraine, from old synagogues to books and documents? In conversation with Caron Sethill, Progamme Manager Europe at the National Library of Israel.