For centuries, Ukraine was at the center 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, Programme Manager Europe at the National Library of Israel.

This event will last approximately 1 hour, without an interval. 

About the speakers:

David E. Fishman is professor of history at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, focusing on the Jews of Russia and eastern Europe. He directs the Jewish Archival Survey in Ukraine and recently co-edited Jewish Documentary Sources in Lviv Archives: A Guide. Fishman visits Ukraine frequently and publishes the weekly online newsletter The War in Ukraine: Jewish News. His book The Book Smugglers, on the ‘Paper Brigade’ of the Vilna ghetto, won the National Jewish Book Award in the Holocaust category.

Caron Sethill is Progamme Manager Europe at the National Library of Israel (NLI), managing Gesher L’Europa, (A Bridge to Europe), part of the library’s ambition to become the Library of the Jewish people worldwide sharing the NLI Collections in creative ways , and engaging people with shared interests working in Jewish settings. Caron was born in the UK, and came on Aliya in 1984. Prior to working at the NLI, she worked at the British Council, promoting connections between Britain and Israel.