The EU delegation to Ukraine announced last week that UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has launched a new project aimed at preserving and promoting the rich documentary heritage of Jewish communities in Ukraine.
The two-year initiative, funded by the EU, seeks to safeguard cultural and historical records, enhance accessibility to archival materials, and support at least ten memory institutions across the country.
"Protecting Ukraine's vast and diverse heritage is not just about conserving the past; it is first and foremost an investment in our joint future,” said Rémi Duflot, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation.
“Diversity is a defining trait of our continent. Respect for that diversity, and inclusiveness, are key for our cohesion and unity. They are what brings us together, allows us to live, to work, and to create together, by acknowledging and making the best use of our differences.”
Following her participation on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the extermination camp Auschwitz Birkenau, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, visited the city of Lviv in Ukraine. During her visit, she launched the initiative, funded by the EU with a total budget of €2.2 million.
Three years of war have exacerbated problems in the management and preservation of the Jewish heritage. The UNESCO initiative will focus on digitizing at-risk and damaged documents from 10 memory institutions, training over 50 culture professionals in preservation techniques, and supporting artistic and research endeavors that highlight the contributions of Jewish heritage to Ukrainian culture.
By doing so, the initiative underscores the vital role of collective memory in fostering respect for cultural diversity and human rights. In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the initiative will strengthen Ukrainian archives and memory institutions and their ability to preserve and create access to documentary heritage.
The project will foster collaboration among researchers, artists, and journalists. Scholars will be supported to conduct studies on Jewish heritage, while journalists will be equipped to utilize archival materials for investigative and educational media projects. Additionally, grants will be provided to artists for creative interpretations of Jewish cultural heritage.
In another project since 2021, the United Jewish Community of Ukraine (UJCU) has placed memorials with a star of David and an inscription in Ukrainian, English, and Hebrew that identifies sites as Jewish cemeteries. There are more than 1,300 Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine, whose tombstones were uprooted by the Nazis or under the Soviets for use as building material.
Ukraine has a long and complicated Jewish history. In the 10th century, Kievan Rus defeated the Jewish Khazar kingdom which disappeared from history. In the 17th century, the Cossack Hetmanate under Chmielnicki carried out pogroms against Jewish communities. During WWII, far-right leader Stepan Bandera cooperated with Nazi Germany.
Despite persecutions, Jewish culture flourished in Ukraine. Odessa became a major center of Jewish cultural life and the rise of Zionism until the Jewish population in the city was massacred by Romanian forces allied with Nazi Germany.
The Chassidic movement took also root in Ukraine. One of the most known Chassidic rabbis was Nachman of Breslow (1772 – 1810), who was buried in Uman in Ukraine. Until this day, even during Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, tens of thousands of Nachman’s followers in Israel are going on an annual pilgrimage to Uman.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was an unprovoked and illegal attack, trying to restore the power of the former Soviet Union and Tsar-Russia, against the international order and a neighboring country under the false pretext of “de-nazifying” it.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Israel in March 2022, he complained bitterly about insufficient support while comparing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the Holocaust in his speech to the Israeli parliament. As a Jew, Zelenskyy expected more support from the Jewish state.
“What will remain of Ukraine’s cities after this war?” he asked and called on Israel and the rest of the world to support Ukraine to achieve a cease-fire and mediate direct talks on a political solution.
