Ukrainians and Jews have lived on the same land for centuries and have a long history of cooperation and animosity, cliches, and prejudices of each other ingrained in public discourse and collective memories. Both communities endured hardships and were subjected to terror and persecution by Soviet and Nazi totalitarian systems. The history of collective trauma runs deep in each community and divisions are not always ready to heal.
Ukraine which emerged after several upheavals in its recent history – its Maidan Revolution in Kyiv, subsequent annexation and Crimea, and the war in the east -triggered an intense process of identity search. Two visions of this identity project are coming to a clash: a project of exclusive Ukrainian identity where the nation is seen solely as the victim of external aggression, throughout history as well as today, versus an inclusive project, with a wider scope for the experiences of other nations living on Ukrainian soil.
The post-Maidan years have shaped a new public discourse on the issue of Ukraine’s incorporating Holocaust and Jewish history overall into its national narrative, a new trend to uncover Jewish cultural presence in cities, once predominantly Jewish, is being seized upon by Ukrainian intellectuals. In many cases, erased family and community histories, lost cityscapes are being brought back to life thanks to many grassroots initiatives, driven by groups of volunteers, including Ukrainians, Jews from Ukraine, and the diaspora.
This series is to demonstrate the complexity and vibrancy of this debate within Ukraine, with engagement across academia, civil society, public intellectuals, and the artistic milieu to find consensus on if and how Jewish experience could be integrated into a historical narrative of a new Ukraine. We are also aiming to reflect opinions from the Jewish diaspora in the UK, as well as academic research from the US.
The events of the series include:
Sheptytsky and the Holocaust
Date: Thursday, 4 October 2018
Time: 7pm
Venue: Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile, 22 Binney St, Mayfair, London W1K 5BQ
Holocaust and lost cultural and urban spaces in modern Ukraine
Date: Tuesday, 18 December 2018
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Jewish Community Centre London (JW3), 341-351 Finchley Road, London NW3 6ET
Past events:
“Jews and Ukrainians: A Millennium of Co-Existence”: a talk by Paul Robert Magocsi
Date: Thursday, 3 May 2018
Time: 7pm
Venue: University College London, Institute of Advanced Studies Common Ground (room G11, ground floor, South Wing), Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
Ukrainian-Jewish relations in the new Ukraine, a presentation of a special issue of “Odessa Review”. A talk by Vladislav Davidzon
Date: Thursday, 7 June 2018
Time: 7pm
Venue: Ukrainian Institute, 79 Holland Park, London W11 3SW
This series in organised in partnership with:
