UJE heads west to Limmud FSU in San Francisco

The Ukrainian Jewish Encounter has become a traditional participant in conferences organized by Limmud FSU. This organization aims to revive the tradition of Jewish education and strengthening of the Jewish identity. Limmud FSU’s educational festivals and conferences provide a unique cultural and educational platform for young Jews in the former Soviet Union, Israel, America, Canada, and around the world. Join us for UJE’s presentations at Limmud FSU Inspire, 1001 Broadway, Oakland, CA.

“Chernivtsi - A town where books and people lived”

Saturday, November 18, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., Room 5 (Mensch, Salon 1&2)
(Presentation in Russian) 

UJE board member Wolf Moskovich will present “Chernivtsi – A town where books and people lived.” That is how Paul Celan called his native city. Since the end of the 18th century, this Eastern corner of the Austro-Hungarian empire with its population represented by 42 ethnicities was built as an outpost of European culture, tolerance and multi-cultural understanding. In many ways, the experiment was successful and history has proven its survivability. Chernivtsi gifted the world an array of significant figures of German, Yiddish, Ukrainian and Romanian culture. Not by accident, thousands of Jews were not deported and lived through the Nazi occupation of the city. Modern Chernivtsi tries to preserve the best traditions. The new book The Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: Cultural Dimensions is dedicated to some aspects of this topic.

"Hasidism on the Territory of Ukraine and the Influence of Ukrainian Folk Music on Hasidic Music"

Sunday, November 19, 9:00 a.m. - 9:55 a.m., Room 3 (Chutzpah, 208 Tech)
(Presentation in English) 

Alti Rodal, UJE Co-Director, will offer an overview of the origins and spread of Hasidism on lands that are today part of Ukraine and beyond. Given that the majority population was Ukrainian in those areas where Hasidism developed and flourished, it is not surprising that elements of Ukrainian culture may be found in Hasidic folklore and music. Illustrative examples of such cross-cultural influences will be presented discussed.

Rhea Clyman: A Forgotten Canadian Witness to the Great Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33

Sunday, November 19, 9:00 a.m. - 9:55 a.m., Room 8 (Simcha, California)
(Presentation in English)

When she was Moscow correspondent for the London Daily Express and the Toronto Telegram, Jewish-Canadian journalist Rhea Clyman in 1932 took a 5,000-mile road trip through Soviet Ukraine and the North Caucasus. Her chilling accounts of a government-induced famine in eastern Soviet Ukraine, known as the Holodomor, and the gulags of the Russian Far East often made the front-page of the newspapers for which she wrote. Clyman was eventually expelled from the Soviet Union and went on to report on Hitler’s Germany.  Through her dispatches and research, Jars Balan discusses the work and life of this extraordinary woman, who emigrated from Poland to Canada at age two, and grew up in Toronto near the corner of Bay and Dundas Streets.

"Chiune Sugihara: A Model of Heroic Compassion"

Sunday, November 19, 10 a.m.- 11 a.m., Room 8 (Simcha, California)
(Presentation in English)

Berel Rodal, UJE board member, will speak about Chiune Sugihara, who served as the Vice council for the Japanese Empire in Lithuania and is credited with helping thousands of Jews flee Europe during the Second World War.

For more information on the Limmud FSU Inspire please visit the conference website.