Exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939" comes to Radomyshl

Posted On: June 15th, 2026

Posted In: UJE Initiatives, A Journey through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter, Exhibits, Outreach

Visitors at the opening of the exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939" in the large hall of the Radomyshl Town Council's Department for Culture and Tourism. 27 April 2026.

Continuing its journey across Ukraine, the traveling exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939," created by UJE, opened in Radomyshl, Zhytomyr Oblast, on 27 April 2026. The opening ceremony took place in the large hall of the Department for Culture and Tourism of the Radomyshl Town Council. The event became an important milestone on the exhibition's cultural and educational itinerary, designed to showcase the centuries-old history of coexistence between Ukrainians and Jews, their interactions, cultural influences, and shared historical experience.

In her opening address, Iryna Zharuk, head of the Department for Culture and Tourism of the Radomyshl Town Council, welcomed the visitors and emphasized the importance of studying the multicultural history of one's native land and such educational and cultural initiatives for modern society. She thanked the project organizers and introduced Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., UJE's regional manager in Ukraine, who had come from Kyiv.

Iryna Zharuk, head of the Department for Culture and Tourism of the Radomyshl Town Council, announces the opening of the exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939." 27 April 2026.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., spoke about the organization's activities, its key initiatives, and the exhibition's history and goal — promoting a better understanding of the centuries-old history of relations between Ukrainians and Jews. He also described the itinerary of the traveling exhibition and its significance for communities in different regions of Ukraine.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., UJE's regional manager in Ukraine, talks about the organization's activities and the exhibition. Radomyshl, 27 April 2026.

During the event, visitors viewed a video about how the exhibition was designed and developed, and how it traveled across Ukraine for many years, gaining a deeper understanding of its concept and glimpsing its previous presentations in other cities of Ukraine and abroad. The video can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

During the demonstration of the video "UJE Museum and Exhibition Project" at the exhibition's opening. Radomyshl. 27 April 2026.

Volodymyr Molodyko, a well-known local history specialist, editor at Radomyshl Studio radio, and journalist, gave a particularly interesting presentation on Radomyshl's rich Jewish history, which is an integral part of the town's past. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Jewish community constituted a significant part of the town's population and made a significant contribution to the development of local trade, education, and cultural life. Radomysl had a synagogue, several prayer houses, Jewish schools, and charitable institutions. Molodyko also mentioned the spiritual leaders of the Jewish community and the tradition of Hasidism kept by the local tsaddikim, who turned the town into one of the most important centers of Jewish religious life in the Zhytomyr region. Notable among them were tsaddik Avraham Yehoshua of Tver (a descendant of Rebbe Nachman), who died in 1919, and Rebbe Moshe, the youngest son of the founder of the Chabad movement, Shneur Zalman of Liadi. Today, the restored tombs of these righteous men in the old local Jewish cemetery are an important place of pilgrimage for Hasidim from all over the world.

During the presentation by Volodymyr Molodyko, a local history specialist, journalist, and editor at Radomyshl Studio radio. 27 April 2026.

Natalia Kosatenko, director of the Radomyshl Public Library and Mediatheque, joined the discussion, emphasizing the importance of preserving historical memory and popularizing knowledge about Ukraine's multinational past, especially among young people and especially now.

During the speech of Natalia Kosatenko, director of the Radomyshl Public Library and Mediatheque. 27 April 2026.

Serhii Pysarenko, a local history specialist, spoke about the Chercha tract, one of the most tragic and sorrowful places in the Radomyshl region, associated with the horrors of the Nazi occupation. While the municipal Jewish cemetery is a symbol of the spiritual flowering and legacy of the tsaddikim, Chercha was the place of death of the local Jewish community.

During the speech of Serhii Pysarenko, a local history specialist from Radomyshl. 27 April 2026.

After the official part, visitors explored the 20-panel exhibition, actively discussing the materials and sharing impressions. An important addition to the event was the distribution of about a hundred copies of the catalog A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1914, which visitors received as a gift.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., UJE's regional manager in Ukraine, presents Roman Pikhtelev, head of the Radomyshl School of Arts, with a set of books published with UJE's support. 27 April 2026.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., UJE's regional manager in Ukraine, presents Natalia Kosatenko, director of the Radomyshl Public Library and Mediatheque, with a set of books published with UJE's support. 27 April 2026.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., UJE's regional manager in Ukraine, presents Aliona Svitsa, Deputy Director at Radomyshl Lyceum No. 2, with a set of books published with UJE's support and talks about the organization's multimedia project — the UJE Timeline. Radomyshl, 27 April 2026.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., UJE's regional manager in Ukraine, presents Serhii Pysarenko, a local history specialist from Radomyshl, with a set of books published with UJE's support. 27 April 2026.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., UJE's regional manager in Ukraine, presents Iryna Zharuk, head of the Department for Culture and Tourism of the Radomyshl Town Council, with a set of books published with UJE's support. 27 April 2026.

The exhibition in Radomyshl was another important step towards preserving historical memory, developing intercultural dialogue, and deepening knowledge of Ukraine's multifaceted past.