Exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939" opens at the Shevchenko National Reserve in Kaniv

On 31 October 2025, the library of the Shevchenko National Reserve hosted the opening of the travelling exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939" organized by UJE.

The event continued the cultural and educational initiative in Kaniv, which began in October at Kaniv's Culture and Arts Center. This time, the meeting took place in the library hall of the Shevchenko National Reserve, where a special atmosphere of learnedness and historical memory imbued the event with intimacy and emotional depth. Before the meeting, the participants listened to a selection of Ukrainian and Jewish musical works, which symbolically emphasized the common themes in the two cultures.

Yurii Kardash, Head of the Exhibition Sector at the Shevchenko National Reserve, moderated the event. He highlighted the unity of traditions, cultures, and historical experiences, recalling Shevchenko's vision of human dignity and the coexistence of peoples. Vira Nosenko, Head of the History and Architecture Sector, emphasized the deep historical roots of Kaniv's multiculturalism and the importance of academic interpretation of the Ukrainian-Jewish heritage.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., Regional Manager of UJE Ukraine and initiator and organizer of the exhibition, spoke next, underscoring the importance of continuing the dialogue about the complex and multifaceted history of relations between the two peoples. He outlined UJE's main initiatives and introduced key publications prepared and published with UJE support, emphasizing their role in shaping an objective historical narrative and developing memory culture.

Olena Chervinska, the head of Kaniv's Jewish community, thanked the organizers, noting that such events contributed to the preservation of identity, mutual understanding, and openness in society. She underlined that Kaniv's Jewish community was wiped out almost completely, which is why it was crucial to preserve historical memory, support cultural heritage, and remind the younger generation of the centuries-old Jewish presence in the town.

Kostiantyn Andriienko, a representative of the Kaniv Town Council, also delivered a welcoming speech, noting that the town's cultural life could not develop without attention to its multilayered past and the memory of the coexistence of different communities. Inna Pavlenko, Head of the Library and Information Department, concluded the opening ceremony, thanking everyone present for their attention and inviting them to proceed to the exhibition.

Traditionally, each visitor to the exhibition's opening was presented with a copy of the catalog A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1914. This lavishly illustrated 168-page edition was designed to present a coherent narrative and explore the shared historical experience of the two peoples in all its diversity and complexity — both in times of crisis and episodic violence and during extended periods of normal coexistence and multifaceted intercultural interaction.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., Regional Manager, UJE Ukraine