Exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939" opens in Berezan

The exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939" came to Berezan, a town in the Brovary raion of the Kyiv region, situated on the Nedra River. Since its founding over 400 years ago, the town's history has been deeply intertwined with Ukrainian-Jewish economic and social coexistence — visible in trade, leasing, neighborly relations, marriage, and other community bonds.

On 28 September, the Berezan Cultural Center hosted the exhibition's opening ceremony, which was moderated by Iryna Kulinich, head of the Gudzyky handicraft club.

Ivanna Mosinzova, deputy mayor of Berezan, welcomed visitors, noting the local residents' strong interest in hosting such cultural and historical events and expressing her gratitude to UJE.

A girls' dance ensemble performed an enchanting dance to the Ukrainian folk song "Vyidy, vyidy, Ivanku" (Come out, come out, Ivanko), adding a vibrant, emotional highlight to the event and reflecting the beauty of Ukrainian tradition.

In his address, Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., UJE's regional manager in Ukraine, shared the history of the exhibition and its journey across Ukraine since 2018 with the goal of promoting a deeper understanding of the centuries-old relations between Ukrainians and Jews. He introduced the audience to UJE's activities, its main projects, and the books published with its support.

One of UJE's most engaging projects — the All-Ukrainian Student Drawing Competition "Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: Our stories are incomplete without each other" — was presented by Svitlana Hrynevych, the administrator of UJE's Ukrainian office and curator of the competition. She showcased an album-catalog featuring drawings by past participants, explained the guidelines for entering, and invited the high school students and teachers in attendance to participate and spread the word to other Berezan residents.

Please click here to view the presentation of the winners' drawings.

An engaging, informative presentation was given by Alona Franchuk, historian, artist, and chief curator of the Berezan Local History Museum. She brought along one of the museum's 6,000 exhibits: the diary of Berezan resident Vasyl Okhrimenko. It contains photographs, documents, details about local traders and craftsmen, and memories of World War II and the Holocaust. Franchuk read excerpts from this diary that describe real-life examples of Ukrainians and Jews living side by side and interacting with each other in Berezan. She also noted that the museum's archives house a register containing a 200-page census of Berezan's Jewish population from 1850.

Berezan is a multicultural town, and its residents have always been interested in the history and culture of other nations. This was shared by Alla Novikova, head of the Berezan Community Foundation, whose activities are aimed at preserving historical memory, family traditions, and the distinct culture of various ethnic groups. Particularly memorable was her comparison of different nations' cultures to rivers, as they carry the memory, customs, and spiritual experience of generations through the centuries and flow into the great ocean of humanity's shared culture, enriching it with their unique character.

Marharyta Virych, head of the Culture Department of the Berezan Town Council, concluded the opening ceremony, expressing gratitude to all attendees and UJE for the opportunity to participate in this cultural and educational event, which provides a platform for exploring history, culture, and interethnic relations, while fostering mutual understanding and strengthening cultural dialog.

All visitors received complimentary copies of the illustrated catalog A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1914.

Scenes during and immediately following the opening of the exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939" at the Berezan Cultural Center. 28 September 2026.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., Regional Manager, UJE Ukraine