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

Traveling along its itinerary across Ukraine, UJE's exhibition "A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter: From Antiquity to 1939" came to Bohuslav in the Kyiv region.

The grand opening took place on May 13 in the hall of the Bohuslav Town Council's House of Culture. Symbolically, the opening ceremony coincided with the 110th anniversary of Sholem Aleichem's death. This famous Jewish author was born in the Bohuslav region, and representatives of the local authorities and UJE laid flowers at his monument to open the ceremony.

Tetiana Kutsenko, head of the Department for Culture, Youth, and Sports of the Bohuslav Town Council, delivered the opening address, recalling Sholem Aleichem's will — to be remembered with humor, rather than sadness, in the circle of friends. She told the audience about the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Kyiv region, established in 1637, and the origins of the names of Bohuslav's streets associated with Jewish history.

Vladyslav Shpak, secretary of the Bohuslav Town Council, welcomed the guests on behalf of the mayor and council members and spoke about the region's multiethnic history, in which different peoples lived together for centuries, particularly the Jewish community, which formed a distinct local culture. He thanked the organizers for the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Bohuslav region and Ukraine, presenting a certificate of appreciation and souvenirs from the community.

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

Oksana Palchyk, director of the Bohuslav Region History Museum, provided a brief historical overview of Bohuslav's Jewish community. The first records of Jews living in the region date back to the 10th century. According to the 1897 census, more than 2,700 of Bohuslav's 11,000 residents were Jews. Palchyk discussed synagogues, craft guilds, two Jewish cemeteries, well-known rabbis, a developed system of education and charity, Jewish-owned enterprises (a brick factory, a confectionery, and a textile mill), and the Pokras family. She emphasized the tragedy of the Holocaust — the names of over 300 Jews killed in Bohuslav are known, and efforts are still ongoing to establish the names of others. Palchyk also mentioned the local Righteous Among the Nations: the Turkevychs, Stashevskys, Nyzhnyks, Yurkovskys, and Fedorenkos.

Yevhen Puzatko, a local historian, tour guide, and public activist, thanked UJE for earlier cooperation at the festival "Portal Through the Centuries: Old Bohuslav" and told the audience about the inspiration Sholem Aleichem drew from the Bohuslav region. A memorial sign has now been installed on the site where his mother's house stood. Puzatko quoted an excerpt from the story "From the Fair" about a colorful Bohuslav merchant and told two stories, one about Sholem Aleichem's love for a local girl, Golde Loyev, with whom he started a family, and the other about Nathan Goldenberg, a native of Bohuslav who emigrated to Britain in the 1920s, became the chief chemiсal technologist for Marks & Spencer, and was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

Oleksandr Sokalsky, a representative of the Bohuslav region's Jewish community, shared a personal story: the adoptive grandparents of his father, who was adopted as a small child during World War II, are buried in the local Jewish cemetery. He mentioned the local Jewish organization "Dobrodii" and active community members, some of whom are already buried in the same cemetery. He spoke about the Jewish cultural festivals that used to be held in Bohuslav, featuring groups of performers from other towns and cities, such as Korsun-Shevchenkivsky, Brovary, and Kyiv.

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.

A full recording of the opening ceremony is available here.

Moreover, Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., UJE's regional manager in Ukraine, gave an interview to local media outlets, describing UJE's activities and the significance of its projects for Ukrainian society. The interview recording is available here.

Vladyslav Hrynevych, Jr., Regional Manager, UJE Ukraine