Purim is a holiday Jews observe in memory of an ancient Jewish victory. The story of Purim is recounted in the Book of Esther in the Bible. It’s a story of treachery and warfare in ancient Israel, but it has eerie parallels with the bloody 20th century in Europe. About twenty five hundred years ago, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. He banished the Jewish people from Israel to Babylonia. Fifty years later, Babylonia was defeated by Persia, the most powerful kingdom in the world at that time. Achashverosh was the second Persian king, also known as Xerxes the Great. One day he threw a lavish party and ordered his queen, Vashti, to dance at the extravagant feast. She refused, which infuriated the king. On the advice of his counselors he deposed and banished her, as an example to other women who might be emboldened to disobey their husbands. The king now needed a new queen. So he sent his men in search for someone even more beautiful than Vashti. In the capital city, Shushan, a Jewish orphan named Hadassah lived with her uncle Mordechai, the leader of the Jews. She was kind and […]

Most Jews in the diaspora can trace their ancestry to the Pale of Settlement. But what exactly IS the Pale of Settlement? It’s a term that often comes up when reading about or researching the history of Jews in Eastern Europe. Obviously, it’s a territory where Jews lived, and were in fact confined to live within. But where exactly was it? Who created it—and why? And what was it like to live in the Pale of Settlement? Well in answer to those questions, to say “it’s complicated” is a bit of an understatement. So, let’s take a look at some historical data to uncomplicate it a bit. The Pale of Settlement was an area of 25 provinces in Czarist Russia. It was established by Empress Catherine II of Russia, also known as Catherine the Great, in 1791. You could perhaps say it was an unintended consequence of the partitions of Poland. This is a sad and troubling period of history for this once large and formidable empire. Since before the time of Christ, Jews had lived in this area where they intermarried with, and eventually converted, the Khazar people. But the main migration of Jews into the area began much […]

In this edition of Ukrainian Jewish Heritage, we’ll be speaking again with Julia Korsunsky, the executive director of RememberUs.org, a nonprofit organization based in Massachusetts. We were first introduced to RememberUs.org when we learned about their project of planting metasequoia trees at mass grave sites of Holocaust victims. These include her own great-grandparents and many other relatives. By their very nature, these trees are appropriately symbolic for this purpose. They’re resilient, able to adjust to different climates, enduring, strong and perdurable, just like the Jewish people. Thought to be extinct, the metasequoia was discovered in fossils in the 1940s. Today, metasequoia trees can be found in botanical gardens and parks around the world as well at a growing number of Holocaust killing sites. The trees have been planted at several sites in Ukraine and the project continues. However, it is just part of a larger endeavor. As Julia explained in our interview, which aired in June of 2018. In mid December, she shared some exciting news about the second phase of the project, the opening of a new museum. Pawlina: So Julia, you’ve been hard at work there at Remember Us, since we last talked. And this is something that you […]

The Felshtin Society is named after a Ukrainian shtetl called Felshtin, which today is the town of Hvardiiske. The Felshtin Society began as a benevolent society organized in 1905 in New York City and is still active today. In 1919 after 600 Jews perished in a brutal pogrom which took place in Felshtin, the society provided refuge and relief to the survivors. Next April, the Felshtin society will hold commemorative events to mark the centenary of this tragic historical event. We first learned of these upcoming events as well as the past events, last March when we spoke with the president of the Felshtin Society, Alan Bernstein last week, Alan joined us to share some recent developments in their ongoing preparations, which the society is very excited about. One of these is a connection with locals in Hvardiiske, including a school principal and a Catholic priest who are eager to join in this commemoration to help shed light on their town’s Jewish past. In part two of this interview, Alan shares more details about this and other connections recently made. Pawlina: So you’ve been planning this … you said actually you started thinking about this six years ago, but plans […]

The Felshtin Society is named after a Ukrainian shtetl called Felshtin, which today is the Ukrainian town of Hvardii’ske. The Felshtin Society began as a benevolent society organized in 1905 in New York City and it’s still active today. One of the most notable of its ongoing humanitarian efforts over the past 113 years is the refuge and relief that this society provided to the survivors of the 1919 pogrom in Felshtin. Six hundred Jews perished in that brutal pogrom. In April of 2019 the Felshtin Society will hold commemorative events to mark the centenary of this tragic historical event. Last March, we spoke with the president of the Felshtin Society, Alan Bernstein, who told us about the society and its plans for these commemorative events. Recently the society announced some exciting new developments, which Alan has kindly agreed to share with Nash Holos listeners. We spoke by phone from his office in New York. Pawlina: So Alan, welcome back to Nash Holos. Alan Bernstein: Thanks very much. I appreciate your having me back. Pawlina: Well it’s great to have you! This story is really fascinating to me and I’m excited to hear about the new developments. But just to […]

    Ruth Ellen Gruber is an American journalist, author, editor and researcher. Her book, Jewish Heritage Travel: A Guide to Eastern Europe, was first published twenty-five years ago and is still considered the most complete Jewish travel guide to the region. We first learned about Ruth and a bit about her work last year in an episode of Ukrainian Jewish Heritage dealing with dark tourism, which involves travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy. Ruth’s work however sheds light on Jewish heritage sites with the goal of keeping alive the memory of Jewish life in Europe through the restoration of physical reminders. Last week we spoke with Ruth Ellen Gruber about her early career as a foreign correspondent in Europe, her run-in with the communist govt in Poland during the time of Solidarity, and her travel guide. In part 2 of our 2-part interview, we discuss other books, a website she runs that collates information and news about Jewish heritage sites in Europe as well as her work in Ukraine. Pawlina: So Ruth, you’re American-born but you have roots in Eastern Europe. Where do your ancestors hail from? Ruth: My father’s parents came from a village, and […]