Purim is a holiday Jews observe in memory of an ancient victory recounted in the Book of Esther. This story had eerie parallels in Europe during the bloody 20th century. About twenty five hundred years ago, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The Jewish people were banished 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. Drunk with power, he executed his queen, Vashti, who refused his order to dance at an extravagant feast. The king now needed a new queen, and 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. Esther was kind and gentle … and very beautiful. When the king’s men came, Mordechai said, “Don’t be afraid. Go. Don’t tell them you are Jewish. Use your Persian name — Esther. God will watch over you!” As soon as the king saw her, he chose her as his new queen. Esther kept her secret … but to remember which […]

  Husiatyn is a town in the Ternopil Oblast of Western Ukraine, located on the west bank of the Zbruch River. This river formed the old boundary between Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire in the nineteenth century, and the boundary between the Republic of Poland and the Soviet Union during the inter-war period of the twentieth century. The history of the Jewish community in Husiatynspans more than 500 years. After its incorporation as a town in 1559, Jews were among the first to settle there. Despite being small and vulnerable to anti-semitic attacks, by the late nineteenth century Husiatynwas a thriving commercial center and one of the most important Hassidic centers in Galicia. The Husiatyn Synagogue is a rare example of a sixteenth-century “Fortress synagogue” built in the Renaissance style. A fortress synagogue is a synagogue built to withstand attack while protecting the lives of people sheltering within it. The synagogue was rebuilt after a fire in 1742. Contemporary Yiddish writer S. Ansky describes the Husiatynsynagogue as “one of the loveliest and most splendid in Galicia.” Jewish American historian Omer Bartov described the synagogue as “exquisite.” The 18th century partitions of Poland turned Husiatyninto a border town, making it an […]

In these difficult times for Ukraine, it is important to remember the good, to be tolerant and support each other. Because we all are fighting for truth, justice, democracy and a better future for our country. On January 22, 2014, Mikhail Livinskiy a member of the leadership of the united opposition of Ukraine, made a proposal to Josef Zisels, Human rights defender and Head of VAAD, the Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine. Mikhail Livinsky’s proposal was that Maidan’s self-defense forces organize a patrol and guards for the Kyiv synagogues. The synagogue defense program would be coordinated by a deputy of the Ukrainian parliament. Josef Zisels passed the proposal on to two Kyiv synagogues. He also passed it on to a Ukrainian Jewish organizations planning a commemorative ceremony at a third Kyiv synagogue. The ceremony was to be held on January 28, international Holocaust Memorial Day. One of the Oppostion leaders, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, made a statement to the Jewish community on Holocaust Remembrance Day. He said that “The Maidan does not accept ‘Black Hundred’ slogans. And those who attempted to use them were quickly removed.” The Black Hundreds refers to several groups comprising a far-right, Russian pro-monarchist movement […]

January 27th marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945. Fifty years later, in November of 2005, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed this date International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, or simply International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Holocaust was a defining moment in the history of humanity. During the Second World War, the Nazi regime and its collaborators murdered about six million Jewish men, women and children. It was a continent-wide programme intent on the total destruction of all Jewish communities. Driven by a fundamentally racist ideology, Nazi Germany also persecuted and killed millions of other people. These included Slavs, Roma, Sinti, the elderly, the disabled. Some the Nazis considered as “racially inferior.” Others were targeted for political, ideological or behavioural reasons. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, believes that it is essential to learn about the history of the Holocaust. This knowledge will help us to better understand the causes of society’s descent into genocide. And it will also help to raise awareness of the need to nurture peace and human rights in order to prevent mass violence in […]

On January 16th, 2014 Jews in Ukraine and around the world will observe Tu Bishvat …traditionally known as the new year of the trees. According to the tradition of the Hasidim, on Tu Bishvat the Almighty decides the fate of trees and their fruits in the upcoming year’s harvest. As on all Jewish holidays and the weekly shabbat, Jews enjoy a celebratory meal called the seder. Some seders require following strict rituals. Others are more flexible, such as the Tu Bishvat seder. Some Jewish families like to eat meat on Tu Bishvat, others prefer a vegetarian lasagna or a noodle casserole called kugel. However there are some common elements in a Tu Bishvat Seder. These are drinking four different types of wine and eating four different types of fruit. In Ukraine Tu Bishvat is also a time to celebrate one the most famous Jewish sages – Rabbi Sholom Mordechai Shvadron, let the memory of him be blessed – also known as Maharsham of Berezhany. He was appointed Rabbi of the Berezhany district in 1882 and continued to serve in that position until his death in 1911. Physically he was short and skinny, but in everything else he was a giant […]