The Faina Petryakova Scientific Center for Judaica and Jewish Art has been set up to commemorate the life of Faina Petryakova – a passionate defender and promoter of Jewish art, and a great scholar. Faina Petryakova was born in 1931 in Old Buxov (now in Belarus territory) into a Jewish family. Her father was an officer and her mother was a nurse. She studied Russian philology at the Lviv University and art criticism in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Faina Petryakova was an extraordinary person. She was very popular among her colleagues, and also with critics and artists. She was popular not only because of her flamboyant nature, beauty and charm, but above all because of her knowledge, her passion for her work, and her outstanding work ethic. She was a professor at the Lviv Academy of Arts, a Doctor of Art History, and senior scientist at the Lviv Department of the Folklore Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine., where she earned her doctorate. In 1990 she curated the first exhibition of Jewish work in the USSR. The exibition was a unique event in the 90s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Having spent most of her […]
Continue reading
Ukrainian Jewish Heritage – New Feature
So little is known about Ukraine’s Jewish past, and present. For example, did you know that Ukraine is the second most sacred site on earth for Jews, second only to Israel itself? Few do. Such facts are too often lost in a sea of ignorance and mutual distrust created and cultivated by outside forces with a vested interest in keeping Jews and Ukrainians from working together to build a strong, sovereign Ukrainian state. A few years ago, in Toronto, that is exactly what I heard Meylakh Sheykhet say to a gathering of both communities. Meylakh has devoted his life to preserving what is left of Ukraine’s Jewish community, and restoring harmony between Ukrainians and Jews. Known as the “guardian of Jewish cemetaries in Ukraine,” Meylakh is the Executive Director of the Jewish Heritage Museum in Lviv, and a tireless advocate against the ongoing desecration of Jewish sacred sites in Ukraine. Here in Canada, he spoke of the devastation wreaked in Ukraine by the Nazis and the Communists. He also spoke of the affection between Jews and non-Jews in remote Ukrainian villages… genuine affection between ordinary workaday people who live side by side year in and year out and who are mutually devasted whenever a […]
Critically acclaimed musical Strike! makes its Alberta Premiere this month
In conjunction with the Alberta Federation of Labour’s 100th Anniversary, Danny Schur & Rick Chafe’s critically-acclaimed musical Strike! makes its Alberta debut with Edmonton’s Workshop West Theatre April 24th – 28th, 2013 at the Timms Centre for the Performing Arts. Set against the nation-changing tumult of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, the eight-show run features an 18-person Edmonton cast under the direction of Edmonton-raised director Arne MacPherson. Danny Schur is currently in Edmonton helping with preparations for the production. We chatted by phone earlier this week about the show and his amazing career as a self-employed full-time musician and playwright. The interview will air on Nash Holos in early April. Tickets for the Edmonton performance are very reasonably priced, so if you are in the Edmonton area or plan to visit while they’re showing, make sure to book your tickets soon. They’re going fast so don’t delay and risk being disappointed. This is one show you don’t want to miss! The performance schedule is: • Wednesday, April 24th (Opening Night) – 8:00 PM • Thursday, April 25th (Student Matinee) – 1:00 PM / Thursday, April 25th – 8:00 PM • Friday, April 26th – 8:00 PM (SOLD OUT) • Saturday, […]
Continue reading
