Klezmer music … it’s instantly recognizable, yet almost impossible to define. It’s a unique sound with a heritage deeply rooted in the shtetls, the Jewish villages of Eastern Europe. The term klezmer is derived from the Hebrew roots “kli-zemer” or “vessel of song.” It reflects the ancient Jewish belief that a musician is not really a creator of music, but rather a vessel through which music flows. It also refers to professional Jewish folk musicians of Eastern European origin. Since the 1970s (nineteen seventies), it also has been used to describe the genres of music they performed. However you want to define it, klezmer is a cultural phenomenon which played an integral part in the culture and celebrations of Ukrainian and other Eastern European Jewry. The tradition of klezmer in Europe dates back to the 16th (sixteenth) century. From then and until the 1930s (nineteen thirties), klezmorim, or klezmer performers, played an important role in Jewish communities. Klezmorim were hired to play at Jewish weddings and other gatherings … as well as at non-Jewish functions. And sometimes, non-Jewish musicians played at Jewish events. As a result, klezmer music became a rather eclectic mix of Eastern European folk styles. So it […]

Yaroslav Dashkevych was a prominent Ukrainian historian, and one of the founding members of the Scientific Center of Judaica and Jewish art. In a time of rapid devaluation of national values (which is how we can characterize the latest decade of our history), Dashkevych was a significant role model for thousands of people. He was a living example of intellectual and professional honesty, and a real patriot of Ukraine. Even after a lengthy exile in Siberia, he did not give up his beliefs. He remained professional and dedicated to culture. His school of historiography, hundreds of works, articles, and essays will acquire a proper appreciation among future generations. Yaroslav Dashkevych was a Doctor of History, Director of the Lviv branch of the Hrushevskyi Institute of Ukrainian Archeography and Historiography, and head of the historical-philosophical division of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. He was born on the thirteenth of December 1926 in Lviv to Olena and Roman Dashkevych. Yaroslav’s mother was Olena Stepaniv, the first Ukrainian woman officer and a cornet of the Січові Стрілці (Sich Sharpshooters – Sichovi Striltsi). His father, Roman Dashkevych, was a general in the Ukrainian National Republic Army. After studying Ukrainian Language and Literature at the Lviv […]

One of Galicia’s few klezmer musicians to survive the Holocaust was Leopold Kozlowski. Known as the last klezmer of Galicia, he is a passionate promoter of klezmer. Now 95, he lives in Krakow, Poland where he teaches klezmer to non-Jewish students. Klezmer is a traditional Jewish non-liturgical music with roots in Galicia. Like other folk traditions, klezmer music was passed down from generation to generation. Initially klezmer was performed at weddings because structurally it corresponds to traditional Jewish marital rites. The actual term «klezmer music» was coined by a Soviet musicologist in the late nineteen thirties. It gained popularity in the west in the nineteen eighties. Leopold Kozlowski comes from a long line of klezmerim. His grandfather, Pesach Brandwein, together with his 12 musical sons, founded the most famous klezmer band in Galicia. One of Leopold’s uncles is clarinetist Naftule Brandwein, regarded in America as the “king of klezmer.” In 1918 Leopold Kozlowski was born in the Polish town of Przemyslany, near Lviv. Due to the shifting borders of the war years, it is now located in Ukraine. Before the second world war, half of Przemyslany’s 7,000 inhabitants were Jews. In September 1939, Poland was divided between Germany and Russia, […]

James Temerty is a distinguished Canadian entrepreneur, civic leader, and philanthropist, and founder of the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter. Well-known and respected for his vision, initiative and servant leadership, James Temerty has received many honours for his achievements. He was born in the Donbas region of Ukraine during WWII. His parents were deported to Germany as forced labourers. After the war, his family lived in Belgium for three years, before coming to Canada and settling in Montreal. Mr. Temerty’s lifelong entrepreneurial attributes appeared early in life. His first venture was founding a University Student Business Association, which brought Dick Clark’s American Bandstand to a thrilled audience in Montreal, and eventually employed 42 students. After graduating, he held various marketing and management positions with IBM in Canada and the United States. After 15 years, Mr. Temerty returned to his entrepreneurial roots, building a single franchise into the world’s largest privately held chain of ComputerLand stores. Today Mr. Temerty is well known as the founder and chair of Northland Power, Canada’s first independent power producer and a Canadian icon for clean and green energy sources. Founded in 1987, Northland Power operates biomass, natural gas and wind power projects in Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. […]

As the Jewish High Holy Days draw to a close, the focus of the Jewish community shifts from the solemnity of Yom Kippur to the jubilant celebration of the festival of Sukkoth. In the Jewish diaspora Sukkoth is an eight-day festival beginning on the fifth day after Yom Kippur. Sukkath is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, which refer to special huts, called sukkah, that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land. During Sukkath, observant Jews build similar huts and live in them during this eight-day festival. We do this in modern times to get closer to the Almighty, and remember how G-d protected the Jews in the desert thousands of years ago. The huts, or sukkah, must be built a certain way. There are four walls, usually of wood. The roof is made of a special material called “schach.” Today bamboo is commonly used, but in days before there was no bamboo in Ukraine, tree branches with leaves were used. The roof must allow us to see the stars in the sky, to remind us of our connection to heaven and the Almighty. Of course, if […]

In the Jewish faith, Yom Kippur is known as the  Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur, or Soodny Den’in Ukrainian, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for Jews, as the focus is on atonement and repentance. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days … or in Hebrew, Yamim Nora’im, meaning “Days of Awe.” According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah G-d inscribes each person’s fate for the coming year into the Book of Life, and waits until Yom Kippur to “seal” the verdict. During the Days of Awe, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior, and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against G-d and against other human beings. The end of Yom Kippur brings absolution by G-d. The ten days leading up to Yom Kippur are known as the Ten Days of Repentance. During this period Jews are encouraged to seek out anyone they may have offended, and sincerely request forgiveness, so that the New Year can begin with a clean slate. This process of repentance is called teshuvah in Hebrew and it is a crucial part of Yom Kippur. Despite what many people may think, transgressions from the previous year are not forgiven through prayer, fasting and participation in […]