Brody is a city in western Ukraine, located in the the Lviv Oblast, or province, 90 kilometres northeast of Lviv. It is now the administrative center of the Brody Raion, or district, with a population of about 24 thousand. At one time, Brody was one of the greatest centers of commerce in Eastern Europe, outside […]

Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is known as the `saviour of Jews` during World War II. Renata Hanynets explains why, in this week’s look at Ukraine’s Jewish Heritage.   Transcript. Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is known as the `saviour of Jews` during World War II. In the words of Rabbi David Kahane: “When I call Andrey Sheptytskyi a […]

Drohobych is a city located at the confluence of the Tysmenytsia River and Seret, a tributary of the former, in the Lviv Oblast, in western Ukraine. The current estimated population is nearly 78 thousand. Jews had lived in or near Drohobycz  as early as the fifteenth century. However an officially recognized community was not established […]

Kamianets was an ancient and important centre of Jewish life. Now called Kamianets-Podilskyi, today it is a city in western Ukraine, north-east of Chernivtsi. The first part of the city’s dual name originates from камiнь, meaning “stone.” The second part relates to Podillia, of which it is considered to be the historic capital. Podillia is […]

Many distinguished figures have been laid to rest in Lviv’s Jewish cemetery.  Among them are Izaak and Róża Nachmanowicz, the founders of the Golden Rose Synagogue in Lviv. The first mention of the old Jewish cemetery in municipal records dates back to May 27, 1414. The cemetery was established on lands that were bestowed upon […]

Hannukah starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. This  year on the Gregorian calendar it starts on November 27 and ends on-December 5. Hannukah is a joyous holiday, celebrated every year by Jews around the world with the lighting of candles on the Menora. TraditionalHannukah treats include hot […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]