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 […]

  -An interview with Pawlina, producer & host of Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio Ruth Ellen Gruber is an American journalist, author, editor and researcher. She has published and lectured widely and has won several awards for her work on Jewish heritage and contemporary Jewish issues in Europe. 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. Despite an insanely busy schedule, she has graciously agreed to speak with us about her work, the changes she has observed, and what it means for the future. Pawlina: So you’re American-born, raised and educated. What prompted you to move to Europe after graduating? Ruth Ellen Gruber: In my senior year of college I studied in Europe and then went […]