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 […]

The Jewish population of Ukraine before the Second World War was over 2.5 million. Now the current population is only around 100,000. A whole world with its very own culture, rules, and customs was decimated in the Holocaust. Decades later, descendants of survivors, along with friends and supporters, are working hard to piece together remnants of this once vibrant world. In western Ukraine and other parts of the former Austro-Hungarian empire, many restoration and educational projects are underway. But in eastern Ukraine, not so much. One man however, has taken on the gargantuan task of cataloguing Jewish shtetls in eastern Ukraine. Vitali Buryak recently discovered his Jewish roots. In the process, he created a website called History of Jewish Communities in Ukraine. I came across his website while doing research on shtetls. Vitali, also known as Chaim (his Jewish name), kindly agreed to tell me his story so I could share it with you. Here is part of that conversation. Pawlina: So first of all, could you tell me about yourself? Vitali Buryak: My name is Chaim Buryak, I am living in Kyiv. I am 32 years old. My father is Ukrainian and my mother is Jewish. So according to […]

Hava Nagila. The words are Hebrew for Let Us Rejoice. They also comprise the title of one of the most recognizable and well-known songs in the world. And little did I know just how appropriate a theme song it would turn out to be for a radio series called Ukrainian Jewish Heritage! This Jewish folk song with the catchy melody is known and sung in countless countries around the world. It has been adapted to just about every imaginable music genre. Some have a love-hate relationship with the song, but you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who has never heard of it. What is not so well-known is that this catchy melody actually originated in Ukraine. And that the catchy melody is actually a nigun, a wordless prayer melody sung by Hassidic Jews since the mid 1800s. Equally unknown is the amazing journey of this song from a shtetl in Ukraine into the world of pop culture. I don’t actually recall when I first heard it. Probably on Ed Sullivan or other variety TV show popular in the 1960s & 70s when I was growing up. I do recall getting the lyrics and guitar chords from a friend in high […]

Rohatyn is a city in western Ukraine with a centuries-old Jewish heritage that was almost completely destroyed by the Holocaust and its aftermath. Like many cities and towns across Ukraine, however, work is being done in Rohatyn to restore the historical memory of its once-vibrant Jewish community. Two people are central to this restoration effort. One a Ukrainian resident of Rohatyn, Mykhailo Vorobets, now in his 80s, who lived through the Holocaust. The other, an American woman, Marla Raucher Osborn, who came to Rohatyn to reconnect with her Jewish roots in her family’s ancestral home. Back in 2014 we were first introduced to Rohatyn, these two remarkable individuals, and their collaborative efforts to restore the memory of, and commemorate, the town’s now-lost Jewish heritage. Those initial collaborative efforts inspired Marla and her husband Jay to establish a non-profit organization, Rohatyn Jewish Heritage. Big-hearted and hard-working volunteers from nearby communities and around the world come to help with various restoration projects. These include Jewish headstone recovery, mass grave memorials, synagogue documentation, Jewish cemetery restoration and maintenance, educational resources and other projects. You can find details at their website (here). Most recently their focus has been on recovery of Jewish headstone fragments. […]

Dave Tarras: The King of Klezmer by Yale Strom chronicles the life and work of a Ukrainian-born man who became known as “The Benny Goodman of Klezmer.” He was the individual most responsible for the development of a uniquely American style of Jewish klezmer music. From 1925 until his death in 1989, Dave Tarras set the standard. Well-known jazz legends such as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis studied his technique. Yale Strom is himself an accomplished klezmer musician and historian. He is credited as a pioneer in the revival of klezmer. Strom had already published several books on the genre when by happenstance he ran into a great-grandson of Dave Tarras in New York. That encounter inspired Strom to write a biography of the iconic musician. The book contains many touching anecdotes by family members, musical colleagues and proteges. There is newly discovered biographical material, rare photos, the musical scores of 28 of Tarras’ original klezmer tunes arranged for violin and clarinet, a glossary of Yiddish terms, a bibliography, detailed footnotes and discography. Plus a copy of a handwritten note by Tarras a few years before he passed away. Dave Tarras was born Dave Tarasyuk in 1897 in Ternivka, a […]