A conference dedicated to the centenary of death of the famous Yiddish writer Mendele Moycher-Sforim took place on October 22 – 23, 2017 in Odessa, Ukraine. The event was initiated by WJC Yiddish Center in cooperation with National Literature Museum of Odessa, JCC "Migdal" Odessa, Odessa State University and other local Jewish organisations.
For carrying out the conference huge preparatory work had been done: the book of selected articles about Mendele Moycher-Sforim and photos from the archives yet unknown for the public had been published by the WJC YC. A special edition of the magazine "Migdal times" fully devoted for commemoration of Moycher-Sforim had been issued. The Odessa state archives provided vast number of the documents related to Mendele's activity at Talmud-Tora in Odessa, where he served as headmaster for many years. The headstone of the writer has been reconstructed at the Jewish graveyard of Odessa, as well as the plaque for commemoration of the writer has been attached to the building of the historical Talmud-Tora.
Six lecturers from the WJC Yiddish Center took part at the conference: its academic director Dr. Mordechay Yushkovsky, the daughter of the famous Yiddish actor Benjamin Zuskin - Mrs. Alla Zuskin-Perelman, Professor Emeritus of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem Wolf Moskovich, Natalia Ryndiuk (junior scientific officer at the academic Jewish studies programs at the National University of Kiev-Mohyla Academy), Yulia Smilianska (Сhief of the Institute of Jewish Studies in Kiev, Science Researcher at Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies "Ukrainian press of period of occupation") and Tetyana Batanova (Yiddish teacher at the academic Jewish studies programs at the National University of Kiev-Mohyla Academy and junior scientific officer at Judaica department of V. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine).
Before the official opening of the conference, an exhibition devoted to the life, activity and creation of Mendele has been opened at the Odessa Jewish Museum. The official opening of the conference, which took place Odessa Literature Museum, visited the first secretary of Israel embassy, lectors, students of Odessa State University, other academic institutions, employees of Jewish organisations of Odessa and entire public. They listened to the lectures of Prof. Moskovich, Dr. Yushkovsky, Zuskin-Perelman and Smilianska on different topics related to the creations of the famous writer.
Zuskin-Perelman shared her reminiscences about her renown father, who played a role in the movie "Travels of Benjamin the 3rd", based on Moycher-Sforim's works.
Smilianska provided a lecture "Mendele Moycher-Sforim: Tuneyadovka-Tetiev-Glupsk (Shtetl: dreams and reality)".
The first day of the event was closed with cocktail reception and appearance of Odessa klezmer group "Maminy deti" (Mother's children).
The second day of the conference saw the Library of Odessa State University. Tetyana Batanova gave a presentation "Masoes Benyomin ha-revii: funem ukrainishn khaos by Der Tunkeler or What would Mendele have written if he lived in 1919 Ukraine". The lecture covered such topics as Yiddish satire in the revolutionary time on the example of the Yiddish novel written by Der Tunkeler (Yosef Tunkel) in 1919 in Kiev, published in 1920 in Warsaw and never translated from Yiddish into other languages.
Ryndiuk provides a lecture "Zayt gezund un shraybt otkrytkes: what an old Yiddish postcard can tell you".
The book of Mendele Moycher-Sforim with reminiscences about him and his stories not published until now, begins with WJC vice president Robert Singer's welcome address. The book is illustrated with photos which seem to be unfamiliar to he public. This book has been distributed in Jewish organizations, schools, libraries and experts from Odessa and Kiev.
