On April 12-14, 2017 in the city of Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk Region, Ukraine) our representatives - academic director of World Jewish Congress International Yiddish Center, Dr. Mordechay Yushkovsky, and Tetyana Batanova (teacher of Yiddish at Master and Interdisciplinary Certified Programs in Jewish studies at "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy" National University and junior scientific officer at Judaica department of V. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine) held the academic seminar "The Pearls of Yiddish Culture" to over 250 students and tutors of local higher education establishments.
The seminar was organized by the International Yiddish Center of World Jewish Congress with the assistance of Jewish local civil organization Keter and Mikhail Marmer Museum of Jewish History to provide local university students and teachers of public schools with Jewish historical and Yiddish cultural and linguistic knowledge. All the lectures were held at Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University and Kryvyi Rih Economical Institute (a branch of Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economical University).
The subjects of Dr. Mordechay Yushkovsky's lectures were as follows: "What has Yiddish to say in 21st century", "Classics of literature in Yiddish (Mendele Moicher-Sforim, I. L. Peretz and Sholom-Aleichem) – difference and commonality in their creation" and "Yiddish culture on the Ukrainan map".
Tetyana's talks were dedicated to the following topics: "Yiddish – Jargon or Mame-loshn (Mother's Tongue): Notes to the History", "The Geography of Yiddishland: Shtetl in History and Yiddish Literature" and "Ukrainian-Jewish Relations in the Light of Poetry: Yiddish Poets and Their Ukrainian Poets-Translators". There were about 100 participants at the lectures.
The lectures included notes to linguistic and cultural history of Yiddish and Jews in Central-Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine, the most interesting old historical documents and works in Yiddish, names of Jewish towns (shtetls), shaping of Yiddish geography (Yiddishland). The third lecture included original Yiddish poems and Ukrainian poetic translations recited by the lecturer.Tetyana showed some cases of intellectual relations between Ukrainians and Jews, telling the audience about life and poetry of such Yiddish poets, such as Velvl Zbarzher and Moris Rozenfeld (as well as famous Ukrainian poet Ivan Franko, who was prolific in their translations into Ukrainian), Osher Shvartsman, Dovid Hofstein, and Leyb Kvitko (and famous Ukrainian poet Pavlo Tychyna, who knew Yiddish from his childhood and did many Yiddish-Ukrainian translations).
The event also included a fascinating lecture on the history of Jews in the Kryvyi Rih region and about historic dilemmas of Jewish-Ukrainian relationships by the Mikhail Marmer Museum director Svetalana Poddubnaya.
The classes were conducted in a friendly manner, with questions and answers, jokes, poetry recitation and even collective singing in Yiddish. The audience was motivated to learn more and more about Yiddish language, culture and history. The whole event may contribute a lot to the multi-cultural tolerance education of young Ukrainians.
At the end of the seminar, basing on the excellent feedbacks of the audience,their appraisals of charismatic lecturers the possibility to continue the cooperation had been discussed.
Episodes from the seminar were broadcasted over the local TV, described in local press and websites.
After completion of the seminar the WJC Yiddish Centre in Vilnius got thank you letter from the organizers, where extended their gratitude to the lecturers Mordehay Yushkovsky and Tatyana Batanova for great contribution into reviving and spreading of Yiddish culture.
See a video from local TV-channel about the seminar. Read a report at the website of Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University.
