The event is of huge historic importance, as the first and most authoritative translation of the Bible into Ruthenian, 'the Ostroh Bible', was done in the medieval Ostroh Academy in the 16th century. The reintroduction of Judaic studies in Ostroh is a symbol of the revival of Ukrainian Bible and Judaic studies.
The new Ostroh Center is the third chair of Judaic studies to be established in Ukraine, the first two being the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and the Lviv Ukrainian Catholic University. Its young staff, headed by Dr. Dmytro Tsolin, starts its activities on an enthusiastic note.
The National University "Ostroh Academy" is considered to be the first institution of higher education in Ukraine, dating to 1576. WJC YC for the first time since its establishment presented a unique academic program about Yiddish language, literature and folklore, specially prepared for Ukrainian students and professors.
A representative delegation of Kyiv-Mogilyanska Academy colleagues came to the inauguration. After the opening speech of Prof. Ihor Pasechnyk the floor was given to Mr. Iosif Zissels. His keynote speech on the criteria of Jewish national identity was warmly received by the audience that included heads of regional and district administration, members the Academy Senate and academic staff, students and many public figures.
Mr. Zissels was awarded the Medal of the Ostroh Academy for his indefatigable activity in support of Judaic studies in Ukraine and communal work.
Professor Wolf Moskovich, a founder of Ukrainian studies in Israel and a former head of the Chair of Slavic studies in Hebrew university in Jerusalem, greeted the Ostroh Academy in the names of WJC, UJE and the Hebrew University.
The ceremonial part was followed by a lively concert of Ukrainian and Jewish folk songs performed by Dr. Mordehay Yushkovsky, the Israeli (Ostroh-born) singer Marina Yakubovich and the pianist Lev Sandyuk of the Moscow Klezmasters group. Marina Yakubovich called her original Ukrainian-Yiddish-Hebrew program "From the old home to the new home".
A scholarly seminar "Pearls of Yiddish Culture" on various aspects of the Jews in Ukraine, Yiddish literature, language and folklore and their interaction with Ukrainian folk culture took place from April 25 to April 28. It was sponsored by the WJC Yiddish Center.
The audience consisted not only of Ostroh Academy lecturers and students, but also of guests from other Ukrainian academic institutions. The subjects of the lectures were absolutely new for them, but their interest was evident. They asked lots of questions and expressed a wish to continue studies of Yiddish language and culture. It was decided that Yiddish language and literature will be an integral part of the curriculum of the new established Judaica center.
Dr. Yushkovsky's lecture "Mutual penetration of Ukrainian and Jewish folklore" were accompanied by musical illustrations performed by Marina Yakubovich and Lev Sandyuk. Yushkovsky also talked about the map of the Ukrainian-Yiddish literature, about the literature of Jewish emigrants and about the fate of the Yiddish culture under the Soviet regime.
Tetyana Batanova, the Yiddish lecturer at Kiev-Mogilianska Academy, presented the following lectures: "Yiddish – mameloshn (mother tongue) or slang", "Yiddish – the language of struggle", "Yiddish as the official language" and "History of 'Culture League' ".
Wolf Moskovich talked on Yiddish/Ukrainian inter-language influences, on surnames of Ukrainians and Ukrainian Jews, as well as on Khazars in the light of the history of Ukrainian Jews and Cossacks.
We visited the ancient Jewish cemetery and the ruins of the Ostroh 16th century grand Maharsha synagogue, the rebuilding of which is now an all-European initiative. The oldest Jewish gravestone in Ostroh is dated 1520. The Ostroh historical museum and the fortress museum house rare artifacts of international importance. Ostroh is still a small town of about 15,000 residents, among them 3000 students. Prior to the Holocaust 60 per cent of its population were Jews.
Thanks to this seminar we got an offer from Ukrainian state university in Kiev to cooperate in establishing the program of Yiddish studies at the faculty of foreign languages.
Local media published over 10 articles and interviews with fascinating feedback of the event.
Prof. Ihor Pasichnyk, the rector of the National University of Ostroh Academy, and Dr. Dmytro Tsolin, the director of the Center of Jewish Studies at the National University of Ostroh Academy, wrote us:
Dear friends in World Jewish Congress Vilnius Yiddish center!
On behalf of the National University of Ostroh Academy we would like to express our gratitude for your contribution to organization of the seminar 'Pearls of Yiddish' in our university.
Our professors and students have been impressed with the cycle of lectures which were presented by you and two other excellent lecturers – Prof. Wolf Moskovich and Tetyana Batanova, along with beautiful singing of Marina Yakubovich and virtuosic, sensitive performance of Lev Sandyuk.
These lectures acquainted us with the Jewish folklore and literature in Yiddish, as well as with some linguistic aspects and historical background of the development of this language. It was very nice beginning for the Center of Jewish Studies at the Ostroh Academy which was opened those days. This Center is intended for investigation of the heritage of the Jewish community of Ostroh and for popularization of Jewish culture among academic circles.
We were impressed with the profound knowledge of Prof. Wolf Moskovich in all fields connected with the Jewish Medieval and modern culture, especially in the field of Yiddish and Slavic philology. And your dynamic, charming lecturers were interesting not only from the point of view of literature studies, but also as a pattern of teaching methodology; we were also happy to receive so much interesting information from the dedicated lecturer Tetyana Batanova.
Many thanks! It was wonderful intellectual and emotional incitement for our Center!
See more participants' comments in Russian and Ukrainian:
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