2019 Ukrainian Jewish Literary Tour

"How will our children know who they are, if they don't know where they came from?" —John Steinbeck

YIVO is inaugurating its first
Jewish Literary Tour of Ukraine.

Take a walk in the intellectual footsteps of Hasidic masters and Maskilic intellectuals. Experience the rich cultural environment that influenced writers such as Sholem Aleichem, Isaac Babel, Osip Mandelstam, and Mendele Moykher Sforim, among others. Embark on a literary journey in Ukraine examining the high and the low in in history, literature and in the lives lived by everyday Jews. Renowned for its legendary Jewish gangsters, Odessa provided both the real thing and literary models. The Hasidism and its Tsadikim of Ukraine are still revered, possibly even more than when they lived. Noted historian Dr. Samuel Kassow and Dr. Eddy Portnoy, Senior Researcher and Director of Exhibitions at YIVO, will guide you on a unique journey of literary and historical discovery.

The tour will be chaired by Irene Pletka, Vice-Chair of the YIVO Board of Directors.

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