Ukraine

Ukraine’s history is long and complex with parts of the county being colonized by many countries such as Austria and Romania, just to name a few. The Jews presently living in this country have a similar history – long and heartbreaking. In the tenth century, Jews settled in Kiev and kept growing with the inclusion of central European Jews, long before the formation of a Ukrainian national identity. In 1648, the Chmielnicki massacre resulted in the death of 100,000 Jews and destruction of the western Ukraine, making it the worst thing to happen to the Jews before the Holocaust.

In 1918, after the Russians took over Ukraine during the nineteenth century, the Ukrainians fought for their independence, leading to the death of many Jews. In 1939, Ukraine took over part of southeastern Poland. Then the Germans invaded the Soviet Union and the Jewish community had to endure dreadful losses the Holocaust.

Presently, Ukraine’s Jewish community is reported as the fourth largest globally with 550,000, after the United States, Israel, and Russia. The Jews are distributed in Ukraine with l10,000  in Kiev,  followed by  Dnepropetrovsk with 60,000 and then  in Kharkov and Odessa with 45,000. In Western Ukraine, Lvov and Chernovtsy hold approximately 6,000 Jews, a remnant of what was once a large Jewish community. Jewish schools as well as kosher restaurants have been built. The Holocaust is well remembered with memorials built countrywide. There is a monument constructed near Kiev in remembrance of the Babi Yar massacre which I attended on an Erev Yom Kippur.

There are numerous places of interest, such as the graves of well known Hassidic masters: the Bal Shem Tov and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Bardichev are buried in Ukraine, as well as Uman, where Rabbi Nachman of Bretzlov is buried.

I was in Uman for one Rosh Hashana, and in Sqver for Yom Kippur. This adventure is a story in itself which I’ll write up and post here soon.

Chabad is very active in Ukriane as are many Jewish kiruv organizations.

Ukraine to me had a lot of charm, and the people are friendly if they don’t know you’re Jewish. There is still plenty of anti-Semitism.

BERDICHEV

MIKVAOT
Berdichev Mikvaot

4 Dzherzhinskaya Street
Telephone: (4143) 23938; 20222

SYNAGOGUES

Berdichev Synagogue

4 Dzherzhinskaya Street
Telephone: (4143) 23938; 20222
There is a Kosher kitchen available on site.

 

BEREGOVO

Beregovo Synagogue
17 Sverdlov Street

 

BERSHAD

Bershad Synagogue
25 Narodnaya Street

 

CHERNIGOV

Chernigov Synagogue

34 Kommunisticheskaya Street

 

CHERNOVTSY

Chernovtsy Synagogue
24 Lukyana Kobylitsa Street

Telephone: (372) 54878

Synagogue

L.Kobylitzy Street 53 58000
Telephone: (372) 522 585, Fax: (372) 585 280

 

CHMELNITSY
Chmelnitsy Synagogue
58 Komminnestnaya Street

 

DNEPROPETROVSK

Synagogue of Dnepropetrovsk
7 Kotsubinskovo Street 320030
Telephone: (56) 342 120, Fax: (56) 342 137

Website: www.jew.dp.ua

DONETSK

Synagogue of Donetsk
Oktiabrskaya Street 36 83086
Telephone: (62) 345 0052, Fax: (62) 335 7725

 

IVANO FRANKIVSK

Synagogue of Ivano Frankivsk
Strachenih Street 7 76018
Telephone: (34) 222 3029, Fax: (34) 277 5304

Rabbi Rolesnik (34)222 30291275 0594; (50) 463 1286 is available to be of service to those carrying out Western Ukraine (Galicia) historical or genealogical research.

 

KHARKOV
Kharkov Synagogue
48 Kryatkovskaya Street

Website: www.kharkovejewish.com

Orthodox Union Jewish Community of Kharkov

Sumskaya 45

Telephone: (577) 140301, Fax: (577) 140 515, Mobile Phone: 3806 7570 0899

Synagogue of Kharkov

12 Pushkinskaya Street 31 0057

Telephone: (577) 313 526; 311 971; 316 031, Fax: (577) 452 140

Website: www.synagogue.kharkov.ua

There are plans in place to construct an audiovisual room, lecture rooms, library, wedding hall, dormitories, and a sports and recreation room. The synagogue has a Sunday school, has Kosher food, study facilities and social programmes.

 

KHERSON

Synagogue of Kherson
27 Gorkovo Street 325025
Telephone: (552) 223 334, Fax: (552) 325 367

 

KIEV

Located at the point where Western Europe and Central Asia cross, Kiev drew Jewish settlers from as early as the eighth century. Following this, the common cycle of persecution and resettlement started. ‘The Beilis affair’, a contemporary blood libel case was held in Kiev in 1911 .

Makabi Restaurant

Shota Rustaveli 15

Telephone: (44) 235 9437

Opening Hours: 09:00-23:00 except Sat Closed

Situated next to the central synagogue.

CENTRAL ORGANISATIONS

Vaad

6 Kurskaya Street

Telephone: (44) 2761214

EMBASSY

Embassy of Israel

Lesi Ukrainki 34, GPE S 252195

RESTAURANTS

Cimes Restaurant

Ihorivs’ka 5

Telephone: (44) 428 7579

Opening Hours: 11 am to midnight

Haifa Restaurant
Kostiantynivs’ka 57

Telephone: (44) 417 2512

Opening hours 1 pm to 1130pm
Offers Jewish and European cuisine

King David Restaurant
Esplanadna 24

Telephone: (44) 235 7436
Opening Hours: ll am to 11 pm

Owned by the Central Synagogue, this restaurant gives all its profits to charity.

Makabi Restaurant
Shota Rustaveli 15
Telephone: (44) 235 9437

Opening Hours: 9am to 11 pm, closed on Saturday

Situated next to the central synagogue.

SYNAGOGUES

The Central Synagogue
13 Shota Rustavely
Telephone: (44) 225 0246

First constructed in 1897, the synagogue was then turned into a puppet theatre during the Soviet rule. Currently it stands as both a synagogue and a puppet theatre.

 

Orthodox

Galitzky Shul

97a Zhilanska Street
Telephone: (44) 494 7 1737

Podil Synagogue

29 Schekavitskaya Street
Telephone: (44) 463 7087, Fax: (44) 463 7088

 

Reform

Reform Congregation
7 Nemanskaya Street
Telephone: (44) 296 3961, Fax: (44) 295 9604

TOURIST SITES

Babi Yar Monument
Melnikova Street

Constructed in 1991, fifty years to the time when 33,371 Jews were killed by the Nazis Sholom Aleichem Statue near Basseynye Street over a period of two days, is the monument in the form of menorah. Pereyaslav, near Kiev was the birthplace of Shalom Aleichem (Shalom Rabinovitz)in 1859.

 

KORSTEN

SYNAGOGUES
Korsten Synagogue
8 Shchoksa Street

 

KREMENCHUG

Kremenchug Synagogue
50 Sverdlov Street

Synagogue

Kvartalnaya 3 39600
Telephone: (53) 679 3471, Fax: (53) 679 3470

 

LVIV

This city located next to changing imperial boundaries has been governed by Austria, Poland and the Soviets.  Now bearing the Ukrainian name Lvivi, the city has had numerous names such as Lemberg in German as well as a Polish name and currently hosts 6,000 Jews. Once Galicia’s major Jewish centre, the city still has a number of functioning synagogues as well as monuments constructed in memory of the Holocaust. Most Jews who take ‘Heritage tours’ start their explorations from this town where there are Yiddish-speaking guides available.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Beis A’aron V’Yisroel

4 Brativ Michnovskich Street 79018
Telephone: (322) 387 876

Email: bald@mail.lviv.ua.bald@ukrpost.ua
Kosher Restaurant (please order in advance).
Tourist information. mobile telephone 509 555 555

 

NIKOLAYEV

SYNAGOGUES
Synagogue of Nikolayev

13 Karl Libknechta Street 327001
Telephone: (512) 358 310, Fax: (512) 353 072

 

ODESSA

Chabad Shomrei Shabos
21 Osipovo Street 65125

Telephone: (48) 728 0770, Fax: (48) 249 6301

Email: secravv@shomrei.farlep.net

School Chabad: 13 Vodoprovodnaya St
Orphanage Chabad: 78 Kanatnaya St
Great Choral Synagogue

25 Evreyskaya Street 65045

Telephone: (48) 777 1189, Fax: (48) 2347 850

Website: www.tikvaodessa.org

 

SIMFEROPOL

JEWISH CENTRE
Chabad

Mironova 24, Crimea 95001
Telephone: (52) 510773, Fax: (52) 510773

SYNAGOGUES

Orthodox

Simferopol Synagogue
Krasna Znamyonaya 78
Telephone: (52) 510773, Fax: (52) 510773

There is a mikvah and one can inquire on kosher matters at the main office.

 

SLAVUTA

Slavuta Synagogue
Kuzovskaya Street 2
Telephone: (447) 925 452

The tombs of the Shapira family who printed the first edition of Tanya can be viewed in the cemetery

 

ZAPAROZHE

MIKVA

Mikva

Angolenko 3

Telephone: (617) 875252
Email: nachum@2p.ukrtel.net

School “Or-Avner” Borodinskaya str. 9-a, tel. (612) 127 040

It is possible to order Kosher food and Challa bread there.

Kindergarten Gogolia str. 157,

tel. (612) 638 995

SYNAGOGUES

Synagogue of Zaparozhe
22 Turgeneva Street 330063
Telephone: (612) 642 961

 

ZHITOMIR

Synagogue of Zhitomire

7 Malaya, Berdishevskaya Street 262001
Telephone: (412) 226 608, Fax: (412) 373 428

Jewish Day Schools & Dormitories
Synagogue

7 Malaya Berdichevskaya Street, 57 Chekhova
Street, 1 OOB Tzutupy Street 10014

Telephone: (412) 226 608, Mobile Phone: 380504631284

Email: office@chabad.zt.ua

A disciple of Dov Baer, Reb Ze’ev Wolf, is buried in the Smolanka cemetery. The synagogue makes kevarim tours all over the Ukraine.