w jpr / report Institute for Jewish Policy Research September 2014 Jewish life in Ukraine: Achievements, challenges and priorities from the collapse of communism to 2013 Darina Privalko The Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) is a London-based independent research organization, consultancy and think-tank. It aims to advance the prospects of Jewish communities in Britain and across Europe by conducting research and developing policy in partnership with those best placed to influence Jewish life. Author Darina Privalko is currently a doctoral student working on her thesis on informal education for adults in Israel at the National Academy of Pedagogic Science of Ukraine. She has carried out sociological research for a variety of public institutions from the CIS, Europe and Israel, and today is widely acknowledged as an expert in the field of Jewish communal life in Ukraine. In addition to her academic work, she has held various positions in Jewish community organisations, and was the founder of ‘JUkraine’, the Jewish Centre for Educational Tourism in Ukraine. Research advisor and contributor Dr Betsy Gidwitz serves on the Board of Overseers at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and was formerly a Soviet-area specialist in the Department of Aeronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has undertaken considerable work on the development of Jewish community life in Ukraine, excerpts from which have been used in this report with her permission. Series editor Dr Jonathan Boyd is Executive Director of JPR / Institute for Jewish Policy Research and a specialist in the study of contemporary Jewry. Project director Judith Russell is Development Director of JPR / Institute for Jewish Policy Research JPR is indebted to the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe for its generous financial support for this project. JPR Report September 2014 Jewish life in Ukraine i Jewish life in Ukraine: Achievements, challenges and priorities from the collapse of communism to 2013 The research for the Ukraine report was conducted between February 2011 and September 2013. As a result, the attitudes and opinions expressed throughout the report do not reflect the most recent developments in what has been a particularly turbulent period in the country. Events in Ukraine, and particularly in Crimea, are changing rapidly on a daily basis. At the time of going to press, we can therefore only allude to the crisis in general terms and speculate about its impact and potential implications for Jews in Ukraine. We have nevertheless decided to go ahead with publishing this report, since its overview of the history of the past twenty years, the challenges it presents and the conclusions it offers for the future of Jewish life in Ukraine still hold true. JPR Report September 2014 Jewish life in Ukraine 1 Contents Editor’s introduction 3 1. Basic data on Ukrainian Jews and Ukrainian Jewish organizations 6 1.1 Ukraine: demographic profile 6 1.2 History of the Jews in Ukraine 6 1.3 The Jewish population of modern Ukraine 7 1.4 External and internal factors influencing the size of the Jewish population during the Soviet era 8 1.5 The Jewish population in 1989-2000 9 1.6 The Jewish population from 2001 to the present 12 1.7 General information on Jewish organizations in Ukraine 14 2. Major achievements and milestones over the past twenty years 16 3. Major philanthropic investments over the past twenty years 18 3.1 Key infrastructural investments 18 3.2 Welfare investments 18 3.3 Educational and cultural investments 18 3.4 Jewish culture 19 3.5 Jewish religious life 19 3.6 Other key investments 19 4. Jewish community life and its organizations 21 4.1 Religious institutions and religious life 21 4.2 Jewish education 23 4.3 Academic Jewish studies 26 4.4 Jewish culture 29 4.5 Preservation of Jewish heritage 30 4.6 Young adult (18-30) engagement 36 4.7 Leadership development 38 4.8 Innovation and social entrepreneurship 40 4.9 Funding and philanthropy 41 4.10 Welfare: children and the elderly 45 4.11 Combating antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment 46 4.12 Israel education, advocacy and aliyah (emigration to Israel) 49 2 JPR Report September 2014 Jewish life in Ukraine 5. Conclusions and recommendations 51 Recommendation 1 51 Work towards a common organizational framework for the development of Jewish life in Ukraine Recommendation 2 51 Achieve financial sustainability Recommendation 3 52 Enhance Jewish education Recommendation 4 53 Preserve and make accessible Ukrainian Jewish heritage Recommendation 5 53 Preventing antisemitism Appendix A: Map of officially organized Jewish religious communities in contemporary Ukraine 54 Appendix B: Jewish organizations in Ukraine 55 JPR Report September 2014 Jewish life in Ukraine 3 Editor’s introduction In over two decades since the fall of Communism, RF(H)E is committed to protecting European East-Central Europe has experienced tremendous Jewish heritage, fostering scholarship and political, economic and social change, and the Jews enhancing Jewish life in Europe. The purpose living there have inevitably been affected by the of their grant programmes are three-fold: developments that have taken place. The advent to support and develop skilled, trained of democracy, the integration into the European professionals to ensure that the Jewish heritage Union, the rise of populism, major demographic found in the archives, libraries and museums of shifts and the global recession have all had an Europe is protected, conserved and accessible impact on Jewish communities throughout to a wide range of people; to encourage and Europe. All these factors combined call for the nurture the field of academic Jewish studies rigorous identification and up-to-date analysis across Europe by funding individual scholars, of the changing needs and challenges facing the university departments and academic and Jewish communities in East-Central Europe today. research conferences; and to enable community groups to explore their own Jewish heritage With this in mind, we are publishing this report and disseminate their own research to a wider as the fourth in a series examining how Jewish audience. Lord Rothschild serves as President, communal life has evolved and developed in East- Sir Victor Blank is the Chair of Trustees and Central Europe since the collapse of Communism. Sally Berkovic is the CEO. This particular report focuses on Ukraine; three previous reports – focusing on Poland, Hungary Both organizations – JPR and RF(H)E – had and Germany – have already been published. reached the conclusion independently of one another that the time was ripe for a review of The project has its origins in two organizations: East-Central European Jewish life, and over the the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) course of several discussions, elected to partner and the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) on this project. Our shared purpose is to paint Europe (RF(H)E). JPR, a London-based a series of portraits of Jewish life in different research institute, consultancy and think-tank countries within the region in order to allow that specializes in contemporary Jewish affairs, both community insiders and outsiders to reflect has stood at the forefront of Jewish community on each community’s achievements, challenges research in the UK for several decades. Its work and priorities. JPR developed the initial project focuses primarily on Jews in Britain, but the proposal which, in turn, was shaped and finessed Institute has a longstanding interest in Jewish by RF(H)E. Throughout the process, JPR has life throughout Europe, and its publications taken full responsibility for research matters, include Jewish Restitution and Compensation and RF(H)E has provided funding and been a Claims in Eastern Europe and the Former USSR consistent source of advice and support. (1993), A new Jewish identity for post-1989 Europe (1996), Mapping Jewish culture in Europe We would also like to thank the Trustees of today: a pilot project (2002), Jews and Jewry in the Humanitarian Trust for their support of contemporary Hungary: results of a sociological this project. survey (2004), and Voices for the Res Publica: The common good in Europe (2006-09). Most I am particularly grateful to my colleagues recently, JPR won a major commission from the at JPR, Lena Stanley-Clamp, Judith Russell European Union to conduct a pan-European and Richard Goldstein, for their help with the study of Jewish perceptions and experiences project: Lena served with distinction as project of antisemitism, and the findings from that manager in the early stages of the initiative, and survey were published by the EU Agency for both Judith and Richard have been centrally Fundamental Rights in November 2013. JPR involved in managing it subsequently, as well as has also had a longstanding interest in Jewish supporting the final stages of translation, editing culture in Europe, and was a co-founder of the and production. Without their hard work, European Association for Jewish Culture, with commitment and attention to detail, this report which it retains close ties. would not exist. 4 JPR Report September 2014 Jewish life in Ukraine In recruiting a researcher to undertake the iv) What initiatives and investments are most work, we looked for someone with excellent needed in order to strengthen the community qualitative research credentials, experience in in the future on the local, national, regional and the field, and the capacity to understand and pan-European level? analyze the particular idiosyncrasies of Jewish life in a sophisticated, independent and sensitive The particular aspects of Jewish life investigated manner. In the particular case of Ukraine we were: recruited Darina Privalko, originally from Kiev, Ukraine, who has been deeply involved in the life • Jewish religious life; of the Jewish community of Ukraine since the • Jewish education (formal and informal); very early stages of its modern restoration after the collapse of the Former Soviet Union.