World Yiddish diaspora to flock to Chernivtsi to discuss the role of Yiddish

July09200818:06

Aug. 17-24 Chernivtsi will host a congress of Yiddish organizations dedicated to the 600-th anniversary of this city in Western Ukraine. The congress will have its climax – the 2nd conference “Yiddish Culture and Language” to be attended by 40 professors from 15 countries. A similar conference was held in Chernivtsi 100 years ago, says head of the Association of Jewish Organizations of Ukraine and former Chernivtsi resident Josif Zilels.

^{The first Chernivtsi conference was an important landmark in the Jewish history and culture. Its participants included Natan Birnbaum and Heim Shitlovsky who played a crucial role in the creation of Zionism and the Jewish state. In recognition of the role of Bukovyna Jews, the organizers decided to hold the second conference in Chernivtsi, with all major scholars of the Jewish culture and languages attending.}

The conference, Josif Zilels says, will be sponsored and organized by the Association of Jewish Organizations in Ukraine, Israel’s and other countries’ academic institutions.

The goal of the conference is to assert the role of Yiddish among other world languages and highlight a unique identity of Bukovyna Jews whose trademark features are tolerance, the use of German and lack of excessive religious spirit. According to J. Zilels, these features allowed Bukovyna Jews to assimilate in other countries and become prominent in government, public and business environments.

Comment by ZIK

The first records about Jews in Bukovyna date back to the 13-th century. According to the 1772 Moldova census, there existed large Jewish communities. In the 60s of the past century, about 60,000 Jews resided in Chernivtsi alone. At present, the Jewish community in Chernivtsi oblast numbers a mere 2,500 Jews, most of them being pensioners. Many Chernivtsi Jews made outstanding careers in government, art and business in Israel and other countries.
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