Back in 2002, one of my friends had the wonderful opportunity to take a 10-day mission trip to Kiev with the United Jewish Communities, which is also known as UJC. The UCJ is the umbrella organization for all of the Jewish federations in North America, and represents the 157 Jewish Federations and 400 independent Network Communities across the continent.
My friend was chosen by the UJC Contemporary Jewish Affairs Institute, along with 28 other students from across the world, to learn about how UJC works with the global Jewish community. These students had the unique opportunity to see firsthand the issues confronting the Jewish communities in Kiev and to step into the heart of authentic Jewish Eastern Europe.
“Write to me every day!” I enthusiastically appealed. My friend was kind enough to honor my request.
One thing that I remember most vividly from his emails to me is his description of his visit to Babi Yar. This is undoubtedly one of the most somber sites in Jewish history — one that has prompted memorials in Kiev, Israel, and in Denver, CO.
This is the spot where over just two days – September 29 and 30, 1941 — a total of more than 33,000 Jews were murdered by Nazi soldiers. In the months that followed, thousands of additional people were murdered here, including Gypsies and Soviet prisoners of war. When all was said and done, the Nazis had murdered more than 100,000 people in this spot, “the killing ravine.”
When visiting the memorial of Babi Yar in Kiev, my friend had the opportunity to meet a survivor of this horrible atrocity. “I can’t believe that anyone was actually able to survive anything this horrible,” he wrote home while reflecting on the experience.
The survivor whom he met was just a small child at the time of the massacre. She was lined up along the edge of the ravine with 9 other Jews. When the shooting began, she closed her eyes, clenched up the muscles, held her breath, and fell into the ravine. Hundreds of bodies padded her fall.
Here she was forced to stay, afraid to move or utter a sound, while Nazi soldiers searched for victims who were still clinging to life. Later that night, the ravine was covered with a thin layer of soil, creating a massive grave. The survivor bravely dug her way out, all the while dreading that she would suffocate.
My friend says that he is still haunted by her story, and I am still vexed by his detailed re-telling to me. I am so inspired by survival stories such as these.
Another place that I remember well from my friend’s vivid description is his visit to the Podol Synagogue in lower Kiev. This is the oldest synagogue in the Ukraine, and the only one in Kiev to survive the duration of WWII. During WWII it was used as a horse stable by the Nazis.
At the time of my friend’s visit, some of the synagogue was covered in scaffolding as part of a major reconstruction and restoration project. (At the time of my friend’s visit, the project had already been going on for about a year.) An official re-opening of the synagogue has since taken place.
One of the additions that was not yet complete at the time of my friend’s visit is a trio of stained glass windows in the main hall which depict pre-war Jewish life, the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the recent renaissance of the community.
Now, just eight years since my friend’s visit, the Jewish community in Kiev has continued to grow and change. The Jewish population is currently estimated at 70,000 (while the total population of Kiev is now around 3 million). The city has two kosher restaurants, and two others that are kosher-style.
One of the kosher restaurants, called Makabi, is a small fast-food café serving Israeli specialties such as shwarma and falafel in pita. With full meals for less than $10, it is the least expensive of the city’s Jewish eateries. It is a favorite for travelers as well as Jewish locals, since the monthly income of an adult in Kiev is just $200.
Print This
Tweet This
Email Stuart
Twitter
Skype