On May 5—7, 2019 the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine hosted a high-level, invite-only international event — Kyiv Jewish Forum.
More than 500 leaders from Israel, the United States, Europe and Ukraine participated in the inaugural Kyiv Jewish Forum, organised by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine (JCU) on 5-7 May, 2019. The success of the event, the first international Jewish-interest conference in Ukraine, illustrates the renaissance of the Ukrainian Jewish community and its role in the global Jewry.
The significance of the Forum for Ukraine and its international partners was evident in the high levels of participation from top-level officials and Jewish leaders. The Forum's guests included the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, the President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald S. Lauder, the US Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combatting Anti-Semitism Elan Carr, the President of the National Endowment for Democracy Carl Gershman, the President of the Commonwealth Jewish Council Lord Mendelsohn, the renowned Israeli human right activist Natan Sharansky and many Ministers and members of Parliament from around the world.
The event was also attended by the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, and by the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius.
The significance of the Forum for Ukraine and its international partners was evident in the high levels of participation from top-level officials and Jewish leaders. The Forum's guests included the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, the President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald S. Lauder, the US Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combatting Anti-Semitism Elan Carr, the President of the National Endowment for Democracy Carl Gershman, the President of the Commonwealth Jewish Council Lord Mendelsohn, the renowned Israeli human right activist Natan Sharansky and many Ministers and members of Parliament from around the world.
The event was also attended by the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, and by the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius.
We felt the time was ripe to re-connect the Ukrainian Jewish community with the global Jewry by creating an inclusive international discussion platform in Kyiv. We are extremely proud of the outcome of this inaugural event and would like thank all our partners for making this forum a success
Boris Lozhkin
JCU President,
WJC Vice-President
WJC Vice-President
Ukraine, the cradle of Hassidism, holds a special place in the history of Judaism. Before World War II, the Jewish community in Ukraine was one of the largest in the world and made up more than 15% of the population of the country. A large part of the Jewish population of the United States and Israel originates from Ukraine.
Anti-Semitism was a central theme of the Forum. Many speakers expressed very deep concerns about the rise of anti-Semitism in the United States and in Europe. "The fight against anti-Semitism is the number one priority of the JCU" declared Boris Lozhkin.
WJC President, Ronald S. Lauder, said that "Jews should be able to live in peace without fear" - a sentiment echoed throughout the conference. During the Forum, Lauder was presented with the Andrey Sheptytsky Medal for deepening relations between Ukrainians and Jews.
US's Elan Carr praised Ukraine's democratic progress, describing as "extraordinary" the fact that the Jewishness of a winning presidential candidate was not seen as an issue by Ukrainians in the recent elections, and that Ukraine was the only country in the world with Israel to have a Jewish President-elect and a Jewish Prime Minister. Carr also underscored the US commitment to support and empower Ukraine to do even better on this path and emphasised the need for Jews and non-Jews to stand united in the fight against all forms of anti-Semitism.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin, reiterated the full support of the Government of Ukraine vis-à-vis Israel and said that "we can never compromise on the security of Israel".
Anti-Semitism was a central theme of the Forum. Many speakers expressed very deep concerns about the rise of anti-Semitism in the United States and in Europe. "The fight against anti-Semitism is the number one priority of the JCU" declared Boris Lozhkin.
WJC President, Ronald S. Lauder, said that "Jews should be able to live in peace without fear" - a sentiment echoed throughout the conference. During the Forum, Lauder was presented with the Andrey Sheptytsky Medal for deepening relations between Ukrainians and Jews.
US's Elan Carr praised Ukraine's democratic progress, describing as "extraordinary" the fact that the Jewishness of a winning presidential candidate was not seen as an issue by Ukrainians in the recent elections, and that Ukraine was the only country in the world with Israel to have a Jewish President-elect and a Jewish Prime Minister. Carr also underscored the US commitment to support and empower Ukraine to do even better on this path and emphasised the need for Jews and non-Jews to stand united in the fight against all forms of anti-Semitism.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin, reiterated the full support of the Government of Ukraine vis-à-vis Israel and said that "we can never compromise on the security of Israel".
All the Forum materials can be founded at JCU YouTube Channel
«From Slavery To Freedom»
A documentary film From Slavery to Freedom, directed by Arkady Kogan, was shown in a private screening as part of the KJF programme.
The film portrays the story of Soviet "Refuseniks" through the prism of Natan Sharansky's life. In 1977, Sharansky, a famous human rights activist, was arrested on charges of spying, treason and anti-Soviet agitation.
The film returns the viewer to the Soviet era, a time of fear and insecurity. The life of Natan Sharansky, who defied the system as he fought for freedom and his national identity, is a great example of the struggles of that era. After a long imprisonment, he emerged victorious, paving the way for all of the Soviet Jewry.
The film has been made possible with the support of Genesis Philanthropy Group.
The film portrays the story of Soviet "Refuseniks" through the prism of Natan Sharansky's life. In 1977, Sharansky, a famous human rights activist, was arrested on charges of spying, treason and anti-Soviet agitation.
The film returns the viewer to the Soviet era, a time of fear and insecurity. The life of Natan Sharansky, who defied the system as he fought for freedom and his national identity, is a great example of the struggles of that era. After a long imprisonment, he emerged victorious, paving the way for all of the Soviet Jewry.
The film has been made possible with the support of Genesis Philanthropy Group.
Natan Sharansky was available in person for a Q&A session
Press Coverage
MKs meet with President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky and attend Kyiv Jewish Forum hosted by the Jewish confederation of Ukraine.
Anti-Semitism played no role in Ukrainian election which featured Jewish candidate, says Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
Both the country's PM and president-elect are Jewish, but Ukrainians continue to celebrate Nazi collaborators who battled Soviet rule.
Lauder also expressed concern over the rise of hard-right, ultranationalist and populist parties in various countries which enjoy good relations with Israel.
The event aimed at promoting deeper ties between the Ukrainian and world Jewry and offering a platform for galvanizing European efforts in the fight against antisemitism.
The country is also applying for membership in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
State and public figures and leaders of Jewish communities from Ukraine, Israel, the USA and the European Union discuss problems of the Jewish communities of Ukraine and the world.
The first international Kyiv Jewish Forum is taking place from 5 to 7 May in the capital of Ukraine.
More than 120 thousand Jews today live on the territory of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian community is one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe.
In Ukraine, in 2018, there was not a single case of violence motivated by anti-Semitism, but vandalism is still present.
According to the Ukrainian government, 120 thousand Jews and their descendants live in the country.
The participants discussed current problems of the Jewish life, anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, attitudes of politicians and the population towards the state of Israel.
Find the full photo report available for downloading here
About Us
The "Jewish Confederation of Ukraine", an association of Ukrainian public organizations, was founded in 1999. The Confederation unites independent social, charitable and religious Jewish organizations.
Our mission is to unite the Jews of Ukraine, to help the Jewish communities in the country and to support the State of Israel. We also aim to preserve Jewish history, culture and the memory of the Holocaust, while strengthening people's understanding of the involvement that the Jewish community has had in the development of Ukraine. We stand for both the fight against anti-Semitism and motivating international support for Ukraine's independence.
To know more visit https://jcu.org.ua/
Our mission is to unite the Jews of Ukraine, to help the Jewish communities in the country and to support the State of Israel. We also aim to preserve Jewish history, culture and the memory of the Holocaust, while strengthening people's understanding of the involvement that the Jewish community has had in the development of Ukraine. We stand for both the fight against anti-Semitism and motivating international support for Ukraine's independence.
To know more visit https://jcu.org.ua/
Our Partners
Contact Us
Please contact us for registration:
Phone: +380 (44) 369 30 43
E-mail: jcu.org.ua@gmail.com
E-mail: jcu.org.ua@gmail.com