High Holidays in Ukraine: History, Memory, and Wartime Resilience

This episode explores the High Holidays in Ukraine — beginning with Rosh Hashanah, which opens the Ten Days of Awe and falls this year from September 11–13. The Jewish High Holidays are considered the holiest of the year, forming a season of celebration, reflection, devotion, and resilience. They include Rosh Hashanah, the New Year; Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement; Sukkot, recalling the Israelites’ journey in the wilderness; and Simchat Torah, the joyful completion and restarting of the annual Torah reading cycle. This first part of a 4‑part series looks at how Jews living in Ukrainian lands endured tsarist restrictions and Soviet repression, followed by a golden era of religious freedom and growth after independence. And how today, the dark days of russian repression have returned with putin's war of aggression against Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.