EAJS Conference Grant Program in Jewish Studies
Report
Expanding Boundaries: Jewish Artistic Heritage of Ukraine
A two-day international conference organised and hosted by the Ukrainian Association for Jewish Studies, sponsored by the European Association for Jewish Studies (EAJS) Conference Grant Programme in European Jewish Studies (Chernivtsi, July 2–3, 2024)
Applicants:
Prof. Eugeny Kotlyar, Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Ukraine;
Dr. Eva Frojmovic, University of Leeds, UK
Prof. Waldemar Deluga, University of Ostrava, Czechia
Organisers:
Prof. Eugeny Kotlyar, Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Ukraine;
Dr. Vitaly Chernoivanenko, Ukrainian Association for Jewish Studies, Ukraine;
Dr. Serhiy Hirik, Ukrainian Association for Jewish Studies, Ukraine/
Author of Report: Eugeny Kotlyar.
Event Rationale
The conference was of significant importance both for the scholarly and artistic community as well as for the wider society. It is important to remind the significance and the role of those Jewish artists who lived and worked in Ukraine and became a part of Ukrainian artistic world. It is also important to trace the reflections of Jewish identity in the works of those Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian artists of Jewish origin who worked in Ukraine and did not identify himself as a Jewish artist. It is also interesting to analyse influences of Jewish traditions on non-Jewish artists.
Over the years, Jewish traditional and modern culture associated with the territory of present-day Ukraine has been shaped by various political and cultural conditions. Ashkenazi Jews, Krymchaks, and Karaites lived here and left a distinctive cultural and artistic legacy.
Along with religious, there was also secular Jewish life, both of which found expression in art. The artistic achievements of the Jews of Ukraine – in all their diversity of genres, schools, groups, and personalities – were created, over time, in the frameworks of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Ottoman Empires, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, and finally, since 1991, in independent Ukraine. Now they are perceived as a part of Ukraine’s multicultural heritage.
This perspective leads us to undertake of two tasks. The first is the desire to recreate the history of Jewish art in Ukraine by studying the emergence, development, and spread of Jewish artistic culture within the modern borders of Ukraine. In the twentieth century, this culture suffered catastrophic losses. The very memory of the life and culture of millions of local Jews was erased layer by layer. Many art objects from Ukraine are in museums around the world. The inclusion of this complex in scholarly discourse will bring back to Ukrainians the memory of the historical presence of Jews in the multicultural space of their country.
The second task was to consider the problem of protecting Jewish heritage from destruction. It is impossible to prevent missile attacks and artillery shelling in the frontline zone and looting in the occupied territories. The impossibility to provide physical protection prompts us to look for other ways to preserve our heritage. We are talking about recording, attribution, inclusion in the narrative, and presentation of art objects both by traditional means and with the help of the new media. Researching threatened or already lost artistic works and phenomena in museums, libraries, and archival collections will help preserve the memory of Jewish artifacts and their provenances.
We planned to put the historical, theoretical, and methodological aspects of the identification, research, contextualization, and musealization of Jewish art created in Ukraine or by authors from Ukrainian lands in the focus of the proposed conference.
The event aimed to help increase interest in the Jewish heritage of Ukraine and establish links between Ukrainian scholars and museum professionals, with researchers from other countries, in their work on common topics.
We also aimed to draw the attention of Ukrainian museum curators to the Jewish art works in the collections of Ukrainian museums, as well as to encourage professors of art history in Ukrainian universities to include the sphere of Jewish art and the heritage of Ukraine into their syllabi.
The organizers also aimed to draw the attention of museum curators and cultural heritage activists to those objects of Jewish art which need restoration.
The conference brought together scholars from ten countries. They discussed important topics related to the history of Jewish art and preserving the Jewish artistic heritage in Ukraine.
An overview of the sections and papers presented during the event and the most significant and productive threads in the papers and discussions
The conference was hosted at the Diverso Conference Hall in Chernivtsi. The conference convened a group of researchers from ten countries: Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, USA, and Israel (both in-person and online).
The security issues were among the highest priorities for the organisers. Therefore, we chose the conference hall located in a basement (this decision allowed us not to pause the conference in case of an air raid alert).
The conference was opened with the opening words by Dr. Vitaly Chernoivanenko, president of the Ukrainian Association for Jewish Studies, Prof. Eugeny Kotlyar, head of the Monumental Painting Department at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Fine Arts, and Dr. Javier Castaño, EAJS president.
After the opening words Prof. Eugeny Kotlyar has given a first keynote lecture “Jewish Artistic Heritage in the Multicultural Context of Ukrainian Identity: Historical Overview and Current Challenges.” The following discussion was focused on necessity to preserve the architectural features of Jewish monuments during their restoration and the ways to do it, participation of youth in preserving the Jewish heritage, the problem of restoring and preserving illicitly acquired movable objects, the restitution of secular real-estate property, and the problem of responsibility for this property.
The first panel (moderated by Prof. Stephan Hoppe, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) was opened with a paper Seeing Leads to Remembering”: More than a Century of Jewish Ethnographic, Art and Architectural Expeditions in Ukraine and Their Legacy Today presented by Dr. Samuel Gruber (Syracuse University, USA). He developed the topic of documenting Jewish heritage in Ukraine through field expeditions sponsored by museums, research institutions, and government agencies. Prof. Gruber talked about his own experience of such work and put it in a historical perspective. Next, Piotr Kuroczyński and Jan Lutteroth (Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Germany) gave a joint presentation Preservation through Digitization. Digital Jewish Cultural Heritage in Education and Research. From the German-Polish Experience to the Ukrainian Perspective. The following discussion focused on the software used for the digitization of Jewish heritage, especially the possibility of using mobile apps, the difficulties related to creating digital images of destroyed synagogues, reconstructing ritual practices when creating animated images, etc.
The second panel (moderated by Nadia Ufimtseva, National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy) was opened with a presentation by Dr. Sergey Kravtsov (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel) “Palestinian Style” in Jewish Architecture of Ukraine. He described and showed two examples of Jewish buildings from Galicia that were built in the interwar period. Both of them represented the so-called “Palestinian style” which mixed Jewish national romanticism and modern architecture. The first one was designed by Józef Awin and the second one by Adam Appenzeller. The second talk was given by Dr. Anna Berezin (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel). Its topic was Synagogue Textiles in Ukraine in the Long Nineteenth Century: Identification and Iconography. It was devoted to Torah ark curtains and Torah mantles with Ukrainian provenance. The third presentation was given by Elena Solomon (Bar Ilan University, Israel). The topic was Shpanyer Arbet: The Metallic Ashkenazi Lace. The last talk of this panel was given by Ruth Ellen Gruber (Jewish Heritage Europe, Italy). Its topic was (Candle)sticks on Stone: The Representation of Women in Jewish Tombstone Art. The scholar described and analysed the images of candlesticks on tombstones of Jewish women (mainly from Ukraine). The following discussion focused on the interpretation of images on tombstones, an etymology of the term “Shapnyer arbet”, Soviet attitude to the so-called “Palestinian style” in architecture on the territories annexed by the Soviet Union as a Zionist, the reasons for the decline of the craft of metallic lace.
The third panel was moderated by Dr. Vitaly Chernoivanenko. It was opened with a talk by Dr. Vilma Gradinskaitė (Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Lithuania) The Exhibition “Through Glasses” by Arthur Kolnik in Vilnius Ghetto. The second talk was On the Two Sacrifices of Isaac in Modern Jewish Art of Eastern Europe. It was given by Dr. Monika Czekanowska-Gutman (University of Warsaw, Poland). Next, Dr. Vita Susak (Switzerland) gave a talk From Zhytomyr to Geneva. Storms and Calms in the Life of Elizabeth Epstein (1879–1956). The following discussion was focused on the reflections of pogroms in artistic works by Issachar Ber Ryback, accurate dating of works by Arthur Kolnik and possible connections between Chana Orloff and Elisabeth Epstein when both artists lived in Switzerland.
The second day of the conference was opened with a second keynote lecture, Judaica Objects from Austria-Hungary. Differences – Similarities – Influences. It was given by Dr. Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek (Austria). The following discussion was focused on the target audience of the first Jewish museum in Vienna (est. 1896) which presented Galician Jews’ traditions as traditions of “others”, the strategy of creating the collection of the first Jewish museum in Vienna compared to other Jewish museums.
The fourth panel was moderated by Prof. Eugeny Kotlyar. The first presentation, The Paintings on the Dome of the Smotrych Synagogue – Deciphering an Enigma, was given by Prof. Bracha Yaniv (Bar Ilan University, Israel). Next, Dr. Tamara Kutsaeva (National Museum “The Fortress of Kyiv”, Ukraine) gave a talk Wall Paintings of the Wooden Synagogue in the Norynsk-Village. Both participants analyzed the wall and ceiling paintings of two Ukrainian synagogues. The topic of the talk by Dr. Zvi Orgad (Bar Ilan University) was The Painted Torah Arks of Bavaria: The Gate of Heaven or the Gateway to Ruthenia?. He focused on the decorations of two early modern Torah arks in the Bavaria region and traced the Galician influences on them. The last lecture of this panel was given by Dr. Batsheva Goldman-Ida. Its topic was Ukrainian Jewish Wood Carving. The scholar focused on the details of the wood carving of the Chair of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav (c. 1809), and the individual motifs also found in wood carving in synagogues and homes in the Ukraine. The following discussion was focused on belonging the synagogue in Norynsk to Chasidim and Chasidic or any other influences on the wall paintings of this synagogue, combining of various narratives in ceiling paintings of the Smotrych synagogue.
The fifth panel was moderated by Dr. Serhiy Hirik. The topic of the first presentation was Debora Vogel / Dvoyre Fogel’s “Jewish Work” between Heritage and Modernism. It was given by Dr. Eva Frojmovic (University of Leeds, UK). The scholar analysed the works by Vogel on Jewish topics, especially her book “Lwowska Juderia” (1937), and tried to create a dialogue between the heritage-oriented collecting aesthetic of Maximilian/Maksymilian Goldstein and the modernist aesthetic of Debora Vogel/Dvoyre Fogel. Then Prof. Mirjam Rajner (Bar Ilan University) gave a talk Images of Victimization in Jewish East European Modern and Avant-Garde Art. She analysed the images of Jewish victimhood and suffering in the works by such artists as Leopold Pilichowski, Maurycy Minkowski, Artur Markowicz, Marc Chagall, and Issachar Rybak. The topic of the last lecture was Yisakhar Ber Ryback: Between Kyiv and Berlin. It was given by Dr. Małgorzata Stolarska-Fronia (University of Potsdam, Germany). It was devoted to the Rybak’s Berlin period (1921–1925). The following discussion was focused on the influence of photography terms on Debora Vogel’s vocabulary and other features of the terms used by the writer, the parallels between the works by Jewish artists of the 20th century and contemporary artists, first of all Zoya Cherkassky-Nnadi, the reception of Cherkassky-Nnadi artworks in Israel, the reasons why Rybak published his graphic works created before he moved to Germany only after he arrived to Berlin.
The last (sixth) panel of the conference was moderated by Dr. Vitaly Chernoivanenko. It started with a talk Bruno Schulz and Drohobych: Art and Transcultural Memory Politics by Dr. Aleksandra Naróg (Jagiellonian University, Poland). She analysed the transcultural aspects of the life and work of Bruno Schulz in the context of Ukrainian, Polish, and Israeli memory politics. Next, Nadia Ufimtseva gave a talk Jewish Printing on Ukrainian Lands: Books Design and Art. The scholar presented the most significant examples of Jewish book design and art on Ukrainian lands from the beginning of printing here until the early 20th century and discussed sources of inspiration and influence from the Jewish tradition and intercultural relations on the typography development. The topic of the last presentation was Art Criticism in “Chwila” Jewish Newspaper: Topics and Authors. It was given by Dr. Serhiy Hirik. It was devoted to the publications on art in Lviv-based “Chwila”, the most influential Polish-language Jewish newspaper in the interwar Poland. The following discussion was focused on representation of memory politics in the books mentioned by Aleksandra Naróg, the scale of activity of Jewish printing houses mentioned by Nadia Ufimtseva, the need of creating a scholarly biography of Max Bienenstock as a journalist and political activist.
The conference was concluded by the seminar Prospects for the Study, Preservation and Presentation of Ukraine’s Jewish Artistic Heritage. The participants, Vitaly Chernoivanenko, Sergey Kravtsov, Bracha Yaniv, Samuel Gruber, Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek, Stephan Hoppe, Eugeny Kotlyar, Nadia Ufimtseva, and Serhiy Hirik expressed their opinions on the further development of the research of Jewish heritage and ways to preserve it in the conditions of the ongoing war. One of the most important statements voiced during the discussion was importance of preserving the endangered Jewish heritage in Ukraine in conditions of the ongoing Russian invasion.
Changes to the Original Programme
There were not major changes to the original programme. However, when applying for a grant, the organisers wished to hold the conference in Kharkiv. Due to security reasons, it was impossible, so the event was held in Chernivtsi.
Event programme (Sections and Papers)
https://uajs.org.ua/sites/default/files/UAJS_Conference_2024_Program_final.pdf
A statement about planned outcomes (projects, future workshops, collaborations) and outputs (publications)
Outcomes
The conference contributed to the development of working relationships between Ukrainian and foreign researchers on Jewish art and Jewish artistic heritage in Ukraine. Its participants discussed the possible topics further of research projects.
The detailed descriptions of the event will be published in the “Chronicle” section of the Judaica Ukrainica journal. Several participants announced that they will give their papers for the special section of the next volume of Judaica Ukrainica.
All the presentations were filmed and will be published on the UAJS YouTube Channel.
Publicity:
UAJS website:
https://uajs.org.ua/en/news/call-papers-expanding-boundaries-jewish-artistic-heritage-ukraine
Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts website: https://ksada.org/nov-01-07-24.html
Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies website: https://holocaust.kiev.ua/other/details/razshirkor_2023?objId=1
Jewish Heritage Europe website: https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/event/expanding-boundaries-jewish-artistic-heritage-of-ukraine/
Center for Jewish Studies at Fordham University page on Twitter/X: https://x.com/FordhamJS/status/1806786038628581426
YouTube: All the presentations were filmed. They will be soon published on the UAJS YouTube channel.