Every year, tens of thousands of Hasidim travel from around the world to Uman, a city in Naddniprianshchyna, to visit the grave of their spiritual leader, Rabbi Nachman, the founder of Breslov Hasidism. Before he died, he declared that anyone...
After World War II, the Jewish population of Ukraine shrank dramatically, leaving almost no one to look after Jewish cemeteries. Many of them have been destroyed, and many others are now overgrown and falling apart. International and local initiatives care...
“People must be at the heart of decision-making in this country,” writes Maksym Butkevych—a human rights defender, journalist, public figure, and co-coordinator of the Principle of Hope foundation, who also served as a soldier in the Armed Forces of Ukraine...
War, in one way or another, hardens a society. But what traps does it set for itself when it thinks of itself solely as a victim? “Our public sphere creates a security blanket for society,” writes Oksana Forostyna, editor of...
The full-scale Russian invasion and Ukraine’s extraordinary resilience captured the world’s attention, sparking a wave of interest in the country’s language, history, and culture. As global curiosity grew, Ukrainian studies programs at Western universities saw a surge in popularity, while...
“The courage to have your own opinion is a hallmark of this moment in Ukraine,” says Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta, cultural scholar and director of Mystetskyi Arsenal. In this essay, she reflects on how institutions tasked with producing knowledge are caught in...
“We have already normalized the war,” writes historian and author Olena Stiazhkina. In this essay, she explores why accepting the reality of war doesn’t mean making peace with its horrors, how routine can be a key to resilience, and whether...
Paris in May is incredibly beautiful after a morning rain. My calendar marks a long weekend, the city is half-empty, and my feet carry me on their own. The slow rhythm of the capital — still sleepy and as if...
