Lo Tishkah foundation together with VAAD Jewish education center held the last seminar of the program “Students’ initiatives to preserve Jewish material heritage) near Kiev.
Main lectures here were given by famous researchers- professor Valery Dymshitz from St. Petersburg, Artem Fedorchuk and Irina Sergeeva.
Jewish youth were amazed to discover the world of Jewish manuscripts kept in the National library of Ukraine, stone carving of mazevot, etc. Lectures by professor Dymshitz on Jewish cemeteries and Jewish traditions in visiting them caused great interest. Artem Fedorchuk and Irina Sergeeva also gave brilliant lectures.
Ekaterina Malachova introduced main sources of info in community history, Oleg Rostovtsev spoke about PR basics for non-profit projects.
Lo Tishkah plans seminars in various regions in April-May, then two seminars in July to be continued by field archeology expeditions. One of them is planned in Bahchisaray (Crimea) with excavations and conservation of the Mangup synagogue, another- in Transcarpathia with identification and description of 70 Jewish cemeteries, some of them in mountain areas. (Last year a similar expedition in Transcarpathia during 10 days visited 26 cemeteries in two districts).
According to Lo Tishkah representatives with the seminars they want to stimulate Jewish youth to develop and implement their own projects both memorial and educational.