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Berdychiv was once the ‘Jerusalem of Volhynia.’ Now the Ukrainian city’s tiny Jewish community is struggling.

JL;DR SUMMARY Berdychiv, once a vibrant hub of Jewish life and known as the "Jerusalem of Volhynia," now faces significant challenges in preserving its Jewish heritage amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

UkraineJewish CommunityJewish HeritageHolocaust MemorialBerdychivWar ImpactCommunity ResilienceJewish DisplacementHennadiy KysliukHasidic History

Places mentioned

Berdychiv, Zhytomyrshchyna, Ukraine
"The post Berdychiv was once the Jerusalem of Volhynia. Now the Ukrainian citys tiny Jewish community is struggling."
Kyiv, Ukraine
"Located about 100 miles southwest of Kyiv, Berdychiv escaped the most intense onslaught, but the local priorities quickly changed from preserving the past to ensuring survival in the present."
Kharkiv, Kharkivshchyna, Ukraine
"So two families from Kharkiv stayed, and also two families from Kyiv who were driving through Berdychiv from the western part of Ukraine - they stayed here as well, he said."

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Cairo Item ID 52041
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Retrieved 2025-05-20 18:00:29 UTC
Curated 2025-05-20 19:00:25 UTC