Tour Global Jewish Life: Kyiv, Ukraine

Tour Global Jewish Life: Kyiv, Ukraine

Thursday at 12:00pm PDT

Jews have been living in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine since the 8th century and have made an invaluable contribution to the development of the city. Kyiv was once home to Jewish scholars and rabbis, writers and Zionists, and business, cultural and political leaders. Over the years, Kyiv’s Jewish community has experienced times of amazing prosperity and tragic devastation. Join tour guide Evgenia as she takes you through the streets and squares of Ukraine's capital to discuss topics, such as Jewish prosperity in the sugar, wine and timber businesses, famous Jewish personalities that called Kiev home, pogroms throughout the centuries, the role Jews played in Ukraine’s fight for independence from the Soviets, and the mass murder of Kyiv’s Jews during the Holocaust.

Evgenia Kempinski was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. She has been an official St. Petersburg tour guide for over 15 years. Since May 2020, she has been providing Zoom tours and lectures dedicated to the Jewish history and culture in former Soviet countries, as well as Scandinavia and Europe. She made Aliyah and currently lives in Haifa, Israel. She is married and has one 8-year-old daughter.