Project Judaica

The Jewish Theological Seminary conducts a joint academic program in Jewish Studies in Kyiv, Ukraine with the Institute for Oriental Studies of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. It:

• Trains accredited specialists in Jewish history and culture within the framework of Ukrainian higher education.
• Trains the future leaders of Ukrainian Jewish communities.
• Acquaints college students with Jewish history and civilization.
• Locates and records all archival collections in Ukraine that are related to Jewish history and culture.
• Publishes guides to Jewish archival sources in Ukraine, making these resources accessible to interested researchers.

Instruction is provided by visiting professors from JTS and local instructors in Hebrew and Yiddish languages, Bible, Rabbinic literature, Jewish history, Jewish philosophy and thought, and modern Jewish literature and culture.

The Jewish Archival Survey

The end of the Soviet Union provided an unprecedented opportunity to investigate materials on Jewish history and culture held in Ukrainian archives that had been unavailable to researchers for many decades. Project Judaica directs the Jewish Archival Survey (JAS) to locate, record, and describe Jewish archival resources. The Jewish Archival Survey has published ten archival guides to date, covering Moscow, St. Petersburg, Belarus, Kyiv, Odessa, and various other cities in Ukraine. The contents of the guides are also available online at www.yerusha.eu. Further guides are currently in progress. The Jewish Archival survey is conducted by JTS and the Archival Service of Ukraine.