Ukrainian Jewish Weekend 2026

March 13–15, 2026

Hosted by Project Kesher
In collaboration with the Kraków Jewish community and partners

Vision & Purpose

To create a warm, deeply emotional and identity-affirming space where Ukrainian Jews displaced in Europe can reconnect with:

  • Jewish life rooted in Ukraine

  • Culture, heritage, and memory

  • Feminist and inclusive perspectives

  • Each other and the wider community

We aim to demonstrate that Jewish life in Ukraine not only exists but evolves, and that connection to it is possible even at a distance.

Core Message

Ukrainian Jewish identity is alive, & it deserves continuity, voice, memory, and shared ownership. This gathering seeks to strengthen belonging and cultural roots across borders.

Emotional Arc of the Event

Day 1: Belonging — “We are here together.”

Day 2: Meaning — “This identity matters.”

Day 3: Continuity — “We take it forward.”

  • Ukrainian Elements

    • RISE rock opera (women’s stories, Holocaust memory, Ukraine)

    • Haggadah / siddur learning from PKU translation project

    • Identity podcast with Ukrainian roots

    • Niggunim with Ukrainian resonance

    • Ukrainian narratives in panel discussions

    Polish Elements

    • Kazimierz heritage quest (interactive)

    • Obwarzanek (traditional Kraków bake) culinary workshop

    • Polish–Ukrainian ancestral memory session (Lada Moskaleć)

    • Local Polish presenter for creative MК (potential)

    • “10 Questions to a Rabbi” — with Rabbi Olga Weinstein

    • “Post-memory and ancestral journeys between Ukraine and Poland” — Lada Moskaleć

    • Project Kesher session: feminist Jewish learning (Haggadah/siddur translation)

    • Identity Podcast (Vlada Nedak) — Polish+Jewish and Ukrainian+Jewish roots

    • Kazimierz Quest excursion

    • Creative workshop (Raizele or similar)

    • Niggunim by Natali Kasianchik

    • Obwarzanek culinary MК

    • Dance session — “shared movement as a language”

    • RISE rock opera performance

  • 100–120 participants overall (30–70 participants per event), including:

    • Kraków Jewish community

    • Ukrainian Jewish diaspora in Poland

    • JCC Kraków & Hillel Kraków networks

    • JDC-associated participants

    • Ukrainian alumni of Paideia living in Europe

    • Ukrainian diaspora (Jewish and non-Jewish)

    • Online reach: Ukraine, Israel, Germany

    • JCC Kraków

    • Hillel Kraków

    • JDC

    • Polish Institute

    • Ukrainian Institute

Space is limited! Please notify us of your interest using the form below.