Jewish Odesa

Jewish Odesa: Negotiating Identities and Traditions in Contemporary Ukraine explores the rich Jewish history and contemporary Jewish life in Ukraine's port city of Odesa. Long considered both a uniquely cosmopolitan and Jewish place, Odesa's Jewish character has shifted as ethnic and cultural identities have dramatically changed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the independence of Ukraine. Drawing on extensive field research, Marina Sapritsky-Nahum examines how the role of Russian language and culture, alongside lingering memories of the Soviet era, have been critically re-evaluated, leading to new forms of expression for Odesa's Jewish community within the broader Ukrainian national context. Jewish Odesa reveals how a city once famous for its progressive and secular Jewish traditions has been shaped by migration and altered by competing projects of Jewish revival. Russia's war in Ukraine has further challenged Jewish communal life while simultaneously fostering a deeper sense of Ukrainian-Jewish belonging.