There is no need to talk about the importance of Taras Shevchenko's work for Ukrainian cultural heritage. His literary works are relevant not only for the Ukrainian people, but also for all who speak out against injustice, oppression or violence. That is why the work of the Great Kobzar is translated into different languages of the world, his poems inspire people all over the globe.
At the invitation of the Department of Culture, Nationalities and Religions of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Administration, the KhBF “Hesed Besht” took part in the literary and artistic event “Immortality of the Nation in Language”, as part of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of T. G. Shevchenko. The event was held at the M. Ostrovsky Regional Scientific Library. The library, by the way, is an official social partner of the KhBF “Hesed Besht”, which was one of the first in the city to sign an Agreement on Social Partnership with the Foundation. According to the regulations, we were offered to recite the poet’s poems in our ethnic language of choice – Hebrew or Yiddish.
The translations of Taras Shevchenko's poems into Hebrew were known before. However, obtaining such a translation is not easy. The issue of translating the poet's work into Hebrew was taken up by an employee of the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht", client manager Vyacheslav Yulle. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find a decent translation. Internet search engines gave several meager links without the necessary information, and the only text of the "Testament" found was in Yiddish, which the reader did not speak. When preparing the article, the employees of the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" also took into account that the magazine "Sobornost" has been successfully operating in Israel for many years, which is published in Ukrainian. At the end of 2013, a translation of T. G. Shevchenko's poem "Caucasus" into Hebrew was presented to the attention of readers. Unfortunately, the original translation could not be found either. But Vyacheslav Yulle did not back down. Having set himself the goal of finding a translation of the poems of a man who called for fighting and not giving up, Vyacheslav was so imbued with the ideas of the Kobzar's work that it would simply not be manly to set out in search of a translation. The decision came by itself, as is often the case with Jews. If you don't have what you need, you need to do it yourself. Having a journalist's education from Lviv National University, excellent knowledge of Hebrew, and simple rhyming skills, Vyacheslav, using internal resources (and Chesed has many Hebrew-speaking clients, former and current citizens of Israel), together with other people translated a fragment of the poem into Hebrew.
The audience of the event in the Ostrovsky Library was made up of young people, students, teachers, representatives of various communities, in particular Russian, Polish, Jewish and public organizations. The symbiosis of Shevchenko's lyrics and the ancient language of the Torah was received with enthusiasm by the audience. A representative of the Hesed Besht Cultural Foundation recited another translation of the Great Shevchenko prepared by our joint efforts - an excerpt from the Psalms of David. It is natural that our colleague chose poems that are related to Jewish culture.
The Ukrainian text was translated into Hebrew quite accurately and sonorously, which impressed those present and instantly attracted the attention of the public. Vyacheslav's speech did not go unnoticed - it was broadcast on regional television and radio. And on March 9, on Shevchenko's birthday, the translation of "Kobzar" into Hebrew could be heard by Khmelnytskyi residents both at the monument to the poet and on the local Maidan (Independence Square). We did not expect that Shevchenko's recitation in Hebrew would cause a wide resonance in society - it went beyond the boundaries of the Jewish community and became known to the public.
Vyacheslav and his team did not stop there. In the future, there will be translations of other works, and perhaps the entire "Kobzar". But for now, this remains in the plans, and Vyacheslav began to prepare young readers of Taras Shevchenko's poems in Hebrew, who will represent the Hesed Besht Jewish Children's Foundation and the Jewish community at the Open City Competition of Readers of T. G. Shevchenko's Works "The Soul of a Poet, Holy...", which will be held on April 18 at the Khmelnytsky City House of Culture. Interest in the translator of Shevchenko's poems into Hebrew in the society of the city and region does not decrease, and Vyacheslav often gives interviews to local media, popularizing his work, the Jewish community, and the work of the great writer. All this contributes to the integration of tolerance into modern society. The fact that the Ukrainian writer's poetry was translated into Hebrew speaks of the close, friendly and peaceful contact between the two nationalities, and also shows the result of the humanitarian mission of the Hesed Besht Foundation for the development and cohesion of society.
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