An important area of activity of the Khmelnytsky Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" is the preservation and multiplication of Jewish cultural heritage, which is an integral part of the general cultural heritage of Ukraine. For centuries, the Jewish community has made a significant contribution to the development of our state, since the territory of modern Ukraine was part of the settlement of the Jewish people. This contribution is embodied in architecture, customs and traditions, and objects.
On September 17-18, the Khmelnytsky Charitable Foundation “Hesed Besht” held the International Scientific and Practical Conference “New Studies of the Origin of Judaic Objects in Ukrainian Museums”. The conference was held with the financial support of the Rothschild (Ganadiv) Foundation, Great Britain. The conference was hosted by the State Historical and Cultural Reserve “Mezhybizh”.
The main purpose of the conference was to raise and highlight the importance of the correct identification, description, preservation and systematization of artifacts related to Judaica. In the post-war period, after the extermination of the Jewish people in the occupied territory of Ukraine, an unusually large number of such objects remained. The lack of systematic research into their origin led to the fact that many unique and priceless objects of great cultural significance were lost, taken out of the country, destroyed or misidentified in museum documentation. Thus, a significant layer of the historical and cultural heritage of the Jewish heritage, which is part of the all-Ukrainian cultural heritage, was not studied properly.
The conference was attended by thirty-six representatives of museum institutions and researchers of Judaic objects from all over the country. Special guests were independent curators from Austria, former curators of the Jewish Museum in Vienna. The conference program was divided into two stages: the first was held at the Community Center "Thia" of the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" in the city of Khmelnytskyi, the second - at the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Mezhybizh". During the conference, participants were able to exchange experience and achievements, present their own programs for working with Judaic objects.
Especially for the conference, the Khmelnytsky Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" published a collection of conference materials (ISBN 978-617-683-022-1). This publication will be useful for employees of Ukrainian museums who deal with Judaic objects, historians, local historians, ethnographers. Copies of the collection will be provided for use by museums, sent to cultural institutions of Ukraine and state libraries.
Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" made every effort to ensure that the conference was held at a decent level. Our organization contributed to the development of the issue of preserving Judaic objects, which in the future will significantly affect the general situation of museum work in the field of preserving historical monuments and in terms of the general cultural enrichment of museum funds. The conference also helped to attract the attention of local and foreign interested parties to the development of the museum, cultural and tourist sphere in the Khmelnytskyi region
