Jewish Odesa: Negotiating Identities and Traditions in Contemporary Ukraine

A book talk by Marina Sapritsky-Nahum, Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Honorary Senior Research Associate at University College London.

Moderated by Serhii Plokhii, Mykhailo S. Hrushevs'kyi Professor of Ukrainian History and Director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University.

IN-PERSON and ONLINE via Zoom Webinar (live). Registration is required to attend online. 

About the Book

Jewish Odesa: Negotiating Identities and Traditions in Contemporary Ukraine explores the rich and evolving Jewish identity in Odesa, a city with a historically significant and distinctive Jewish heritage. Based on Marina Sapritsky-Nahum's extensive ethnographic research, the discussion focuses on the transformative changes within Odesa's Jewish community since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The talk will examine how migration and competing visions of Jewish revival have redefined a city once known for its progressive and secular Jewish traditions. It will analyze the evolving identities of Jewish Odessans across different generations, highlighting how Odesa has become a unique site where various expressions of Jewishness converge and compete for recognition.

A key aspect of the presentation will be the implications of Russia’s war in Ukraine on the remaining Jewish population, considering how geopolitical conflicts further complicate Jewish identity in the region. The research also raises critical questions about Jewish belonging, arguing that "Jewish" is not a fixed category but one that is continuously negotiated and redefined in diverse contexts.

About the Speaker

Dr. Marina Sapritsky-Nahum is a social anthropologist. She is a Visiting Fellow at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and an Honorary Senior Research Associate at University College London (UCL). She has been conducting research in Odesa, Ukraine, and with its Jewish diasporas abroad for nearly two decades. Her scholarly interests include post-Soviet Jewish identities, religion, migration, and philanthropy. Her recent book, Jewish Odesa: Negotiating Identities and Traditions in Contemporary Ukraine, shows the process of religious revival and community-building in the aftermath of state socialism. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, she has been researching the experiences of Ukrainian Jewish refugees in Berlin as part of an interdisciplinary project on Jewish Cultural Heritage, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Additionally, she is writing more broadly about the ways in which the war has shaped Ukrainian Jewish heritage by tracing the everyday lives of Jews who remain in the country and of those who have fled to Europe and the UK.

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This event is organized by Harvard's Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) as part of the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program and Seminar in Ukrainian Studies event series.

Persons with disabilities who wish to request accommodations or who have questions about access, please contact Hanna Leliv, HURI Events Logistics Coordinator, at hleliv@fas.harvard.edu at least two weeks in advance of the session.

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