On May 29 – 31, 2016 a seminar "Pearls of Yiddish Culture" for 30 teachers from all parts of the State of Israel took place in Odessa, Ukraine.

The group was gathered by the travel agency "The Lion Travel", managed by Angela Mindel.

The Israeli educators came with a study tour to Ukraine in order to learn about Yiddish culture, history and heritage.

Odessa is well-known for its active Jewish cultural life before the World War II. From the 1880s the Jewish community of Odessa was the second largest in Russia and had considerable influence on the Jews of the whole country.

The principal characteristics of that community, responsible for its particular importance, were the rapid and constant growth of the Jewish population and its extensive participation in the economic development of the town, the outstanding "Western" character of its cultural life and numerous communal institutions, especially educational and economic institutions, the social and political activity of the Jewish public, the mood of tension and struggle which was impressed on its history, and the Jewish literary center which emerged there. Famous Hebrew and Yiddish writers including Sholem Aleychem, Mendele Moycher Sforim, Chaim Nachman Bialik, Ze'ev Zhabotinsky, Shimon Frug, Y.H. Ravnitzki lived and created there.

The academical director of the Yiddish Center at the World Jewish Congress, Dr. Mordehay Yushkovsky, delivered four lectures: "Map of Ukraine in the Yiddish literature and folklore"; "Odessa in Yiddish literature"; "Yiddish culture in the USSR, its blossom and tragic fall"; "Mutual influence of Jewish and Ukrainian folklores".

In addition, Dr. Yushkovsky lead a literature-folkloristic tour "In the footsteps of Yiddish writers", telling about their work near the places they lived and were writing, and in the places related with Yiddish culture. There was also a lecture-concert, teaching Yiddish language through songs.

As a result of this seminar we have received a number of requests from participants to continue studying Yiddish language and culture in the appropriate framework in Israel and to apply this knowledge in their daily teaching work.

We are planning a "Yiddish week" event in Odessa in the end of the September. It will take place in their famous community center "Beit Grand" and will be oriented at teachers as well as broad public.