Jewish Odessa Tour Part 2: From the ‘Star in Exile’ to the ‘Gates of Zion’

Tue, Dec 28, 2021 1:15 PM - 2:15 PM Greenwich Mean Time (UTC±0)

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Jewish Odessa Tour Part 2: From the “Star in Exile” to the “Gates of Zion”

About this event

Let’s continue exploring enormous and fascinating Odessa’s Jewish heritage. The two contrasting phrases – “Live like God in Odessa” and “The fires of hell burn for 7 miles around Odessa” originated among the Ashkenazi Jews about the nineteenth-century city. Odessa welcomed the Jews, yet the first riot against the Jews in the Russian Empire happened here. While paradise in the eyes of some, the city was a hotbed of depravity in the eyes of others. Odessa enthusiastically embraced the Haskalah, yet later became home to Zionism. We’ll see the Main City Synagogue and the building of the Odessa Palestine committee. We’ll visit the monument to Isaac Babel, the Odessa-born writer who made Jewish Odessa world famous. We’ll talk about Lev Trotsky in Odessa. During the stroll around the area of the Jewish riots, Olga will share the story of these tragic events. Although focused on the period of the 19th century, this live tour will include several places connected to the period of Odessa’s occupation in WW2. Finally, Olga will share insights into the modern Jewish community. Sights included in the live tour: – the Main City Synagogue (exterior) – Jewish street – The Isaac Babel monument – The area of the Jewish riots – The building of the Odessa Palestine Committee – The avenue of a mass killing of the Jews during Odessa’s occupation in WW2.