On November, 27th 2020 the International Online Symposium “Hasids and Their Music World in the Context of Jewish Studies in Ukraine: Sources, History and Relevance of Study” took place on the Zoom platform. The event was organized by Ivan Franko Lviv National University and the Jewish Music Research Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.The author of the idea and project coordinator is Olga Kolomiyets, Associate Professor of the Musicology and Choral Arts Department, Faculty of Culture and Arts, Lviv University.
The online symposium brought together representatives of various academic disciplines (historians, theologians, culturologists and ethnomusicologists), as well as practicing musicians from Ukraine, Israel, the United States, Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland.
Associate Professor of the Musicology and Choral Art Department Olga Kolomiyets began the event with a welcoming speech. “I am glad that today we have such a large audience: we have participants from different cities of Ukraine and abroad. It’s extremely inspiring! ” – said Olga Kolomiets and wished everyone good work, fruitful discussions and interesting presentations.
After that, the Vice- Rector for Research from Ivan Franko Lviv National University, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Professor Roman Hladyshevskiy was called upon to make a speech. As soon as he welcomed all the participants of the event on behalf of the University administration, Roman Yevhenovych called the symposium a momentous event that initiates cooperation between Ivan Franko Lviv National University and the Jewish Music Research Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists.
“The Ukrainian- Israeli collaboration will break new ground for ethno- musicological studies and significantly strengthens humanitarian research at the University and in Ukraine in general. After all, the study and understanding of Hasidic music is extremely important not only from the point of view of musicology, but also in terms of culture, history, religion, social sciences. Exploring the Hasid’s’ musical world opens for us unglorified pages of our common history. Music as a widely available and longeval art form carries encoded information about the past, accompanies a person throughout life and contains an emotional component that can answer the questions which history is unable to provide. That is why it is so important to recreate old recordings, correctly interpret and analyze them,” said Roman Hladyshevskiy and wished everyone to listen “the sounds of Hasidic music, which not only bring aesthetic pleasure to the participants of the event, but also give space for new discoveries and success!”
The Dean of the Faculty of Culture and Arts Roman Krokhmalniy also greeted the participants.” It is a great pleasure to speak to the symposiasts and take part in this event, because it is extremely important for modern culture, especially during the quarantine restrictions. It is true that during such events we can cross the borders and it delights us” said the dean. Roman Oleksiyovych also emphasized how important and topical it is to research the music culture and inter-ethnic relations, thanked the symposium organizers and said: “These days the renewal of musical scholarly traditions is taking place at Lviv University, so we believe that today’s event participants will also contribute to this development”
Professor Yuriy Medvedyk, Head of the Musicology and Choral Arts Department, also shared his thoughts concerning the study of the Hasidic music world. He mentioned that “Ukrainian- Israeli relations have a long-running tradition and their interconnections in musical culture of these nations date back to XVI century.” Addressing the participants and organizers, Yuriy Yevhenovych expressed a hope that the symposium would start the tradition of carrying collaborative Israeli-Ukrainian events and provide an opportunity to unveil certain aspects of our common past: “I hope we will continue this tradition in the future, as far as such events, even if they are online, incline to new thought processes. Let each of today’s reports become a foundation stone for further research into the forgotten pages of history and culture. “
Professor Edwin Cerussi, Head of the Jewish Music Research Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, joined the welcoming remarks. He emphasized that “the symposium is not only prominent scientific event, but also an important step in the development of Ukrainian-Israeli relations,” and expressed hope for fruitful cooperation in the future.
Edwin Cerussi also briefly talked about the history of the founding of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the tradition of studying the Hasidic musical culture in this scientific institution. It is important to mention that Hebrew University in Jerusalem is one of the biggest and most well-known universities in Israel, as well as a leading center of research in many fields of knowledge, founded in 1925.
After the welcoming speeches, the plenary session began. The participants discussed current issues in the field of Judaism, got a view of the interpretation and manifestations of music in Hasidism, its links with the history, religion and culture of the Jewish and Ukrainian communities, shared experiences of source studies and performance of traditional Hasidic music in the spiritual and laical scopes of our time.
The symposium program and topics of the reports can be found at the link.