The completion of the educational project in Vyshnivets, Kyiv oblast on November 14th marks the end of the ESJF’s secondary school outreach programme in Ukraine, under the pilot project co-funded by the European Commission.
Students from four schools in Vyshnivets and the surrounding towns of Stary Vyshnivets, Butyn, and Bodaki were invited in small groups to participate in excursions to both of Vyshnivets’ cemeteries, guided by ESJF educator Dr. Alexandra Fishel. As with the previous project in Bohuslav (read more here), the students, all around 16 years of age, prepared for the visit by learning to read Hebrew dates and recognise the most common formulas and epigraphic symbols found on the tombstones. They were accompanied on the excursion by their teachers, who proved to be essential to the project’s success.
Vyshivets has both an old and a new Jewish cemetery, each of which were fenced by ESJF in 2019. We are proud to continue our work here and hope that our educational outreach will contribute to the long-term protection of local Jewish heritage.
Under the umbrella of the EU-funded project, ESJF is testing a variety of educational approaches to fit each region’s needs. Upon completion of the work in the five project countries, we will evaluate the results, determining and collating the techniques which proved most successful in teaching about Jewish cemeteries and material heritage sites.
Moreover, in Ukraine, we will soon begin a pilot scheme targeting higher education environments. The initial project will centre around a two-day training seminar on the uses of drone technology in heritage preservation, aimed at engineering students specialising in surveying and land management. This will take place in early December.
Photos: Students from Vyshnivets and surrounding towns visit the town’s old and new Jewish cemeteries.
