“In the last 30 years, there’s been a renaissance of Jewish life and a building of new Jewish institutions, be it religious, cultural, educational, social,” Levin said. “These are important Jewish communities in the Diaspora today.”

Haredi Jews from across the world travel by the thousands each year to Uman, a city in the central region of Ukraine, that is a pilgrimage site where a famous Hasidic rabbi is buried.

Most Ukrainians, said Umansky, see Jews as part of Ukraine’s history.

“Life in the Soviet Union was constant antisemitism against Jews,” Umansky said. “It’s not like that now.” — 

Religion News Service