Jewish Open Space in Kyiv: Yiddish, DJ, Rosh Hashanah, and a festival backed by the Messianic Jewish community

In Kyiv, two September days of Jewish Open Space took place. In the photos, everything looks quite easy: young people are laughing, someone is dancing, Yiddish is heard, there is a playground nearby, workshops. After the second weekend, the organizers wrote that despite the security situation, the festival took place and became a 'place of support' for people.

We could end on that note — a Jewish festival in wartime Kyiv, what more is there to explain.

But then half of the story would be lost.

Jewish Open Space has been held for more than ten years, growing from a single Kyiv event into a program in several countries, and its organizer is not CHABAD, not a state Jewish structure of Ukraine, and not a secular cultural fund. The festival grew around the Kyiv Jewish Messianic Community, whose participants believe in Yeshua — Jesus — as the Messiah of Israel. The community itself does not hide this, but on the festival poster, the religious component is much less noticeable than the music and apples with honey.

The author of NANews Pavel Shveyko explored where a simple urban Jewish festival ends and the history of the community itself begins. No spoiler needed here: the boundary…

Read more:
news.nikk.co.il/en/jewish-open…