Tkuma All-Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies, the Federation of Polish organizations in Ukraine, and Lviv Ukrainian Catholic University with the support of Consulate General of Polish Republic in Lviv, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk and Lviv Regional Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Aryeh” conduct annual International Inter-confessional Youth seminar “The Ark” for Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish students.

This year “The Ark” is dedicated to the memory of prominent writer and educator Janusz Korczak, who was murdered in August 1942 in the death camp Treblinka together with children from the orphanage, conducted by him in Warsaw ghetto.

International and inter-confessional dialogue is an important premise for fostering the atmosphere of tolerance in Ukrainian society. Therefore Tkuma Center together with its partners arranges international forums, contests, and educational seminars in which Jewish, Ukrainian, Polish youth and young people take part.

Univ Lavra, the place of conducting the latest seminar, was chosen not by chance. It was here in Univ during the Second World War where priests and monks of Greek Catholic Church were rescuing Jewish children from the Holocaust horrors and supporting the Ukrainian and Polish children. They were doing it from the bottom of their heart, with the blessing and will of one of the Ukrainian nation ecclesiastical leaders in the 20^th century – Metropolitan Andrei Sheptyts’kyi and his brother Archimandrite Klimentii Sheptyts’kyi. Among the rescued Jewish was Adam Rotfeld who nowadays is a famous Polish politician and scholar, professor, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs in Poland.

The dramatic events, happened in this land are the examples of concord and understanding between our nations.

Exactly here, in Univ, the first International and Inter-confessional youth seminar with the symbolic name – "The Ark- 2006” has been held. It became the first step to the Ukrainian-Polish-Jewish activities directed to comprehending the Holocaust lessons and strengthening the atmosphere of tolerance and international consent. The head of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Holiest Lyubomir Cardinal Guzar has welcomed the seminar and underlined its great importance for establishing understanding between young people of different nations.

The “Ark 2007” will be conducted from August 30^th to September 5^th 2007.

The seminar is to host not only students from 15 universities, but also recognized scholars, public figures and journalists from Ukraine, Poland, Israel. Among them:

Prof. Barbara Waygl, High School of Public Psychology in Warsaw (Poland);

Dr. Aharon Weiss, academic advisor of the Tkuma All-Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies, the member of International Council of Yad Vashem (Israel);

Taras Voznyak, editor-in-chief of the Cultrological Magazine "Ji" (Lviv);

Adel Dianova, director of Lviv Regional Jewish Charitable Foundation “Hesed-Aryeh” (Lviv);

Prof. Miroslav Marinovich, director of the Institute of Religion and Society, the pro-rector of Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv (Lviv);

Dr. Oleg Turiy, director of the Institute of Church History at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv (Lviv);

Emilia Hmelyova, the head of The Federation of Polish organizations in Ukraine (Lviv);

Dr. Igor Shchupak, director of Tkuma All-Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies (Dnipropetrovsk),

and others.

Among “The Ark- 2007” participants will be Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish artists, who will try to depict, in created during the seminar works, their impressions of the sacred Univ land and describe the spiritual context of International dialogue.

The Seminar participants are to locate in Univ Lavra, get acquainted with the rules of residence in the monastery territory and go sightseeing along the architecture and art sights.

The seminar consists of several blocks:

1. Educational – block of lectures and seminars, arranged by the recognized scholars and educators, who have different standpoints and represent different scientific schools. It is even more interesting when Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish scholars suggest analyzing the certain historical events, social phenomena according to the approach they represent. It enables students to perceive the considered problem more profoundly and deeply.

Among the most popular topics to discuss at “The Ark” seminar is the history of relations between different nations and comprehension of tolerance lessons. Undoubtedly, the history of Ukrainians, Poles and Jews has a lot of controversial and dramatic pages, which should not be hushed up or forgotten. “The Ark” seminar will enable participants to comprehend the historical premises as well as historical lessons and make up their own attitudes to the past.

After the introductory lectures, there will be interesting discussions, “round tables” and exchanging thoughts sessions.

     2. Next block - workshops, psychological trainings, art-studios.  During the “Ark- 2007” conduction some of the activities will be organized by the students themselves as well as by the young artists.

       3. The “Ark” culmination implies the arrangement of national-culture presentations.

The seminar participants with great creativity show the features of the national traditions and cultures, in particular – customs, songs, dances, games, etc. and discover them to the representatives of other national communities.

During “The Ark- 2006” conduction all the participants have been captured by the whirlpool of Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish national customs, dances, games during the National Days of Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish Culture Presentations. So the representatives of Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic churches along with Jews take part in Shabbat ceremony in the evening and sing Jewish songs. During the seminar the Jewish youth together with Ukrainian and Polish students sing Ukrainian songs and dance in a ring, participate in the Ukrainian and Polish national games as well as dance to the accompaniment of national music. And during all the time the participants are socializing which foster mutual trust and mutual understanding.

International and inter-confessional dialogue has its continuation even after finishing the next “The Ark”. It is guaranteed by “The Ark” participants’ great enthusiasm and interest in learning the history, culture and traditions of the nations, living side by side at the territory of Ukraine for a long time. Students, young artists, returning home, bear the ideas of tolerance and mutual understanding and strive to continue this dialogue in their educational establishments. – That implies the main mission of “The Ark”.

Because we are all in one Ark.

As of participation in “The Ark -2007”, please contact us:

Phone: +38 (0562) 36-87-11, +38 (056) 744-07-23, +38-050-340-45-66

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