Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine” together with the Hesed Menachem Foundation continues its educational activities within the framework of the “Jewish Heritage” project. Today, April 8, 2025, the Museum's researcher Dilfuza Hlushchenko held a meeting with regular and new participants of the open lecture. This time, the class took place in a mixed format: first, the audience learned about Olena Kasavina – a Ukrainian artist and animator of Jewish origin, and then there was a viewing of her creation – the animated film “Bobe Mayses” (“Grandma's Tales”). Olena Kasavina is a member of the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, a laureate of many international awards. And yet, it was she, as an animator, who participated in the creation of the famous, beloved animated films “How Petryk Pyatochkin Counted Elephants”, “Doctor Aibolit”, “Treasure Island” and many others. It was she who, in 1993, became the director of the first Ukrainian cartoon based on Jewish folklore, “Bobe Mayses”. The film has two main storylines: against the background of the retelling of the legend of the prophet Elijah, who visited the town on the eve of Pesach, it talks about life and events in the shtetl before the Sabbath. All the events described took place about 200 years ago in Podillia, where Olena Kasavina's grandmother was from. Despite the war, in 2024 the animated film “Bobe Mayses” received a second life – it was restored and dubbed in Ukrainian and now sounds in the voice of Ada Rogovtseva. Watching the film made a great impression. The participants of the class immersed themselves in the atmosphere of the world of the Jewish town with its centuries-old traditions, special warmth and humor. The meeting ended with an exchange of impressions and congratulations on the upcoming holidays.

The “Jewish heritage” is inexhaustible and multifaceted. Let's learn interesting things together!