Lecture | Dr. John-Paul Himka: Five Sins and Five Mitzvot

A lecture presented in conjunction with Betsy Rosenwald’s exhibition To Understanding, Through Understanding.

Noted historian Dr. John-Paul Himka asks: What are the “sins” that disturb relations between Jews and Ukrainians today? Not the actions of our ancestors, but the perceptions, habits, and mental images that still shape how our communities see one another. And, just as importantly, what are the mitzvot—the good deeds, gestures, and understandings—that build trust, recognition, and shared purpose? How do we think about each other? What do we truly know about one another? And how can we build on the many commonalities that link our histories and our futures?

John-Paul Himka is one of the world’s leading historians of Ukraine, known for scholarship that is both rigorous and courageous. His influential books include Ukrainian Nationalists and the Holocaust, Galician Villagers and the Ukrainian National Movement in the Nineteenth Century, and Last Judgment Iconography in the Carpathians, and he is co-editor of Bringing the Dark Past to Light.

Recorded on Thursday, February 12, 2026, 7:00 PM CST.