Dr. John-Paul Himka: Five Sins and Five Mitzvot
Date: 2026 Feb 12
7pm - 8:30pm
- Events & Programs
- Lecture
Renowned historian Dr. John-Paul Himka explores the questions shaping Jewish–Ukrainian relations today: not the deeds of past generations, but the perceptions and mental images that still influence how communities see one another. He asks what harms these relationships—and what “mitzvot,” or acts of understanding and goodwill, can help build trust, recognition, and shared purpose rooted in common history and futures.
A leading scholar of Ukrainian history, Himka is Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta and the author of influential works on nationalism, memory, and the Holocaust, widely recognized for his rigorous and courageous scholarship.
Free for members / $7 for non-members
No registration required
Description
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. A Professor Emeritus in the Department of History and Classics at the University of Alberta, he has spent more than four decades shaping the study of Ukrainian history, religion, nationalism, and memory. 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. His work is widely cited for its clarity, depth, and commitment to difficult truths.