In Ukraine, with the organizational support of the State Agency of Ukraine for Arts and Art Education, the first meeting of the new Sholom Aleichem Prize Committee took place.
There were 14 applications for the 2025 Sholom Aleichem Prize. At this meeting, an open vote of the committee members determined this year’s winner and two diplomats. The winner was Leonid Leiderman for his book of short stories “Kohana Vijde”, and the diploma holders were Alexander Volodarsky for his play “Hai vam taki shasti!” and Tatyana Nepipenko for translating from Yiddish the popular science publication “Executions. Zbirnik umanskii sans interniki”.
On the website of the State Agency of Ukraine for Arts and Art Education the winner’s work is characterized as follows: “The collection “Kokhana Vyde” contains opovidaniya of different years, particularly those published in the Odessa almanacs “Palisadnik” and “Deribasivska-Rishelievska”. The opovidannye propose zamalovki zhitelovki life of Odessa at the end of the twentieth century, devoted to the lives of ordinary people. Characters of the stories, one of many not very memorable people, live their always difficult lives in the dramatic, tragic years of the twenty-fifth century and in the no less turbulent beginning of the twenty-first century. Humanity and respect for the other, love as a measure of the sense of life, genuineness, which is not easy to try – this is what the author is interested in the shares of the heroes of the novels.
The 2025 winner was determined by the renewed composition of the award committee. The new composition of the committee was formed for three years and, the official website of the Derzh Committee https://arts.gov.ua said:
“Up to the new warehouse uviiiyshlya:
- Vitaliy Chernoivanenko – Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Research Associate of the Judaica Foundation Department of the National Library of Ukraine named after V.I. Vernadsky, President of the Ukrainian Judaica Association.
- Taisia Sidorchuk – Head of the Educational Laboratory of Historical Studios of the National University of Ukraine, Head of the Scientific and Research Center of Orinental Studies named after Omelyan Pritsak, and a graduate student.
- Grigoriy Falkovich is a singer, head of the Sholom Aleichem Jewish Cultural and Educational Association in Kiev, member of the Ukrainian Center of International PEN Club, member of the National Association of Ukrainian Writers.
- Iryna Starovoyt is a poet, translator, candidate of philological sciences, associate professor of the Department of Cultural Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University, member of the Ukrainian Center of the International PEN Club.
- Evgen Kotlyar – Head of the Department of Monumental Painting, Professor, Candidate of Arts and Sciences, Editor-in-Chief of the scientific publication “HUDPROM: Ukrainian Journal of Arts and Design”.
- Oleksandra Uralova is the head of the Ukrainian Association of Ukrainian Youth, a writer, translator, laureate of the Sholom Aleichem Prize.
- Sergiy Hirik – Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Research Associate of the Department of Social and Humanitarian, Natural, Technical Sciences of the State Scientific Establishment “Encyclopedic Publishing House”.
- Kateryna Malakhova – Candidate of Philosophy, Academic Director of the International Multidisciplinary Certification Program in Judaics, a member of the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
- Oleksandr Gerasymenko – President of the Institute of Political, Legal and Religious Studies, writer, literary scholar, member of the Coordinating Council for the Establishment of Ukrainian National and Community Identity under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
- Olena Kopitsya – Head of the Department of Cultural Development and Creative Industries of the Department of Arts, Cultural Development and Creative Industries of Derzhmistets.
- Alona Komendant is the head specialist of the Cultural Development and Creative Industries Department of the Department of Arts, Cultural Development and Creative Industries.
At the first meeting, Vitaliy Chervonoivanenko was elected as the committee’s chairman, Taisiya Sidorchuk became its deputy, and Alena Komendant was elected executive secretary.
Recall that “The Sholom Aleichem Prize is awarded to writers, translators, scriptwriters, playwrights for the best literary and artistic works that popularize the spiritual and cultural beliefs of the Ukrainian and Jewish people and promote a positive image of Ukraine in the world”.
