“The Last Chapter” is a documentary that presents a history of the Jewish community in Izyaslav, a small shtetl (town) in the northwestern area of Ukraine. The Jews started settling there in the 16th century, when Ukraine was still a part of Poland. In the 19th century, the 6000 Jews that lived there comprised half the population of the town. They were religious people who followed Jewish customs and worshipped at one of the 14 synagogues that were located in town.
The film’s narrative takes viewers of a journey through the different periods of Jewish history in Ukraine, from the times of prosperity to the times of persecution. The Jews were affected harshly by the uprisings, wars and revolutions that took place in Ukraine under Polish kings, Russian tsars, and the Soviet Politburo. The most destructive events for the Jews of Ukraine were the Bogdan Khmelnitsky upraising in the middle of the 17th century and the Holocaust during World War II. The testimonies of Holocaust survivors presented in the film provide terrifying accounts of the total destruction of Jewish lives and the awful inhumanity exhibited during the Holocaust. We can’t change the events of the past, but we have to cherish the memories of the loved one we have lost and work together to prevent hate and anti-Semitism from gaining a foothold in the future.
The film’s narrative takes viewers of a journey through the different periods of Jewish history in Ukraine, from the times of prosperity to the times of persecution. The Jews were affected harshly by the uprisings, wars and revolutions that took place in Ukraine under Polish kings, Russian tsars, and the Soviet Politburo. The most destructive events for the Jews of Ukraine were the Bogdan Khmelnitsky upraising in the middle of the 17th century and the Holocaust during World War II. The testimonies of Holocaust survivors presented in the film provide terrifying accounts of the total destruction of Jewish lives and the awful inhumanity exhibited during the Holocaust. We can’t change the events of the past, but we have to cherish the memories of the loved one we have lost and work together to prevent hate and anti-Semitism from gaining a foothold in the future.
Historically, Jews respond to persecution and harsh living condition by migrating to more hospitable lands. From 1870 to 1914, about 2 million Jews emigrated from the Russian Empire, mostly to the United States. The parents of the famous American actor and film director Leonard Nimoy were among these immigrants from Izyaslav. From 1970 to 2010, about 2 million Jews who lived in the Soviet Union and its former republics left for Israel, USA, Australia, Canada and Germany. The Jews of Izyaslav joined the movement, and this second wave of emigration effectively ended the Jewish presence in Izyaslav. Now, there are just 20 Jews still living in the town.
