Jewish Odessa Part 1. City of Dreams

Learn the phenomenon of Jewish Odessa. Explore how the "Pearl of the Black Sea" became the City of Dreams for the Jews in the Russian Empire Join Olga on this tour to explore the phenomenon of Jewish Odessa. 

 ounded in 1794 on the Black Sea coastline, which at that time belonged to the Russian Empire, Odessa became the third largest Jewish city in the world in the early 1900s. What attracted Jews from different parts of Eastern and Central Europe to this Black Sea city and port? Who were the early Jewish settlers? Why did Odessa become called the “star in exile” for a Russian Jew? During this Zoom tour, you’ll take a virtual stroll around Odessa’s old town and uncover the history of the Jewish community from the city’s founding till the late eighteen hundreds. 

 ou’ll marvel at the Brodsky and the Main Coral Synagogues, follow in the footsteps of the Ephrussi family described in the “Hare with Amber Eyes” novel and see the address where modern Israel was born.