Ukraine’s largest publishing house, Folio, has released the collection “Exodus 2022: Testimonies of Jewish Refugees of the Russia–Ukraine War”, a project that has been in development since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The book features stories from over 150 families across more than 20 cities, conveying personal experiences of displacement, survival, and resilience.
As 89-year-old Roman Schwartzman said in January 2025 at the German Bundestag: Back then, Hitler tried to kill me because I was Jewish. Now Putin is trying to kill me because I am Ukrainian. No one else is better positioned to make such a statement: as a child, he was a prisoner in a death camp, and now he is seeking refuge from the so-called “liberators.”
The project was carried out under the auspices of the Vaad of Ukraine (headed by Yosif Zisels) with the support of several foundations dedicated to preserving Jewish history and promoting human rights.
Leading specialists and authors participated in the preparation of the book: Oleksandr Krasovytsky (publisher), with a foreword by well-known writers Yurii Andrukhovych and Myroslav Marynovych, and reviews provided by Timothy Snyder, Adam Michnik, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviychuk. The English translation was done by Anna Nekrasova.
The compiler of the collection, Mykhailo Gold, expressed special gratitude to the participants, noting their courage in reliving the trauma of the Exodus in order to preserve these testimonies for future generations.
“This is a message Urbi et Orbi — to the city and the world. I hope it will be heard,” he said.
The book is available for order on the publisher’s website: Folio Publishing.