DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2524-048X.2026.35.3

 

Abstract. The aim. The article aims to reconstruct the post-pogrom experience of the Jewish population of Kyiv between 1919 and 1924, including both local Jews and refugees.

Research methodology. The study combines approaches from social history and microhistory, allowing the analysis of institutional practices of aid alongside the reconstruction of everyday experiences of individuals who survived mass violence. The historical-genetic method is used to trace the evolution of assistance mechanisms. Critical source analysis and elements of quantitative analysis are also employed. The research is based on applications for aid, questionnaires, statistical reports, and administrative documents.

Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the article lies in shifting the analytical focus from the violence of the pogroms themselves to the processes of post-pogrom recovery within the urban environment.

Conclusions. A wave of anti-Jewish violence triggered a large-scale humanitarian crisis and profoundly reshaped the social dynamics of the city’s Jewish population. The October 1919 pogrom carried out by the White Army erased the boundary between «local» Jews and refugees, as both groups found themselves among the victims in need of assistance. For those affected, «returning to life» meant not only physical recovery from violence but also the gradual reconstruction of destroyed everyday life. This process largely depended on the combination of institutional aid, international support, and the adaptive strategies of the victims themselves, which gradually created conditions for partial social stabilization and reintegration. Jewish philanthropic and communal organizations played a crucial role in overcoming the consequences of the pogroms by providing victims with essential resources and facilitating their social reintegration. During 1919 and the first half of 1920, emergency forms of assistance predominated, while from the second half of 1920 support gradually became institutionalized. These developments contributed to the gradual stabilization of the Jewish population of Kyiv, including refugees, some of whom ultimately settled in the city permanently.

Keywords: Jews, refugees, pogroms, anti-Jewish violence, Kyiv, recovery, aid.

 

Submitted 04.02.2026

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