03.09.2026
The Jewish Heritage Club Opens a New Season
After a summer break, meetings of the Jewish Heritage Club have resumed at the Minsk Jewish Heritage Centre named after Polina Dobkina. The first event of the new season brought guests together on September 1 – at the Daumana Street Synagogue in Minsk, the evening was dedicated to the poetry of Veniamin Blazhenny.
Club coordinator Vladimir Melnitsky welcomed those gathered – among them were regular members and first-time visitors. The club is once again open to everyone interested in Jewish heritage, history, and culture.
A Meeting with Poet and Researcher Olga Markitantova
The guest of the first meeting was poet and philologist Olga Markitantova – a researcher of contemporary poetry, author of the poetry collection "Air Ocean," whose scholarly work focuses, among other things, on the poetry of Belarusian-born Jewish poets. She framed the conversation around the theme "The Poetic Prayer of Veniamin Blazhenny."
Veniamin Blazhenny: A Poet Whose Name Remained in the Shadows for Years
Veniamin Blazhenny (real surname Eisenstadt) was born in 1921 in the town of Kopys near Orsha – one of the centers of Belarusian-Lithuanian Hasidism. His poetic path was long and arduous: his first poems date back to 1943, but his first publication appeared only in 1982, and his first book – in 1990.
During his lifetime, the poet was barely mentioned in official sources, although his work was highly regarded by Boris Pasternak, Arseny Tarkovsky, and Viktor Shklovsky. Songs have been set to Blazhenny's poems, and his poetic gift was greatly admired by the renowned musician Yuri Shevchuk. The poet lived in Minsk, working as a bookbinder, a photographic laboratory assistant, and an artist – all while continuing to write.
The discussion about Blazhenny's poetry was sincere and engaging. For many participants, the meeting was a first encounter with a poet whose name remained in obscurity for many years, but whose poems – about faith, suffering, argument with God, and love of life – continue to resonate.
The Jewish Heritage Club invites everyone to its upcoming meetings. Stay tuned to the events calendar!
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