Ukrainian Jewish Master creates pictures of Temple

Ukrainian Jewish Master

By Vladimir Matveyev

Returning to Jewish tradition and creating of sacred objects led an Ukrainian ethnic Jew to Temple and boost through unique art.

"I'm on my way to Temple learning and observing Jewish tradition. Using matches, I'm creating pictures of Ukrainian and foreign synagogues and temples," said JTA Josef Ostahinsky, the 58-year-old Kiev native artist and ethnic Jew.

Over 20 years Ostashinsky makes miniature architectural constructions of matches and some other natural materials – synagogues, churches, castles, - which some experts consider a new genre of architecture in miniature.

11 of his synagogues, portraying architecture of well-known Ukrainian and foreign synagogues in original form, went on display this month at Kinor, Kiev Jewish community center, where they occupy walls of the central hall.

Rosenberg and Brodsky synagogue in Kiev brought us to the rich Jewish architecture and heritage of 19th – beginning of 20th century. Miniatures of two oldest Ukrainian synagogues illustrate beauty and specific of Jewish architecture of 17th century in different regions of the land – Lutzk synagogue-fortress (1628) and destroyed wooden synagogue in Pogrebische, Vinnitzky region (1690).

They illustrate rich Jewish heritage of Ukrainian shtetls of the Jewish pale, Jewish population of which estimated 30-80 percent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today Jewish population of Ukraine estimates 150,000-250,000 among Ukraine's 47 million.

The author told he is proud of his Brodsky shul work. It was made in 1991 by the 50th anniversary of the Babiy Yar tragedy. "I was born near by Brodsky synagogue and fall in love with it," Ostashinsky said.

Over 50 artist's exhibitions all over Ukraine become a popular stop for representatives of all ages and faiths. He also teaches children in Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk and Kirovograd. 

"Ostashinsky is a great and tolerant artist, who goes beyond of ethnic sympathies. He continues his uncle's tradition to create works of art and teach children," said Isaak Trakhtenberg, Academician and Jewish activist from Kiev.

For each his subject he spends some 5-10 American match box and about 2-12 months. But he says he spends more time to find design for a building at archives or libraries and make a model.

His collection contains about 40 unique subjects, including 11 synagogues.

The average dimensions of the subjects are 30x40 or 40x50 centimeters.

It has been a long road back to his Jewish roots for the printer and Ostashinsky insists that he always felt Jewish. "I'm an ethnic Jew but I'm becoming a believer," he said.

Although he was raised in non-observant home, artist says he always had a strong Jewish identity, and Yiddish was often heard in his family and he has good Yiddish too.

"My parents were secular but my grandmother Stysya attended synagogue at Yom Kippur and prayed "for all of us," Ostashinsky said.

After graduating Kiev Technological College in 1974 and till the retirement in 2006 he worked in the sphere of printing as photographer and copyist.

During a service in the Soviet Army in 1968-1970 he took part at the Soviet-Chinese conflict, where got serious wound and became invalid after contusion.

He was seeking for new prospects in the late 1980s under Gorbachov's policy of political and economic freedoms and this encouraged him in 1985 "to create a new art."

Thanks to his Jewish self-education and rebirth of Jewish life in modern Ukraine he got good Jewish knowledge. Today he is a member of Kiev B'nei B'rith organization and Kinor Jewish community center activist.

"I attend Kiev synagogues and celebrate Jewish holidays," said Ostashinsky, adding that thanks to his Jewish wife Alla, former Chesed Avot worker, they try to observe Kashrut.

Soviet state anti-Semitism and diseases hardened him. But perhaps it was his grandmother's spirit and Jewish blood that led to the increased importance of spirituality and Judaism in his life. He says that his picture of the Second Temple of Jerusalem plays an important role in his life.

"My grandmother's spirit, Jewish rebirth and painful illness led me to Temple, to creating series of my spiritual art works," said Ostashinsky. Some people believe that some of his works have a profound psychotherapy effect.

Though picture-making of this kind is new in Ukraine, he got municipal honor and local authority support to organize some of his exhibitions which reflect local spiritual culture – Jewish and non-Jewish.

He continues to create and dreams to transfer his synagogues' collection to corresponding museum.

"I want it to stay in Kiev as a symbol of rich Ukrainian Jewish spirituality and Babiy Yar as well and to present it to future Museum of Babiy Yar," said Ostashinsky.