Video author: Yevgen Tsymbalyuk
A new animated documentary video tells the story of Mykolaiv’s multinational heritage and one of the most prominent physicists of the 20th century, who spent his childhood and youth in our city.
The video ‘Jews of Mykolaiv. Who is Gregory Breit?’ is dedicated to the history of the city’s Jewish community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the life of Gregory Breit (Grigory Alfredovich Breit-Schneider). At the end of the 19th century, the Jewish community was one of the three largest ethnic groups in Mykolaiv, accounting for almost 22% of the population in 1897. They were active citizens: from craftsmen and merchants to doctors, teachers and publishers. It was in this dynamic community that Grigory was born on 14 July 1899 into the family of a teacher and publisher. He later became a prominent American theoretical physicist, a participant in the Manhattan Project, a pioneer of nuclear physics and the author of fundamental formulas that are still used in science today.
The video was created as part of the project ‘What is Mykolaiv? The Multi-Ethnic South,’ which is being implemented by the Platform MY ART in partnership with the Mykolaiv Development Agency and the Mykolaiv Crisis Media Centre with the support of Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Ukraine.
Mykolaiv has always been a city where cultures, talents and destinies intersect. We are proud of our outstanding compatriots and continue to explore and promote the multi-layered history of our city.
