The Soviet Union once housed the largest Jewish population in the world. Their villages inside of villages were called ‘shtetls,’ and they lived at peace with the Christian neighbors who often frequented their shops and houses. The Holocaust and other threats beforehand meant only a few of these communities made it to the fall of the Iron Curtain. In modern-day Ukraine and Moldova, Shtetlers begins its journey following some of the last members of these communities. Highlighted is the melting pot of cultures: Among those remaining in Ukraine are Christians who adopted Jewish traditions out of respect while in Israel, the film follows a convert who left his shtetl just after the Holocaust.
Shtetlers does a good job of exploring the personal and most minute aspects of culture, highlighting the frequent cross-pollination of Jewish, Christian, Soviet, and local cultures that happened in these unique towns. In this way, it makes for a fascinating ethnography of an oft-forgotten culture. There are a few issues that make the film less palatable to a broad audience. First and foremost, Shtetlers is a bit dry at times, and it can settle into these slow moments unexpectedly that will drive more amateur documentary viewers to boredom.
The other big issue is the way the documentary jumps around chronologically. By inviting the subjects to remember certain times, the documentary often jumps into archival footage to trace this history, the problem is it jumps around years or decades, seemingly at random. The editors could have at least grouped the time periods a little better to help viewers make connections.
Shtetlers makes up for most of these issues with highly personal interviews and some interesting analysis. While it won’t fit into every public library collection, if your patrons enjoy films about Jewish or European culture, Shtetlers may be a popular addition to documentary shelves. Academic collections should consider Shtetlers a bit more highly. Recommended.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
Shtetlers belongs in the documentary section, particularly among works on ethnography, Jewish culture, and Eastern European history. It would be a valuable addition to collections focused on diasporic communities, cultural preservation, and post-Soviet narratives. Patrons interested in Jewish life outside of Western narratives — especially within the former USSR — will find this title especially meaningful.
What kind of college instructor could use this film?
Instructors teaching courses on Jewish history, Soviet and post-Soviet studies, cultural anthropology, or diaspora studies could find Shtetlers a compelling resource. The film offers a rare and intimate look at Jewish life in the rural areas of the former Soviet Union, making it useful for discussions around identity, cultural resilience, religious practice under communist regimes, and the complexities of memory and nostalgia. It can also serve as a springboard for comparative discussions with other displaced or minority communities.