Bila Tserkva, Ukraine

Bila Tserkva (lit. "White Church") is the largest city in Ukraine's Kyiv Oblast and is located on the bank of the Ros River. Bila Tserkva was founded in 1032 and served as a strategic city in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and later, Imperial Russia.

Once over 50% Jewish, Bila Tserkva's Jewish community began a slow decline following the turn of the 20th century. Those who remained were devastated by the Holocaust and subsequent restrictions by the Soviet Union. Of Bila Tserkva's estimated 205,000 residents, roughly 1,000 are Jewish. Following the Invasion of Ukraine, many Jews have left the country.

Despite the tragedies of the past, the modern Bila Tserkva Jewish community is thriving. A Jewish day school with an emphasis on the sciences opened in 2000. Celebrations for Shabbat and holidays are organized on a regular basis. Several monuments around Bila Tserkva commemorate the city's Jewish history, past and present.