In this edition of Knyzka Corner, we look at Orphanage 41 by Victor Malarek. Although Victor Malarek has written six non-fiction books, Orphanage 41 is his first novel. Mykola Yashan, the 19-year old protagonist of this novel, is forced into a voyage of nightmarish self-discovery. After the sudden death of his parents in an automobile crash, his entire world falls apart, “Because everything I’ve been told, all I’ve ever known, has turned out to be a big lie.” (p. 48) Mykola leads a very sheltered life. He is a third year student in civil engineering at the University of Alberta. As an only child, he is the “centre of his mother’s universe,” (p. 12), but he has a very complicated relationship with his father, Dr. Stepan Yashan, “a respected scholar in the expat Ukrainian community.” Mykola cannot understand why his father resents him so much. After his parents’ death, Mykola discovers a shocking secret. He was adopted from an orphanage in Ukraine. This discovery forces him to start a search for answers about his past. Mykola begins his search with his 1993 adoption papers signed by Natalka Matlinsky, director of Orphanage 41 in Lviv. As Mykola begins to follow the […]
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Щоб волю мати, треба спершу себе об`єднати.
Freedom is built on unity. - Ukrainian proverb
▶ Hutsul Cup Song Instructions
OK then. If you enjoyed the Cherry Band performing the Hutsul Cup song and would like to try your hand at it with some friends, here are the instructions. In Ukrainian, but if you’re Ukrainian-impaired, just watch closely, follow your instincts, and do what they do. You’ll make out just fine. Provided you are sober when you’re learning it. LOL Have fun! ▶ Як грати Cup Song. Інструкція. – YouTube.
Continue readingCherry Band: Hutsul Cup Song
The Cherry Band performed this at the Dzherelo Centre. It’s called the Hutsul Cup song. Shared it with Nash Holos listeners on the Jan 10, 2015 edition. Here’s the link. Instructions to follow. Enjoy! ▶ Різдвяне вітання від Центру “Джерело” та гурту Cherry Band: гуцульський Cup Song “В неділю рано” – YouTube.
Continue readingBook Review: Putin’s Putsches by Maria Lewytzkyj
In this edition of Knyzka Corner: Maria Lewytzkyj’s book Putin’s Putsches – Russia, Ukraine and the Near-Abroad Conflict. Maria Lewytzkyj defines “Putsch” as “a violent attempt to overthrow a government.” She explains that Vladimir Putin’s “hybrid war” against Ukraine is a blatant attempt to destabilize the current government. She also tells the stories of ordinary people who are struggling to survive Putin’s “putsches.” It is ironic that Lewytzkyj begins her book with the words of Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, “Anything is better than lies and deceit!” Based on research from many sources as well as conversations, Lewytzkyj describes the devastating effects of Putin’s actions on the Ukrainian people. She tells readers that, “They are true heroes to me for practicing the rights and freedoms they fight to preserve.” Tatyana Zarovnaya, a journalist for “Newspapers in Ukrainski” and the website Gazeta.ua, was reporting on the conflict in Donetsk when she was attacked by pro-Russian separatists and labelled as a “Provacateur.” Fearing for her life, she moved to Kiev to live as an internally displaced person. Anna Pavlychko, a mother and aviation company manager in Crimea, was a Jewish-Ukrainian who actively supported the Maidan movement. She was intimidated by pro-Russian activists, witnessed the […]
Continue readingKnyzhka Corner Book Review: Sliding on the Snow Stone by Andy Szpuk
SLIDING ON THE SNOW STONE. Szpuk, Andy. That Right Publishing, 2011. 238 p. ISBN 1466305681 When Andy Szpuk asked his father about his earliest memory, he replied, “Russian soldiers carrying corpses away.” After hearing about his father’s life, Szpuk decided that this story must be told. Sliding on the Snow Stone gives readers a glimpse into the incredible determination that kept the Ukrainian nation alive throughout centuries of foreign oppression. As Sliding on the Snow Stone begins, it is 1932 and five-year old Stepan realizes that his tiny village near the town of Vinnitsya has changed forever. Soviet soldiers are picking up the bodies of his starving neighbours on the road. Stepan’s description is heart wrenching, “They began by taking away all our grain, and once they’d done that, they stripped rural Ukraine of all its food produce. There was nothing left to eat. Of course, back then I didn’t know all that. I was just a boy.” Stepan’s family manages to survive during the Holodomor because of their cow’s milk. However, all around them people are dying and eating anything they can find – even human flesh. Meanwhile, Soviet soldiers are freely eating and drinking. The Ukrainian will […]
Continue readingCTO Plaque unveiling ceremony Nanaimo BC August 22, 2014
On Friday August 22, 2014, 100 plaques commemorating the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the War Measures Act and the start of Canada’s first Internment operations of 1914-1920 were unveiled across Canada. The first was unveiled in Amhurst, Nova Scotia. The last two were unveiled in Nanaimo, BC. One plaque is located on the grounds of St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church. The other will be mounted by the City of Nanaimo on an existing cairn, unveiled in 1997 to mark the site of an internment camp that operated in Nanaimo from Sept 1914-Sept. 1915. The Ukrainian community of Nananaimo would like to thank the City of Nanaimo for so graciously participating in and assisting with the ceremony. Here are some photos (courtesy Ivan Biblow):
Continue readingUkrainian Jewish Heritage – Babyn Yar
Babyn Yar is a ravine on the outskirts of Kyiv that has become a symbol of the Holocaust. There more than 100 thousand perished during the Nazi occupation, including 40,000 Jews. Babyn Yar was first mentioned in historical accounts in 1401, in connection with its sale by a “baba” (which means an old woman), to the Dominican Monastery. Over the course of several centuries, the site was used for various purposes including military camps and at least two cemeteries, among them an Orthodox Christian cemetery and a Jewish cemetery. The latter was officially closed in 1937. On September 19, 1941 the Nazis occupied Kyiv. Ten days later, on Yom Kippur, they began the mass murder of Jews at Babiy Yar. The city’s Jews obeyed a Nazi order to assemble there, expecting to be deported, as Nazi propaganda intended. According to German records, in just two days nearly thirty four thousand Jews were killed. The killing continued for months. The majestic ravine quickly became a mass burial site of Jews, Gypsies, Ukrainians, Russians, Hungarians, and others …civilian hostages, prisoners of war, patriots and partisans, including Ukrainian Nationalists. The Nazis spared no one … not children, the elderly, nor pregnant women. Patients […]
Continue readingLydia Kotliarevska – Righteous Gentile
The Tkuma Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies in Dnipropetrovsk contains a number of materials concerning “Righteous among the Nations”. This honorary title is given to the people of different nations who rescued Jews during WWII, from 1939 to 1945. The procedure is monitored by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, a special committee established at the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority. Among the materials at Tkuma is the tremendous heroic story of Lidia Kotliarevska, who rescued Jews during the Nazi occupation of Dnipropetrovsk. Lidia Kotliarevska had been involved in an underground organization and had worked as a nurse in German hospital. She carried out her underground activity jointly with Boris Sondak, a Ukrainian Jew who she hid in her flat. Sondak was responsible for blowing up a bridge on the Dnipro River to halt the progress of the Nazis. In 1942 he and his comrades were arrested and executed. During the Dnipropetrovsk occupation she also sheltered a Jewish family, Tatiana Rabovskaya and her sons Viktor and Nikolay. The older son cared for his younger brother and Lidia’s young daughter Aleksandra. In November 2002 Yad Vashem notified Lidia Kotliarevska that she had received the honorary title of Righteous among the Nations for […]
Continue readingNewest (and best ever) song by Ludwig
My British Ukrainian-Irish friend, Ludwig, released a new song in May 2014 … arguably his best ever. Featuring his lovely daughters on back-up vocals. It’s a very powerful message as well as a beautiful song. So please share if you like it. Condemnation! Condemnation! Doesn’t change the situation Putin – Hitler of today Who knows his final destination? Now they all “express concern” The situation is “unstable” And they say we should return To the negotiation table. Ever heard the terms “Invasion” Occupation, Annexation, Indecision, all resulting in Complete capitulation? Then they’ll all repeat their lies Again to try to justify That for the greater good of all A country’s freedom was denied. So, as was many times before We’ve got to see this to the end To stand together, yet alone Our nations freedom to defend. They say the times have changed But if we’re talking of Ukraine Stalin’s, Hitler’s and now Putin’s Real intentions stay the same. Be sure of this you “leaders” Of the west, you’ll have to see, Your cowardice in history Recalled eternally. Your children and descendants Will disown you and your names, Ashamed that you betrayed A sovereign country called Ukraine. Democracy dependent On dictatorship is here The […]
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