Today is April 26, 2025. Thirty-nine years ago, the world witnessed the catastrophic explosion at Reactor 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. An event that not only scarred the Ukrainian landscape but also left an indelible mark on global consciousness. In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, thousands of brave individuals—firefighters, engineers, scientists, and soldiers—risked and often sacrificed their lives to contain the disaster. Known as “liquidators,” these heroes came from all corners of the Soviet Union, representing a wide array of ethnicities, including Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, Armenians, Georgians, and others. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they united in their determination to stabilize the reactor and prevent an even greater catastrophe. Their heroism saved countless lives and mitigated the impact of one of the most devastating nuclear events in history. The disaster led to the evacuation of entire communities, the exposure of countless individuals to harmful radiation, and a reevaluation of nuclear safety protocols worldwide. The New Safe Confinement structure, completed in 2016, stands as a testament to international cooperation and the enduring effort to secure the remnants of this tragedy. Yet, history has a troubling way of echoing. On February 14, 2025, a Russian drone strike damaged the protective […]
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Show Archives and Podcast Feed changes
Late last year, I was hit with a takedown notice by my podcast hosting platform where I had been archiving the shows for many years. Fortunately, I appealed and was given a reprieve. The immediate result was, however, a halt to updating my RSS feed with new episodes, and the need to find a new home for them. The end result is that the full episodes of Nash Holos are now on MixCloud, and the RSS feed is restricted to spoken-word excerpts from the shows. Those spoken-word features are also available on the original podcast feed, so you can still get them on your favourite podcast app. MixCloud does not provide an RSS feed, but if you follow me there you will get email updates every time a new episode is uploaded. Also, the Vancouver and Nanaimo episodes are in their own sections, called, Playlists. So what that means is that the audio files are archived in different places, and I have created new links to them from here. You will see these changes in the menu bar. I am slowly developing a new posting regimen, and hope to shortly get into the rhythm of regular posting again. Thank you for […]
Continue readingNew Feature! Values of Life with Ihor & Edna
Introducing a new feature I am pleased to announce: “Values of Life” presented by Ihor Reveha of Parksville, BC and his delightful young daughter Edna. Ihor has an impressive resume which reflects his character and core values. In his home city of Ternopil, Ukraine, he ran six private schools specializing in mental arithmetic, speed reading, and English language studies. He also founded a leadership center at West Ukrainian National University in Ternopil and led various leadership training initiatives, including an invitation to participate in a transformational project in Paragua focusing on leadership training across seven areas of influence. Two years ago, he and his family arrived in Canada, and since then, he’s been passionate about adding value to people both here and in Ukraine. Settling into life on Vancouver Island, Ihor has taken on a leadership role in the local community, feeding people with delicious food through his food truck business Ukrainian Delights in Parksville, which he also uses to fundraise for St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Nanaimo. It was at St. Michael’s where I met Ihor and his charming teenage daughter Edna. I was selling and signing copies of the Ukrainian Food Flair cookbook as a fundraiser for […]
Continue readingUkrainian Food Flair – the Cookbook
In August of last year, I wrapped up a project started almost 20 years ago—a collection of the recipes of Sylvia Molnar, who presented over 200 of them in the series Ukrainian Food Flair. Sylvia passed away in 2015, but last year her sister Leone and I finally published her recipes as a tribute to her memory. Ukrainian Food Flair: Authentic Recipes from Canada’s West Coast is available at Amazon) and other online booksellers. You’ll find a link to a dedicated page on the website here. Tune in to Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio weekly for Ukrainian Food Flair audio flashbacks on both editions of the show.
Continue reading2025 is a Double Milestone Anniversary Year for Nash Holos
This year marks two milestone anniversaries for Nash Holos. The 25th anniversary of Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio in Vancouver on AM1320 CHMB Vancouver, and the 35th anniversary of the inception of Nash Holos. For the record, not a milestone number but 14 years at CHLY 101.7FM in Nanaimo. The show has undergone many changes in those years (decades). Except for one – I’ve been with the show since day one – June 4, 1990 on AM1470 CJVB Vancouver. And it’s been an honour and a privilege. A Record-breaking Radio Show One thing I am particularly proud of is that Nash Holos twice broke the record for the longest-running Ukrainian radio program in BC. First in 1996 for the initial run of the show, which I co-hosted with Bohdan Zajcew and Eugene Lupynis from 1990-96 on AM1470CJVB Vancouver. And then again in 2007 after producing and presenting the show solo on AM1320CHMB Vancouver, where it is still airing Saturdays at 6pm PST. This year I’ll be looking back through those years and sharing some of the highlights of 35 years of Ukrainian programming in BC. There will of course also be new material as usual. New Features! A […]
Continue readingVictor’s Vignettes: My Baba said …
Baba is what I called my granny on my father’s side … or sometimes just simply “Ba.” My Baba was an amazing woman. Her folk wisdom and wit still inspire me to this day … even though I didn’t really even know her. I was only two years old when she died, so there were times growing up when I wondered if I invented her myself. But she definitely did exist. I know this because throughout my childhood years, my mum was in the habit of prefacing folk sayings with: “As your Baba said…” As a rule, in Ukrainian the sayings rhymed and made great sense. Here are a few examples: Вміла готувати, та не вміла подавати. (Good cooking, but poor presentation) Дешева рибка – погана юшка. (Cheap fish makes bad soup) Не так сталося, як гадалося. (Appearances can be deceiving). Що швидко робиться, то криве родиться. (Haste makes waste.) В чужих руках завше більший шматок. (The neighbour’s grass is always greener.) За дурною головою і ногам нема спокою. (A foolish head creates restless legs.) Дай Боже нашому теляті вовка зЇ’cти. (Please Lord, allow our calf to eat a wolf) Не вчи рибу плавати. (Do not teach a fish to swim) Дальше очі – дальше серце. (Out of sight […]
Continue readingKnyzhka Corner Book Review: The Torture Camp on Paradise Street
In this edition of Knyzka Corner, we will be discussing Stanislav Aseyev’s, The Torture Camp on Paradise Street. The Torture Camp on Paradise Street, translated by Zenia Tompkins and Nina Murray and published by the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, is a personal memoir of Stanislav Aseyev’s two and a half years in illegal captivity, most of it at the site of the defunct insulation factory, Isoliatsia (Isolation), in the city of Donetsk. This secret prison in the heart of Donetsk was called the “Donetsk Dachau” because of the unspeakable torture that was endured by its prisoners. Thanks to Aseyev’s efforts, the prison’s supervisor Denys Kulkovskyi (Palych) was arrested in Kyiv in November 2021. The book began with Aseyev’s arrival at Isolation Prison at 3 Paradise Street. He soon realized that he was in a facility for prisoners charged with espionage, terrorism, and extremism. While in prison, Aseyev was sentenced to two 15-year terms for his work as a reporter. The conditions he endured were horrific. The aim of the prison administration was to terrorize its prisoners. “Isolation administration’s main job was to train the inmates to fear: constantly, without respite, day and night (because fear could manifest as […]
Continue readingIn Isolation – Dispatches from Occupied Donbas
In this edition of Knyzka Corner, we will be discussing Stanislav Aseyev’s, In Isolation – Dispatches from Occupied Donbas. In Isolation – Dispatches from Occupied Donbas, translated by Lidia Wolanskyj and published by the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, outlines the experiences of journalist and patriot Stanislav Aseyev as he faces repression, war, captivity, and torture in Donbas. He spent more than a year in a prison “for exceptionally dangerous persons” in the city of Donetsk until he was released in a prisoner swap in December 2019. His experiences in his native Donetsk give readers a window into the complicated realities of life in Donetsk after the Russian occupation of 2014. “The essays are an attempt to comprehend not just the Soviet past but its latest transformation in Moscow’s massive propaganda war. After all, the challenges that Ukrainian society has faced on the territory of the Donbas with the start of the war are not exclusively a problem for Ukrainians: the mechanisms of lies and disinformation that I bring up in my writing are used in a variety of forms in many wars around the world – military, informational, and hybrid.” (p. xiv) The book begins with a chronology […]
Continue readingUkrainian Jewish Heritage: Jars Balan on Holodomor reports by Canadian journalist Rhea Clyman (Part 1)
Rhea Clyman is a journalist who is little known today in the Jewish or Ukrainian communities, or for that matter, by Canadians in general. But in her day she reached international acclaim for her coverage of the Soviet Union, including the 1932-33 man-made Ukrainian famine known as the Holodomor, and the rise of Nazi Germany. Jars Balan is the director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta where he is also the coordinator of the Kule Ukrainian Canadian Studies Center. During his research on the Holodomor, Jars stumbled onto Rhea’s reports. He was instantly intrigued by her story and began to research her life and work. He has since spoken about Rhea Clyman extensively, and is currently working her biography. He kindly agreed to tell us about his work, as well as the work of this remarkable Jewish Canadian journalist. Pawlina: Jars, thank you so much for joining us. Jars Balan: Thank you for having me. Pawlina: Now… Rhea Clyman, I just recently found out about her. How did you find out about her? I mean, it was during your research, but was there something specific? Because I had done a lot of research, although not […]
Continue readingUkrainian Jewish Heritage Book Review: Rebbe
In this edition of Ukrainian-Jewish Heritage, we will be discussing Joseph Telushkin’s biography, Rebbe – The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, The Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History. Rebbe examines the life and teachings of one of the most prominent and respected Jewish scholars of our time. Born in 1902 in Nikolayev in southern Ukraine, Schneerson came to lead the powerful Jewish organization named Chabad. He spent most of his life in a small synagogue in Crown Heights Brooklyn, but he was very influential in both the United States and Israel. He advised prominent world leaders and ordinary citizens alike, and encouraged them to lead more meaningful and selfless lives. He became, “A Rebbe for the New World.” (p. 3) His primary aim as spiritual leader for over forty years was to work tirelessly to become “a global ambassador for Judaism.” (p. 5) Just a few months after his death in 1994, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest American award granted to a civilian. His humility, hard work, and innovative leadership had an extraordinary impact not only on Jews, but also on non-Jews. He preached unconditional love for all Jews and widely expanded […]
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