What an excellent report! How I hate Russia, and that's a result of learning facts about Russians and what they do.
I had thought until this year that my family was Russian-Jewish. Everyone in my family thought that, even though my mother was born in Periaslav in 1903 and came over to New York with her family, which included my infant uncle Max, also born in what was then part of the Russian Empire.
I read everything I could about the invasion, the war, the actions of Russians and Russian troops and it finally dawned on me that I'm a (secular) Jewish Ukrainian-American. It was like a light bulb had turned on. No, definitely not a Russian-American. My grandparents seemed to know at least a few words in Russian, to get along, but mostly their native language was Yiddish, not Russian. And they hated the pogroms initiated by the Russian Czar enough to uproot their family and leave their home for America. My mom and her parents and four siblings settled in Poughkeepsie, New York and became Jewish Americans. And I'm so glad they did.
I have other relatives from Ukraine who survived the Second World War in Romania. One set of cousins headed east to last it out in Siberia, later to emigrate to Israel where I have lots of cousins. But I know that my grandmother's brother and grandfather's brother both died in Stalinist Russia. And undoubtedly many more as well.
My oldest son asked me some weeks ago how long the family was in Ukraine, and he was astonished when I answered "perhaps a thousand years." Our ancestors are buried all over Ukraine and probably Poland and what's now Belarus as well. So no, I'm not a Russian Jew. If my father and his sister, my aunt, were still alive, I'd ask them about their roots as well but I guarantee you, they're not Russian. I'm a Ukrainian-American Jew and very proud of it!
I'm very grateful that the Russian disinformation machine never arrived in Australia, because we have plenty of willing fools who would lap it up. I can't imagine having to counter this regularly, you seem very graceful about it.
What patience you’ve all shown, to educate these flippant people instead of slapping them or walking away. I would be so interested to read your thoughts on the role language has played in expressing your Ukrainian identity. Being a native Russian speaker has allowed you to witness the chasm between propaganda and reality, which must be a grim and frustrating experience, but your testimony is vital to help the rest of us understand the truth. Thank you.
I’d be guilty of those three. I guess not having travelled the world isn’t sexy to someone who has, but pretending you know the answer would sooner or later prove even less sexy.
What an excellent report! How I hate Russia, and that's a result of learning facts about Russians and what they do.
I had thought until this year that my family was Russian-Jewish. Everyone in my family thought that, even though my mother was born in Periaslav in 1903 and came over to New York with her family, which included my infant uncle Max, also born in what was then part of the Russian Empire.
I read everything I could about the invasion, the war, the actions of Russians and Russian troops and it finally dawned on me that I'm a (secular) Jewish Ukrainian-American. It was like a light bulb had turned on. No, definitely not a Russian-American. My grandparents seemed to know at least a few words in Russian, to get along, but mostly their native language was Yiddish, not Russian. And they hated the pogroms initiated by the Russian Czar enough to uproot their family and leave their home for America. My mom and her parents and four siblings settled in Poughkeepsie, New York and became Jewish Americans. And I'm so glad they did.
I have other relatives from Ukraine who survived the Second World War in Romania. One set of cousins headed east to last it out in Siberia, later to emigrate to Israel where I have lots of cousins. But I know that my grandmother's brother and grandfather's brother both died in Stalinist Russia. And undoubtedly many more as well.
My oldest son asked me some weeks ago how long the family was in Ukraine, and he was astonished when I answered "perhaps a thousand years." Our ancestors are buried all over Ukraine and probably Poland and what's now Belarus as well. So no, I'm not a Russian Jew. If my father and his sister, my aunt, were still alive, I'd ask them about their roots as well but I guarantee you, they're not Russian. I'm a Ukrainian-American Jew and very proud of it!
Alison, thanks for your 'like'. How I would love to meet an attractive and single Ukrainian woman.
It’s so sad that you have to explain to so many the realities of Ukraine today 🇺🇦
I'm very grateful that the Russian disinformation machine never arrived in Australia, because we have plenty of willing fools who would lap it up. I can't imagine having to counter this regularly, you seem very graceful about it.
What patience you’ve all shown, to educate these flippant people instead of slapping them or walking away. I would be so interested to read your thoughts on the role language has played in expressing your Ukrainian identity. Being a native Russian speaker has allowed you to witness the chasm between propaganda and reality, which must be a grim and frustrating experience, but your testimony is vital to help the rest of us understand the truth. Thank you.
Yes please, would love a post about transitioning away from your mother tongue
> Do you have McDonald's? Is there Zara? H&M?”
I’d be guilty of those three. I guess not having travelled the world isn’t sexy to someone who has, but pretending you know the answer would sooner or later prove even less sexy.