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34 OUR LIFE • December 2024 A Conversation with the Past From the Our Life Archives: The 2010s In early 2014, the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv led to the Rev - olution of Dignity and the ousting of Ukraine’s pro-russian president, Viktor Yanukovych. Just four days after the Feb - ruary 23 closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, russia, unmarked russian troops occupied Crimea, and russia subsequently annexed the peninsula after what is universally considered to be a bogus referendum. UNWLA president Marianna Zajac wrote extensively about the organization’s response to the events in Ukraine in her column in the April 2014 issue of Our Life . “History repeats itself,” Marianna wrote, “and Ukraine once again finds itself in turbulent times.” The UNWLA was participating “in rallies, demonstrations, and letter-writing campaigns in defense of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and its citizens’ basic human rights.” The day after the invasion of Crimea, Roma Shuhan, UNWLA Financial Secretary, represented the organization at a community meeting with New York Senator Charles Schumer, where the senator expressed his unequivocal sup - port for Ukraine: “I believe our nation should do whatev - er it can — diplomatically and economically — to help the Ukrainian people. ... The Ukrainian people are strong, but they need our support as they rebuild following the turmoil of the past few months. I plan to work with the Ukrainian community here in New York to figure out the best way to help in the weeks and months ahead.” A week later, Mari - anna traveled to Washington, DC, for a rally in front of the White House in defense of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Each issue throughout this 80th anniversary year of Our Life has featured an article from one of the magazine’s eight decades. This month, in the final installment of this series, Our Life editor Romana Labrosse shines the spotlight on the 2010s. against the russian invasion of Crimea — a rally attended by Soyuzianky from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylva - nia, Ohio, Illinois, and the DC area. Marianna later attended a rally in front of the United Nations to welcome Ukrain - ian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to New York for an appeal to the UN Security Council. Together with a World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations del - egation, she also attended the Security Council session itself. While acknowledging that Ukraine’s ter - ritorial integrity was challenged by russia, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk reiterated that Ukraine was willing and anxious to ad - dress and reverse this situation peacefully at any time that russia was willing to do so. All members of the Security Council, both permanent and temporary, upheld Ukraine’s position — except, of course, russia and China. At a subsequent press conference about the upcoming referen - dum in Crimea, every presenter, includ - ing Ayla Bakkalli, U.S. Representative of the Crimean Tatar Assembly, and Rabbi Yakov Dov Bleich, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine, noted that Ukraine was seeking to evolve as a truly democratic country and underscored the volume of disinfor - mation being floated regarding friction between Ukraine’s East and West. Chat - ting with Marianna after the press confer - ence about their respective communities in Ukraine, Rabbi Bleich and Ayla Bakkalli said the strong and common thread was that both were seeking a “free, democrat - ic, and independent Ukraine” so that their communities could continue to thrive — a goal they no doubt have to this day. Past issues of Our Life are available on the UNWLA website, unwla.org (About Us > Publications).
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