Nataliya’s brother Michael and his family are enduring yet another war after horrific violence erupted in Israel earlier this month. They fled their hometown of Kharkiv (Cincinnati’s sister city), near Ukraine’s eastern border, last summer after enduring months of bombardment during the Russian invasion.

Israel

Michael’s wife is of Jewish ancestry, so they were afforded the right to return to Israel and received a lot of assistance. They have been adjusting to life in Israel and seemed to be settling in for the foreseeable future. Michael says the Israeli schools are very good which is especially important for his autistic son Leo. Initially, I was a little hesitant since I knew a little about the long and brutal history of Israeli-Palestinian conflict (which began long before 1947). I knew that tensions could flare again at any time, but I had no idea that Hamas could slaughter 1,300 Israelis in a single day (Oct. 7).

Thankfully, Michael and his family live in small town in northern Israel which has been spared so far. However, Israel recently evacuated 20,000 people from a town on the northern border with Lebanon after Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim militant faction in Lebanon, initiated several skirmishes with Israeli forces.

Despite nearly being engulfed by war for a second time in 18 months, Michael plans to stay in Israel even though Nataliya has again invited them to the US. Michael says the Israeli army has reinforced their town and the fighting is still far away from their home. He wants to make sure Leo gets the best care available, and the Israeli schools have three teachers for only eight students in Leo’s special education class! That student/teacher ratio is unimaginable in the US. So once again, we are gritting our teeth and watching the news anxiously – especially Nataliya.

Ukraine

Back home in Ukraine, Nataliya’s mother Iryna spent several days in a rehabilitation center after she was briefly hospitalized for high blood pressure. That was another source of great anxiety, but eventually the doctors found the right medication. Her relatives also visited and Nataliya was able to call Iryna daily while she was recovering, which was comforting. However, even before the war Nataliya said corruption was common in the realm of healthcare, and a 2019 survey found that 63% of Ukrainian respondents had paid or received a bribe in exchange for medical care! The ongoing war will likely only exacerbate scarcity and drive prices for medicine and healthcare even higher, making our fund-raising efforts even more important!

Food Festival

On a more positive note, our annual Ukrainian food festival in August was very successful again and we raised $24,000 for medical equipment in Ukraine. However, that’s down 33% from $36,000 last year! We learned a lot from our first endeavor last year, but we can still make improvements, such as adding more signage with better visibility. This year, I helped distribute thousands of pierogis (varenyky) with bacon, sour cream, and onions. The crowds were smaller than last year, but we were still busy all afternoon with hardly a break. I grabbed a couple bites of chicken shashlik (kebab) and Ukrainian coleslaw which were both delicious! We also offered bags of frozen pierogi for $20, and I grabbed the last two bags at the end of the day. They were a big hit and I hope to see more innovation next year.

It’s not surprising that support for Ukraine has slipped after 18 months of fighting, and the Israeli conflict will probably overshadow it – at least temporarily. President Biden has requested more than $106 billion in aid for both nations, although nothing can be resolved until Republicans in the House of Representatives can stop bickering amongst themselves. As much as I love to see the Republicans humiliate themselves, Ukraine needs our help!

Even if Ukraine wins the war tomorrow, we will still need to raise money to help rebuild for years to come. In the end, it will be worth it, and I look forward to visiting  a safe and secure Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini!