Kyiv Diary 5/20/22: How a Ukrainian Jewish Business Owner Adjusted to Wartime
Leaders like Kate Zubarieva, who is a co-owner of Sleeper, inspire Ukrainians and reinforce their belief in an independent and free Ukraine.
Kyiv Diary 5/19/22: In Times of War, Goodness Reawakens
I can’t stop being amazed at how many virtues the war has brought out in people. In times of war, goodness reawakens.
Kyiv Diary 5/16/22: Inside the Efforts to Help Ukraine’s Animals
Many vet clinics accept animals that are wounded, abandoned and exhausted; some are barely alive. Some of the staff took the pets home.
Kyiv Diary 5/11/22: The Ukrainian Spirit Will Prevail
I’m sure Ukraine will prevail. The future of the country is bright.
Kyiv Diary 5/9/22: Ukrainian Families Torn Apart
I wonder how many enterprises will never recover. I also think about the businesses that will survive the war, and how they will be changed.
Kyiv Diary 5/3/22: It’s Finally Spring, and Kyiv Is Rejuvenated
People don’t want to wait any longer to rebuild their towns, join their families, resume their old jobs or start new ones—and all this while mourning the innocent Ukrainian lives lost.
Kyiv Diary 4/28/22: Ukrainians Waited in Line for Hours to Buy a Commemorative Wartime Stamp
I learned that people were waiting to enter the Central Post Office, which is a block away from my place, to buy a special postage stamp.
Kyiv Diary 4/19/22: A Wartime Passover Seder
This Passover, I attended a seder at Kyiv’s Central Brodsky Synagogue.
Kyiv Diary 4/18/22: Boris Johnson and Volodymyr Zelensky Stroll Past My Balcony
I wish more prominent world leaders would not only visit Ukraine but also become harsher and more decisive in their attempts to stop all the war monstrosities.
Kyiv Diary 4/15/22: Passover, the Holiday of Freedom, Is More Relevant Than Ever
The story of Passover is about freedom and sacrifices made on the road to liberation, and this year it seems more relevant than ever. It might as well be about Ukraine.
The Violent History—and Remarkable Transformation—of Jewish Life in Ukraine
When Russia attacked Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin stated that his goal was “denazification.” Historians agree that there is no substance to this claim—and that by invoking Nazism, Putin is attempting to weaponize the trauma of World War II to justify an invasion, and the many lives it has cost.
Kyiv Diary 4/13/22: My Conversation With a Kyiv Rabbi
When I met Moshe Azman, he identified himself not only as the rabbi of Kyiv’s central synagogue, but also as the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine.