Russia attacks Ukraine
Meeting my Cousins
The pandemic was still persisting and it was not until March of 2022 that I finally traveled to Israel to meet my cousins. The Omicron wave was hopefully receding and I made plans to travel to Israel with my son during his school break. We decided to set out to meet our newly discovered long-lost cousins in Israel, and I was pondering whether I would continue on alone to Romania. While I was planning there were dangerous rumbles coming from Europe and I hesitated, and then on February 24, 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine.
Plans for bringing supplies to the Romanian Border with Ukraine
My nephew Andrew’s partner, Emine Ziyatdinova is a Ukrainian photo-journalist, and also, importantly the mother of my great-niece, Susanna. While I was planning and deciding on my travels, I heard that Emine had been traveling to Poland, delivering first aid supplies to the border. When I asked Emine if she thought it would be helpful for me to do the same in Romania, she sent me the current list of needed supplies. I reached out to Congregation Emanu El, in Victoria, and members came through with almost $7,000.00 of donations in three days for purchase of the emergency medical supplies. Emine connected me with her friends in Chernivsti, Ukraine, who have been distributing supplies to those who need them. I was to carry the humanitarian aid supplies to Ukrainian journalists at the Romanian border on behalf of Congregation Emanu El.
I soon found out what a iFAK kit was (compact emergency trauma kits usually distributed to police or military), and had to google “Celox” ( a coagulant for dressing major wounds). My family and I started searching for supplies by calling hunting stores, and stores/websites that supply police. We scoured the internet and were able to fill two large duffle bags with needed supplies. My journey was planned to first go to Israel to meet my cousins accompanied by my son, Sammy. On the way to Israel we stopped in France at my sister’s house, where we added large amounts of ibuprofen, acetaminophen and some personal supplies the journalists requested (power packs for phones, new underwear and socks (items that are preferable to receive new rather than used) for delivery the following week at the Romanian border with Ukraine.
A Ukrainian family staying with my sister in France had Ukrainian currency (Hryvnia) which they were unable to change, so I traded the remaining dollars for Ukrainian cash so that I could provide the journalists with transportation money. Our supplies were distributed by 2404.org (Ukrainian journalism emergency fund which is organised by Emine and Andrew’s friends Roman and Katya (Zaborona.com media) to Ukrainian journalists working on the frontlines. At the time of the donation, tragically a friend and colleague of Emine, Maks Levin, was killed, and another journalist lost a leg. Part of the cash was ultimately sent to Maks Levin’s young family—his wife and their four young children.
Thus my voyage to Romania to discover more of my family’s past was transformed into a contemporary journey with its echoes of the second world war. While I was connecting with the descendants of my great-grandmother’s siblings I was attempting to reach and contribute support for the people fighting for their freedom and for the victims of the current horror being experienced in Ukraine.