Words cannot fully express our gratitude for staying razom (together) this year. We wish you and your families a happy holiday season and we send our heartfelt thanks for your support. If you’re looking for ways to continue to engage with Ukraine over the holidays, we’d like you to consider these ideas:
After President Zalensky’s historic visit and speech to a joint session Congress, reach out to your representatives today and tomorrow to call on them to schedule a vote on H.Res.1205, which would recognize russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide. Follow this link to easily email, call, and tweet your Members of Congress.
Join our year end giving campaign to help Ukrainians get through this winter. With your support, we can keep Ukrainians alive and connected to each other by providing additional portable heat and power sources. Visit our Donations Page for more info, including how to get your employer to match your gift this year. Our donations team is also here to help, just email: donations@razomforukraine.org.
If you’re still working through your gift shopping list, consider buying something made in Ukraine to support Ukraine’s economy and those who are creating through extraordinary circumstances. Razom rounded up a personal Holiday Gift Guide for some ideas.
Plan ahead for the remainder of December and into January with events that support Ukraineand Ukrainian culture. Razom hosts a calendar page on its website listing the best events happening across the U.S. and sometimes the world. If you’re in New York on Friday, December 30th join us at the Brooklyn Bowl at 7:30PM to raise up the spirit of Ukrainian resistance with Gogol Bordello, featuring an opening set by DJ Daria Kolomiec and balaklava blues from Toronto. It’s going to be epic!
Make your own Ukrainian cocktail for the holiday celebration you’re planning. Javelin, a super-premium vodka donating 100% of it’s proceeds to support the people of Ukraine through Razom, created a Winter Mule recipe for us. Check it out below.
russia has weaponized winter in Ukraine by targeting power grids and energy infrastructure all over the country, Razom is working to help as many defenders, first-responders, hospitals, and civilians as we can get through this extremely difficult time. Your donation today, can help us scale.
The Razom Holiday Gift Guide is a curated a list of Ukrainian brands and made-in-Ukraine products that will serve as a wonderful gift for your loved ones, and will support those who are still creating, doing and representing Ukraine. They are working through extraordinary times, and we have the power to support them in the process.
We keep track of a list of upcoming events at https://www.razomforukraine.org/calendar/ where you can find the best events to support Ukraine and Ukrainian culture around the country. If you’re in NYC, we’ll see you at the Gogol Bordello concert presenting Ukrainian NYC Unite Eve on 12/30 @ 7:30PM!
If you’re going to celebrate this holiday season, consider making a Winter Mule using Javelin vodka who’s donating 100% of its proceeds to Razom to help Ukrainians get through the winter. 2 oz Javelin 1/2 oz lemon 1/2 oz pomegranate juice Add all ingredients to drinking glass, add ice and top with ginger beer, add sprig of rosemary and lemon wheel Будьмо!
This past weekend, with the onset of the holiday season, we wanted to recognize the hard work of our volunteers by hosting two Volunteer Appreciation Events — one virtual event to welcome all of our volunteers across countries and continents, and one in-person event inside the Ukrainian National Home in NYC’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood featuring many warm hugs and words of gratitude. Razom is a community. We love working, learning, and growing together. This holiday season, we’re thankful for the opportunity to be with all of Razom’s dedicated volunteers and supporters across different mediums and platforms to continue doing good work for Ukraine.
May you find peace and joy this season, and may Ukraine prevail soon!
Razom is very proud to have co-presented the Notes From Ukraine concert at Carnegie Hall that took place on December 4th, 2022. No less than the Concert of the century! The concert that celebrated a 100 years of Shchedryk being presented to the same historic location of New York City.
“‘Carol of the Bells’, a Christmas Staple From Ukraine, a Century Later” – read the title of The New York Times article. And continues stating: “It started as “Shchedryk”, a song about a little bird that was first performed in the United States in 1922. Its enchanting melody has since been sung by Beyoncé and Barenaked Ladies”.
And for us, Notes from Ukraine was a holiday miracle three years in the making, and we are so grateful to everyone who took part in making this incredible experience happen. From bringing the children’s choir, Shchedryk, to the US from Ukraine, to feeding the choir, to co-organizing the concert, finding transportation from rehearsal to rehearsal every day, and doing everything in our power to fill every seat at Carnegie (which was sold out!) – we did it, together, which is the true spirit of what it means to be Razom. As one example of such Razom spirit, we brought together recently displaced Ukrainians that we have been working with, led by volunteer Mariia Khorun under the Ukrainian Response Initiative, to take care of the children from Shchedryk and show them the magic of New York City during the holidays.
Have a look at the video that went viral on Instagram and has been featured in media all over the world – The ‘Shchedryk’ children’s choir from Kyiv, Ukraine performing the Carol of the Bells (Щедрик) at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The choir had just flown in from Poland the night before and immediately took Big Apple by storm!
We were beyond honored to have Vera Farmiga and Martin Scorsese* as our hosts and deeply appreciate their contribution to the promotion of Ukrainian culture in the world.
If you could not join us for Notes From Ukraine in person at Carnegie Hall, or if you would like to recollect those special moments and notes, watch the recording of the concert and experience the magic from the comfort of your home.
We are thankful to our generous partner Vimeo that we are able to share Ukrainian heritage through the power of music with you and the rest of the world.
But the project isn’t over yet! When the curtain drops, the real work begins. Razom took on the financial burden of putting on this great concert and we need your help in making sure we can tie up all the loose ends. We incurred many unexpected expenses and tried to spend money wisely by relying on our volunteers to lend a helping hand each step of the way (thank you x 1,000).
Please head to NotesFromUkraine.org to find ways to donate to support Notes From Ukraine and get the very last tickets to this once-in-century concert. You can also support the children’s choir and their travels to the US to perform at Carnegie Hall directly here: https://htru.io/SzJP
*The hosts of the Notes From Ukraine concert were an American actress of Ukrainian heritage, Vera Farmiga, and movie director and legend of New York, Martin Scorsese.
Vera Farmiga was born in Clifton, New Jersey to Ukrainian parents. She did not speak English until the age of six and was raised in a Ukrainian Catholic home. She is best known for her roles in movies like Return to Paradise, Autumn in New York, The Departed, The Manchurian Candidate, Up in the Air and Bates Motel for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Vera has been a keen supporter of Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion.
Martin Scorsese is a native New Yorker from Queens with roots in Palermo, Sicily. He was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later provided inspiration for several of his films. It is hard to encompass the full artistic heritage of Scorsese, but his most famous directing works include Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Shutter Island, Aviator, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman. Five of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
Good news from our Razom Toy Drive. It is the 9th consecutive year of a toy drive held at the Ukrainian school Samopomich in New York. And it was yet another successful collection of toys and presents for our mentees in Ukraine – children whose one or both parents were killed in the war, children who need a glimpse of hope and joy for the holidays, who need to know that the world cares. Currently we have over a thousand kids on our list. So this year we even had two days of toy drive, which allowed everyone who wished to support these kids to bring their donations to the location. Thanks to the amazing community of Ukraine supporters the drive has collected a full pallet of gifts, which will be shipped to Ukraine shortly. And your monetary donations will cover the cost of the shipment. These gifts will form a collection of toys, clothes and other presents to be sent to Ukrainian children for birthdays and other holidays throughout the next year.
Our special thanks go to Ivan Makar for supporting the Toy Drive at the Ukrainian School and the help with inviting the parents to join! We are grateful to our incredible Razom Toy Drive team, Oksana Lytvyn, Oksana Korposh, Halyna Ka and Oksana Bazylevych for their continuous hard work! And big thanks to our project leader in Ukraine – Liudmyla Kravtsova, who will make sure the gifts will reach the children on the ground!
Stay tuned for more updates, and to see the happy faces of the little Ukrainians when they receive the gifts – please join our Facebook group.
We also continue fundraising for the Razom Toy Drive on Facebook and here. Consider donating today to help bring light and joy into Ukrainian children’s lives.
Razom is honored to have been part of the Congressional hearing hosted by the Helsinki Commission on a topic near and dear to our hearts, “Crowdsourcing victory” with our great colleagues from Prytula Charity Foundation, Come Back Alive, and Blue/Yellow.
The following witnesses testified in front of Congress on Wednesday, December 7, 2022: 1. Dora Chomiak, President of the U.S.-based NGO Razom for Ukraine 2. Taras Chmut, Director of the Ukraine-based foundation Come Back Alive 3. Serhiy Prytula, Founder and Chairman of the Ukraine-based Prytula Charity Foundation 4. Jonas Öhman, Founder and Head of the Lithuania-based NGO Blue/Yellow for Ukraine
Razom team members have been fine-tuning the testimony for weeks to accurately convey Razom’s mission to provide critical humanitarian war relief and to give justice to Razom’s volunteers, whose dedication is a cornerstone of all Razom’s operations. This hearing was important on many levels, but our main goal was to showcase the American people’s continued and strong support of Ukraine through their support of Razom.
The testimonies served to remind Congress that civil societies worldwide are united in pursuit of a decisive Ukrainian victory. After hours of discussion, editing, and practice in preparation for the testimony – we hope we have shown Congress what it means to be Razom. Because… we are all in this together, Razom.
We thank everyone who made this hearing happen. We are grateful to Helsinki Commission for hosting the hearing and inviting Razom. And our huge thanks to the Razom team behind the scenes and our President Dora Chomiak, who did an outstanding job testifying in front of Congress.
Thank you to the people of Ukraine and the United States for trusting us! We are certain – Ukraine will win.
Watch the full Congressional hearing “Crowdsourcing Victory. Inside the Civil Society Campaign to Improve the Lethality and Survivability of the Ukrainian Military”:
Additionally, early on the same day, our Razom Advocacy Team held a briefing for congressional staffers on designating russia a State Sponsor of Terrorism and invited Ambassador Bill Taylor and expert Dr. Azeem Ibrahim to speak and give commentary on the topic. The briefing was hosted by the offices of Congressmen Steve Cohen and Joe Wilson, who were also present at the briefing to give their remarks. Michael Sawkiw of UNIS also joined us to give final comments. Again, we thank everyone involved in this important work.
This holiday season Razom invites you to support Ukraine and Ukrainians through your gift shopping. Below is a curated list of Ukrainian brands and made-in-Ukraine products that will serve as a wonderful gift for your loved ones, and will support those who are still creating, doing and representing Ukraine. They are working through extraordinary times, and we have the power to support them in the process. This list is personal to Razom – we’ve shopped there ourselves, we’ve volunteered backstage for them at New York Fashion Week, we helped raise the funds needed to translate their works, and brought joy to our loved ones when gifting from some of these places. The list is organized by category – Home Decor, Apparel, Toys and Books, and everyone ships internationally.
Shchos Tsikave | a small home and gift store in Lviv selling crafts from local artists.
Gushka | a Ukrainian wool products workshop in Kosiv, a mountain town in Ivano-Frankivsk region.
JulliaTyasko | a modern glass art Fused glass art Contemporary wall art.
Woolkrafts | a blanket store!
Gunia Project | a brand of exceptional things produced with the unique combination of design thinking and deep ethnographic research.
Trots Ceramics | a family of Hutsul ceramics makers that's been around sine 1997.
Bevza | a Kyiv-based womenswear brand creating feminine minimalist clothing and jewelry, whose collections are shown at NYFW.
Morkva Bots | an instagram shop that hand-makes shoes!
EtnoDim | an embroidery shop that creates traditional Ukrainian clothing with a modern spin.
Oliz | beautiful silk scarves, ties, and clothing with patterns exclusively made in cooperation with Ukrainian artists.
RCR Khomenko | a fashion brand with signature upcycled shirts and fun handcrafted prints.
Vish | knitted clothes and accessories produced in limited edition collections.
Katimo | women's clothing brand with year-round collections, designed and manufactured in Kyiv.
Brua | a handcrafted jewelry store based in Lviv.
UGEARS | a Ukrainian startup that creates unique wooden toys for all ages.
HURI Publications | a part of Harvard University, check out their English-translated books of Ukrainian authors.
This week, the first snowfall, the largest barrage of missiles to date targeting civilian infrastructure, recurring blackouts across many parts of Ukraine, and uncovering the devastation left behind in newly liberated Ukrainian territories, have become the new normal for Ukrainians. However their resolve, and ours, is stronger than ever. Just watch the video of a Kyiv Children’s Choir “Shchedryk” rehearsing for their upcoming Dec 4th performance at Carnegie Hall in the dark, in a bomb shelter, during air raid sirens.
Dear Razom community,
In the past few weeks you’ve had a chance to learn about Razom projects beyond our Emergency Response Project that’s been running nonstop since Feb 24th delivering critical humanitarian aid to the most in-need parts of Ukraine. Make no mistake, this remains our top priority, especially as the situation on the ground shifts with winter here and more infrastructure than ever before having been destroyed. Delivering aid that provides electricity or warmth, saves lives in Ukraine today,so please continue to support that work.
However there are so many other ways Ukraine is being effected by this relentless, brutal war. Today there are thousands of orphaned children in Ukraine, whose father or mother, or in some cases both, died defending Ukraine.Razom Toy Drive, one of our earliest projects started in May 2014, provides assistance to these children by sending school essentials, birthday and holiday presents (including toys!), and other humanitarian assistance their way every year since 2014.
In the past couple of weeks, our volunteers sent 130 high-quality winter coats to 130 of these kids. But as the holiday season approaches, we’d like to call upon your help to bring some peace and joy to children of war in Ukraine. Donate here or here to support Razom Toy Drive to expand the pool of children we can help, and gift them a portable power bank with a LED flashlight. In their world of rolling blackouts and hiding in bomb shelters and basements during regular air-raids across Ukraine, this $30 gadget will go a long way for the darkest nights before Ukraine’s victory.
Razom has combined fundraising efforts with Nova Ukraine to ensure we can invest $120,000 to help buy a “Kovcheg,” an armored all-terrain vehicle, for the Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital (PFVMH) as soon as possible. Over the past eight years, since russia’s invasion in 2014, PFVMH became known as “angels in white coats,” 500+ physicians, paramedics, and support staff as volunteers providing medical care on the frontline of the war in Ukraine. They operate on the wounded and sew them on the way to base hospitals.
For the last 6 months (May-October) PFVMH treated (extracted, stabilized and evacuated to the base hospitals) 3,563 patients in the Donbas region alone.
PFVMH has always acted in the hottest zones. From the first days of the active counteroffensive in Kharkiv region, they’ve followed Dyke Pole 518 Special Military Unit in Balakliya, Hrushivka, Husarivka and other villages. Now they are also treating people in Bakhmut and in a recently liberated Lyman.
The Razom Grants project has supported this group for many months now, helping them get tactical medicine, vehicles and fuel, a portable x-ray, and now, let’s help them secure a Kovcheg! It costs $250,000 (already a reduced price) and because Kovcheg is in Ukraine, it can be purchased quickly and without any additional charges (customs fees etc). PFVMH already has everything needed to transform the vehicle into a stabilization center.
Donate on facebook or by clicking the button below that’ll take you to our website.
In the meantime, below are some of our regularly scheduled updates for our Emergency Response and Hospitals projects. This is an impressive operation with a dedicated team that ensures delivery of aid in the hands of the end-user. Our team works in four countries, US, Canada, Poland, and Ukraine, with a warehouse in each country. That team is split into procurement (with specializations in medical versus technical devices and aid), logistics (international shipping, customs), Ukrainian warehouse staff who sorts and prepares “orders” for distribution across Ukraine, “customer support” representatives who collect and verify those orders, drivers who deliver aid directly to first-responders and defenders, and technologists who maintain a software system that allows us to efficiently track every package that leaves our warehouse in Ukraine.
For example, on November 12 Razom delivered over 180 medical first-aid kits of the highest quality to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Mykolaiv region. That was our 27th (!!) delivery to an outpost of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. This government agency are first-responders when russian missiles strike, and key actors demining de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Countless civilian lives are saved thanks to their work everyday.
As for our Hospitals team, managing in-kind donations and medical missions, most recently they worked with Henry Schein who donated 17 pallets of hygiene kits through our dedicated partner MedShare, providing essential items and honoring the dignity of Ukrainian civilians living amid war. Razom partner and grantee, Rescue Now, distributed these kits in line with their ongoing work to provide humanitarian aid in Eastern Ukraine. The individuals pictured below are residents of Kharkiv.
On November 25, Ukrainians around the world commemorate Holodomor Remembrance Day, remembering the millions of Ukrainians starved to death by the Soviet regime in an artificially-created famine. Today, less than a hundred years later, the Ukrainian nation is again fighting for its right to exist.
S.Res. 713 and H.Res. 1205 recognize Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unambiguously meets the definition of the term genocide as defined by the Genocide Convention and reflected in U.S. law. Passing this important resolution reaffirms America’s commitment to our fundamental principles and underscores the seriousness of Russia’s crimes.
We ask our community and friends to please email, call, or tweet your Members of Congress today and ask them to cosponsor and support this important resolution! You can follow Razom’s latest call to action here: https://www.votervoice.net/RAZOMF…/Campaigns/98795/Respond
We’ve been counting down the days until Notes From Ukraine, the 100th anniversary concert celebrating Ukrainian “Carol of the Bells” at Carnegie Hall and returning to the Stern Auditorium/Perelman stage for one day only!
Tickets are selling fast and sponsorship opportunities for businesses are still available, but what we ask of you after the latest missile attacks on Ukraine this week, is to help us bring the Kyiv Children’s Choir «Shchedryk», who will be performing at the concert, to NYC. Below is a little peak into their rehearsals this week. As Kyiv goes through constant power shutdowns, the kids are left to rehearse in darkness and during air raid alarms, in bomb shelters. Despite all the challenges, the choir persists in its mission to represent Ukraine to an international audience — just like the Ukrainian Republic Capella 100 yers ago. Our «Shchedryk» Choir may be rehearsing in the dark bomb shelters now, but in a month they will be on a bright stage of Carnegie Hall and a warm audience awaits them. Help us to bring them to NYC by making a donation here and become a part of the history of promoting and preserving Ukrainian culture.
Kyiv Children’s Choir «Shchedryk» rehearses in the dark, determined to come to Carnegie Hall to perform on Deember 4, 2022. On October 5, 1922, the Ukrainian Republic Capella performed in New York City’s Carnegie Hall and North American audiences heard for the first time Mykola Leontovych’s “Shchedryk”, a traditional Ukrainian song that would become the beloved holiday classic, “Carol of the Bells.”
There are a number of amazing projects you can support that will bring you closer with Ukrainian culture, art, and history. Below is a roundup of some of those events and fundraising opportunities. Moving forward, you’ll also be able to catch the most up to date schedule of events and creative fundraising campaigns on our website here.
In New York:
On Sunday, November 19, 7-11PM the Lisovi Chorty Plast Fraternity is celebrating their centenary by hosting a formal costume ball, or Kostyumivka, at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City. The elegant affair will be a fundraiser to support humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine. Secure your tickets here.
Closing on Sunday, November 20, 11AM – 6PM at Howl! Arts New York is Yara Arts Group’s presentation of “Mariupol,” an exhibition of award-winning photographs and video by Evgeniy Maloletka and Mstyslav Chernov (AP) from the first days Russia invaded Ukraine this year. There were no funerals. No memorials. No public gatherings to mourn those killed by Russia’s relentless attacks on the port city of Mariupol that became a symbol of Ukraine’s ferocious resistance. The mass grave trenches told the story of a city under siege. You catch the exhibit everyday this week until Sunday.
On Sunday, December 4, 2PM Notes From Ukraine, a concertdedicated to 100 years of “Shchedryk” and highlighting Ukrainian music and the connections between Ukrainian and American cultures, will take the stage at Carnegie Hall. Secure your tickets here!
On Saturday, December 10, 12:30PM – 3:30PM at the Kolo Klub come join Namaste Hoboken for its holiday party in support of Ukraine.
In Washinton, D.C.:
On Wednesday, November 30, 5:30-8:30PM, the U.S. – Ukraine Foundation will host the D.C. premier of Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, an incredible documentary film by Evgeny Afinevsky is a sequel to his 2015 documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom. Secure your ticket here.
In Massachusetts:
The Oxbow Gallery in Easthampton, MA will be showing a series of new oil paintings by Joanne Holtje, “Lamentations,” from October 27-November 27, 2022. Begun in early 2022, this series served as a way for her to bear witness to the horror of the invasion of Ukraine. The proceeds of sales from the show, plus an additional 20% match from an anonymous donor will be donated to Razom.
On Friday, December 16, 8 – 9:30PM, the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra presents Holiday Pops 2022, a festive, glamorous night out featuring Sleigh Ride and the world premiere of Scrooge: A Christmas Overture by composer Donald Fraser—featuring Vira Slywotzky, soprano.
The Grimshaw-Gudewicz Art Gallery at Bristol County Community College in Fall River, MA will be showing an exhibition called Eye of the Beholder (Don’t Close Your Eyes): Ukrainian Artists Respond to the War,from November 10-December 22. With over 120 pieces on display, these works evoke the resolve and the anguish of the Ukrainian people and what they are experiencing as events unfold. All art is on sale, with 50% of the sale price going to the artist and 50% to humanitarian organizations like Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation and Come Back Alive.
In Florida:
Introducing to the world: KOLO, an unparalleled immersive visual experience and theatrical dance show celebrating the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Ukraine! The first of its kind, KOLO is the brainchild of award-winning, Ukrainian-bred competitive ballroom dancers and partners, Iaroslav and Liliia Bieliei, both natives of Kyiv who now call Los Angeles home. The show is launching its North American tour in Florida:
You can now buy a cool gaming bundle on Humble Bundle, who sells games, ebooks, software, and other digital content, while supporting Razom. Make a choice of 2, 5 or 9 games and proceeds from your purchase will support Razom in continuing to send aid to Ukraine.
Stream a historic performance of the National Ballet of Ukraine from Orlando, FL at the prestigious Steinmetz Hall on August 27, 2022, and donate to help raise humanitarian aid for Ukrainian children and families. The National Ballet of Ukraine is considered one of the top ranked ballet companies in the world. Cozy up with your friends and loved ones and watch a special performance that affirms the power of art and beauty over tyranny and destruction.
Awethentic Gallery’s latest charity campaign, Prints for Ukraine, features a variety of artworks from award-winning journalists and photographers across the world, including Mykhaylo Palinchak who served as the official photographer of the President of Ukraine; Emmy-nominated journalist Laurel Chor and renowned documentary photographer, Natalie Keyssar. All artworks are $150 and 100% of net proceeds of prints go directly to our artists and critical humanitarian war relief charities Razom and World Central Kitchen.
“Invasion: Music and Art for Ukraine” CD is a project by Ukrainian-American GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko featuring music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlan and art by outstanding Ukrainian artists Lesia Babliak, Yurii Nagulko, Olena Papka, Kati Prusenko, and Aza Nizi Maza Studio children artists, directed by Mykola Kolomiets. All proceeds go to Razom.
Globally:
Started by a Ukrainian yoga teacher, Yoga4Ukraine aims to bring together 1,000 yoga teachers all around the world that each donate ONE yoga class! Any style, any format, anywhere, anytime. Visit www.yoga4ukraine.com to officially become a part of the Yoga4Ukraine project or find a class near you, and get your Yoga4Ukraine t-shirt to support the initiative today. All donations will benefit United24 and Razom.
Thank you so much for reading this newsletter, sharing it, generously donating to many of our important projects, and for showing your support of Ukraine. We are immensely grateful.
Stay razom.
P.S. – why not add Razom to your AmazonSmile so that every time you shop, we get a 0.5% of that total as a donation. As of Sept 2022, Razom has received $4,550 from AmazonSmile. To shop at AmazonSmile, simply go to smile.amazon.com on your web browser and activate AmazonSmile on the Amazon Shopping app on your iOS or Android phone (found under settings on your app).
Tuesday, November 8 is Election Day, and this year’s election is critical to ensure that Ukraine continues to receive the necessary support from the United States. Our team at Razom Advocacy encourages everyone who is eligible and cares about the future of Ukraine to make sure to vote by the time the polls close.
Why Should You Vote?
While voting is an important part of our civic duty as members of society, it also has an impact on the support that Ukraine will receive for the next two years. Many people do not turn out for midterm elections, but your vote is crucial at a time when many House and Senate chairmanships are due to change in 2023 and districts have been redrawn after the 2020 census. Only by voting can you show that Americans value continued support and aid to Ukraine.
It may sometimes feel that your single vote will not make much of a difference. However, many elections are decided by a relatively small number of votes, especially once you look past the larger races. In the last twenty years, there have been more than a dozen races decided by a single vote or ending in a tie, and many more have been decided by less than 1% of the vote.
How Should You Vote?
Voting processes differ vastly from state to state, and many states have already opened early voting for the past few weeks – and we are sure many of you have already voted. (If you have, thank you!)
If you have not yet voted, here are some resources to determine the best way to do so in your area:
Over 20 states allow voters to register on Election Day. If your state is one of them and you’re not registered, make sure you bring proof of residency with you to your polling place, such as a driver’s license or ID card. You can find out more information on the registration requirements for your state here.
You can locate your polling place by using Vote.org’s Polling Place Locater. It’s good to make a plan! Decide when you will vote and how you will get there – many local transportation options have discounts or special services to help voters access the polls.
Know your rights – check what you will need to bring with you, such as ID, before you leave. If you are in line when the polls close, keep your place – as long as you stay in line, you will be able to vote. If you experience any issues or anyone attempts to stop you from voting, call the election protection hotline at 866-687-8683 to report it. More information on Election Protection can be found here.
Vote.org’s Ballot Information page provides information on all of the candidates that will be on your ballot. If their stance on Ukraine isn’t readily available, a quick Google search of their name and Ukraine can bring up previous statements they may have made around the issue.
On Election Day, we can all play an important role in ensuring continued support for Ukraine from the United States. Thank you for your advocacy.
Humanitarian, Philanthropist and Activist, former Second Lady Tipper Gore has donated a total of $1 million to the Ukrainian-American nonprofit, Razom for Ukraine. The funds are being used to provide immediate humanitarian aid to Ukrainians on the ground. The former Second Lady has long been involved in disaster relief efforts across the globe and is now working with Razom to ensure that Ukrainians receive critically-needed aid and supplies.
“Razom’s mission, to save lives and support on-the-ground efforts in Ukraine, is as vital as it is awe-inspiring.”
Tipper Gore
Razom for Ukraine mobilized its emergency response project to deliver vital humanitarian aid, including medical and hospital supplies since the Russian invasion began. This outreach has allowed Razom to build and deepen relationships with other nonprofit organizations in local hotspots, to coordinate the collection of donations, aggregate medical supplies, and deliver trainings to Ukrainian physicians. Tipper Gore’s donation will help Razom’s efforts to provide Ukraine with life-saving aid and resources.
“Razom’s mission, to save lives and support on-the-ground efforts in Ukraine, is as vital as it is awe-inspiring. Philanthropic support allows Razom to significantly expand its capabilities and scale its efforts as Russia’s unjustified, egregious attack rages on. I am proud to share that I am supporting Razom’s efforts in Ukraine, in the hope that it encourages others to do the same. As someone who has seen the effects of war firsthand in Zaire, I understand how critical Razom’s work is both now, and going forward. In this fight, the Ukrainian people have been a beacon of democracy for those who value their freedom from tyranny. The Russian invasion must be stopped to avoid pain for years and generations to come,” said Gore.
The first $900,000 of her contribution is being used to send direct aid to Ukraine, while the remaining $100,000 contribution is going toward expanding capacity.
Donations like Gore’s have allowed Razom to invest over $32.7M into the nonprofit’s emergency response efforts:
$19M went toward delivering life-saving tactical medicine and medical supplies to territorial defense units, hospitals, and field hospitals, all in active combat zones across Ukraine.
$9.9M went toward providing non-medical humanitarian aid such as communications resources that help ensure safe and effective delivery of aid
$1.7M went toward funding grants issued by Razom to organizations and initiatives that help civilians in combat zones and/or internally displaced persons
$1.1M went toward carrying out Razom’s logistic chain
$591K went toward procuring vehicles to deliver aid and help evacuate children, families, and wounded persons
$84K went toward aiding Razom’s advocacy work
“We are deeply honored to receive support from someone with such a textured history of advocacy, compassion, and philanthropy as Tipper Gore. Any and all contributions enable us to remain resolute in our mission to build a free and prosperous Ukraine. As such, we are immensely grateful to the former Second Lady for her generous contribution, one which I hope will inspire others to support our mission,” said Dora Chomiak, President of Razom. “Every cent given to us supports our emergency response and advocacy efforts, which embody a singular purpose right now: to save lives in Ukraine.”
Razom has directed most of its efforts to delivering critical humanitarian aid on the ground in Ukraine. Razom will continue its mission of building a free, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine and amplifying Ukrainian voices.
We are thrilled to announce a new member to the Razom Board of Directors: Maria Genkin.
Maria has been deeply involved with Razom since 2017 and has been an enthusiastic supporter since 2014 when she attended a concert by Taras Chubai in New York. It is Maria who co-founded and is now managing the Razom Book Club. It’s Maria who initiated and built the partnership with the Serhiy Zhadan Charitable Foundation in Ukraine. It’s Maria who recommended Razom to PEN America as an organization to host an open community meeting with Oleg Sentsov in New York, where Maria moderated the conversation from the stage in January this year.
Born and raised in Lviv, Maria grew up speaking Russian. She was drawn to Razom because the volunteers and the projects reflect the multi-dimensional characteristics of a modern, forward-looking Ukraine, and she is looking forward to promoting Ukraine by encouraging connections among various groups and regions around the common goal of establishing a successful and self-reliant European Ukraine.
Maria has kindly shared with us her personal path of establishing her identity as a Ukrainian, which you can find below.
We heartily welcome Maria at the Razom Board of Directors! Looking forward to amazing collaborations and fun while building a prosperous Ukraine project by project RAZOM.
My story by Maria Genkin
As I am beginning my tenure as a member of Razom for Ukraine Board, I want to reflect on my background and the path I took to being involved in an organization working for a Ukrainian cause. It is not a straightforward path as in the last fifteen years I have started a Russian language school in NYC and served on the board of the Joseph Brodsky Fellowship Fund. Nevertheless to me it is part of the same story and it really comes down to my identity.
I have always considered myself a Ukrainian, but growing up Russian speaking in Lviv had made this identification somewhat difficult. Ukrainian and Russian communities in Lviv were not well integrated. In the late 80s and early 90s, with the resurgence of Ukrainian Nationalism and disintegration of the Soviet Union, these differences became especially apparent. To be a Ukrainian meant to speak Ukrainian exclusively, have relatives that fought for independencе, go to the newly resurrected Greek Catholic Church, own a vyshyvanka, that may have been passed down from a grandma, don’t eat meat at Christmas Eve dinner, and hold off all housework on Sundays. At least this was my perception of what ‘being a Ukrainian’ was at the time.
I did not fit that mold. My name was Maша Кiсельова. Even though my Ukrainian speaking grandparents lived only 200 kilometers east of Lviv, I spoke poor Ukrainian, went to a Russian school (coincidentally the same one where Ruslana Lyzhychko went at the time), and had mostly Russian speaking friends. My Ukrainian grandparents came from the other side of Zbruch, were ambivalent about Ukrainian nationalists, loved their socialism, and while they celebrated Christmas, nobody remembered that you were only supposed to have vegetarian dishes on the table.
My Ukrainian speaking mom from Khmelnytska oblast, met and subsequently married my Russian speaking dad, when they both attended Lvivska Polytechnica. He has lived in Lviv for most of his life. When she moved in with him, she also moved in with his dad, my grandfather. Grandfather was not a greatly educated man, who moved to Lviv after his retirement in 1959, and he did not speak a word of Ukrainian. Hence my mother switched to Russian, and when I was born, continued to speak Russian to me. The theories of bilingualism being beneficial to brain development were not yet popular at the time.
My high school was a Russian high school, which was not that unusual. At least 35% of the population of Lviv was Russian speaking, and for the most part, it was not Russified Ukrainians, but transplants from Russia itself, that, like my grandparents, filled in the vacuum left by Holocaust and the post-war reallocation of Poles. I was fortunate to have amazing teachers of Ukrainian, but I am saddened to say that at that time of our lives we felt very removed from what was happening around us because of the language and our backgrounds. Many of my classmates felt like unwelcomed outsiders. The local brand of nationalism to us seemed quite outdated and unrelatable.
That was the time of ambiguity for me. Can I be a Ukrainian when I don’t fit here? Russia is now a different country, but I still have relatives there, and I feel cultural affinity, but at the same time, I do not feel as I fit there either, and there is a lot in Ukrainian culture that still matters greatly to me. Who am I?
After I enrolled in Lvivska Polytechnica, I started traveling in Ukraine more. I became a co-founder of the Lviv chapter of the International Student organization, AIESEC. Being in that organization introduced me to students from Kyiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Berdyansk and Kherson. Under the auspices of Bohdan Havrylyshyn, AIESEC Ukraine has established itself as an independent entity and I have attended our first congress in Donetsk in the winter of 1994. With this experience came a realization that there is a Ukraine bigger than our local Lviv version of it and with all of the differences in the regions, we have a common goal to build a prosperous Ukraine. Around the same time I also made a lot more Ukrainian speaking Lviv friends and I realized that I have had certain prejudices and they do not hold true once you meet real people and you start working on the common goal.
However, what changed it all was a scholarship from the Ukrainian Professional and Business Persons Organization that I received in the summer of 1994 to attend the Summer School at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI). Bohdan Vitvitsky, a former Federal Prosecutor, was one of the sponsors. I took courses with George Grabowicz, a professor at HURI, and Virko Balley. Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, who is currently a director of the Canadian Ukrainian Institute, became a lifelong friend. I met Halyna Hryn, who is currently a president of НТШ, and Virlana Tkacz. But most importantly, I listened to a lecture on national identity by Roman Szporluk, at the time a professor of History at Harvard, and it was all of a sudden very clear to me. Identity is not something that is imposed on me by others – I define what my identity is. And no matter what language is dominant for me or what my background is, I have a right to choose to be a Ukrainian. And I have never changed that.
A year later, in 1995, I came to the states on a scholarship to attend Cornell University and met my husband. When his friend, himself a refugee from Moldova, came up to me asking “where in Russia are you from?”, my reply was very clear: “I am not from Russia, I am from Ukraine.” My future husband thought this was hilarious, as very few from his Russian speaking circle were actually “from Russia” and this was used generically to really mean “Where in the Soviet Union are you from?” However, for me even back then this was not an appropriate question.
The other story my husband likes to tell is that he first noticed me when I showed up at some “Russian” movie festival soon after arriving in Cornell. When he asked around who I was, he was told not to bother: “She is from Ukraine”, was the answer, and the implication was – she is a strange one for sure.
But yet we clicked. My husband emigrated here in 1992 with his family as a refugee from antisemitism. His mom is a daughter of “rozkulachenykh” – four of her older siblings died in the forced movement of the family to Siberia from the Urals. And his father is a Ukrainian Jew from Dnipro. What connected us and still connects us is values, and not languages, religion, or identities. We both consider the current Russian government criminal. We both would like to see Ukraine freed from corruption. But we do continue speaking Russian at home and when our children were born, we spoke and continue to speak to them in Russian. At the same time, we have not given them a Russian identity. They have visited Ukraine every year since they have been born. They have spent the traumatic summer of 2014 in a summer camp in the Western Ukraine with refugees from Donetsk. My son and I spent the summer of 2019 volunteering for Go Camp in Kharkiv oblast. While their connection to Ukraine is not built on the language, I like to think that it will be long lasting.
After my son Aaron was born in 2004, I realized that I wanted to take a break from the corporate world, and stopped working in Goldman Sachs in the spring of 2005. Many of my friends were getting married and getting pregnant at the time, and we realized that there was no Russian school in the city of New York at the time. And if we want the children to continue to speak the language we speak in the family, and know how to read and write, we need to build some structure for it.
There is a separate question on why preserving Russian was important for us. And I can honestly say that if we had children after 2014, it would not be. But prior to 2014, there was not as much of a dichotomy for me between the language I grew up speaking and my identity, which was very clearly Ukrainian, even prior to 2014.
I organized the school with three friends, two of whom immigrated from Ukraine in the 1980s with their parents as Jewish refugees, and one who came from St Petersburg in the early 90s.
The school is a private business, not an NGO, and is fully funded by tuition. We have never taken a penny from the Russian government or a Russian oligarch, and this is by choice. Neither I nor my partners were comfortable with the Russian government involvement even prior to 2014. This is not to say that the Russian government has not approached us in one way or another or tried to work with us. We have always refused the offers and stayed the course. We are a school of Russian language, not a Russian school. We teach the language, not the politics. When we start exploring the history, we shy away from contemporary style patriotic history, and instead explore the topics more relevant to american families attending our school. One of the books that we read with twelve year olds explores the issue of antisemitism in the Soviet Union, and the other, Elchin’s “Breaking Stalin’s nose” is about a child that is left an orphan because of Stalin’s purges.
I was approached with a proposition to join the Board of the Joseph Brodsky Fellowship Fund in 2013 and came fully on board in 2014. I joined the board as I was quite impressed with the people on the board and because I agree with the mission of supporting those Russian artists that build the bridges with European culture and western values. Amond my fellow board members was venerable Bob Silvers, an editor of New York Review of Books, a universally admired person.
I was not aware of Brodsky’s poem about Ukraine when I joined the board but found out about it shortly after. I have explored the circumstances around writing this poem with Ann Kjellberg, Brodsky’s literary executor, and I hope to eventually be able to foster a discussion about this poem in Brodsky’s legacy with the involvement of the Ukrainian intellectual community.
Everyone on the board has been very supportive of Ukraine in 2014 and 2015, and I do not have any reason to think that Brodsky today would have felt differently.
There were also some stark intersections between our Fellowship recipients and Ukraine. Elena Fanailova, a major Russian poet, and Radio Freedom host, is very vocal about her position. She has spent some of her fellowship translating Serhiy Zhadan into Russian. Boris Khersonsky, who as many of you know, is a Ukrainian poet based in Odesa, is also a Fellow. I have met Boris through the Fund and hosted a discussion with him in 2014 where we mostly spoke about Maidan and the situation in Ukraine.
I first met Zhadan through the Joseph Brodsky Fellowship Fund. We have hosted an evening with him for the NY literary world. Bob Silvers came and asked him to write for NYRB. The Head of the US Poetry Foundation was there as well as some other American poets and writers.
Joseph Brodsky Fellowship Fund has never taken money from Russian government. In the last couple of years, their support has been coming from Zimin Foundation, a fantastic organization with a record of supporting exiles from Russia.
As for many of us, the last part of the transformation of my identity happened during the Maidan and years that followed. In 2014 I protested annexation of Crimea in front of the Russian Consulate, I posted obsessively in social media, and I also discovered a new organization coming together during the Maidan, called Razom. I quietly supported some of their initiatives and watched in awe how passionate and organized this group of people was.
It was not until 2017 that I finally met some Razomtsi and organized a fundraising event with them benefiting Yara Arts. I then helped to organize yet another event that year with Slava Vakarchuk. With every event and every project, I met more and more wonderful young and passionate people that have the same goal that I have and that represent modern Ukraine in all of its diversity. This finally felt like home for my Ukrainian identity here in New York. I am proud to join the Board of this organization and to contribute to unlocking the potential of Ukraine.
Razom was honored to support a talented group of the Ukrainian documentary The Earth Is Blue As An Orange, that was chosen for the participating at the Sundance Film Festival and the MoMA DocFortnight 2020 Festival of International Nonfiction Film and Media.
You can mail a check to 140 2nd. Ave., Suite 305, New York, NY, 10003
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Oblast Competitions
In 2018 we’re planning to cover expenses for 30 teams (6 people per team) at Oblast STEM competitions. Total Budget is $4500
Ruslan Batytskyi
Director, writer and cinematographer with three completed award-winning shorts as well as a feature documentary in post-production. After starting his filmmaker career at 2009, Ruslan brings his skills in project management, process analysis and systems models (received during obtaining MA in cybernetics 2003-2008) and applies them to the creative thinking and artistic thought-processes of film. He also holds BA in Film and Television directing (from the Kyiv National University of theatre, cinema and television by Karpenko-Karyi).
“A chance to participate in The Co-Pilot project it’s an amazing opportunity to help others and to tell the story that will engage and inspire people around the world”
2017 Trip Itinerary
We are gearing up for our 2017 Mission trip. It’ll be a 3-month adventure during which we plan to work with neurosurgeons from several centers from all around the country. Dr.Tomycz has also been invited to deliver an address at the annual Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv.
May 20: arrive in Kyiv, Ukraine
May 22-26: meet with area surgeons at participating centers
May 29- June 9: two week master class with Igor Kurilets MD at the International Neurosurgery Center
June 12-13: Visit to Medical Institute of Sumy State University
June 14-16: Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv
June 19-23: one week course and master class operating in complex spine and craniocervical with Ukrainian spinal surgeons and trainees from Romadanov Institute and International Neurosurgery Center
June 24-July 7: Come back to United States for two weeks
July 10-21: two week master class with Dr. Schlegov at the Neurovascular Institute
July 24-August 4: two week master class in pediatric neurosurgery with surgeons at Lviv Children’s Hospital
August 5-18: travel to out-lying centers of excellence (Stryii, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa)
August 21-31: operate with surgeons at Central Military Hospital and International Neurosurgery Center in Kyiv
September 15: leave Ukraine for United States
Surgical Mentors and Medical Support Staff
The best way to train surgeons is by providing hands-on mentorship and assistance in the operating room. One of the primary goals of the Co-Pilot Project is the continued recruitment of high quality surgeons from United States and Canada to spend time with Ukrainian counterparts, consulting on patients and performing procedures.
Surgical Mentors traveling to Ukraine
Jefferson Miley, MD – neurointerventionalist
Jonathan Forbes, MD – skull base neurosurgeon
Matthew Geck, MD – orthopedic spine surgeon
Not all of the healthcare volunteers will be able to travel to Ukraine but they still will play an important role from home. Utilizing contemporary technology, including live streaming of surgeries and communication via social media the medical support staff will advice and mentor Ukrainian neurosurgeons as they confront difficult cases.
Medical Support Staff
Bido Patel, MD – neuroradiologist
Chandra Krishnan, MD – neuropathologist
Ginger Harrod, MD – neuro-oncologist
Advisory Staff
Tim George, MD – pediatric neurosurgeon
Jim Rose, MD – vascular neurosurgeon
Ryan Murdoch, MD – orthopedic spine surgeon
Patrick Combs, MD – craniofacial surgeon
Nestor Tomycz, MD – functional neurosurgeon
Aaron Stayman, MD – vascular neurologist
Jim Rutka – pediatric neurosurgeon
Ben Warf – pediatric neurosurgeon
Participating Centers in Ukraine Page
Since our exploratory trip in 2016 we have identified a cohort of motivated and talented surgeons who are hungry for additional instruction and eager for collaboration.
Igor Kurilets, MD (International Neurosurgery Center)
Ivan Protsenko, MD (Romadanov Institute)
Kostiantyn Kostiuk, MD (Romadanov Institute)
Vitali Ganjuk, MD (Central Military Hospital, Kyiv)
Taras Mykytyn, MD (Lviv Children’s Hospital)
Dmytro Shcheglov, MD (Neurovascular Institute)
Luke Tomycz, MD
Dr. Luke Tomycz is the newest addition to the pediatric neurosurgical team at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Tomycz finished first in his high school class of over 200 students and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA where he double-majored in biology and chemical engineering. He accepted the prestigious Dean’s Full-Tuition Scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he first developed an interest in neurosurgery. After medical school, he began his formal neurosurgical training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN where he trained under the late Noel Tulipan, MD, a pioneer in fetal neurosurgery for myelomeningocele. During his seven-year residency, he spent two years obtaining an in-folded fellowship in endovascular surgery, becoming proficient in the treatment of aneurysms, AVMs, Moya-Moya syndrome, and complex dural AV fistulae of adults and children. After this, Dr. Tomycz spent an additional year at Seattle Children’s Hospital performing a large volume of complex epilepsy surgery with Jeff Ojemann, MD. Following an exhaustive job search, Dr.Tomycz was attracted to Austin as the city was in the process of launching a new medical school at the University of Texas.
Dr. Tomycz specializes in all aspects of pediatric neurosurgery including brain tumors, epilepsy, Chiari malformation, tethered cord syndrome, CSF shunting, and intracranial endoscopy. As one of the only dual-trained, pediatric and endovascular neurosurgeons in the country, he is particularly interested in Moya-Moya, brain aneurysms and AVMs, arteriovenous fistulae, and other complex neurovascular disorders in children as well as adults. His research interests include the use of engineering innovations to improve treatments for hydrocephalus and he has published on a wide variety of neurosurgical topics. Outside the operating room, Dr. Tomycz enjoys playing guitar and hiking in the mountains. He has travelled extensively to perform neurosurgery and take part in short-term medical mission work – in Cuba, Kenya, Honduras, Ecuador, and Ukraine.
Dr. Tomycz grew up with four grandparents who told stories of their youth and taught their grandchildren the language of their homeland – Ukraine. His parents were both born in refugee camps following the second world war, and came to this country in the early 1950s with virtually nothing. His father excelled in academics and went into medicine, and both Luke and his brother Nestor followed suit, pursuing a career in neurosurgery. During a long period of study and training that lasted more than 15 years, Luke resolved to return to the homeland of his grandparents and provide the kind of high quality care that children receive in the United States.
Mariya Soroka
In 2014 at the peak of protests in the Maidan, Mariya joined several fellow Ukrainians living in New York City to create Razom, a young, energetic, and progressive start-up which seeks to amplify the voice of Ukraine to an American audience. An active member of the board, she is responsible for organizing cultural events as well as cooperating with government representatives, activists, and various civic groups and human rights organizations in support of Ukraine’s quest for democracy.
CPP info
Mariya is also heavily involved with fundraising for Razom’s projects via crowdsourcing, charity events, and online petitions. After graduating from Penn State University with a BA in Advertising and Public Relations and a dual minor in Entrepreneurship and International Studies, Mariya spent over 5 years in Manhattan working within the content marketing industry. She believes in the enormous potential of dedicated volunteers around the world working to rebuild Ukraine one project at a time.
Mariana Magala
Mariana Magala was born in Lviv, Ukraine. She graduated from The University of Chicago in 2013 and holds a B.A. in Economics and Slavic Languages and Literature. Currently, Mariana is a Strategic Analytics Manager at Interline Brands (subsidiary of The Home Depot) in Jacksonville, Florida. She specializes in analytics, business strategy, and nonprofit development. Mariana was the co-chair of a pro-bono consulting group for nonprofits in Chicago for 3 years and is currently the treasurer for a young professionals group at MOSH (Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville).
Mariana joined Razom’s Neurosurgical initiative in 2016. She is very excited to collaborate with the team and develop the initiative into a highly successful program.
