Blog Posts
In late February 2025, shortly after the three-year mark of russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine, I had the great privilege to speak on air with the authors of two remarkable books that bring home this devastating war in gripping novels that are hard to put down. Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is an American author now living […]
Update: October 8, 2025 Late last year, I was hit with a takedown notice by my podcast hosting platform where I had been archiving the shows for many years. Fortunately, I appealed and was given a reprieve. The feed was not taken down, but I was informed that going forward I am not allowed to
For those advance planners, here’s a suggestion for holiday gift-giving. Everyone loves a good cookbook, and this one has turned out to be quite popular. In August of last year, I wrapped up a project started almost 20 years ago—a collection of the recipes of Sylvia Molnar, who presented over 200 of them in the
Swimming with Spies is a young adult novel by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, set in Crimea during Russia’s 2014 annexation. Part of The Reschen Valley Series, the story follows a dolphin trainer navigating themes of loyalty, empathy, and marine biology in a time of political upheaval. This review originally aired on the Knyzhka Corner segment of Nash
Today is April 26, 2025. Thirty-nine years ago, the world witnessed the catastrophic explosion at Reactor 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. An event that not only scarred the Ukrainian landscape but also left an indelible mark on global consciousness. In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, thousands of brave individuals—firefighters, engineers, scientists, and
In this edition of Knyzka Corner, we will be discussing Stanislav Aseyev’s, The Torture Camp on Paradise Street. The Torture Camp on Paradise Street, translated by Zenia Tompkins and Nina Murray and published by the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, is a personal memoir of Stanislav Aseyev’s two and a half years in illegal
Survival as Victory by Oksana Kis explores how Ukrainian women endured and resisted Soviet repression in the Gulag. Drawing on over 150 personal accounts, this powerful work reveals how identity, faith, and dignity became acts of defiance. Myra Junyk reviews Kis’s groundbreaking work, highlighting its relevance amid renewed aggression against Ukraine in 2022. Transcript: In
Welcome to the final episode of our 4-part series on the currencies of Ukraine and Israel. In Episode 1, the focus was on the respective histories of the currencies of these two states. In Episodes 2 and 3, we focused on eight prominent Jews born in Ukraine who were depicted on Israel’s currency. In this
In the last two episodes of Ukrainian Jewish Heritage, we learned that several Jews from Ukrainian territories were awarded one of Israel’s highest honors: their portraits depicted on the state’s banknotes and coins. And that Ukraine has returned the favour. In Episode 1, the focus was on the respective histories of the currencies of Israel
The State of Israel was created and built by Jewish settlers who came mainly from Eastern Europe. Among them were quite a few natives of Ukraine, then ruled by the Russian & Austro-Hungarian Empires. Today’s episode of Ukrainian Jewish Heritage, Part 2 of our series on the currencies of Ukraine and Israel, features Jews from
