Between Satan & Beelzebub, It Is Sometimes Worth Choosing

Мій перший вірш написаний в окопі,
на тій сипкій од вибухів стіні,
коли згубило зорі в гороскопі
моє дитинство, вбите на війні.

Ліна Костенко

My first poem was written in a trench
upon that wall crumbling from explosions
when the stars in the horoscope were killed
by my childhood, executed in the war.

Lina Kostenko
 

Transcribing and translating the interviews for Baba Babee Skazala was fascinating in many ways. I was impressed by the courage, stamina and cheerfulness of the Ukrainian refugees, and the good humor they brought to their harrowing and heart-rending stories. I was impressed, also, by the deep pride they exhibited in their Ukrainian heritage, and their fluent command of our language. But perhaps the most striking part about these stories was the interviewees’ decision to leave the Soviet Union and settle (if only impermanently) in Nazi Germany...

From what I know of Ukrainian history, I certainly expected to find this kind of unanimous resentment towards the Soviets; yet I did not expect Nazi Germany to be a more favorable alternative. Having experienced both the Soviet regime from 1939 to 1941, and the Nazi occupation from then onwards, many of these Ukrainian immigrants willingly chose to live in Nazi Germany – which says a lot about the Soviet Union. 

For instance, Ivanna M. took a three-month-long journey from Ukraine to Czechoslovakia by train, one which had no beds or bathrooms. She subsequently endured two labor camps, one of which was Strasshof, where the food “was impossible to eat.” The Nazis also sent her to work in Germany as an “ostarbeiter.” But even having endured those aspects of the Nazi occupation, she still made the decision to settle in Germany when the Soviet army pushed back against the Nazis in 1943. When she tried to leave Czechoslovakia to go west, the Soviets arrested her at the border and took away all her belongings, but let her go. And she made the decision to go to Germany – barefoot and empty-handed.

Another fascinating case, Sophia W. left her sick 2-year-old child behind in the Soviet Union when escaping to Germany, whom her father-in-law would care for while she fled. Dmytro F. went to school under the Nazis, determined to complete his education, though he had endured multiple hardships and humiliations: he was sent to punitive camps (“straf-lager”s) & forced to pick up small rocks under railway tracks, among other things.

Ukrainian Ostarbeiters Getting on a Train from Kyiv to Germany (PC: InfoUkes)

The interviewees explain their rationale for fleeing the USSR. Born in Western Ukraine, they all experienced the Soviet occupation of 1939, and the reoccupation of the territory by the Red Army in 1943. Orysya S.’s father constructed a factory only to see it expropriated by the Soviets, then by the Nazis. Her brother was arrested twice by the Soviets on charges of nationalist activity. Similarly, Ivanna M. spoke through tears about her sister who was executed by the Soviets for participating in the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists). Dmytro F.’s family of farmers had their land taken away by the Soviets. 

Joint German-Soviet Military Parade in Brest, Poland, 1939 (PC: Bundesarchiv)

Timothy Snyder’s book Bloodlands captures this unenviable fate of those trapped in between the front lines of the world’s deadliest war, having to choose between Satan and Beelzebub. In this spirit, interviewee Volodymyr H. clearly sees the Soviet Army as a land-hungry aggressor when explaining his reason for going west: “I was afraid that because Russian army was just very aggressive and I was afraid that they will invade all Europe and they will grab England, everything, so I said, as far as I can go, so it is America.” The Red Army is clearly not a liberator, but just as imperialistic as Hitler’s forces.

These stories are more than relevant today, and not just in the context of the refugee crisis. In many parts of Ukraine, Soviet propaganda still clouds people’s perception of the history of World War Two. I grew up in Kharkiv, a city where many people still see the history of the Soviet Union favorably. Until recently, before the decommunization campaign, I could walk along Lenin prospect and Dzerzhinsky street and see Lenin’s monument in Kharkiv’s central square. Unlike my parents, however, I was taught in Ukrainian history classes about the horrors of Stalin’s repression of the intelligentsia, the secret protocol to the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact that annexed Western Ukraine to Russia, the Holodomor famine, etc. To many people in the United States who were raised to hate the Soviet Union and everything it stands for, these stories will seem unsurprising. Yet, for modern-day Ukraine, they shed light on some important topics that have long been obscured by Soviet propaganda. Especially today, when Ukraine is suffering from Russian information warfare, the need for oral history of this kind is especially welcome and dire.

Demolition of Lenin Statue in Kharkiv, the Author's Home Town, September 2014 (PC: Kpamua)

Even the Americans' Allied soldiers back in 1945 did not fully understand the oppressive nature of the Soviet state. They were surprised to see, when the Soviets started taking people back home, that the Ukrainians resisted. “There were even cases when they jumped from windows to kills themselves because they did not want to go to Russia, because nothing good awaited them there. Then the Americans started wondering what was going on, why those people were afraid of going back to Russia. Poles went back to Poland, Italians to their country, but Ukrainians did not want to go anywhere, nor did the Lithuanians or the Estonians; they were afraid of coming back. Then the Americans realized who those people were, why they did not want to go back to Russia. They were afraid of being taken to Siberia – even those people who said: “I am going home, they are taking us home” – they were not really taking them home. They took them to Siberia and took away all their possessions.” (Baba Babee Skazala Interviewee)

Timothy Snyder’s book created the image of two evils, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and raised some ethically difficult - and almost unanswerable questions - about comparing them. Yet people caught in between the fronts did face the real, tangible choice of where to live. And the fact that there were many who chose Nazi Germany makes us want to dig deeper into their pasts and tell their stories, especially to those in Ukraine and Russia who have been barred so long from the truth.

On the Road in the Mile High City - Oral History Interviews in Denver

Subtitled:

Wherein, I am reminded to

"Go West, Young Man!" 

(I leave the dispute as to the attribution of this quote to Horace Greeley or John B.L. Soule to others.)

It has been awhile since Kitsune’s first venture to Denver, Colorado for our initial round of interviews, but it’s still fresh in our heads. We greatly appreciated the hospitality of our special soon-to-be interviewee, Pani Maria Figlus and her son Ihor Figlus. Not only did they make us feel right at home, but they helped coordinate our contacts with potential interviewees in the Denver area, which really streamlined our work. The first interview really hit our hearts and immediately told us that we were going to hear some really intricate stories while we were in Colorado. 
We met many wonderful individuals: everyone had a story that was absolutely memorable, so be sure to check them out in our film! Each one remembered and visualized differently which reminds us how each story is like a jigsaw piece in the larger history puzzle, and all are crucial to our understanding of that history. 
It was a blessing to meet and enjoy lunch with our interviewees - they were all very welcoming and excited to speak with us. We had a great trip to Denver, and this trip also opened the door to a return trip as our vision of the film develops. There is still so much to learn from these individuals, and we look forward to returning to hear more memorable stories and enjoy the sunny Denver climate!

As I mentioned in the Florida Interviews Blog Post, please don't limit yourself to "Baba Babee Skazala" for the stories of this amazing group of people. I encourage you to read and listen to the stories others have recorded, including some of our interviewees. Get a copy of:

Savage, Ania, "Return to Ukraine," Texas A&M University Press, TX: 2000.

The First Big Push - Orthodox Easter & Oral History Interviews in Florida

We arrived in Ft. Meyers, Florida mid-day on a Thursday afternoon. Nothing special. Or was it special?

After exiting the airport in a theatrical process of events (the usual "hurry up and wait" routine with luggage with the added burden of camera equipment), “it” came almost as expected: sudden…but lacking character. "It" was the Florida Heat: exponential as always, but for some odd reason the usual Florida humidity was lacking its threatening personality. I hate Florida humidity – the way it creates heat waves that jar the skin as if magma were a viscous substance within Florida air instead of under the Earth’s mantle. That trait was lacking this trip. Maybe this trip wouldn’t be so bad after all.

As we gathered our belongings and progressed to packing them into our white rental vehicle, we started our venture to Babcia's house …around the corner of the airport's perimeter and a straight shot onward to North Port, Florida. This is where our business was, the Ukrainian community awaited our arrival as Ukrainian Easter started to crest above the weekly horizon on the calendar. What else is there to do during a drive as a backseat passenger but to gradually open and close your eyes in a slowing melodic manner that eventually would lead to heavy eyes and darkness.

I don't awaken until we arrive at Babcia’s house, our home for the next week. There is so much preparation for the Easter holidays and week of work. I’m here to document the oral histories of the Ukrainian Diaspora that live in the Ukrainian community here in North Port. It’s seems like a daunting mission. I’ve never met half of these individuals, and who knows if they will spare any interest in me, my questions, or my project, to say the least. With whatever doubts I may have, I must set them aside for the benefit of the project and its hopeful success, as I’m confident that these elders will be interested in telling me their stories in the end. Pushing aside my doubts, I prepare for the morning's filming of Mass at the Ukrainian church. This will likely be the point where many in the community witness me for the first time and start questioning why a camera is recording their religious rituals. Of course, there is no point in worrying about that at this point, it’s time for some rest after dinner.

Friday morning comes a little too slowly. I wake up before my alarm and everyone else. This might be a good time to go for a little run and just sweat out any stress building within my body for the day to come. I don’t understand though where the Florida humidity is hiding. Not once have I been to this state and failed to experience the torrential downpour of sweat exuding from the expanded pores of my body thanks to that monstrous humidity. This was a nice morning, balmy with a cool breeze, and thus, a nice run.

Without spoiling the rest of the week’s efforts in shooting video (you should watch the film), every interview ended with something special. Although there was some initial hesitation in some elder’s eyes about having their stories filmed or wondering whether anyone would even care about their stories, many took very well to the concept of "Baba Babee Skazala", encouraging me to push forward and create something that their children and grandchildren could appreciate. Over glasses of cognac, wonderful lunches, and too much food in general, these amazing people welcomed me into their homes with sincere hearts and teary eyes, and shared their desire for this project to come to a larger fruition than I thought possible.

As I sit in a P.F Changs on the second floor of the Ft. Meyers airport writing this blog post, I contemplate my initial feelings of the project and this large step in its progression to reality. I wasn’t all gung-ho, rather quite the opposite. I had uncertainties about how the project would be received and thus, wondered whether I should continue to push so hard for its existence or whether I should drop the project and save everyone the time and hassle. In the end, these many interviews and individual stories have expressed more than one would imagine and these people have so much to offer all of us if we just take the time to listen. I’ve come to realize that this project has a much greater, deeper meaning than I thought. So much so that I nearly forgot how much I despise the Florida Heat & Humidity!

Please stay tuned as there will be more to come. More wonderful Ukrainian lunches that I would love to share with you all as I fill up on too much bread and morning cognac! :)

Please don't limit yourself to "Baba Babee Skazala" for the stories of this amazing group of people. I encourage you to read and listen to the stories others have recorded, including some of our interviewees. Get copies of:

Guran, Bohdan, Lechman, Bohdan et seq., "Flight to Freedom: Biographies of Five Families," pub. with the assistance of Babiuk, Dr. Myron: 2015.

Tanczak-Dycio, Dr. Maria Myroslava, "My Life's Journey From Ukraine to Maine," PRGott Publishing, Maine: 2013.

The First Oral History Interview, April 9, 2016

Subtitled:

"Let's start at the very beginning,

a very good place to start..."

~ from "Do Re Mi," "The Sound of Music"

It almost goes without saying that it is best to start at the beginning, but sometimes the "beginning" is not clear until you are far past it - only then can you define the point that was the beginning. In the same way, starting at the beginning implies continuing on a linear path. In reality, life rarely allows us that luxury. Still, the message of "start at the beginning" is useful in so far as it encourages proper preparation. For "Baba Babee Skazala", that of course included historical research, equipment selection and much organization, but that is not what I want to focus on here. Instead, I want to consider the "visual," the images we think of when considering this period of history.

While this is over-simplifying, those visuals often fall into two categories - horrors of the Holocaust and something more along the lines of "The Sound of Music." Now, I love this classic film as much as anyone else, and my Babcia who had to flee Ukraine loves it too, but I sincerely doubt that the travel experience of most World War II displaced persons bore much resemblance to this Von Trapp family confection. In fact, with all due respect to the real Von Trapp family, I doubt their experience bore much resemblance to Julie Andrews belting out, "the hills are alive with the sound of music" mid-escape (here, some information on the "real Von Trapp family").

The real stories of "Baba Babee Skazala" are the stories of real people whose lives were torn from their linear paths where the "beginning" was "home" in Ukraine, whose beginnings were re-defined over their lives, as they moved from place to place. Those are the stories I am seeking. 

I decided to begin with an interview that would at least provide some comfort level to balance my relative inexperience. The first interview was a relative - a cousin whose level of connection I leave to genealogists. She was the wife of my grandfather's cousin, or something along those lines, and is in her nineties. I know something of her current life because I know the family. I did not know much of her past because that is not something one often discusses at the dinner table. No spoilers here, so no names, but I am very thankful to this wonderful woman for being so gracious with her time and energy, and for making the first interview of "Baba Babee Skazala" positive and constructive. I appreciate her willingness to talk about her experiences, and lay the groundwork for future interviews.

And, on another level, I am thankful to have taken time out of the hectic, frenzied lifestyle most of us have to listen to her stories and just visit. It reminded me how important it is to make time for these personal connections.

It was, after all, a good beginning.

The "Sound of Music" soundtrack (Maria: Julie Andrews) Lyrics: Let's start at the very beginning A very good place to start 

A movie about Austrians displaced by WWII who resettled in the USA, after all.