Dear Friends,

Please see below for the latest correspondence from Olha. The ongoing war in Ukraine and their inability to all be together is clearly taking it toll on Olha and her family. How wonderful it is that we at MHJC have been able to provide both monetary and emotional support during these trying times. 

On behalf of Olha, Yasya and Sashko Kupriyan, thank you so much for your ongiong support. As always, if you would like to write to Olha, you can send her an email at kuprolya@gmail.com. If you would like to share her response to your email with the congregation, please forward her email to Sharon at sharondashow@hotmail.com. Should you wish to contribute, you may do so though our website or by sending a check made payable to MHJC. If you send a check, please make sure to add Ukranian Family Fund on the memo portion of your check. Thank you for your ongoing support.

All the best,

Israeli, Jewish and Community Affairs Committee

Dear Sharon,

Thank you for greetings! I also wish you happy Pesach and happy family time. Unfortunately, I didn't managed to send my greetings on time because of holidays and work. Here, in Poland, we are between two calendars, so in Poland we celebrate the feasts earlier, and in Ukraine a little bit later.

Last Sunday we celebrated Polish feast Wielkanoc (Easter), and this Sunday we will be celebrating the Orthodox Easter, we call it Welykden (a Great Day), but it is the same.

I am not very religious, but these days are special for me because my child memories. I like painted eggs and Ukrainian tradition of drawing pysankas, I like ritual bread, which is called 'paska'. Thought, I didn't bake it myself. I liked the tradition to come for vacations to the parents home. I miss it so much. I was not there from 2020, it is because of family matters with my mom, not because of war.

I made a decision to come back to Kyiv in summer. I need to be in Krakow till the end of the school year because of my daughter Yaroslava, but I cannot be there one more year. I want my family back, I miss my husband so much. We had an anniversary last week, 10 years from our marriage day.

I am glad that I had this year here, in Poland, but my home is in Ukraine. Though, if something would go worth, I know the safe place and could be go here again.

Yours sincerely,

Olha Kupriian