＊READ MORE から音声も聞けます。 音声はこちらから⇒iPhone: Google Podcast: Spotify: CastBox:
Veselka – The iconic Ukrainian diner
Recently Veselka has been attracting crowds offering solidarity with Ukrainian people. The iconic Ukrainian diner in the East Village has become a focal point for New Yorkers looking for comfort food and community as they gathered to share their fears, concerns for loved ones in Ukraine, and ways to help. They came from the city and the ‘burbs, wrapped in Ukrainian flags and sporting T-shirts. The crowds started coming the day Russia invaded Ukraine. “It’s been like this for days,” a manager said.
solidarity 結束、一致、団結、連帯 focal point 焦点、（事件・活動・関心などの）中心，中心部 comfort food 子供の頃に食べたものや、甘いものなど、食べるとほっとするもの
‘burb —- suburb
For sixty-seven years, customers have crowded into Veselka, a cozy Ukrainian diner in New York City’s East Village, to enjoy pierogi, borscht, goulash, and many other unpretentious favorites. Veselka (rainbow in Ukrainian) has grown up from a simple newsstand serving soup and sandwiches into a twenty-four hour gathering place without ever leaving its original location on the corner of East Ninth Street and Second Avenue. Veselka is, quite simply, an institution.
unpretentious 気取らない、見えを張らない institution（社会的・教育的事業などのための）会，協会，団体
Veselka’s food is Ukrainian by brand, but all of their recipes comes from the geographic region consisting of Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, too. I can tell you from personal experience of eating there for decades, the food is authentic and Veselka’s employees have typically hailed from not only Ukraine, but Poland and Russia too. Here in this restaurant you’ll see first-hand an example of how interwoven the history and cultures of the region encompassing Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Russia are.
interweave O with ～ Oを～と織り交ぜる、編み込む hail 〈人を〉歓呼して迎える
first-hand 自分自身がじかに、直接に encompass 取り囲む, 含む, 包含する
Learn More
In recent weeks, it’s become so easy to find news on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but there is so much more to know about these two countries’ shared religious, economic, social and political histories. I invite you to check out another podcast. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Ukraine, I recommend the “Russian Rulers History” podcast, by Mark Schauss. Although he is a history buff who mostly explains the origins of Russia’s Czars and nation state, specifically there are two really informative episodes about Ukraine. I’ve included links in the show notes. Episodes #205 and 206 cover the origins of the Ukrainian and Russian peoples. You can search up the episodes by the title: “The History of Ukraine and its Relationship to Russia – Part One and Part Two on the Russian Rulers Podcast” history buff 歴史愛好家 Czars 皇帝
Episode #205 “The History of Ukraine Part 2” on the Russian Rulers Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/russian-rulers-history-podcast/id370995272?i=1000480879310
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/russian-rulers-history-podcast/id370995272?i=1000500934270
The Russian Rulers History Podcast by Mark Schauss
Show link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/russian-rulers-history-podcast/id370995272
Also, there is the Annual Ukrainian Festival in New York City—also known as the St. George Ukrainian Festival. It takes place on the weekend closest to May 17 on East 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues. This is a festival of Ukrainian culture, music, dance, and cuisine, and was established in 1976. Although Ukraine primarily adheres to the Eastern Church, or Orthodox Church, this festival is organized by Saint George Ukrainian Catholic Church. There is a three-day program includes traditional Ukrainian stage performances, traditional food, merchandise, and family activities. I imagine this year’s Ukrainian Festival will attract an unprecedented number of people. I put the link to their Facebook page in the show notes so you can get more information.
adhere to ～を信奉する、～に固執する Orthodox Church ギリシャ正教もしくは東方正教会
What do people in New York think about Ukraine?
I’d say almost universally, I’m seeing support for Ukraine in New York City, and lots of Ukrainian flags being flown outside of businesses.
At the same time, nobody wants a war with Russia. That would be catastrophic. catastrophic 壊滅的な、悲惨な、最悪の
Samuel Kliger, the director of Russian and Eurasian Affairs for the American Jewish Committee, explained that the majority of Russian-speaking Jews in New York are expressing solidarity with Ukraine and support Ukraine’s territorial integrity, regardless of which country they immigrated from. He added that many from the community have been attending protests at Russian diplomatic headquarters in New York. integrity 高潔,誠実 territorial integrity 領土保全 ＊Territorial integrity is the principle under international law that prohibits states from the use of force against the “territorial integrity or political independence” of another state. It is enshrined in Article 2 (4) of the UN Charter and has been recognized as customary international law. 領土の保全は、国家が他国の「領土の完全性または政治的独立」に対する武力行使を禁止する国際法の下の原則である。これは、国連憲章第2条(4)に掲示され、慣習的な国際法として認められています。（ウィキペディア）
Shared perspective
As far as people’s thoughts and feelings on Ukraine go, it would be good to be mindful that people who live in NYC are those who left their home countries for a reason. Most of the Russians and Ukrainians living in New York City are here because they don’t want to be living there. For whatever reason — be it political, economical, or cultural, they have ended up here as a choice. So they are going to be most likely united, or in agreement on the foreign policy stance that America takes. By living together in New York, we have a tendency to build a shared perspective independent of the ideology that might be running a faraway government like Russia’s.
