Manor College, along with several state and federal officials, commemorated the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine on Feb. 23, 2022.

The date marked the 365th day of Russia’s invasion, an act that has since cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides.

Attendees’ Observations

“President Biden has declared Russia’s abominations as prosecutable crimes against humanity,” said Jonathan Peri, Manor College president. “Now then, is the time to handcuff the aggressors to justice. It will be a more humane process than they showed their victims. God will see that their suffering will be in the prison of their conscience and behind the bars of democracies that conduct themselves as countries of laws and not men.”

Among those in attendance during the Jenkintown event were Peri, State Rep. Madeleine Dean, Honorary Consul of Ukraine Iryna Mazur, and dozens of others. Dean said that while the war has created many tragedies, she’s been uplifted by the Ukrainians in Pennsylvania.

“I was here a year ago in the immediate aftermath of the invasion and saw firsthand the extraordinary community that is Pennsylvania’s Ukrainian population,” Dean said. “It has been on display in these months since. The humanity, love, and resilience you all have shown [are] making a difference.”

Mazur said that members of the public don’t have to be Ukrainian to support Ukraine. Just “…look into your heart and be human,” she advised.

She said further that she looks forward to the day when she can invite others to see her country.

“I will stand in front of you and invite you to see beautiful Kyiv, to visit multicultural Odessa, and see the liberated Black Sea,” Mazur related. “I promise you, once you visit Ukraine, you will always return there, and Ukrainians will always welcome you with open arms.”

A Traditional Dish with Deeper Meaning

The event kicked off with the making of palianytsia — a Ukrainian war-time bread. It is made with wheat, a major crop in Ukraine, and holds a special place in Ukraine’s diet, customs, and celebrations.

As the war drew on, palianytsia took on deeper significance than just a local dish. It has been used as a sign/countersign for Ukrainian forces.

As Russian soldiers went undercover in Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers were able to challenge them by asking them to say, “palianytsia.” Since Russian speakers have a hard time pronouncing the “tsia” part of palianytsia, the word became a de facto password.

The recipe used to make the palianytsia for the Manor College commemoration came from Ukrainian chef Ievgen Klopotenko.

The bread is made with minimal ingredients, modifiable to those that are easily accessed, even during war.

Manor College Support

Since the fighting broke out a year ago, Manor College remained proud of its Ukrainian roots and supported Ukraine throughout.

Online

The institution created a website dedicated to supporting Ukraine, which helped raise thousands of dollars for the Ukrainian Federation of America. Further, school administrators created a scholarship designed for students escaping conflict in Ukraine.

Financial Resources

Late last Spring, Manor College partnered with The Galman Group — a Jenkintown apartment management firm — to raise nearly $40,000 for the Ukrainian Federation of America.

Preserving History

Support efforts continued throughout the year.

Project Resilience, another Springtime effort, acquired and digitized materials of significant and cultural value to the Ukrainian Diaspora — stories of global value to preserve, enrich, and inspire future generations.

Breaking Down Language Barriers

An ESL program, sponsored by the Ukrainian Self Reliance Federal Credit Union (UKRFCU), began in the Fall and currently has more than 230 students. Most are Ukrainians, learning English.

Manor College’s Ukraine Dialogue, a discussion forum also sponsored by UKRFCU, brings Ukraine’s contemporary political and social issues to the forefront.

Fundraising

In other parts of the institution, Manor College’s veterinary technology program ran a dog wash to raise funds to benefit the animals of Ukraine.

Student life also held several events with eyes toward aiding Ukraine.

Part of a Larger Academic Effort

The effort helped Manor College gain national notoriety, including in an Inside Higher Ed article that featured Manor alongside the likes of Notre Dame and Columbia Universities.

“We’re very proud of our efforts to help Ukraine and Ukrainians,” Peri said. “The commitment to justice in our work at Manor College, and in our world, is one that we have lived and will continue to live through our daily activities.

”If America is to be free, if education is to have freedom, we cannot stand idly by while cruel despots and dictators crush their own nations and neighbors.

“Our job is to champion freedom, to champion justice. We do it at Manor through education and humanitarianism,” he concluded.

_____

A deeper explanation of the use of the word palianytsia as a safety measure in Ukraine.