Canada, Vancouver
So, where and HOW did it all begin?
Very simply, and even somewhat banally. As they say, initiative is punishable. I proposed creating a club in Vancouver, and there were no objections from the leadership of the Worldwide Club of Odesites, represented by its respected vice presidents and club director Leonid Rukman. In other words, the “assignment” to establish the WCO Vancouver Branch was received and completed. But, speaking seriously, knowing that an Odesan without communication is not an Odesan, we decided to unite and make ourselves known. Our desire to communicate with people who shared our “diagnosis” was simply too strong. Indeed, being an ODESAN is a special way of life, a special way of thinking and sense of humor, a special language and outlook on life — and that is already a diagnosis. Wherever there is humor, fun, and laughter, there is an Odesan! Wherever there is successful business, there is an Odesan too. Ah, Odesa! You gather and unite wonderful people! No wonder our WCO President, Mikhail Mikhailovich Zhvanetsky, said in an interview with Vancouver Radio V.E.R.A.: “The Earth is small, but Odesa is big, and it has spread in a thin layer across the entire Earth…”
The wonderful and prosperous city of Vancouver did not remain outside our attention either. Odesites certainly know how to choose the “right” places to live! Places for a dignified and good life. Moreover, Vancouver is a sister city of Odesa. So how could there be no Odesites here!? You might say, former Odesites! But regardless of what anyone says, it is well known that there are no former Odesites, no matter how much time has passed. We left Odesa in different years, but our love for her, for our one and only MOTHER, is the same for all of us. In fact, it does not diminish but grows stronger the farther we are from her.
Thus, September 18, 2009, is the date the Vancouver Club of Odesites was established. The club’s members include not only those born in Odesa, but also those who know and love our unique and incomparable city. Someone might ask me (of course, not an Odesan): Why is the city of Odesa so unique and incomparable? I will answer in true Odesan fashion, with a question to a question: Is there any other city in the world with the world’s finest Opera House, the Potemkin Stairs, its own special language, and, most importantly, a Worldwide Club dedicated to that city? The answer is obvious.
We meet at the Club practically every month, and it grows and becomes stronger with each passing day. There were 20 of us at the first meeting. Today, 45–50 people attend our lecture meetings, while 150 or more attend our concert gatherings.
The Russian-speaking community in Vancouver is not as large as in Toronto and Los Angeles — approximately 70,000 people. And I believe that we have achieved quite a lot in a year and a half. In any case, our first task — to make ourselves known and be heard — has been accomplished. I believe that our one-and-a-half-year-old “child,” which is now taking its first steps and earning respect, will move forward confidently, supported by Vancouver’s Odesites and by those who simply know and love our Odesa!
Club Council:
Chairwoman — TATYANA STAFEEVA
Assistants to the Chairwoman:
LILYA KARPINA — organizational affairs
NATA BENE — public relations and youth initiatives
INNA SELIVANOVA — Art Director
Council Members:
NATALIA CHAIKUN
ALEX SCHASTLIVENKO
ERIKA GOLINSKAYA
KONSTANTIN KARPOV
Zoya Voron
VICTORIA GRIGORENKO
Contacts: vanclubodessa@gmail.com
Email addresses: — vanclubodessa@gmail.com vanclubodessa.almanah@gmail.com
Contact phone: Tatyana Stafeeva — 778-858-9010;
604-565-2454 — Tatyana Stafeeva
604-727-1652 — Nata Bene
Contact persons:
1. Lilia Zakharovna Karpina — Vice President Tel.: 604-275-5619
2. Alexey Nikolaevich Schastlivenko — Vice President Tel.: 604-512-2110
Charter of the Vancouver “Odesan” Club
Odesites of all countries, unite!
The Vancouver “ODESAN” Club is an organization that voluntarily unites Odesites living in the city of Vancouver who recognize the Club’s Charter. Club members may include not only Odesites, but also those who know and love Odesa.
The main objectives of the “Club” are:
- Establishing contacts among Odesites in Vancouver and other cities.
- Bringing Odesites together in order to preserve the history and culture of the city of Odesa as a unique international center.
- Carrying out requests from Odesites living in Vancouver, including providing assistance in caring for their relatives living in Odesa.
- Organizing, at the request and expense of members of the Vancouver Club of Odesites, customary ritual services and care for the burial sites of Odesites in Odesa.
- Assisting in the development of tourism between Vancouver and Odesa, including receiving, accommodating, and providing sightseeing services for club members and guests of Vancouver, in cooperation with the Vancouver City Hall.
- Activities aimed at raising funds (charity and sponsorship) necessary to accomplish the Club’s objectives.
- The Club’s activities are carried out in accordance with Canadian law and this Charter.
- The governing bodies of the “Club” are located in the city of Vancouver.
The Veterans Invite You…
A man is God’s gift to the fairer sex:
A man is a protector, a man is support!
And there are many more reasons
For women to praise men today.
All we ask is that the guns remain silent,
That you protect women from sorrow,
And radiate warmth, stirring our blood…
And together we would defend — Love!..
…February 23. It was a glorious day. Sunny. But this story is not only about the weather… It could be said differently: A DAY OF GLORY! Glory to the people I was invited to meet and for whom I feel a special sense of gratitude. These people were VETERANS of the Great Patriotic War, or World War II. The Committee of the Association of Veterans from the former Soviet Union is headed by a combat officer, an intelligent and simply wise man in the everyday sense of the word, Grigory Alexandrovich Voiler. He organized a veterans’ gathering at the Peretz Center dedicated to Soviet Army and Navy Day.
G. Voiler spoke about the fact that in June 2009 the Parliament of Canada passed a law granting Canadian Veteran status to participants in World War II combat operations from other countries who had lived in Canada for 10 years and were Canadian citizens. To date, the following individuals have been granted World War II Veteran status: Mikhail Bakalinsky, Shale Barkin, as well as Joseph Kabanovsky, Zinaida Taradas, Zakhar Iosfin, Anatoly Zharov, Anatoly Shvartsman, Grigory Voiler, and Vladimir Smus.
Exactly one year ago, on February 23, 2010, during the Winter Olympics, speaking at a large celebration at the Russian House, Grigory Alexandrovich thanked the Canadian government, headed by Stephen Harper, for its care for veterans who came from other countries. A letter is now being prepared for Parliament proposing an amendment to the law to grant Veteran status to partisans and survivors of the Siege of Leningrad. In addition, Canadian television is preparing a six-hour film about the decisive role of the Soviet Army in World War II. Our Association is represented by Joseph Kabanovsky, a Canadian World War II veteran who took part in the battles for the capture of Berlin. Afterward, all participants of the gathering observed a minute of silence in memory of those who are no longer with us. They included A. Kaganov, N. Friedman, N. Dubrovsky, E. Vlasenko, Z. Dymerskaya, N. Naimagon, V. Levit, R. Metlitsky, G. Green, A. Futdinov, A. Maksimov, Y. Shtambrandt, E. Levitsky, and L. Pertsovich. The widows and relatives of these veterans were present in the hall.
Concluding his speech, Grigory Voiler thanked Boris Steinberg and Galina Kniter, the owners of the Russian store Maple Leaf Delicatessen at 1233 Burrard St., who prepared wonderfully delicious dishes for the veterans; the sponsors of all the events — Rufina Kraichik, Grigory Khaskin, Lazar Klotz, Mikhail Krakowski, the Dubman family, and especially Alexandra Gerson and Alex Kivritsky, who always resolved any problems faced by the veterans and attended this gathering. Radio V.E.R.A. producer Alexandra Gerson warmly and sincerely congratulated the veterans on the occasion. On behalf of the members of the Vancouver Club of Odesites, its chairwoman Tatyana Stafeeva also congratulated the veterans on Soviet Army and Navy Day. Anatoly Fyodorovich Zharov, a World War II veteran, spoke with an important addition and a proposal to continue the tradition of meeting on February 23.
…I looked at the faces of the people who had come to the gathering and thought about what worthy people had gathered here! And age was no obstacle to them. As for positive energy — there was more than enough! The concert was skillfully and effortlessly hosted by Mikhail Abramsky. Galina Zhitlina provided the musical accompaniment with great talent. She recalled her grandfather, Khaim Mendelevich Kaplunov, who died during the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad, and in memory of her father, Lev Bunimovich Zhitlin, who went through the entire war, performed his favorite piece, Oginsky’s “Polonaise — Farewell to the Homeland.” We listened with pleasure to “Terkin,” performed by the energetic 85-year-old Vladimir Smus, who also shared his recipes for longevity… Keep it up, Veteran! In memory of her father, a Great Patriotic War veteran, Lilia Karpina performed wartime songs wonderfully. Alla Goldina offered the veterans a musical greeting, performing well-known romances with great tenderness and warmth. Like a prayer in the name of Love, Anna Abramskaya recited Kochetkov’s “Ballad of the Smoked Train Carriage.” There was also the humorous song “Oh, How Dizzy My Head Is…” and “The Brass Band,” performed by the optimistic and cheerful Nina Lapteva. At the end of the gathering, during a special prize drawing, Mikhail Abramsky and especially Mikhail Yutskovich truly energized all the participants. Thus ended the gathering dedicated to Defender of the Fatherland Day.
For us immigrants, the Fatherland is what has remained forever in our hearts — our homeland, our youth, our past. Here, our Fatherland is our family — our children and grandchildren, who have already become our helpers and protectors from all the problems of immigrant life. But for our veterans, February 23 remained Soviet Army and Navy Day; for them, it is a celebration of the men who served in the army or in various security and defense structures. Although for many of us, it is simply a Day of Real Men — protectors in the broadest sense of the word.
