The 1931 Ukrainian poem “Pamiatay” — “Remember” in English — by Oleksandr Oles is as relevant now as it was then.

In 1929,  communists working on behalf of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin forced peasants to relinquish their land, belongings, and sometimes housing to collective farms. The disruption resulted in less productive farming and food shortages.

By 1932, famine gripped Ukraine, with starvation deaths peaking in spring 1933. During that time, the Soviets refused to provide grain to alleviate the suffering. The mass starvation is known as Holodomor.

Acting on the suggestion of a local pastor, the Rev. Dr. Gregory Zubacz of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Parish, GV Wire is republishing “Pamiatay.”

If you would like to donate to humanitarian relief in Ukraine, go to this link. Granville Homes, the parent company of GV Wire, is matching donations up to $20,000.

Poem read on Unfiltered