We’re all in this together. That’s the main message we hear these days in the United States while the novel coronavirus is taking its deadly toll on our country. Just like you, we at The Ukrainian Weekly are doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19. We’ve been working from our homes for nearly four weeks now – we can’t say it’s been easy, but our paper has been coming out without fail.
While we’re all physically separate, we must underscore that the social distancing we’re all practicing does not need to be social disengagement. Indeed, it has been noted by many professionals that it’s critically important to our emotional and physical health that we maintain contacts with our family, friends and colleagues. Thankfully, we have multiple social media to help us do so.
As noted last week in this space, our Churches have taken steps to ensure that their faithful are served – something that’s especially important during the Easter holy days. We‘ve lost count of how many parishes are now streaming liturgies and other services online, but we encourage you to check out your parish website or posts on Facebook by our Churches’ leadership to learn more.
Our Ukrainian schools and youth and scout organizations are successfully conducting classes and meetings online. And it’s an experiment that’s working! (We even learned of Ukrainian youngsters in Sweden who participated via the Internet in the Ukrainian studies program conducted by our local school in Whippany, N.J.)
There have been other unique uses of the Internet, whether by Zoom or Google Hangouts, or similar services. Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization’s physical fitness director has promoted an online yoga class conducted by a Plast member from the Chicago area. Our local Ukrainian dance fitness class now “meets” on Wednesdays online, with the instructor leading his students via live video feed. Afterwards, the class enjoys a bit of virtual socializing.
The Ukrainian Museum in New York is presenting a series of pysanka workshops that are conducted via the videoconference app Zoom. The workshops are free; participants merely needed to register online and, of course, have their own pysanka-making supplies. Also in New York, the Ukrainian Institute of America has invited its supporters to “stay connected with us.” Though the UIA is currently closed, an e-mail message notes that it has been posting on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram daily and advised: “Please visit us there!”
We’re sure there are many, many more illustrative examples of how our community is maintaining social engagement and continuing its work. Therefore, we invite readers to inform us, and through us the community at large, about how you are handling things in your “hromady.”
We’d like to end this editorial with another pertinent message we’ve seen in recent days in our neighborhood. It appeared on the marquee of our local performing arts center: “Hope is not cancelled.” Keep that in mind, dear readers, as we continue our common battle against the coronavirus.