End of Semester Meet and Greet

By: Susan Preston, April 17, 2023

The TMU Support Ukraine Working Group held its first End of Semester Meet and Greet on Monday, April 17, 2023, between 5 and 7 p.m., in Room 222 of Eric Palin Hall on Gerrard Street East, one of TMU’s academic buildings. 

Susan Preston, a guiding member of the SUWG, opened the event with words of welcome and an overview of the program.

The formal portion of the evening was a presentation of his latest research, by Alik Gomelsky titled “Ukrainian Jewish Relations: History and Impact of the War”.  In it, he highlighted consistent historical and contemporary efforts by the secret services of tsarist Russia, the USSR, and now Russia, to sow seeds of distrust and malevolence between Ukrainians and Jews, with the aim of discrediting and undermining any efforts at Ukrainian nation-building.  Mr. Gomelsky had uncovered that such corrosive activities were not limited to the territory of Ukraine but, at one point in the late 1960s, extended to the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada.

Alik Gomelsky presents his talk  'History as a weapon in the Hybrid war in Ukraine; History of Ukrainian-Jewish relations; KGB USSR operations against Ukrainians and Jews.'

The presentation was followed by questions to and discussions with Mr. Gomelsky, during which some participants shared their own experiences in Soviet and post-Soviet Ukraine.

Over snacks, the participants continued to talk about their interest in the SUWG’s efforts, as well as sharing their own engagements with Ukrainian issues.  Of note, was the attendance of several undergraduate students, including the incoming president of the TMU Ukrainian Students Club, who discussed ideas that could be implemented to expand the scope and engagements of the Club’s members.

While a modest event, members of the SUWG agreed that a significant level of interest and support was clearly evident for the work of the SUWG, as well as for the expansion of complementary efforts by others in support of International Ukrainian students.  

Stay tuned for the announcement of the next event!