Letters to the Editor | Sept. 8, 2023

Say it ain’t so! I was deflated upon reading that Anndee Hochman’s terrific Parent Trip column ended this week. For the last nine years I have been a faithful reader — looking forward to opening the paper the day Hochman’s column appeared and getting a glimpse into the forever-changed lives of first-time and experienced parents — along with a photo of their adorable little change makers. I loved reliving the early days of my own parenthood through them, and with Hochman being such a gifted, evocative writer, I regularly found myself breaking into a smile, shaking my head in agreement, laughing out loud, and reading the funny bits to my husband (and for sure crying a fair share of silent tears).

I love being a parent. Coincidently, the Parent Trip ended the week I became an empty nester. My 20-year-old only child successfully orchestrated a move into her first apartment with three friends, and I couldn’t be prouder even as I’m a bit anxious. (How about starting a new column for parents about supporting their grown children?) In her last Parent Trip story, Hochman wrote, “Parenthood will skewer you with terror when it isn’t drenching you with love.” So right — and so beautifully said. A heartfelt thank you to Hochman for sharing her writing talents with me and other readers and reminding us we don’t do this alone.

Colleen McCauley, Philadelphia, colmccauley@gmail.com

I have no argument with what was written about the Elkins Park memorial to an SS unit composed of Ukrainian soldiers in Sunday’s Inquirer. I am troubled by the story, and the fact of a pro-Nazi commemoration in Philadelphia. Part of my disquiet stems from the knowledge that there are those in this country who are questioning U.S. support for Ukraine, and stories such as these may help erode that support. This is not to say that we should mute information. On the contrary, more information is needed for one’s understanding of the rights and wrongs of the existence of the memorial.

Readers should know about the Ukrainian famine of 1932-33 that was deliberately provoked by the Soviet Union. Called Holodomor by the Ukrainians, or “death by hunger,” between 3.5 to 5 million people died. The primary cause was the “collectivization” of agriculture and the collapse of family farming. The famine was accompanied by a campaign of repression and persecution that was carried out against Ukrainian culture and Ukrainian religious leaders. The Ukrainian language was demoted to a language of secondary importance. Russians repopulated the regions that suffered most from the famine, including Donetsk, which rebelled against Ukrainian control in 2014 and is now occupied by the Russian Army.

Since 2006, the Holodomor has been recognized by the European Parliament and 25 other countries as a genocide against the Ukrainian people carried out by the Soviet government. Russia denies it. Ukrainians lost a huge percentage of their population, their neighbors, their friends, and their family members. You do not forget such an atrocity in a short time. The Ukrainian SS brigade was formed in 1943. That was 10 years after the famine. It is easy to condemn the creation of a memorial if it were to be erected now. It is less easy to condemn the decision to join this brigade at the time that some Ukrainians joined.

Timothy Duffield, West Chester, timd@netaxs.com

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