Galina DeRoeck

REFLECTIONS OF AN AMERICAN IMMIGRANT ON THE FOURTH OF JULY

It’s the Fourth of July again, 2022. My son called me to wish me a happy holiday. He has moved away, and I am grateful that he takes the time to stay in touch. He has told me before how standing among fellow Americans, listening to the national anthem with his hand on his heartContinue reading “REFLECTIONS OF AN AMERICAN IMMIGRANT ON THE FOURTH OF JULY”

THE WAR IN UKRAINE

Aside from my academic credentials as a student of Russian literature, culture, and history, I have a personal set of credentials to examine the current Ukrainian situation. First, my mom was born in Ukraine and my dad was born in Russia. Second, having been bombed out of our apartment building in Belgrade at age threeContinue reading “THE WAR IN UKRAINE”

VISIONS OF HELL

She hadn’t read Dusty (ok, Dostoyevsky) since her college days. The time had come to downsize after all those years, and should she hold on to the old-fashioned collection of his works on the overcrowded shelf? Aren’t they saying that Russian classics are banned somewhere, maybe in Italy, because of the war in Ukraine? Decisions,Continue reading “VISIONS OF HELL”

WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

These are not hopeful times. But just because times are uncertain and perilous, it’s good to remember that generous conceptions and dedicated action also have the power to impact the world. One such idea is the idea of non-violent resistance. The life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. is still alive in our memories.Continue reading “WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND”

THE PROMISED LAND

INTRODUCTION This essay was submitted to a contest organized by the Unitarian Universalist Organization in 2012. One of the requirements was to relate the Israeli-Palestinian issue to the similar American history of settler colonialism. The essay won the first price, and subsequently Rabbi Lerner’s online Tikkun magazine published it. It is hardly necessary to stateContinue reading “THE PROMISED LAND”

A CASE FOR WORLD CITIZENSHIP

A movement for World Citizenship does exist, and practically every country in the world, including the United States, has granted visas to the holders of its passport. These are people who wish to enlarge their national identity to include the whole world. But how do we come to feel about a particular identity in theContinue reading “A CASE FOR WORLD CITIZENSHIP”

UNDERSTANDING THE WAR INDUSTRY by Christian Sorensen

Sorensen’s book is not primarily about inviting us to “feel” the horrors of war. It is, instead, about “understanding” something – the algorithm that runs “the system” or “war industry” pretty much on auto-pay. People are, naturally, caught up in this system: those that profit from lubricating it, and those that pay the bills inContinue reading “UNDERSTANDING THE WAR INDUSTRY by Christian Sorensen”

THE COVID 19 CONTROVERSY

INTRODUCTION “Don’t you believe in science?” This is what I hear from my friends and neighbors when I wonder about the policies instituted because of Covid-19. For people who are not doctors or epidemiologists, it has been hard not to be coopted into highly politicized camps. The review below is a first attempt to turnContinue reading “THE COVID 19 CONTROVERSY”

UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE EAST

INTRODUCTION I have lived my formative years in an Arabic country, namely Morocco. This experience has resulted in my absolute conviction that Arabs – whether in Morocco or Palestine or elsewhere – are just people like you and me. Of course, people’s historical developments and cultural traditions are different: in particular, Morocco’s colonial status wasContinue reading “UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE EAST”

DIANA JOHNSTONE’S MEMOIR

Diana Johnstone’s memoir Circle in the Darkness is immensely absorbing. It recounts events one is familiar enough from reading the papers or watching the news, but then it takes you from what you think you know to what you need to know. Is it “radical” to expect that if “regular” people are told the truth,Continue reading “DIANA JOHNSTONE’S MEMOIR”