The melody of the song is adapted from the Ukrainian folk song "Oy Marichko," and features renowned Ukrainian trumpeter Semjon Barlas (now in Berlin). All proceeds go to Ukrainian-American organization Razom For Ukraine, playing a vital role in relief efforts.
Andrij Dobriansky, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, said last week that the plan was for donated gear to be shipped by air to Poland and then transported into Ukraine.The items were most likely to be used by civilian security and medical teams, including citizens who have joined the fight against the Russian military, not Ukrainian soldiers themselves, officials said.
Arka opened its doors in 1951 on 7th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue. The owners were Roman Porytko and Jaroslav Pastushenko, two immigrants from Ukraine who were able to start a new life in the United States under the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, which allowed Europeans who had lost their homes in World War II permanent residence in the U.S.
In the 1980s, the East Village continued to flourish and grow, which resulted in steep rent increases. In 1985 Arka was hit with a 1000 percent rent increase from $300 per month to $3,000 per month and announced that after 35 years, they were going to close their doors. Signs announcing their closure were placed on each of the three large windows of the ground-level store."I happened to be walking by the Seventh Street shop one day ... when a sign in Arka's window caught my eye," explained business entrepreneur Mykola Drobenko to the Ukrainian Weekly in 1986. A few days later, Drobenko returned with an offer to buy the business.
A group of NYPD officers of Russian and Ukrainian descent has launched a citywide campaign to help Ukrainians after Russia's unprovoked invasion.Looking to help the people of Ukraine?
— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) March 2, 2022
Humanitarian aid is now being collected at your local precincts. Please only donate the items listed below before March 11, 2022. pic.twitter.com/TBgAHEYcjX
"When we in 1971 arrived in this East Village neighborhood it was still a vital immigrant population. Its larger mix was of Ukrainian, Polish and Italian heritage, their cultures so shared with us. Now those populations are slowly fading away and their children have moved on. Their restaurants, spoken languages, music, and beautiful colored flags have largely fallen silent. But their cultural contribution live on in us all, and our neighborhood history to remember," he wrote. "Now I am pleased to honor Ukraine's national flag colors as their Peace Dove."
