The young Ukrainian writer, singer, journalist, and television presenter Irena Karpa’s visit to Israel, which featured her participation in the Jerusalem Book Fair and speeches in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, became an outstanding event of the Ukrainian-Israeli cultural dialogue at the beginning of 2015.“Previously, I was not familiar with Irena and her work,” noted Anna Zharova, the head of the public organization “Israeli Friends of Ukraine,” who shared with UJE her impressions on Karpa’s visit to Israel. “But before she was supposed to arrive, I read her books, watched cartoons, and discovered her interesting personality.”
Karpa’s meeting with young Israelis was very special, Anna observed. “When we help Ukraine with humanitarian aid, those are, so to say, acts from our part. When creative people come from Ukraine we get invaluable feedback. It is very important for us, in Israel, to hear such a talented voice of Ukraine,” she says.
The fact that Irena Karpa knows the group “Israeli Friends of Ukraine” pleasantly surprised Zharova. The writer gave all the money from the sale of books in Israel to the Israeli volunteers, and these funds were spent on the purchase of haemostatic bandages for Ukrainian soldiers in the ATO [anti-terrorism operation] area. They have already been sent to Ukraine.
The most important thing is that the event with Irena Karpa in Tel Aviv was a meeting of friends who feel that the problems of Ukraine are close and important for them. It was an informal dialogue, during which young Israelis were able to directly hear a voice of contemporary Ukraine.
“It was all very natural and sincere. People were really interested in what Karpa thinks, and we Israelis were interesting for her,” said Zharova. “That created a special atmosphere for this meeting. The evening with the Ukrainian writer was attended by many new people that have not participated in pro-Ukrainian events before. We have a remarkably pleasant impression from this meeting, after which I heard very positive comments from many people.”
Equally important for Karpa’s visit became her speeches on Israeli radio and television. During these presentations, the Ukrainian guest was able to charm and interest a wide audience of Israelis.
For those who come from Ukraine and have lived in Israel for many years, their country of origin remains some distant “image” on television or computer screens. That is why personal contact with a bright creative person from Ukraine is very important for the Israelis, because it helps to establish bridges of understanding between our countries and peoples.
Shimon Briman
