Yuryi Panasenko

He was born on August 17, 1953, in the city of Kherson, Ukraine. He has always been interested in the humanities: literature, music, history, geography. He listened with interest and wrote down much of what his father and mother, as well as his grandparents, told about their lives. Around 2015, he decided to write something like a family chronicle. These memories were intended mainly for relatives, so that children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would not forget their roots. “Many Jews know their genealogies for centuries, but for us – at least to learn something about our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers,” the author says. “I didn’t initially plan to write a book as such. These were just notes about relatives, separate impressions, memorable episodes from life. Then the idea ‘about a book’ was suggested to me by my cousin Nadya Tolstenko, who lives in Russia in the city of Kropotkin, Krasnodar region. Plus, my father’s and mother’s ‘Memories’ appeared. And we decided to arrange all this into a separate collection. Frankly, I didn’t even imagine what a big, simply titanic work it would be. Without the support of my relatives, brother and sisters, I wouldn’t have managed it. I thank everyone for the corrections and comments that were taken into account when preparing the final version of the book. I also thank the editorial board of the almanac ‘Literary America,’ which prepared this project for printing. Without their patience, sensitivity, and professionalism, the memories would have remained in manuscript form. But the main gratitude is to our Lord, the God of our parents and our Savior, who inspired and used us, His servants, to carry out this good work. May glory and honor be to Him alone. ‘Without Me, says Jesus Christ, you can do nothing. John 15:5’. With reverence and humility, we accept this gift of His manifold grace from His hands and pass it on as a joint work for the benefit of those who will read these memories.”