Anniversary SISTERBIKE – July 1 – 11- Aachen to Reims
This month, a group of cyclists from Arlington and our sister city Aachen, Germany, will embark on the 14th Annual SISTERBIKE. Leading the charge will be Bernie Chapnick, the organizer of all the bike rides since 2003.
The ride honors the 100th anniversary of World War I, the 20th anniversary of the Aachen/Arlington sister city relationship, and the 10th between sister cities Reims (France) and Arlington.
The 2014 Anniversary ride will begin in Aachen and end in Reims. After gathering together in Aachen, the 38-member group will embark on a ride which will take them through Bütgenbach andClervaux, then by train to Luxembourg City and Metz, and continuing to
Nancy, Lac de Madine, Verdun, Vienne-le-Chateau and the Verdun battlefield. In Chalons-en-Champagne riders will see the original resting place the WWI Unknown Soldier, now in Arlington National Cemetery. Finally, the cyclists arrive in Reims, France and will celebrate Bastille Day with their hosts.
Stay tuned for more on their trip!
10th Year Anniversary between Reims and Arlington
On a recent visit to Reims, our sister city relationship was renewed, and our 10 year anniversary celebrated!
Pictured: second from left, is Arlington County Board member Walter Tejada. In the middle is Barbara Favola, Virginia state senator, who was chair of the Arlington County Board in 2004 and signed the accords in Reims for Arlington to establish our Sister City relationship. Between Walter and Barbara is Reims Mayor Arnaud Robinet.
Ukrainian Museum in New York City – Exhibiting Taras Shevchenko through 11/2/2014
If you’re visiting NYC this summer or fall, put the Ukrainian Museum on your list.
June 29 through November 2, 2014
The exhibition Taras Shevchenko: Poet, Artist, Icon offers a rare opportunity to see many of the treasures created by artist and poet Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861). Marking the 200th anniversary of Shevchenko’s birth, the exhibition includes original art works by the artist and archival objects from Ukraine seen in this country for the first time ever!
The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive, illustrated catalogue containing a scholarly essay by the curator, George G. Grabowicz, Professor of Ukrainian Literature at Harvard University.
The collection from the National Museum of Taras Shevchenko in Kyiv, comprised of selections that span nearly the entire lifetime of the artist, includes fifty original watercolors, sepia works, drawings, etchings, in addition to objects such as publications and Shevchenko’s own artist’s tools. Reproductions of more than sixty other works by Shevchenko, along with documents-facsimiles of the artist’s albums of sketches and poems-enhance the exhibition. A rare 1840 edition of a Kobzar (“The Minstrel”), one of Shevchenko’s first collections of poetry that became his most widely read work, is on loan from the Shevchenko Scientific Society in New York. Selected items from The Ukrainian Museum’s archival collection along with audiovisuals and a recorded guided tour serve to complete the narrative presented in the exhibition.
The Ukrainian Museum, 222 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10003, 212-228-0110
Twentieth Anniversary Celebration
On May 5, 2014, members of the Arlington Sister City Association Board of Directors hosted a 20th anniversary event focused on community building.
We reached out into the community to find people who were not familiar with ASCA or who might, as a result of their expertise, guide us into our next decade, a stronger and more influential organization.
The event was held at the Arlington Arts Center. The program was led by Master of Ceremonies Carl Lankowski, who inaugurated the ASCA Online Oral History Archive. Brief statements were made by Arlington County Board Member Walter Tejada, former Miss Sister City Cindy Zavala; Aachen Exchange founder Heidi Addison and ASCA Chairman, Malcolm Phillips.
We were honored to have the following dignitaries with us, who also made brief statements to the enthusiastic crowd: Jay Fisette, Chairman, Arlington County Board; Daniel Serwer, US diplomat and author; Counselor Stanislav Yezhov, Embassy of Ukraine; Consul General of France, Olivier Serot-Almeras; Minister-Counselor Karl Bergner, Embassy of Germany; and Deputy Chief of Mission, Oscar Chavez, Embassy of El Salvador.
Photos of the event can be viewed by clicking here. (Johannes Markus, photographer)
We value all of our members and friends across the area and in this 20th year, are committed to reaching across borders to connect our community, person-by-person, in an enriching network of experience, illumination, and insight. Please help us by joining or renewing your membership, or making a donation by visiting the membership section of website.
The Insights Film Series continues with “Harvest of Despair,” Sunday June 1 at 3:00 pm
Join the Columbia Pike Library and the Arlington Sister City Association — Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine) Committee to learn more about Ukraine and part of its long history with Russia.
Sunday, June 3 at Columbia Pike Library , 816 S Walter Reed Dr., Arlington, VA 22201,
703-228-5710
Directed by Slavko Nowytski, this film documents the Ukrainian terror famine of 1932–33, which caused the deaths of 7,000,000 people. Using interviews with survivors and scholars to supplement rare photographic evidence, it established that the terror famine was deliberately created by the Soviet Government as part of Stalin’s decades-long effort to destroy the Ukrainian peasantry, who resisted the forced collectivization of their lands. Since its original release, it has received many international awards (including an Academy Award nomination) and has been featured on William F. Buckley’s Firing Line program on the PBS television network. A powerful film, Harvest of Despair provides rare insight into one of the last century’s least-known genocides.
Presented by Columbia Pike Library and the Arlington Sister City Association — Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine) Committee
Documentary Screening May 18 “Son of Crimea: Struggle of A People”
WHAT: Screening of the documentary “Son of Crimea: Struggle of A People,” in observance of the 70th anniversary of the Crimean Tatar deportation.
WHEN: 18 May 2014, 3-5 pm
WHERE: George Mason University, Arlington Campus, Founders Hall Auditorium
ORGANIZED BY: Arlington Sister City Association, Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine) Committee; in cooperation with International Committee for Crimea, Inc., Washington DC
DESCRIPTION: On May 18, 1944, the Soviet government exiled the entire Crimean Tatar population from the
ir historic homeland. Accused of cooperation with the occupying Nazi forces during World War II, they were sent to Central Asia and the Urals. This 2013 documentary tells the story of the Crimean Tatars’ arduous journey during deportation, unsanitary conditions in cattle wagons used to transport them, and the misery awaiting the deportees in places of exile. The legendary Crimean Tatar leader and a well-known Soviet dissident, Mustafa Jemilev was only six months old, when his family survived the 22-day journey. Eye-witnesses describe their personal loss and ordeal with the authorities. Commentators explain the real reasons for deporting the entire population of Crimean Tatars: eliminating the Tatar element from Crimea. Yet, Crimean Tatars survived and managed to retur
n to their homeland with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
DOCUMENTARY: “Son of Crimea: Struggle of A People,” produced by TRT (Turkish Radio and Television), 60 minutes, with English subtitles and narration. (Original dialog is mostly in Crimean Tatar and Russian.)
DISCUSSION: After the screening, comments by Idil Izmirli of George Mason University, specialist on Crimea; and Paul Goble, analyst and editor of “Window on Eurasia.” Followed by Q&A.
MODERATOR: Maria Sonevytsky.
Join us April 27 for a screening of “The Soviet Story”
The Soviet Story: a 2008 documentary film about Soviet Communism and Soviet–German collaboration before 1941 written and directed by Edvīns Šnore and sponsored by the UEN Group in the European Parliament.
FREE ADMISSION! Click here for Details
Organized by the Arlington Sister City Association-Ivano-Frankivsk Committee
Reims Committee Seeks Volunteer
The Reims Committee is looking for an enthusiastic volunteer to take over its very successful, exchange between Arlington Public High Schools and Lycée Marc Chagall in Reims, now in its 12th year.
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Libby Schollaert, founder of the exchange and current organizer, is retiring from this job.
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The time commitment ranges from several hours a week in the fall to several hours a day just prior to the exchange.
We would encourage job sharing or the formation of a small committee to fill this position
Please contact Libby with any questions. If interested, please send a description of relevant qualifications. Libby Schollaert
Aachen exchange – July 2014
Congratulations to 19 Arlington county students, including two scholarship recipients who will travel to Aachen this July as part of the Arlington-Aachen high school exchange program. 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the exchange and special activities are planned in Aachen to mark this milestone.
This program seeks adult volunteers to continue its success. Please contact Jennifer Wright at (email) for details.