Učitel angličtiny - Mgr. Igor Seykora

The Long Ukrainian Winter
How You Can Help

TIMOTHY SNYDER

FEB 7


Dear Friends,
Russia’s full-scale of invasion began four years ago. It began in winter, and so this winter is the fifth. And, for civilians, the worst.
The Russian war effort is struggling in the field. Territorial gains are minimal and come at huge cost. What Russia can do is launch ballistic missiles and drones at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in order to force Ukrainians to endure the freezing cold. Russia also simply targets Ukrainian workers at their factories and Ukrainians generally in their homes.
Sadly, we in North America and Europe share some responsibility in this. The Ukrainians are fighting well enough that we do not have to fight. And so it is all too easy to accept this war, the bloodiest since 1945, as simply part of the status quo.

A year ago, during the fourth winter of the war, celebrating the opening of an underground (physically underground) school in Zaporizhzhiia, Ukraine. An underground school can operate during wartime, because the children are safe from Russian attacks. The children here had been away from physical school for five years, because of covid and then because of Russian invasion. They were very happy to be in school
And so we -- the EU and the US alike -- have taken far too long to cut off Russian gas and oil from world markets. The US government has stopped all military aid to Ukraine -- what continues are shipments of US arms to Ukraine that are purchased by Europeans, as well as European arms shipments. Even though the Ukrainian need is great and the Europeans are paying for everything, the United States has been slow to make deliveries.
We are not sending the Ukrainians the air defense they need to protect themselves. This is one reason millions of people are in the cold, and why civilians die almost every day.
The major policy of the Trump administration has been to use the word “peace.” Peace comes when an aggressor ceases to aggress and the country that is attacked can rebuild. But Trump has been unable to muster a policy that would change Russia’s incentives. He has difficulty even presenting the war as a war, rather than as a misunderstanding about real estate; his administration issues official statements that praise Russia for its desire for peace, even as the offensives continue missiles fall. Trump has put pressure on Ukrainians, who, unlike the Russians, have to fight. For Russia, this is an ego war, a war by a dictator for his own legacy. For Ukraine, this is a war of national sovereignty and physical survival.
Fortunately, there is something that we as individuals can do. There are non-governmental organizations, in Ukraine and abroad, that support Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. There is a Ukrainian government platform, United24, that enables donations to specific areas of need. I will share a few ways that you can help. I hope that many of you will do so, thinking of this fifth winter of the war, and of the people who have no choice but to fight and to endure.
United24 is the official fundraising platform of the Ukrainian state, organized by the president’s office. Again here you can find a number of ongoing initiatives that are worthy of support. One of these is Sky Sentinel, a Ukrainian-designed system that destroys Russian drones.
Come Back Alive is a major, respected, and trusted Ukrainian NGO. They have a number of ongoing projects. One in particular helps to equip Ukrainian air defense units to follow and destroy Russian missiles and drones that have bypassed the first line of protection. They also engage in important training projects.
Help99 is an Estonian NGO (with whom I have worked with great outcomes) that delivers trucks and other gear to specific Ukrainian units. They work hard and are hands-on. If you do a bit of scrolling you can find a way to make your donation US-tax deductible
The other night I gave a lecture to help fundraise for the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. They are running programs to assist Ukrainian veterans and to provide humanitarian aid.
In the United States, Razom does important advocacy work, as well as coordinating important aid programs in Ukraine, including for Ukrainian tactical medicine. It is a US 501(c)3.
I want to acknowledge and thank all of you who have already supported the work of these institutions and who have already taken part in fundraisers where I was involved these last four years. Most recently we equipped the Ukrainian National Guard with automobiles that can jam Russian drones, enabling the rescue of the wounded. In United24 fundraisers we have enabled the Ukrainian government to purchase armored ambulances, mine-clearing robots, robots that rescue the wounded, and systems to detect Russian drones. All of this has made a difference, all of this has saved lives.
Sadly, the war continues, as does our own responsibility. Thank you for whatever you can do. Please share this message with others who might want to support Ukraine during this long winter.

Georg Duckwitz sat alone in his Copenhagen office, staring at orders that made his blood run cold.
In 72 hours, N**i forces would sweep through Denmark. Every Jewish family would be dragged from their homes. Put on cattle cars. Shipped to death camps.
Georg was supposed to help make it happen.
He was a German diplomat. These were his orders from Berlin. His job was to stay quiet and do what he was told.
But Georg kept thinking about Mrs. Cohen, who sold flowers outside his office building. And the young father who walked his twin boys to school every morning, both kids chattering in Danish while holding their papa's hands.
They were going to die. And they had no idea it was coming.
Georg's hands trembled as he locked the classified papers in his desk drawer. He caught the next boat to Sweden with nothing but the clothes on his back and a plan that could get him executed.
In Stockholm, he walked straight into government offices. His voice shook as he spoke to Swedish officials.
"Denmark's Jews need help. All of them. Right now."
"How many people are we talking about?" they asked.
"Seven thousand. Maybe more."
The room went silent. Then, miraculously, they said yes. Sweden would take in every single person who could make it across the water.
Now came the impossible part.
Georg sailed back to Denmark and did something that still gives me chills. He picked up his phone and called a Danish politician he barely knew but somehow trusted.
"They're coming for the Jews in three days," Georg whispered into the receiver. "Tell everyone you can."
That politician hung up and immediately called his friend. Who called his neighbor. Who called her cousin.
Within hours, the word was racing through Copenhagen like a lightning bolt. Jewish families heard urgent knocks on their doors at midnight.
"Pack one suitcase. Leave everything else. Go to the harbor. Now."
Can you imagine? Families who had lived in the same apartments for generations suddenly grabbing their children and running into the night.
Danish fishermen who had never spoken to a Jewish person in their lives became instant heroes. They loaded their small boats with scared families and pushed off into the black, freezing waters.
Mothers held crying babies against their chests as the boats rocked violently in the waves. Elderly men clutched Torah scrolls. Teenagers said goodbye to their bedrooms forever.
But the boats kept coming. Night after night after night.
Georg went to work the next morning like nothing had happened. He sat in N**i planning meetings. Nodded when his colleagues talked about the upcoming "operation."
Inside, his heart was pounding so hard he was sure everyone could hear it.
When the SS finally arrived to arrest Denmark's Jewish population, they found something that stunned them.
Empty houses. Unlocked front doors. Breakfast dishes still sitting on kitchen tables.
An entire community had disappeared.
In three weeks, ordinary fishermen had smuggled 7,200 people to safety. Whole families. Newborn babies. Great-grandparents who could barely walk.
All because one man couldn't stay silent.
The N**is launched a massive investigation. They questioned everyone. They offered rewards for information.
Georg never cracked. He filed his daily reports, attended his meetings, and carried his secret like a stone in his chest.
He had saved nearly an entire people. And he never told anyone.
After the war ended, when the truth finally came out, reporters called Georg a hero. He always said the same thing: "I just did what any decent person would do."
But here's what gets me. Most people didn't do what Georg did. Most people followed orders. Stayed safe. Looked the other way.
Georg chose differently.
Today, there are thousands of people living in Denmark, Sweden, America, and all over the world who exist because of that choice.
They grew up. Got married. Had children and grandchildren. Built businesses and families and beautiful lives.
All because one person decided that saving strangers mattered more than saving himself.
Think about that the next time you see something wrong happening and wonder if your voice matters.
It does. One person really can change everything.

Kolika různými způsoby je možno - v závislosti na kontextu a situaci - přeložit do češtiny frázi "There you go."
- There you go . - Tak vidíš .
There you go . _ To je ono .
There you go . Tak .
- There you go . Tak pojď .
- There you go . Tu máš .
There you go . Přesně tak .
- There you go . - Tady tě máme .
There you go . Tady je máte .
There you go , sir . Prosím , pane .
There you go ! Tak jedem !
There you go . Hotovo .
- There you go . - A máme to .
- There you go . _SUBTITLES Ou ! - Tak .
There you go . Běž .
There you go . Ať už jsi tam .
There you go . A je to .
There you go . - Tady to máš .
There you go . A je to .
There you go , little guy . Tady máš , maličký .
There you go ! Prima .
There you go . Tady máš .

There you go , pal . No pojď , kámo .
There you go . Ochutnejte .
So there you go . Tak to je ono .
- There you go . - Prosím .
There you go ! To je ono !
There you go , Joe . Tady ji máš , Joe .
- There you go . - Tady , prosím .
There you go again . A opět .
There you go . Do toho .
There you go , very good . To je ono , Moc dobře .
There you go , miss . A je to , slečno .
- There you go . - Dobrá řeč .
There you go . A je to .
“ There you go , ” he said . " Tumáš , " řekl .

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