Generational Memory: From Mennonite Colonies of Ukraine to Volunteering in Canada

Herb and Irma Goertz are Canadian volunteers with Ukrainian roots. Their ancestors, Mennonites from the colonies of Khortytsia and Molochna, experienced the loss of their home during the Second World War and Soviet repressions. Today, remembering their family history, they help those fleeing from the russian [1] war, supporting newly arrived Ukrainians in Canada with warmth, care, and the work of their hands.

The story of the family of Herb and Irma Goertz is proof that Ukrainian roots live on, even if decades have passed and the continent has changed.

Herb and Irma Goertz

Herb’s parents, Jacob Goertz and Irma Fast, were born in the 1930s into Mennonite families who lived in the Mennonite colony of Molochna. Irma’s father, John Letkemann, was born in the late 1920s in the Khortytsia colony. Both colonies are in the territory of the present-day Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine[2].

The colonies of Khortytsia and Molochna, founded in 1789 and 1804, respectively, by Mennonite settlers from Western Prussia, fled due to the oppression of Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm II and the inability to own land because they refused to perform military service for religious pacifist reasons.

The territories of Ukraine, which at that historical time were under the yoke of the russian Empire, became home for the Mennonites for a time. This was facilitated by conditions introduced by Tsarist Russia on the historically Ukrainian land for the Mennonite community – free worship of their faith, obtaining land, and exemption from military service. Thus, the hardworking community built homes, raised children, worked the Ukrainian land, built churches, and hoped for a safe future for the next generations.

The Soviet Regime and the Second World War: Searching for a Safe Home

In the 1920s–30s, when the Soviet Union intensified repressions in Ukraine, including against national and religious communities and private property, life for Ukrainians and Mennonites became unbearable. Many were repressed, exiled to Siberia (russia), and their land and other property were taken by the state.

During the Second World War, part of the Mennonite families, including the families of Herb and Irma – Goertz, Fast and Letkemann, were forced to leave Ukraine due to the intolerance of the Soviet Union towards Mennonites and the danger of deportation by the Soviet regime to Siberia (russia).

They were not fleeing from Ukraine – they were fleeing from the Soviet totalitarian regime and the War, leaving behind all their possessions, farms, and setting out into an unknown future.

“My dad, who always said he was born in Ukraine, often told about the farm, about the trees that had just begun to bear fruit. And then tanks came and destroyed everything…” says Irma. Herb continues – “Dad was about 14 years old then. The German army completely burned the villages, thus destroying the colonies.”

The emigration path of the Goertz and Fast families went through Poland; they lived for a long time in refugee camps in Germany, and later, on a British ship, both families reached Paraguay and, later, Canada.

In Paraguay, the Goertz and Fast families started life from scratch – building the first houses, roads, and water systems with their own hands, doing hard physical labour on the land, growing peanuts and cotton, adapting to new, harsh climatic conditions. Our interlocutor, Herb, was born in Paraguay, in the city of Neu-Halbstadt, in the colony of Neuland, and spent 1 1/2 years of childhood on a farm in the small village of Tiege.

Canada: Life Built on Work and Faith

Upon arriving in Canada, the Goertz family gradually integrated, preserving faith and identity. Herb does not remember his parents complaining about living conditions upon arrival – they had the strength of faith, support from the community and friends who did not stand aside and helped in every way to adapt to the new place. Thus, the newly arrived family of Herb worked diligently, set up their household, learned English – they built a life.

The parents of Herb and Irma lived nearby, and the families went to the same church. Thus, they later met, got married, and the next generation of the Goertz family was born.

Today, the family of Herb and Irma Goertz preserves the traditions of the Mennonite community and the memory of their Ukrainian past. Herb says, “We always ate with our parents, and even now we eat borscht with a yeast bun.” Irma adds that “sometimes it’s hard for us to distinguish what comes from Mennonites and what from Ukraine. But we have found that quite often we eat four things that, in my opinion, have Ukrainian roots, even more often than Mennonites – Varenyky[3], Holubtsi[4], Borscht,[5] Paska,[6]” and notes that she bakes Paska at Easter every year just like her mother. “So our children and grandchildren know and enjoy Paska.”

The War in Ukraine

After the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, Herb and Irma did not stand aside. Their family memory of losing their Ukrainian home during the Second World War and the Soviet regime, the thorny and long path through refugee camps, came alive in the new reality.

The Goertz family began helping Ukrainian families who fled to Canada from the war started by Russia against Ukraine in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“Simply put, Putin’s Russia wants to take what does not belong to it, or simply take, take, take… And I think – how can this be? It’s horrible… We are used to thinking that in Canada, this will never happen, that here everything will always be fine. And then you start asking yourself: what if not? What if the war came here, as it came to Ukraine?” shares Herb.

“I think – you work, you build your life, and then it is taken away from you. And not only that, you are forced to flee across the world and start everything from scratch. It’s just incredibly painful. I just couldn’t bear to think how Ukrainians leave everything behind and start over… It’s like looking in the mirror of my family’s history,” say Herb and Irma.

Volunteering and Good Advice for Ukrainians

Herb and Irma were greatly impressed by the stories of Stephanie, the founder of Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis (Grassroots), about the problems of newly arrived Ukrainians and the scope of the issues and tasks that Grassroots must address to help those fleeing the Russian war.

“I am so proud of her, you know. She (author’s note – Stephanie), the volunteers, and Grassroots as a whole systematically do amazing work,” says Herb, and Irma supports him.

Herb and Irma became Grassroots volunteers and helped in various ways – with their time, energy, efforts, and donations. Herb’s skills in building, drafting, and crafting, developed in high school and perfected in his professional life, successfully combined with helping Ukrainians. In the Guest House for newcomers in Cambridge, Herb repaired heating, helped create comfortable conditions, and personally crafted benches.

“I covered the external pipes of the house, and I made a bench. And every time I saw someone sit on it, I felt I had done something good,” Herb says happily.

Irma, with her maternal warmth, takes care of Ukrainian families, prepares treats for Christmas, and gives various gifts.

Herb and Irma believe that the key to successful adaptation of Ukrainians in Canada is open communication with Canadians, while at the same time preserving their own identity.

“Speak English, but do not lose the Ukrainian. Borscht, Paska, language, traditions, and so on – it is important to preserve identity. It is your and our roots,” says Irma.

This story is yet another proof of how memory, traditions, and support can unite generations and nations.

By Olena Gadomska

[1] The author deliberately writes the word «russia» in the text with a lowercase letter. This country does not deserve a capital letter.

[2] Author’s note – Tsarist and then Soviet russia, and now present-day russia, do not recognize Ukraine as an independent state. Through a combination of political manipulation and force, Ukraine was annexed into the USSR until it declared independence in 1991. Depending on the historical period of Ukraine’s development, you may see Russia equating historically Ukrainian lands as russian – which is untrue and confirmed by facts.

[3] Varenyky are Ukrainian dumplings, similar to pierogi, known for their half-moon or crescent shape and various fillings. They are a national dish of Ukraine, made with dough and typically filled with savory or sweet ingredients like potatoes, cheese, meat, or fruit.

[4] Holubtsi is a Ukrainian Stuffed Cabbage dish comprised of tender cabbage rolls, stuffed with a mixture of seasoned ground beef or pork, rice, and onions.

[5] Ukrainian borscht has been included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage as a Ukrainian dish. This happened in 2022, after collecting borscht recipes from different regions of Ukraine, which proved its Ukrainian origin. This iconic beet soup is made with beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, garlic and dill. Then served with a dollop of sour cream and rye bread.

[6] Paska is a traditional Ukrainian Easter bread, known for its rich, slightly sweet flavor and unique decorations. It's a sweet, egg-rich bread, often studded with dried fruits and topped with a marshmallow-like frosting and sprinkles. Paska is traditionally taken to church for a blessing on Easter morning.