KARINE RASHKOVSKY and SASHA VASILYUK

THE LONG SOVIET SHADOW IN NOVEL & MEMOIR

Moderator: Marina Sonkina

Dr. KARINE RASHKOVSKY / An Improbable Life: My Father’s Escape from Soviet Russia

SASHA VASILYUK / Your Presence Is Mandatory

From evading the KGB and disassembling a downed American plane to narrowly escaping a life sentence in Siberia, Reuven Rashkovsky’s story is a gripping tale of searching for belonging, and daring to escape the tightly controlled Soviet regime. Relayed in his point of view by his daughter, Dr. Karine Rashkovsky, An Improbable Life tells the story of a man who has been at the centre of some of tumultuous events in modern history, from World War II to the Six-Day War to the collapse of the USSR, providing insight into the world of Soviet Jewry and the almost insurmountable obstacles to getting out.
Dr. KARINE RASHKOVSKY is an award-winning entrepreneur, educator, speaker, author, and academic. She is the founder of a Canadian enrichment program and a sought-after executive coach. She lives in West Vancouver.

SASHA VASILYUK / Your Presence Is Mandatory

This riveting debut novel, based on real events, tells the story of a Ukrainian Jewish World War II veteran with a dangerous lifelong secret, the repercussions for his family, and the grace they find in the course of their survival. Spanning seven decades between WWII and the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, from Germany’s prison camps and forced labor system to the Soviet culture of pride and paranoia, Sasha Vasilyuk shines a revealing light on one family caught between two totalitarian regimes.
SASHA VASILYUK was born in the Soviet Crimea and spent her childhood between Ukraine and Russia before immigrating to San Francisco at age 13. She has a MA in Journalism from New York University, and her nonfiction has been published in The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, BBC, The Telegraph etc. She lives in San Francisco.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TEMPLE SHOLOM and VANCOUVER HOLOCAUST EDUCATION CENTRE