My Ukrainian grandfather fought the Nazis with Russians. Putin's war terrorizes us again.
I was born in a beautiful little city called Riga in the then-Soviet republic of Latvia. My family history dates back generations in Latvia. It's where my maternal grandmother, Babushka Dina, eventually returned to – after Russian dictator Joseph Stalin sent her and her parents to a Siberian camp and after the rest of her relatives were murdered in the Holocaust.
My paternal family hails from Ukraine – the first place I ever visited as a child. They, too, had to run from the Nazis but also returned.
Still, the oppression of the Soviet Union was relentless (especially for Jews like us who suffered under antisemitic policies). We escaped the Soviet Union as it was flailing in 1989 and settled in Brooklyn, New York.
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After more than three decades in this country, I applied for Latvian citizenship for myself and my young daughters, alongside our American citizenship. After all, Latvia is a free country now that joined the European Union and is thriving.
That is exactly what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants for his country.
I worked with Zelenskyy on a movie
When I was in my 20s – an immigrant waitress/actress in New York – I spent a couple days on set with Zelenskyy, then a comedian starring in his first big film. My tiny part was a blip on the radar.
Eventually, I left acting behind, became a mom and a wife in a sweet American town. Zelenskyy became the president of Ukraine.
His story has followed me like a welcome shadow. I've written about him for every publication under the sun, as well as in my new book, "Don't Just Sit There, DO NOTHING." I thought he was clever, using his fame as a fictional everyman-turned-president on a sitcom to become one in real life.
I am certain he wishes he were back on set right now.
In the last few days, I’ve been asked whether I think Zelenskyy is cut out for the task of leading his country in a war. My answer: Is anybody?
'The Russian military is coming closer': What life is like in Ukraine as Russia invades
My Ukrainian Jewish grandfather was a World War II veteran; he was wounded twice. He fought alongside Russian soldiers to defeat the Nazis. Now these same peoples are fighting against each other because yet another dictator is calling the shots.
How unnatural it is – this whole war business – isn’t it? How unimportant everything else seems when the peace of the world is at stake.
'Peace begins with me'
My momentary colleague, the Ukrainian president, is pleading for peace. In our hearts, we are all pleading for peace.
All I can think of is a Kundalini mantra I picked up in my lifelong search for serenity. “Peace begins with me,” it goes. We say this to ourselves as we tap out the words on our hand (the thumb to the other four fingers—one for each word). “Peace begins with me,” we command our mind when it gets anxious about the state of the world.
Because it does.
Jessie Asya Kanzer is the author of "Don't Just Sit There, DO NOTHING: Healing, Chilling, and Living with the Tao Te Ching."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russia's invasion of Ukraine evokes my family's fight against Nazis
