Ukrainian Jenny Arata and her husband Vittorio pose after an interview at the Las Vegas Sun offices in Henderson Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. The couple, known as The Skating Aratas, perform at the V Theater at Planet Hollywood.
Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Jenny Arata wakes up each morning in Las Vegas with the same worry: Are my family and friends safe in Ukraine?
Las Vegas ties to Ukraine
Since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago today, Feb. 24, 2022, Arata’s morning routine of checking on the well-being of family and friends in her native country hasn’t changed.
“As soon as I wake up every morning, I’m checking which city was attacked and immediately reaching out to friends of friends,” said Arata, who moved to Las Vegas to perform in shows on the Strip. “When I talk to people who live there, (they) say, ‘Yes, there is bombs but I can’t leave my country.’”
Arata learned of the initial Russian attack in a phone call from her frantic sister, 10 minutes before taking the stage with her husband as part of “The Skating Aratas” duo at Planet Hollywood.
Her sister, two nephews and mother have since fled from a village 20 miles outside Kyiv to neighboring Poland, where they now help displaced families from Ukraine find housing, Arata said.
Her cousin, unfortunately, wasn’t as fortunate.
He stayed to fight in the war and was taken as a prisoner by Russian troops. Arata has not heard from him for six months.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale land, sea and air invasion of Ukraine has been deadly for both sides. On Jan. 22, Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s defense chief, told Norwegian TV estimates were that Russia had suffered 180,000 dead and wounded, while Ukraine had 100,000 killed or wounded in action along with 30,000 civilian deaths, according to The New York Times. Another 13,000 civilians have been injured, the United Nations said.
Volker Türk, the United Nations commissioner for human rights, said in a statement that “some 14 million people have been displaced from their homes,” including many women and children.
Those numbers should be sobering to anyone who doesn’t keep close tabs on the fighting.
“Don’t forget about Ukraine. Time goes by, we’re comfortable here — even me and my wife — (but) don’t forget about Ukraine,” said Vittorio Arata, Jenny’s husband.
The Aratas, along with the Rev. Bill Kenny, pastor at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Summerlin, have spent the last year assisting Ukrainians in need.
Last March, Kenny officiated at a Mass in solidarity with local Ukrainians. The church collected almost $50,000 that was donated to Republic Pilgrim, an orphan program in Ukraine that the Aratas have supported for over 10 years. An additional $30,000 was given to Republic Pilgrim and the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church in Kyiv, where one of Jenny’s former classmates is an auxiliary bishop and has helped hundreds of children evacuate. Vittorio said he personally gave $10,000 and the couple raised an extra $20,000 through a Ukrainian benefit show they performed last year.
“I was very depressed (after finding out about the war), and I just thought to myself, I can’t be depressed and sit here (and) think about how bad and sad everything is,” Jenny Arata said. “I have to help no matter what it takes.”
The Aratas, who also run a talent management company for performers, have also worked to find work for displaced Ukrainian performers. Julia Michajlova, who fled Ukraine in a bus with her young child and husband during the first month of bomb attacks, secured work in the Aratas’ show at Planet Hollywood.
They also provide translations, help securing furniture and other general assistance through the Ukrainians in Las Vegas Facebook page, which Jenny Arata helps run. The page is followed by nearly 2,000 people.
She said the page has not only provided assistance to displaced Ukrainians, but it also helped her become more connected with the growing Ukrainian community in Las Vegas.
The support from fellow Ukrainians, local American citizens looking to help and others across the city has been the best way to cope with the ongoing war, she said. In the first weeks after the war broke out, neighbors brought Jenny Arata yellow flowers — a symbol of Ukraine — and even a check to pass along to her sister, who lost everything when she left Ukraine.
“A random act of kindness (from) people who don’t have any relatives (in Ukraine), but they feel for me … It’s just amazing to me, (and) that really keeps me going,” Jenny Arata said.
With one year passed, the Aratas aren’t sure how long the war will continue to rage on, but – much like the Ukrainian people – they said they would continue to help.
“We feel like Ukraine will win with the way they’re fighting,” she said. “(But) we have to keep with them – don’t forget Ukraine.”
