Across New York City, New Yorkers have joined together in support of Ukraine, many attending rallies or donating to organizations providing aid to the over one million people who fled the country. The city has about 150,000 Ukrainian residents, many concentrated around the East Village’s “Little Ukraine” and southern Brooklyn’s “Little Odessa.” Though many Ukrainian-owned businesses have closed over the years, a handful of restaurants, shops, and cultural centers are still open, many of whom have led efforts in solidarity with the country. Here is our guide to 15 Ukrainian places to support, as well as a number of Ukrainian churches giving support.
1. Ukrainian Institute of America
The Ukrainian Institute of America is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Ukrainian and Ukrainian-American culture. The institute features art exhibits, readings, lectures, and film screenings to shine a light on the artistic and literary contributions of leading Ukrainian creatives. Currently, the institute has on display the art of Alexander Archipenko, Vasyl Diadyniuk, and Zhanna Kadyrova, and it will soon host a concert featuring Ukrainian composers Hanna Havrylets and Oleksandr Bilash. The institute is one of the Ukrainian places in NYC that has been instrumental in leading efforts to take action and #StandWithUkraine.
The institute is located in the Harry F. Sinclair House, a Gilded Age mansion at the southeast corner of East 79th Street and Fifth Avenue. The mansion was built between 1897 and 1899 and is named for the founder of Sinclair Oil, who was later implicated in the Teapot Dome scandal. Later, descendants of Peter Stuyvesant lived in the home, which was designed in the French Renaissance style by C. P. H. Gilbert. Many of Gilbert’s buildings still stand today, including the Felix M. Warburg House, which hosts the Jewish Museum. The home was sold in 1955 to the Ukrainian Institute of America, founded by Ukrainian businessman William Dzus.