The dislocation and devastation caused by the First World War, and more specifically the upheavals in Russia, are the major events that form the background to Orie O. Miller’s MCC diary of 1920-21. The Bolshevik revolution of 1917 marked a new era of suffering and loss for Mennonite settlers in South Russia, with villages and colonies overrun repeatedly by Red and White armies and occasionally sacked by the anarchist forces. In 1919 the Mennonites in South Russia began reaching out to their European and North American co-religionists for help. A delegation of four representatives arrived in North America in June, 1920 and brought their appeal to various Mennonite groups. In response, the Mennonite Central Committee was born in July, 1920, to represent combined Mennonite relief efforts for South Russia.

The rare Charitable Research Reserve is the jewel in the crown of Waterloo Region’s protected areas. With holdings of more than 900 acres, rare is one of the largest privately owned urban green spaces in all of Canada. The charity that stewards the land is committed to conservation, education and research. rare Moments in Time is a story about First Nations People, early European settlers, the rich and powerful, and the people wo secured the future of a nature sanctuary in the midst of Waterloo Region. The story, told by Bob Burtt, spans a time extending back to after glaciers receded when prehistoric animals roamed around what eventually became the hamlet of Blair.

FROM PANDORA PRESS

In a candid fashion, A Mennonite Estate Family in Southern Ukraine, 1904-1924, tells the story of Nicholas Jakob Fehderau, a story strikingly accurate when placed alongside the factual surviving documents of the period. The youngest child, gifted with an amazing memory and a lively imagination, Fehderau recreates the world of his childhood and youth. A fundamental honesty pervades the memoir. Young Nicholas’ alert mind records the many nuances associated with estate life: prejudices, family life, the prevailing piety, the complications of agri-business, and the impact of war, revolution and anarchy.