Farewell to Jarek

On January 5th in Lviv, Jarek Kubacki - pastor, liberal theologian, columnist, and social activist - passed away unexpectedly. The first part of the farewell service will be held on Monday, January 20th at 2:30 PM at Solec 5 Street in Łódź in the Klepsydra crematorium hall, and the second part, as a direct continuation, will be held at the Borowiecki Hotel (about 2km from the crematorium, Kasprzaka 7/9 Street), where there will also be an opportunity for conversation over coffee.

For more details please visit https://liniewicz.info/jarek-kubacki/en

About Jarek

In his thoughts, heart, and actions, he bridged cultures, religious traditions, languages, and regions. He was a religious liberal, a person who loved freedom and creativity, whose spiritual home was Mennonitism, Dutch vrijzinnigheid, and Unitarianism, but he also deeply understood and drew inspiration from diverse traditions such as Old Catholicism, Anglicanism, Mariavitism, Greek Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity, as well as Judaism and Islam, particularly Sufism and Bektashism. He saw beyond doctrines and canons to human experience - of beauty, liberation, and God's presence.

He was a European par excellence. Born in Poland, educated and worked in the Netherlands, at home in Germany, passionate about Latvia, Albania, and Slovakia, engaged in Polish-German reconciliation, and ultimately fell in love with Ukraine, which he supported with all his strength in recent years. He saw it as a bridge between East and West, a community greatly tested by history, whose complex identity was forged through centuries of struggle, a spirit of freedom and independence, and there he met many people who became his friends. He first visited Ukraine in 1997, when he co-organized transports of specialized medicines and medical equipment for hospitals treating radiation sickness, in cooperation with German and Polish Reformed churches.

Jarek's Projects

For ten years, he worked tirelessly on numerous charitable projects through the Ukrainian foundation Friends of Ladanets, which he founded with Fr. Ivan Horodytsky, collaborating with the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, helping children with diabetes, war displaced persons, and refugees. He created a network of people of goodwill around him - Mennonite, Reformed, Apostolic, and Vrijzinnig communities, as well as individuals from Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France.

He worked selflessly as a translator, pastor, and dedicated advocate for the Ukrainian cause; thanks to his efforts and ability to inspire people to cooperate and help, a school was renovated, historical monuments were preserved, Ukrainian art was promoted, residents of two villages received free eye examinations and prescription glasses, talented children from poor families received scholarships, and sick and disabled individuals received monthly financial support, material aid, and medical treatment. The full-scale war in Ukraine and the suffering of people he met and tried to help - if nothing else was possible, through conversation, even all night long - left an enormous mark on him. During his last stay in Ukraine, he was so absorbed in conversations with people, planning new projects, and keeping his tight schedule that he didn't even notice the symptoms of his illness.

Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Dr. Valentyn Protopopov, director of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, writes about Jarek and the support he organized for talented children from poor families:

Infomatrix is an international computer project competition. Traditionally, more than 500 participants with 350 projects from 28 countries take part in it each year. Infomatrix is a global initiative encompassing computer projects, robotics, and hackathon competitions, aimed at uniting young enthusiasts interested in IT. This international competition was created to gather the most talented IT students from around the world. It goes beyond promoting professional excellence, expanding its purpose to support intercultural dialogue and cooperation by engaging students and educators from different corners of the world.

Ukraine is a partner country in this competition. Every year, more than 300 students from across the country participate in the national qualifications. From these, a specific number of individuals are selected to represent Ukraine and their projects in the world finals. Last year, Ukraine was represented by 33 Ukrainians with 24 projects. 23 became winners in the world finals. They received 5 platinum medals, 7 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 7 bronze medals.

This international initiative is an opportunity for young people to implement their computer, artistic, and engineering projects. To find new friends and receive expertise and support for developing their ideas. These ideas are particularly related to environmental projects and creating short films about third-age university issues. It's important for young people to create unique ideas and solutions that make this world better, to realize themselves not only in Ukraine but worldwide. Talented young people unconditionally deserve support for their development and creating a better world through their ideas and projects.

Support is needed for socially disadvantaged students from Ukraine aged 7-17. These are talented, exceptional young programmers who unfortunately are growing up in single-parent families today, families where there are no financial possibilities because one of the parents died in the war. Orphans who are alone and need support. Or children from families who live very, very modestly. Many of their ideas are very nice and unique and need support.

The participation cost for one participant is 450 euros.

Jarek did a lot to support Ukrainian youth. He communicated with many people to find funds to support youth and pay for their participation. He talked with young people, instilled confidence in them, gave advice about public speaking and project presentations. He found capable people who could advise on youth project development. Thanks to Jarek's efforts, last year 8 young Ukrainians were able to participate in the competition. These were children from Kyiv, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Rivne, and displaced persons from occupied territories who no longer live in their homes.

Valentyn Protopopov - Head of the Security and Defense Department of the Kyiv Youth Academy of Sciences; Director of the Infomatrix computer project competition in Ukraine