On Saturday, October 15, 2022, the Congress of Russian Americans in collaboration with the Museum of Russian Culture SF and the Russian American Women’s League presented “100 year Commemoration of the White Russian Evacuation from the Russian Far East (1922-2022)”. The event began with a special memorial service (panihida) served by Bishop Theodosy. His Grace, is the Bishop of Seattle, Vicar Bishop of the Diocese of San Francisco and Western America (ROCOR).
The icon stand draped in black was adorned with two icons – one of St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors and ships—offering safe voyage and protection from storms and the other of the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, Pokrov (Feast Day was celebrated the day before, Oct.14). The Mother of God Herself keeps constant vigil over the Christian world and protects it. In addition to praying for the memory of those who were part of the Admiral Stark flotilla, Vladivostok and the Russian Far East, Bishop Theodosy included prayers for all the White Russians that were forced to leave their homeland during and following the end of the Russian Civil War.
The flag of the United States and Russia stood in each corner of the room with the Andreyevsky flag, the official Russian naval flag of the Navy of the Russian Empire centered between them. This flag was an actual flag that had been on one of the ships as part of Admiral Stark’s flotilla and is part of a permanent collection from the Society of Russian Cadets and Veterans of WWI, which was lent for display at this event.
A presentation in the Museum of Russian Culture on the 3rd floor of the Russian Center building where this event took place followed. Presentation were prepared by Olga Kachina on “Starkovtsy. 100th anniversary of the evacuation of the White Siberian Flotilla from Primorye” and Yves Franquein on “Commemoration of the end of the Civil War in the Russian Far East (June-October 1922)”. Included in the presentations were biographical reference and photos of some of the ancestors, whose descendants were attending this commemorative event.
The Museum had also prepared several exhibit stands: 1. Тhe end of organized confrontation during the Civil War in the Russian Far East (1921-1922); 2. The evacuation of ground-based military units in the Russian Far East in 1922 and 3. The departure of the Siberian Flotilla. Another stand was prepared by the Congress of Russian Americans, which was a memory board with various congratulatory letters sent by some of the descendants who were unable to attend, as well as some photos of Vladivostok and prominent figures of that time. CRA also made a memory board of various greetings and photos sent by some of the descendants that could not attend, as well as photos of Vladivostok of the 1920’s.
Guests were invited to take part in the hors d’oeuvre & champagne reception in the Bar Area on the 2nd floor organized by CRA, RAWL & MRCSF. Russian American Women’s League took great care in preparing a buffet table of various food and desserts and donated champagne to commemorate this page in the history of White Russians.
