Olga's Odyssey: It Happened Then. It's Happening Now.

Born in 1931 in western Ukraine, Olga Leskiw was set on a path of survival.  

Nearly a year into her life, she and her family narrowly avoided the Holodomor — a famine-genocide in Soviet Ukraine inflicted by Joseph Stalin — only to face the chaos of WWII seven years later. With her country left in devastation from back-to-back invasions by the Russians and Germans, and her family set to exile in Siberia, the Leskiws planned their escape in 1944. Finding refuge in a German DP camp for the next five years, Olga and her family hoped for a post-war future and finally moved to America in 1949.   

Written, directed, and produced by her son, Adrian Horodecky, Olga’s Odyssey tells the story of a survivor. Featuring hundreds of historical photographs of Olga and her family, the documentary leaves viewers with a stark message: “It happened then. It’s happening now.”  

Olga's Odyssey airs Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. on WSBE Rhode Island PBS. 

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; DirecTV 36, Dish Network 36. Live stream the full schedule within the broadcast viewing area at watch.ripbs.org/livestream.