View source for Shtatsky, Max (1987-2024)

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[[File:Max Shtatsky.jpg|300px|thumb|left|''Max Shtatsky<br>Photo: Courtesy of Werner Toews''.]]
[[File:044.208 100th anniversary marker of Mennonites in Russia Heritage Remembered collection.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Centennial Monument in Chortitza, Ukraine to commemorate the first centennial of Mennonites in Chortitza,1789-1889. In 1938 the Soviet authorities removed it, burying the pieces in the courtyard of the Wallman residence. While the German army occupied the village (1941-1943), it was reported that all the stones were located and the monument was reassembled. After the German army retreated and the Soviets regained control of the village, it was further reported that the monument was again taken down, never to be seen until discovered by Shtatsky in 2021. This photo: taken between 1890-1938. Photo credit: MAID CA MHC PP-4-044-194.0'']]
Max Shtatsky: Ukrainian historian and research scientist for the Khortytsia National Reserve in Zaporizhia, born 31 August 1987 in Zaporizhia, [[Ukraine]] to Oleksandr and Tetiana Shtatsky, married to Daria in 2015 and who was the father of a daughter, Vasilisa. In 2023 he joined the Ukrainian army after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Max Shtatsky was killed in action near the Donbas area (Ukraine) on 12 February 2024.
 
During his childhood Max lived in Upper Chortitza, a suburb of Zaporizhia, Ukraine. This suburb was part of the former Mennonite village of [[Chortitza (Chortitza Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Chortitza]] and one of the first villages established by Mennonite settlers in 1789.

After completing high school in 2005, Max attended and graduated from the Zaporizhian National University with a degree in history.  In 2010, he was hired by the Khortytsia National Reserve in Zaporozhia.
  
In 2011, after attaining the position of research scientist, Max began conducting research on the history of the former Mennonite colonists of [[Chortitza Mennonite Settlement (Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Chortitza]].  
His interest in researching Mennonite history was cultivated during his childhood. Listening to stories from residents in his neighbourhood, he learned that in the past Upper Chortitza was home to a group of colonists that spoke German and had traditions that were foreign to him.

Later in life it became apparent to him that the Mennonites had made a significant contribution to Ukrainian culture, life and agriculture.  His childhood curiosity led him to a career path of studying and resurrecting the history of the Mennonites in Ukraine.
  
In July of 2019, after many years of planning and preparation, Max began the excavation of an abandoned building in Upper Chortitza. The project was initiated in response to a well-known rumour that the building foundation contained gravestones from the former [[Chortitza Mennonite Church (Chortitza, Chortitza Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Chortitza Mennonite church]] cemetery.  The cemetery had been destroyed by Soviet authorities in the late 1930s.

After a few months of work, the excavation uncovered over 100 gravestones and pieces of gravestones belonging to Mennonites of the Chortitza church.  The excavated stones were later transported and stored at a Khortytsia National Reserve compound.  In 2020-2021 Max organized the construction of a memorial located on Khortitsa Island that contained 15 restored gravestones. The memorial was completed in June of 2021.

In June of 2020 Max embarked on another Mennonite gravestone project that involved [[Höppner, Jakob (1748-1826)|Jabob Hoeppner]]. During his research, Max became aware that in 1973 the Jacob Hoeppner memorial monument, along with two Hoeppner headstones, had been purchased and taken to [[Steinbach (Manitoba, Canada)|Steinbach]], [[Manitoba (Canada)|Manitoba]], [[Canada]], and put on display at the Mennonite Heritage Village. Further research by Max Shtatsky revealed that the Hoeppner gravesite had been abandoned with no markers to identify its location.  Determined to resurrect the legacy of delegate Jacob Hoeppner, he embarked on a second gravestone project.
   
During the summer months of 2020, Max and a few other historians located the abandoned gravesite and the base of the former monument.  After the area was cleared of underbrush and debris two replica headstones were created to mark the graves of Jacob Hoeppner, his wife Sara Dueck, their youngest son Jacob and his wife Anna Brandt, and placed on their original locations. A story board with a narrative on the Jacob Hoeppner legacy was later added to the gravesite.  

In 2021 Max became involved in locating pieces of the Mennonite Centennial monument that had once been located in the village of Chortitza. Max located one missing piece of the monument that had been buried in a wooded area approximately 90 meters from its original 1890s location. Two inscriptions were visible on the massive granite square weighing approximately 1.8 tons. They read: ''Zum Andenken'' (German: In memoriam)) and ''первые поселенцы'' (Russian: first settlers).  The stone was transported to a Khortytsia National Reserve (KNR) compound.

With this piece safely stored at the KNR, the search for the remaining sections of the monument was a priority for Max.  It was always his intention to continue the search for the remaining pieces. Sadly, his tragic death cut short the life of this young Ukrainian historian and the further contributions he could have made to the understanding of the Mennonite experience in Ukraine. 

= Bibliography =
Toews, Werner. “Khortytsia Cemetery Gravestone Project.” ''Preservings''. No. 39 (2019): 53-60. Available in full electronic text at: https://www.plettfoundation.org/preservings/archive/39/

Toews, Werner. “Chortitza Gravestone Project in Ukraine 2019-2020.” ''Heritage Posting''. No. 95 (March 2020): 8-10. Available in full electronic text at: https://mmhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Heritage-Posting-no.-95.pdf

Toews, Werner.  “More on the Hoeppner stone being placed on his gravesite.” ''Facebook'' post in group Mennonite Genealogy and History. 6 November 2020. 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MennoniteGenealogyHistory/permalink/3713121515388525

Toews, Werner. “What’s Happening with the Chortitza Headstone Project?” ''Heritage Posting''. No. 98 (February 2021): 5. Available in full electronic text at: https://mmhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Heritage-Posting-no.-98.pdf.

Toews, Werner. “The Search for the Mennonite Centennial Monument in Zaporozhzhia, Ukraine”. ''Mennonite Historian.'' Vol.47, No. 2. (June 2021): 14-15. Available in full electronic text at: https://www.mennonitehistorian.ca/47.2.MHJun21.pdf.

Toews, Werner. “Tribute to Max Shtatsky ‘Honorary Mennonite.’” ''Preservings.'' No. 48 (Spring 2024): ??

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