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The Ukrainian Weekly, 2019 INSIDE: 5th anniversary of Revolution of Dignity marked in D.C. – page 3 Special section on UNA’s 125th anniversary – pages 4-11 UCU’s annual fund-raising dinner held in Kyiv – page 13 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 8 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 $2.00 by Stefan Kaczaraj what others have to offer, but do not forsake your own.” Just a few months later, Svoboda called for the establish- President/CEO ment of a national organization “that would embrace each Ukrainian National Association and every Ukrainian no matter where he lives,” for “in unity Esteemed members of the UNA, there is strength, and it is not easily defeated.” Dear Ukrainian brothers and sisters: Remembering Shevchenko’s dream for Ukraine of its own The date of February 22 is cause for great joy and pride Washington “with his new and righteous law,” the founding as we mark the success of our organized community life, convention of that organization was scheduled for which began way back in 1894. Let us ponder the signifi- February 22, the birthday of George Washington. cance of this date as we listen to voices from our history, “Sovershyshasia” – “It has come to be,” proclaimed those of our grandparents and great-grandparents, affirm- Svoboda on March 1, 1894, in reporting on the birth of the ing: “We did it!” fraternal society today known as the Ukrainian National At the end of the 19th century, the first immigrants from Association. “We did it!” Ukrainian lands arrived here. They had no idea of how to On September 15, 1893, the Rev. Hryhoriy Hrushka and From that day forward, the UNA assumed a leadership live in this unfamiliar country. Step by step, through their like-minded colleagues published the first issue of the role in our community in this country. Its myriad achieve- own hard work and by overcoming extreme hardship, they newspaper Svoboda, “a true beacon of light in the prevail- ments through more than 12 decades cannot be listed in followed their instincts and they learned. And they soon ing darkness of hopelessness and despair among Ukrainian this brief jubilee article, but we can at least recall some of understood that it was best to heed the advice of those immigrants in America,” as Anthony Dragan wrote in his the successes in which the UNA played a key part. among them who were wiser and more educated. And that, history of the UNA (1964). Thanks to their extraordinary Already in the first decade of its existence, the UNA, its too, is significant – for there was someone to listen to, some- spiritual and moral strength, these pioneers of our commu- branches and its members – then numbering about 1,000 one to gather around, someone to follow in the economic, nity life were able to combine national values with human on the East Coast – built churches, established schools, and religious, cultural and educational spheres of activity. There values. Each issue of Svoboda promoted the enlightenment organized choirs and drama troupes. On the initiative of were true leaders who clearly saw the road ahead and were of its readers and adopted as its credo Taras Shevchenko’s able to steer their community toward a brighter future. immortal words: “Study, my brothers. Think, read. Learn (Continued on page 20) Bishop Borys Gudziak appointed Munich Security Conference notes as metropolitan-archbishop of Philadelphia changes to world security order Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy aghast, a cyberattack paralyzed Estonia. of Philadelphia Ukraine tries to adjust Attributed to the Kremlin, the countrywide hack – on a NATO member country – was PHILADELPHIA – On Monday, February to present-day reality deemed a response for Estonia moving a 18, the Vatican Information Service Soviet World War II monument further announced that the Holy Father has appoint- by Mark Raczkiewycz from its central location in the capital of ed Bishop Borys Gudziak as archbishop of KYIV – In 2007, Russian President Tallinn. Philadelphia for Ukrainians and metropoli- It was the “beginning of the kind of bul- tan for the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the Vladimir Putin delivered a list of grievances towards the West, namely America, at the lying and intimidation that increasingly U.S.A., thus concurring with the recommen- Russia begins to show toward the near dation of the appointment offered by the yearly Munich Security Conference in Germany. It was a harbinger of things to abroad, its new neighbors… and former Synod of Ukrainian Catholic Bishops, which satellites from the Soviet period, or actually met in September 2018 in Lviv. come as Russia was growing stronger amid part of the Soviet Union during the Soviet The Archeparchy of Philadelphia was booming oil prices and began to more period,” former National Security Adviser declared by Pope Francis as “sede vacante” aggressively reassert influence in its near Stephen Hadley told the PBS program following the resignation of Metropolitan- abroad. “Frontline.” Archbishop Stefan Soroka on April 16, Lamenting the expansion of North 2018. Bishop Andriy Rabiy was named by Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a The following year, 2008, Russia invaded Pope Francis as the apostolic administrator post-World War II defense alliance that Georgia, whose Rose Revolution five years of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of took in former Warsaw Pact countries and earlier had ousted a Kremlin-friendly, Philadelphia until the appointment of the the three Baltic states, Mr. Putin also criti- Soviet-era leader. Two regions were subse- new metropolitan-archbishop. cized the invasion of Iraq and other places quently severed. Similarly, Moscow illegally At present Bishop Borys serves as the where the West was taking action. annexed Ukraine’s territory of Crimea in eparch of St. Volodymyr the Great Ukrainian Two years earlier he even said that the 2014 and invaded the two easternmost Catholic Eparchy, which includes France, collapse of the USSR was a “major geopolit- regions of Luhansk and Donetsk that same Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxem burg and ical disaster of the century” during a state year after Viktor Yanukovych abandoned Switzerland. He is the founder and president of the union address. office. Press Office, Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church Then, a month after the Russian leader’s (Continued on page 15) Bishop Borys Gudziak speech in Munich that left many present (Continued on page 16) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 No. 8 ANALYSIS Three conferences and a new set Leaders remember Heavenly Hundred the criteria of joining both institutions. European Council President Donald Tusk Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attended the signing of the constitutional of sanctions against Russia and European Council President Donald amendment in the Parliament building. Tusk on February 19 honored the memory counter Israel’s airstrikes on Syria. Mr. Addressing the lawmakers in Ukrainian, Mr. by Pavel K. Baev of the Heavenly Hundred, the victims of Netanyahu plans to travel to Moscow in Tusk, who is Polish, said that “there can be Eurasia Daily Monitor Maidan clashes in the center of Kyiv during order to talk Mr. Putin out of such inten- no Europe without Ukraine.” He also the Revolution of Dignity five years ago. Mid-February registered a remarkable tions – and to try yet again to dissuade the warned Ukrainian politicians against using “We, together with President of the sequence of international forums, whose Kremlin leader from partnering too closely populist and nationalist tactics ahead of the European Council Donald Tusk, have hon- participants debated and sought to counter with Iran (RBC, February 5). March 31 presidential election, in which Mr. ored the memory of the Heavenly Hundred Russia’s power politics in Europe and the The trilateral Russian-Turkish-Iranian Poroshenko is running for a second five- heroes. Eternal memory and glory. Heroes Middle East. First, defense ministers of the summit in Sochi was supposed to produce a year term. “Be resolute in rejecting tempta- never die,” Mr. Poroshenko wrote on North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decisive breakthrough in sorting out the tions of radical nationalism and populism, Twitter that morning. The Ukrainian presi- had their regular meeting in Brussels Syrian deadlock. But it fell far short of this as you have done so far,” Mr. Tusk said in his (February 13-14) and then proceeded to ambition (Kommersant, February 15). Each dent also shared a photo of him and Mr. speech. The EU official also warned law- the annual security conference in Munich of the three leaders sees new opportunities Tusk visiting a memorial cross with the makers against “internal conflicts,” which he (February 15-17). Meanwhile, the United opening up as a result of the announced names of those killed in the center of Kyiv. said only benefit “that third country,” hint- States-sponsored conference in Warsaw on forthcoming withdrawal of U.S. forces, but Memorial bells were also heard ringing, the ing at Russia. Mr. Tusk was on a three-day the Middle East (February 13-14) brought these expectations go in rather different presidential press service said. “Petro visit to Ukraine. (RFE/RL, with reporting by together a number of prominent politicians, directions (Russiancouncil.ru, February 13). Poroshenko and Donald Tusk also familiar- DPA, AFP and AP) including Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin ized themselves with the blueprints of the EU ready with new Russia sanctions Netanyahu and U.S. Vice-President Michael consent on a new offensive against the reb- National Memorial Complex of the Pence. Simultaneously, Russian President el-heldMr. Putin Idlib province,tried to secure but he Mr.had Erdoğan’s to accept Heavenly Hundred Heroes and the Museum European Union diplomats have agreed Vladimir Putin greeted his partners in man- further delays because Turkey does not of the Revolution of Dignity whose con- to impose asset freezes and visa bans on a aging the Syrian war – Turkey’s President want to deal with a new wave of refugees struction is planned at the site of the death number of Russians involved in the capture and persists with building a “buffer zone” in of the victims of Maidan clashes,” it said.
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