The Ukrainian Weekly 1983, No.12
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www.ukrweekly.com Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternaT non-profit association | rainian Weekly Vol. LI No. 12 ' THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 20.198V3 25 cents SPECIAL ISSUE: THE GREAT FAMINE IN UKRAINE 1932-33 Community leaders commemorate famine ... so that this tragedy at multi-ethnic Chicago meeting will not be forgotten by Paul M. Basile and lic Church; the Rev. Walter KJymchuk of Luba V. Toloczko Markewycz St. Nicholas Cathedral; Stephen The horror of millions of people dying of starvation and malnutrition while Kuropas, honorary member of the available food was being exported from Ukraine in 1932 and 1933 will never be CHICAGO - More than 70 white UNA Supreme Assembly; and Illinois forgotten. I am very pleased that The Ukrainian Weekly is devoting a special ethnic, Black, Hispanic and Asian educator Alexandra Kuropas. issue to remembrance of the Great Famine of 50 years ago, so that this tragedy ethnic leaders met a: a Chicago Ukrai nian restaurant recently to commemo After introducing his- fellow Ukrai will not be forgotten. rate the man-made Great Famine of nian Americans, Dr. Kuropas explain 1932-33 that took 7 million Ukrainian ed Stalin's efforts to crush Ukrainian - Sen. Charles H. Percy, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign lives. resistance to his forced collectivization Relations, in a letter to John 0. Flis, supreme president of the Ukrainian program. The multi-ethnic coalition met National Association. February IS at Galan's Ukrainian Cafe "In the early 1930s, Stalin ttt in the neighborhood known as the moved to collectivize the farms This year, Ukrainians throughout the world are observing the 50th Ukrainian Village on Chicago's Near of Ukraine in order to finance anniversary of the Great Famine of 1932-33, Stalin's planned Northwest Side. the industrialization of the Soviet destruction of the Ukrainian nation in which 7 million men, women . The meeting was. organized by the Union. Ukrainian farmers .resisted and children perished. This special issue of The Ukrainian Weekly is Illinois Consultation on Ethnicity in because they didn't want to give away, dedicated to the solemn anniversary of this Soviet-perpetrated their grain. To breal the back of this Education and was moderated by Dr. genocide and to the eternal memory of its victims. Myron Kuropas, a consultation founder resistance, Stalin exported (much of the food produced in the region), causing 5 We are sending copies of this special issue — which includes a 12- and supreme vice president of the page pull-out section on pages 3-14 - to all U.S. senators and Ukrainian National Association. to 7 million Ukrainians to starve to death," said Dr. Kuropas. representatives in order to inform them about this holocaust of the Ukrainian nation, and to all Svoboda subscribers in the hope that they "The consultation brings together a The world knew little of this famine at diverse group of ethnic leaders who the time and knows even less of it today, will share this special issue with their non-Ukrainian friends and thus work, in coalitions, to solve problems according to Dr. Kuropas. "This is the make them aware of the Great Famine. and support common causes," said first time, to my knowledge, that many Edwin Cudecki, consultation chair of these ethnic leaders will hear any person and director of the Bureau of thing about this," he said. Foreign Languages for the Chicago National committee on Ukraine's Great Famine Public Schools. The American press corps in the .Soviet Union during the. 1930s shared to solicit funds for memorial observances The gathering at GalaaVcomtituted part of the blame for this, according to JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The financial collect the needed funds through indivi the largest steering committee meeting Dr. Kuropas. committee of the National Committee dual contributions as well as from in the consultation's 12-year history. During the 1930s, thousands of to Commemorate Genocide Victims in Ukrainian institutions and organiza The guest list included business and American writers and movie stars Ukraine 1932-33 has announced that tions. community leaders, government offi supported Stalin's regime, having been S 100,000 will be needed to mark the The committee has reported that it is cials, artists, scholars, educators, lawyers, drawn by its ideologies into overlook 50th anniversary of the Soviet-made in the process of planning a fund drive, and other professionals from Illinois' ing its grim realities, Dr. Kuropas said. Great Famine in which 7 million Ukrai which will soon be announced. Black, Chinese, German, Greek, Italian, Under the sway of this misconception, nians perished. Japanese, Jewish, Lithuanian, Mexi American journalists conspired with This conclusion was reached at a can, Polish, Puerto Rican and Ukrai Soviet censors to cover up the horrors meeting of the committee held on nian American communities. of the famine rather than besmirch the Saturday, March 5, at the main office reputation of "the great Soviet experi D.C. action committee Mr. Cudecki called the meeting of the Ukrainian National Association. ment." together so that this group could learn Present were the chairman of the on famine established about the Ukrainian American commu In sharing this story with other ethnic national committee, Prof. Petro Stercho, nity and commemorate the 50th anni leaders, Chicago's Ukrainian Ameri financial committee chairman Edward by D. Korbutiak versary of Stalin's man-made famine. cans took an important step toward Popil, and George Powstenko, Stephen bringing this tragedy to the attention of WASHINGTON - A public meet "This is the first time that Ukrainian Procyk and Ulana Diachuk, financial the world community, according to Mr., committee members. ing was held on Sunday, February 27, in Americans have reached, out to other Cudecki. the parish center of the Ukrainian ethnic leaders to tell what it meant to Mr. Cudecki urged his fellow leaders As reported earlier, the Great Famine Catholic National Shrine of the Holy have this terrible thing happen to us," to write letters to John Flis, president of commemoration ceremonies will in Family to solicit the support of Wash "br. Kuropas said. the Ukrainian National Association, clude two main events. The first is ington's Ukrainian community in com Dr. Kuropas' program featured the indicating that they share in the sorrow scheduled to be held at South Bound memorating the 50th anniversary of the UNA-commissioned film "Helm of of the Ukrainian community and Brook, N.J., at St. Andrew's greatest tragedy in Ukrainian history - Destiny," which traces the growth of the pledging themselves to helping Ukrai Memorial Ukrainian Orthodox the Great Famine of 1932-33. This Ukrainian American community and, nian Americans "make the world aware Church on May 15. The second Ukrainian holocaust, created by Soviet In part, tells the story of the famine. of the great tragedy that befell Ukraine program will be held in Wash authorities, claimed the lives of over 7 Other Ukrainian Americans present in 1933." ington on October 2 and will include a million victims. at the gathering were Julian Kulas, vice Mr. Cudecki seemed to reflect the manifestation at the Taras Shevchenko president of Chicago's Ukrainian Con sentiment of the other ethnic leaders Monument, followed by a demonstra As a result of the meeting, a special gress Committee and attorney for when he wrote, in his own letter to Mr. tion and procession to the Soviet, Washington Action Committee was Walter Polovchak; Michael Olshansky, Flis, that, "by confronting all Ameri Embassy, and later that afternoon, a elected in order to facilitate ргераг.– UNA District Committee chairman; cans with the knowledge of Stalin's commemorative concert at the Kennedy tions for the solemn national obser Stephen Sambirsky, Ukrainian radio man-made famine, Ukrainian Ame Center. A documentary film about the vance of the Great Famine anniversary. announcer; the Rev. Peter Galadza of Ss. ricans are committing an act of faith in famine is also planned. The meeting commenced with an Volody myr and Olha Ukrainian Catho (Continued on page 16) The financial committee's goal is to (Continued on page IS) THE UKRAINIAN SUNDAY, MARCH 20,1982 No. 12 Dissident profile Political prisoners seek Reagan's aid in urging inspection of Soviet camps Vitaliy Shevchenko: JERSEY CITY. N.J. - Copies of an In the letter, the prisoners cite open letter to President Ronald Reagan numerous instances of harassment and scored Stalin's famine written sometime last year by 10 Soviet brutality in the labor camp. The full text political prisoners have recently reach of the letter to the president appears JERSFY CITY. N.J. - When years in a corrective labor camp to be ed the West, reported the External below. Ukrainian political prisoner Vitaliy followed by four years'internal exile, Representation of the Ukrainian Hel Shevchenko was arrested in Kiev a form of enforced residence. Mr. sinki Group. almost three years ago, he was charg Shevchenko is currently being held in The 10, all prisoners in Camp No. 36, part of a vast penal complex in the Mr. President: ed with, among other offenses, ex Camp 36 of the Perm complex in the It is often difficult for a resident of the pressing unorthodox opinions in the Russian SFSR, along with the other northern citv of Perm in the Russian SFSR, asked Mr. Reagan to help West to imagine the atmosphere of margins of books by Lenin. Mr. Shevchenko and such well- lawlessness in which the inmates of In addition to his marginal jottings known Ukrainian dissidents as My- form an international commission to inspect Soviet labor camps. Soviet political prison camps exist in two volume's of Lenin's works, Mr. kola Rudenko, Vasyl Stus, Oles today.