The Ukrainian Weekly 1987

--у / Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., I I c, a fraternal non-profit association| rainian Ш V Vol. LV No.43 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25,1987 25 cents Recently freed Ukrainian Baptist Ukrainian Canadian Committee opens begins a new life in Chicago lobby office on Parliament Hill by Marianna Liss when his family first requested by Michael Bociurkiw duced to a group of about 100 UCC permission to exit the Soviet Union, officials and guests at a Sunday recep CHICAGO - Mykhaylo Kopot - "The persecution (of believers) reached OTTAWA - Several months of tion commemorating the opening of the Ukrainian, Baptist, refusenik, Soviet such intensity that we wondered what planning and fund-raising came to an office. dissident — arrived at Chicago's could be done to protest; other forms of end on October 11 as members of "The bureau will facilitate communi- 0'Hare Airport on October 2, with his protest had been successfully Canada's national umbrella organiza cations between the Ukrainian father, Ivan, and mother, Ahna, to start repressed." tion of Ukrainians opened an office Canadian Committee and the various a new life here. Ironically, the new wave of terror within a few blocks of Parliament Hill. executive and legislative branches of the Two months ago the family had took place while Soviet delegates were Described by some as a "Ukrainian federal government and the media," ended a longer voyage through 10 years dutifully signing the 1975 Helsinki embassy" and a "lobby office" by said Mr. Hluchowecky. "They will of red tape, official refusal and Accords that affirmed the freedoms of others, the facility is regarded by the receive accurate and rapid information harassment which began when the religion, speech and movement, among Ukrainian Canadian Committee as a about any aspect of Ukrainian life... Kopots of Lviv, Ukraine, sought an exit others. major step in increasing its influence on whether it pertains to Ukrainians living visa from the USSR. To protest the sham, Evangelical the federal government. in Canada or to the repressive situation On Sunday, October 14, here at the Baptists began en masse requesting The office, housed in a downtown that Ukrainians find themselves in their Ukrainian Baptist, Church during both permission to go to the West. If the office tower, will be staffed by two homeland." the morning and evening services, Soviets had agreed in principle to the people. Organizers said it will serve as The deputy speaker of the House of Mykaylo Kopot, 26, explained th^ human-rights accords, promising the an important mechanism to funnel Commons, Steve Paprosky, presented reason the family sought to leave the freedom to emigrate to its citizens, they information on a wide range of Ukrai greetings from Prime Minister Brian USSR despite so many barriers. As his reasoned, then believers would ask the nian community issues to government Mulroney. UCC National President mother remarked, most people would government permission to depart. and media representatives. Dmytro Cipywnyk ceremoniously rather compromise than endanger Eventually, 50,000 Baptists and Pente- Organizers credited the late Sen. Paul presented the keys to the office to Mr. themselves. "And yet they (the people in costals from all over the USSR peti Yuzyk with conceiving the idea of a Hluchowecky. the country) would look to us," she tioned the government. Ukrainian office in Ottawa. The push The opening of the office coincided noted. "The authorities were taken aback by for an office gained momentum after with the UCC*s three-day national con The young Mr. Kopot outlined a this action," said Mr. Kopot. After the senator's death last year with the ference, which attracted local UCC situation in which believers, specifically wards the government relented some establishment of a memorial fund that heads to a round of plenary sessions, Baptists, had no other recourse but to what; pressure on believers was eased a channels donations to the office. workshops and lectures. emigrate. little. Andrew Hluchowecky, the new exe During one plenary session, delegates He said that during the late 1970s, (Continued on page 2) cutive director of the office, was intro (Continued on page 13) Miss America discusses her dreams, plans by Natalia A. Feduschak gone and will go toward financing her education. She received her Registered Nurse diploma in 1985 JERSEY CITY, N.J. - "My attitude ^yas that I from St. Vincent Medical Center and hopes to con didn't want to beat out anyone else," Kaye Lani Rae tinue her studies in nursing and eventually obtain Rafko, Miss America 1988, said recently. "I bachelor's and master's degrees specializing in thought it would be a wonderful experience even if oncology. I didn't win. My dream was to make it to Atlantic Although she does not speak Ukrainian and was City. I was preparing myself for defeat." not involved in Ukrainian organizations while she Make it to Atlantic City she did and she did not was growing up, Miss Rafko stated she fee1s very leave defeated. A mild-mannered nurse who has much a Ukrainian. Indeed, right after winning the worked with cancer and AIDS victims, Miss Miss America pageant, when asked about the talent Rafko, 24, represents, perhaps, a new breed of Miss part of the competition during the pageant (she America. performed a Hawaiian-Tahitian dance) she was During a 15-minute telephone interview with The quoted as saying "I'm not Hawaiian, I'm Ukrai Ukrainian Weekly recently, the new Miss America, nian." whose first name is Hawaiian, but whose heritage is "It was always a part of me," she said of her Ukrainian (with some Irish and Welsh mixed in) Ukrainian background. "When I was growing up, discussed her ethnic background, the Miss America my great-grandparents were from Austria, and we pageant and her hopes for the future. always used to go over there. It was just always a "I still haven't come down," Miss Rafko said of part of me. I was brought up with it. My mother her feelings on becoming Miss America on makes pyrohy twice a month. That is my favorite September 19, a dream shared by some 80,000 dish. She makes them with potato and cheese — young women annually. well over 100. We (the family) all love them. I've Winning the pageant was the culmination of a made them before, but never had any luck. We11 fry six-year process, which began when Miss Rafko them for breakfast, lunch and dinner." wanted to go to college, but had no money to do so. Miss Rafko said she did not know off-hand what "The tuition was S70O," she said. So, to pay for her part of Ukraine her family came from (her father is education, Miss Rafko decided to enter a local Ukrainian), although in the 10th grade she did a pageant and won. The prize was S70O. "roots project, my whole family history. I learned a "I stuck with the pageants, went to the state great deal from Baba." pageant - the prize was S1,50O — and won. The Miss Rafko also noted she had initially hoped to money was wonderful. 1t was almost like an addic perform a Ukrainian dance for the talent part of the tion. 1 fell in love with it." Miss Rafko has won over pageants she competed in but could not find a S40,00O in scholarship money including S30,000 place near her home that taught the ethnic dance. from the Miss America contest, a11 of which has (Continued on page 16) шштшШтштшшшшшшшшшшшш THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25. 1987 No.43 authorities tried to prevent him from Recently freed... receiving his diploma, earned at a A GLIMPSE OF SOVIET REALITY (Continued from page 1) technical school. He received the But to dissuade people from leaving, document, but then could not find work the KGB resorted to veiled threats for a while. Later he found a job as a saying that leaving the Soviet Union janitor, and then at a construction site. Ukrainian writers express dissatisfaction was not something a normal person The final maneuver of the Soviet would contemplate. (This is a subtle officials was to draft Mr. Kopot into the way of saying that such "abnormal" army, though he was well beyond the with "restructuring" of national life people might have a psychiatric ward age at which Soviet citizens are usually stay in their future, if they persisted in conscripted. by Roman Solchanyk problems that led to the decline of acting "crazy.") Mr. Kopot announced to the govern Ukrainian cinema and theater, warning Later, Soviet officials used another ment and to his friends at the Moscow The recent resolution of the Central that things are not so easy to do and tactic; telling petitioners that they group that he had decided to go to Committee of the Communist Party of expressing hopes for the future." There would wind up homeless in the West - prison rather than serve in the army. Ukraine "On Measures for the Realiza was no lack of well-wishing, no one wanted them. When this line of "This of course was a sensational tion in the Republic of the Decisions of commented the newspaper, but what is argument failed, the authorities com decision," he commented, "though the 27th Party Congress and the CPSU needed is concrete proposals. plained that Baptists would be used to there are many hundreds of Baptist Central Committee Plenum of January Doubt about the party's sincerity was promote anti-Soviet propaganda by the young men sitting in prison because of 1987 in the Area of National Relations also apparent in the speech of Vitaliy West.

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