The Ukrainian Weekly 1990
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ubtished by the Ukrainian National Association inc.. a fraternal non-profit association rainian Weekly vol. LVIII No. 52 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER ЗО, i990 50 cents 1NS1DE: Our year-end issue Ukrainian Parliament designates "1990: A LOOK BACK" Christmas, Easter as holidays Parliament discussed proposals for a Supreme Soviet law 6n ownership, a law on budget and finances, and the concept of a union concludes session treaty as proposed by Soviet President KlEv - The Supreme Soviet of the Mikhail Gorbachev. Ukrainian SSR adjourned its second As well, the Parliament completed session here on December 26 by adopt– discussions of a law on introducing ing a law making Christmas, Easter and changes and amendments to the consti– the Feast of the Holy Trinity legal tution and created a Constitutional holidays in the republic. Commission that will prepare a draft of a new republican constitution. The 50- The measure had been introduced by member body is chaired by Mr. Krav– deputies of the democratic bloc who chuk. acted on a request by both the Ukrai– Also during the session, the Parlia– nian Greek-Catholic Church and the ment brought articles of the Ukrainian Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox SSR Constitution into line with the July Church, reported the Respublika news 16 Declaration of State Sovereignty of agency. Ukraine. One of the most notable Leonid Kravchuk, chairman of the changes was the deletion Of Article 6 Supreme Soviet, took the occasion to whicfi provides for the leading role of express best wishes to all faithful in the Communist Party. л Ukraine. Beginning on page 3, this special annual issue of The Weekly offers a review of in economic matters, the Parliament Ukraine in transition, the rebirth of Ukrainian Churches, the Ukrainian diaspora, Similar measures making Christmas heard the new prime minister, vitold Chornobyl aid, the Helsinki process, the political realm, the Demjanjuk case and a legal holiday were reportedly passed Fokin, announce plans to increase other notable events, as well as people in the news in 1990. in both the volhynia and Lviv oblasts. development of the consumer goods Also on the final day of the Parlia– industry, reduce economic contribu– ment session, deputies approved a tions to Moscow and transfer control proposal that will decrease Ukraine's over almost all enterprises to republi– Founding conference of Rukh groups contribution of certain foodstuffs to the can government control. all-union supply. Perhaps most signifi– The prime minister also reported to in U.S. slated for January 26-27 cant is the fact that meat products Parliament that Ukraine will have a delivered by Ukraine to all-union deficit of 11.9 billion rubles in 1991. CH1CAGO - The Rukh Conven– inanities in North America, ivan authorities will decrease from 570,000 However, that deficit could be sub– tion Committee, which is the organizing Drach, president of Rukh, and Mr. to 370,000 tons. stantially reduced, he noted, through committee for the nationwide founding Horyn have been invited as guest The Parliament is to resume its work republican control of all enterprises, conference of Rukh support commit– speakers to the coherence. on February 1,1991, after the New Year including the coal mining and metallur– tees, met on December 15. Every existing Rukh support com– and Christmas holidays. gical industries. The convention committee was (Continued on page 15) During its second session, which was Mr. Fokin also said that he foresees created at a meeting of leaders of convened on October 1, Ukraine's introduction of a Ukrainian currency. various Rukh support committees and Ukraine's deputies organizations with Mykhailo Horyn, For the record first vice-chairman of Rukh and chairman of the political council, to all-union congress September 29 in New York, and was New census statistics on Ukraine given a mandate to organize a nation- speak on union treaty JERSEY C1TY, N.J. - Detailed cent), a third of the Russians, a wide conference in order to coordinate MOSCOW - Thirty-seven people's results of the 1989 census in Ukraine quarter of the Greeks and a fifth of and strengthen North American aid to deputies from Ukraine participating in were recently made available in Kiev, the Germans who reside in Ukraine Ukraine. the current session of the USSR Con– in the weekly Ukraina (No. 33), in an speak the Ukrainian language well. The meeting was chaired by Anatole gress of People's Deputies on December article by irena Prybytkova. Russian is spoken fluently by Lysyj, and the following members of the 20 released a statement emphasizing The current figures indicate that almost half of the total population, committee were present: Bohdan Bura– that decisiorii of the аІЬшіі?п Congress Ukraine's population has grown to with a similar ratio reflected among chinsky, Bohdan Futey, Julian Kulas, concerning trie union treaty are null and 51.7 million persons, 72.6 percent ethnic Ukrainians. Only 0.5 percent John Oleksyn and Lubomyr Tatukh. void, as the fate of the union treaty is to (that is, 37.5 million people) of whom of the republic's population speaks Walter Sochan (who was unable to fly be determined by the people and Parlia– are Ukrainian; Russians comprise 22 other languages; among Ukrainians, to Chicago due to inclement weather) ments of the sovereign republics them– percent of the population (11.37 a mere 0.001 percent are proficient in was represented by Gloria Paschen. selves. million); and the remaining 5.4 any language other than Ukrainian The committee decided that the The statement was released prior to percent (2.8 million) represent varied and Russian. conference would take place January the Congress of People's Deputies ethnic backgrounds. Of the total number of Ukrainians 26-27, 1991, at the Holiday inn Jetport, session that day by a group that in– Statistics of language usage seem in the USSR, 84.7 percent reside in near Newark international Airport. cluded Dr. Yuriy Shcherbak, Oles to indicate that the Russification Ukraine, while the remainder live in The program of the conference will Honchar, Dmytro Pavlychko, Serhiy process has abated since Ukrainian other republics. Of the latter group, include election of the conference Riabchenko, volodymyr Yavorivsky, was named the native language by 4.4 million live in Russia; 900,000 in presidium, election of the coordinating Serhiy Koniev, valeriy Hryshchuk and 87.7 percent of Ukrainians (32.8 Kazakhstan; 600,000 in Moldavia; organ's board of directors, the adoption others, reported the Respublika press million); among the non-Ukrainian 290,000 in Byelorussia; and 154,000 of by-laws and various reports. agency. citizens (27.4 percent of the total in Uzbekistan. The conference will also feature a in connection with their statement, population), 13.3 percent said they Of the Ukrainians living in Russia, presentation given by representatives of the 37 Ukrainian deputies said they speak Ukrainian fluently. 42.8 percent have retained the Ukrai– Rukh to explain Rukh's actual needs would not participate in the sessions at A further breakdown shows that nian language; in Kazakhstan, the and how those needs can be realized which the union treaty was discussed or almost half of the Jews (46.5 per– (Continued on page 14) through the efforts of Ukrainian com– voted upon. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER ЗО, ШО No. 52 Faces and Places by Myron B. Kuropas Predictions past and present "Christmas Eve" PART И The characterization of Gogol's A year ago 1 made some predictions Stalin will be smiling in their graves. Patsiuk developed fundamental regarding the world's Ukrainians during The KGB will "discover" OUN in– Nikolai Soloviev changes: he is a lazy glutton no longer, the 1990s. fluence throughout Ukraine and begin but a patriotic, romantic Zaporozhian Among other things, 1 predicted that: harassing outspoken Ukrainian leaders. Nikolai Soloviev (1846-1916), Rus– (Continued on page 15) the Ukrainian Autocephalous Ortho– Dissatisfaction with Ukraine's demo– sian composer, critic and teacher, dox Church would be re-established in cratic bloc will increase as Ukraine's composed the opera "Kuznets vakula" Kiev; the Ukrainian SSR would become economic woes multiply. (Уакиїа the Blacksmith) to Polonsky's libretto. Written in 1875, the work a true federal republic; fraternal ties While Ukrainian Catholics and Orth– would be maintained between Russia premiered May 11, 1880, in St. Peters- dox continue bickering over church burg. and Ukraine to the mutual benefit of property, ecclesiastical turf and "foreign both; Svoboda and The Ukrainian influences" upon their respective "Grove's Dictionary of Music and Weekly would have their own corres– churches, Ukraine's Protestants, un– Musicians" (fifth edition) has this to pondent in Ukraine; Ukrainian entre– encumbered by such concerns, will say: "Soloviev had entered the competi– preneurs from Europe and North Ame– continue to reach the Ukrainian masses tion organized by the Grand Duchess rica would begin pouring into Ukraine by providing them with what they want Helena Pavlovna and the imperial to establish joint ventures. most — spiritual renewal through the Russian Music Society for an opera set Although at the time some people Word of Jesus Christ. More evange– to Polonsky's libretto derived from told me that my predictions were so lists from the United States and the Gogol's 'Christmas Eve Revels.' The much wishful thinking, much of what І Western world will come to Ukraine in prize was won by Tchaikovsky's 'Уа- predicted has already come to pass. search of converts. kula the Smith,' that composer having The Ukrainian Autocephalous Or– taken the precaution to render his Mired in a no-win situation in the thodox Church has been re-established; manuscript recognizable by the judges.