The Ukrainian Weekly 2008, No.22

www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • New Jersey seeks immigrants’ testimonies — page 4. • Exhibit on “Holodomor: Genocide by Famine” — page 10. • The Holodomor Remembrance Torch in Chicago — pages 12-13. HE KRAINIAN EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXXVI No. 22 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2008 $1/$2 in Ukraine Chernovetskyi wins Yushchenko visits Ottawa on state visit to Canada re-election in Kyiv in early mayoral vote by Illya M. Labunka Kyiv Press Bureau KYIV – In a lower than anticipated turnout, approximately 53.39 percent of Kyiv’s eligible voters cast their ballots on May 25 in the capital’s pre-term mayoral and City Council elections. According to the Kyiv City Territorial Election Commission, of the 70 individuals officially registered on the yard-long list of mayoral candidates, the incumbent, Leonid Chernovetskyi, managed to hold on to his highly contested position by winning 37.72 percent of the votes. First Vice Prime Minister Oleksander Turchynov of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc garnered 19.13 percent and Vitalii Klitschko of the eponymous bloc received 17.97 percent. They were followed by Viktor Pylypyshyn of the Volodymyr Lytvyn Bloc (6.71 percent), Mykola Katerynchuk of the eponymous bloc and member of the Maria Sochan Tymyc European Party of Ukraine (4.44 percent), Oleksander President Viktor Yushchenko addresses the Holodomor memorial ceremonies in Ottawa. Omelchenko of the eponymous bloc (2.53 percent), Vasyl Horbal of the Party of the Regions (2.33 percent) and Oleh OTTAWA – President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine, ues, particularly democracy, human rights and freedoms, Tiahnybok of the all-Ukrainian Union Svoboda (1.37 per- and the supremacy of law. cent). beginning a three-day official state visit to Canada, on May “Ukraine remembers and will always remember that it Meanwhile, of the 37 political factions hoping to obtain 26 appeared before a joint session of Parliament, met with was Canada that was one of the first Western countries to representation on the Kyiv City Council, six blocs and one Prime Minister Stephen Harper and was hosted by recognize the independence of our state in 1991,” he stated. party managed to secure seats by winning the necessary Governor General Michaëlle Jean. Ukrainian Canadian Congress President Paul Grod was minimum of 3 percent of the votes. He began his state visit in Ottawa at Rideau Hall, the res- present at the official greeting ceremonies to welcome As a result, the Leonid Chernovetskyi Bloc won idence of the governor-general, who represents the crown in President Yushchenko on behalf of the 1.2 million 30.45 percent of the vote, the Tymoshenko Bloc Canada and carries out the duties of head of state. After Canadians of Ukrainian descent. received 22.79 percent and the Vitalii Klitschko Bloc being welcomed to Canada by Governor General Jean, Mr. Later Ukraine’s president had a meeting with Canadian garnered 10.61 percent, followed by the Volodymyr Yushchenko proceeded to plant a tree on the grounds of Prime Minister Harper, at which the two leaders discussed a Lytvyn Bloc (8.17 percent), the Civic Activists of Kyiv Rideau Hall in commemoration of his visit to Canada. range of bilateral and international issues, including the fur- Bloc headed by Oleksander Pabat (5.95 percent), the President Yushchenko noted “the special partnership ther development of political and commercial ties between Party of the Regions (3.95 percent) and the Mykola established between our friendly countries,” adding that Katerynchuk Bloc (3.47 percent). Ukraine and Canada are united by common goals and val- (Continued on page 19) The Our Ukraine –People’s Self-Defense (OU-PSD) bloc did not qualify for membership on the Kyiv City Council as it received only 2.01 percent of the votes. When the pre-term mayoral and City Council elections campaign had just gotten under way, the Committee of ‘Walk Against Genocide’ escorts Voters of Ukraine (CVU) had predicted that total expenses for the campaign would be approximately $100 million (U.S.). However, in what has turned out to be the costliest Holodomor torch in New York political election campaign and the most controversial the by Matthew Dubas city of Kyiv has ever witnessed, that sum had doubled by election day. Thus, over $212 million was spent in a hard- NEW YORK – Over 150 people gathered at Castle fought electoral battle aimed at gaining control of Clinton in Battery Park on Tuesday, May 27, to partici- Ukraine’s capital. pate in the “Walk Against Genocide” as the The campaigns of the Chernovetskyi Bloc, the International Holodomor Remembrance Flame contin- Tymoshenko Bloc, the Lytvyn Bloc and the Katerynchuk ued its journey around the world, enlightening people Bloc recorded the five most expensive campaigns, as each about the Ukrainian genocide of 1932-1933, which faction attempted to outdo its opponents with huge claimed the lives of millions of men, women and chil- finances. The campaign budget of the major political dren. forces ranged from $25 million to $40 million. The ceremonies, organized by the New York branch For example, candidates spent close to $10 million on of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America street advertising, as the average cost of one political bill- (UCCA), began with a ferry ride from Battery Park to board, depending on size, ranged from $1,000 to $2,000. Liberty Island, where the torch was officially blessed by Nine thousand billboards of various sizes were utilized by the Revs. George Bazylevsky of the Ukrainian Messrs. Chernovetskyi and Katerynchuk alone. The politi- Orthodox Church and Ivan Tykhovych of the Ukrainian cal campaign billboards featuring Mr. Klitschko added up Catholic Church. to approximately 4,000. Dr. Oleh Shamshur, ambassador of Ukraine to the Matthew Dubas According to law, each candidate was allowed to spend United States, commented on the location of the blessing, no more than $100,000 on advertising, campaign fliers and noting the Statue of Liberty holds a torch in her hand as a National Park Service Ranger Eugene Kuziw holds salaries for campaign staff. However, due to the fact that a symbol of freedom and democracy, so too the Holodomor the International Holodomor Remembrance Torch candidate was closely affiliated with his or her particular torch is a symbol of Ukrainian resolve and the hope of with Ivanka Zajac, president of the New York branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, at (Continued on page 17) (Continued on page 9) Liberty Island National Park. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2008 No. 22 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Euro-Asian Oil Transportation Corridor Jewish Community honors Sheptytsky the Russian side is obliged to take a deci- sion on adequate measures against those proposed at energy summit in Kyiv KYIV – The Jewish Community of Ukrainian politicians who with their Ukraine has called Metropolitan Andrey actions and statements are doing harm to Sheptytsky of the Ukrainian Greek- by Vladimir Socor Russia,” said the statement released by the where the Kralupy and Litvinov refineries Catholic Church a righteous gentile, ministry. The Security Service of Ukraine Eurasia Daily Monitor are interested in using Caspian oil. Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi Moshe Reuven had barred Mr. Luzhkov from entering UkrTransNafta signed a framework agree- Asman said at a press conference. The presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia, ment to that end with the Czech Mero Ukraine due to his statements made during Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania agreed on Metropolitan Sheptytsky did a lot to save transport company at the Kyiv summit. people, including Jews, during World War celebrations of the 225th anniversary of May 22 and 23 in Kyiv on steps to create Such an arrangement however, is subject the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. a Euro-Asian Oil Transportation Corridor II, the rabbi said. Risking his life during to agreement by Slovakia’s Transpetrol the German occupation of Lviv, he shel- Mr. Luzhkov said that in 1948, Sevastopol (EAOTC). The planned corridor is a cen- for using the Slovak stretch of the became a city of state subordination, terpiece to the concept of an Energy tered in his house several hundred Jews, Druzhba pipeline. called on believers to save the Jews and whereas “in 1954, the city was not includ- Transit Space, which was also launched at ed in the number of those regions and terri- the Kyiv summit of Caspian, Black Sea wrote numerous appeals to the German command, demanding a halt to attacks on tories that [Soviet leader Nikita] and Baltic countries. Khrushchev transferred to Ukraine.” The EAOTC, in turn, is an enlarged The energy sum- the Jewish population of Halychyna. The Jewish Community of Ukraine staged the Moreover, the Moscow mayor promised to version of the project to extend the raise the issue of reviewing a treaty of Odesa-Brody oil pipeline from Ukraine mit of Caspian, “Tree of Life” action outside Kyiv’s cen- tral synagogue on May 20 in memory of friendship and cooperation between into Poland, in order to carry Caspian oil Ukraine and Russia. On May 15 Russia as originally intended into European Black Sea and Sheptytsky, planting a tree as a token of banned Ukrainian National Deputy Union territory. gratitude and respect to him for saving Baltic countries Vladyslav Kaskiv from entering Russia, Completed by Ukraine in 2001 up to hundreds of Jews. Yet, Rabbi Asman said, where he was participate in a TV program Brody near the Polish border, that pipeline the state of Israel refuses to call Sheptytsky also launched the a righteous gentile, even though the ques- in Moscow. (Ukrinform) remained empty for three years because tion was repeatedly raised by the Yad Russia blocked the access of oil from concept of an Vashem task team.

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