www.ukrweekly.com lished by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association! rainian Weekl Vol. LIV No. 17 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 1986 V m 25 cents Ukrainians enter political arena Society of Ukrainian-Jewish Contacts in Canadian prairie provinces to assist Demjanjuk defense attorney by Michael B. Bociurkiw verned '` by a state elite that loathed accommodating members of non-char- This is the first installment of a three- ter groups. part series on the involvement of Ukrai- nians in provincial politics in western Canadian elite Canada. Part I focuses on Ukrainians involved in the political process in the As Canadian sociologist Dennis province of Manitoba. Next week: Olson observed in a 1977 article on who Ukrainians on the hustings in the oil- directly holds the key positions of state rich province of Alberta. in Canada: "The Canadian state is primarily an elite composed of middle- class Canadian males of British and PART I: MANITOBA French ethnicity. JERSEY CITY, N. J. — As the winds "The elite for the most part is drawn of change blow over the political land- from a very narrow slice of the Cana- scape of Canada's prairie provinces this dian population, with very little direct spring, an unprecedented large number representation for the working class, of Ukrainians are entering the political women, and non-British, non-French arena to fight for votes in a highly ethnicity." volatile political enrivonment that has But much has changed in recent recently been battered by imemploy- times, especially since 1971 when then ment, a troubled farm economy and a Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau intro- French-language rights controversy. duced a federal policy that recognized An informal survey of Ukrainians the contributions made by Canada's involved in provincial politics in the ethnocultural communities, and com- prairie provinces puts Manitoba well mitted the government to supporting ahead of Saskatchewan and Alberta in many of their endeavors. terms of the number of Ukrainians who To Mr. Pawley, who has governed have announced their candidacy. this province of 1 million since Novem- In Manitoba, where voters in 57 ber 17, 1981, Manitoba is one of the few ridings went to the polls on March 18 to places in Canada which is sensitive to John Demjanjuk at the March 28 remand hearing. renew the mandate of the government the needs of minorities to gain equal by Zina Vishnevsky of Premier Howard Pfcwley — the only access. He has voiced his support for ing between the Jewish and Ukrainian New Democratic premier in Canada -r- accommodating minorities at several nations." He said there are 400members JERUSALEM — A former Soviet more than 20 of the 219 candidates Ukrainian community functions, iri- worldwide, about 30 of whom live in cluding the 1983 convention of the political prisoner has agreed to assist in Israel. running were of Ukrainian origin. the defense of John Demjanjuk. Yakiv Most of the Ukrainian candidates ran Ukrainian Canadian Professional and "I don't say I defend Demjanjuk. I say Business Federation and the congress of Suslensky, chairman of the Society of I am on the side of the defense." Mr. under the banner of the NDP, Canada's Ukrainian Jewish Contacts (SUJC), self-styled social democratic party. the Ukrainian Canadian Committee Suslensky said he is assisting the de- said he and other members of SUJC fense because he is "the victim of two Others ran as Progressive Conserva- held that same year. have agreed to meet with Mark O'Cpn- terrible regimes where a word of defense tives, Liberals and Independents. At Most recently, the Manitoba govern- nor, Mr. Demjanjuk's American law- cannot be heard." least one candidate of Ukrainian origin ment gave $ 1.2 million towards the con- yer, once a week "to exchange opinions" Mr. Suslensky, a Ukrainian Jew from ran as a member of the Manitoba Pro- struction of "Selo Ukraina": the new here. home of the annual Dauphin Ukrai- Odessa, lost his family during the gressive Party. Mr. Suslensky said he founded SUJC nian festival. Last year, $150,000 was German invasion of the Soviet Union. But what has delighted many Ukrai- four years ago "to promote understand- (Continued on page 11) nians in western Canada is the fact that awarded to the Encyclopedia of Ukraine six of the Ukrainians who won seats for project. the NDP were drafted into Mr. Pawley's Said one source: "The Ukrainian 21-member cabinet, which was sworn in community in the biggest recipient of Demjanjuk children discuss Чргіі 10. grants by far in this province." It's almost taken for granted in Mr. Pawley's government was elected father's ordeal, its ramifications to a second term with a reduced majo- Manitoba that Ukrainians have an by Roma Hadzewycz suburb of Cleveland, has been under important and permanent role to play in rity. When the Legislature resumes constant pressure from U.S. govern- the decision-making process. Less than sitting on May 8, there will be 30 New ment authorities and the news media. Democrats, 26 Conservatives and a JERSEY CITY, N.J. — John two decades ago, this wouldn't have Demjanjuk, who is currently being It was nearly a decade ago that the single Liberal in the 57-seat assembly. been possible in a land that was go- held in an Israeli prison on suspicion U.S. attorney's office in Cleveland There were four new faces in Mr. that he is a Nazi camp guard known began investigating Mr. Demjanjuk Pawley's new Cabinet, three of which as "Ivan the Terrible," is "at peace" — after a Soviet publication accused INSIDE: were elected for the first time. because of his strong faith in God. the autoworker of being a Nazi Ш Part II of series on Afghanistan — According to his daughter, Lydia, 36, collaborator. In 1979, when the page 3. Rookie minister and son, John, 20, this is due to the Office of Special Investigations was Ш Ukrainian Community Network fact that Mr. Demjanjuk knows he is created as the Nazi-hunting arm of continues Medvid case efforts — One of the rookie ministers, Judy innocent and has a clear conscience. the U.S. Justice Department, legal page 4. Wasylycia-Leis, who is part Ukrainian proceedings were initiated against and from St. John's riding in Winnipeg, "He's relying on his faith in God to 8 More UNA convention countdown get him through (the ordeal)," said Mr. Demjanjuk. takes on the mammoth portfolio of — page 5. Miss Demjanjuk. The Diemjanjuks certainly have culture, heritage and recreation, and 9 News about upcoming national For nearly 10 years, the Demjan- not had a normal family life since women's conference — page 7. ` also becomes minister responsible for juk family of Seven Hills, Ohio, a (Continued on page 11) (Continued on page 10) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 1986 No. 17 Pravda article reveals importance Kostava's whereabouts uncertain of Russian language in USSR JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Conflicting reports surround the whereabouts of MIDDLESEX, England — Soviet agitation, the enhancement of all ideo- Georgian Helsinki Group founder Nationality Survey, a monthly publica- logical climate. Merab Kostava. USSR News Brief tion of The Society for Soviet Nationa- "Great is the cementing role of the reported in March that Mr. Kostava lity Studies based here, published Russian language in consolidating our had been released from a labor excerpts from a Pravda article concern- multinational state and in developing camp in Soviet Central Asia before the ing the importance of the Russian our single Soviet culture, which is end of his sentence, and then not long language in the USSR, socialist in content, diverse in national after retracted the report, claiming it In its March edition, the Survey forms, and internationalist in its spirit. may have been false. notes, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences "Objective data from population Mr. Kostava's friends have no evi- L. Skvortsov, head of the section on the censuses depict an unswerving growth dence that he was indeed released or any culture of the Russian language at the in the number of inhabitants of non- recent reports about his health. Russian Language Institute of the Russian nationality who consider Rus- Keston News Service and the CSCE USSR Academy of Sciences, has a few sian as their native or second tongue, Digest had reported that Mr. Kostava, a suggestions about improving the new which they freely master. musician, had been released ahead of draft edition of the program of the "In the section, The Further Blossom- schedule because of a serious medical Communist Party of the Soviet Union. ing and Drawing Together of Socialist condition. Keston News based its "There can be no true love of coun- Nations and Nationalities," in the reports on the Russian emigre news- try, of the Homeland," intones Mr. second part of the draft of the new paper Russkaya Mysl. He was to have Merab Kostava completed his sentence in 1988. Skvortsov, "without love of one's native edition of the Program, it is said that: sentence, he was arrested a third time in tongue, without a knowledge of its "In addition, the mastering, together Mr. Kostava was originally sentenced camp in 1985, accused of violating camp invaluable riches and possibilities." with the language of one's own nationa- in April 1977 to three years' camp and regulations. USSR News Brief report- Lenin's "careful and at the same time lity, of the Russian language, volunta- two years' exile for participating in the ed that upon release he was immediately creative relationship with the Russian rily accepted by Soviet people in the work of the Georgian Helsinki Moni- hospitalized in Tashkent, apparently language" can serve as an example for capacity of a means of internationality toring Group.