INSIDE:
• Renowned scholar Renata Holod is honored – page 11.
• Growth and decline of Ukrainians in metropolitan areas – page 12.
• STALKER computer game series made in Ukraine – page 17.
Vol. LXXVII
The Ukrainian Weekly Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association
At Ukraine-EU summit:
scant evidence of progress
by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau
KYIV – Ukrainian government leaders
didn’t fulfill President Viktor Yushchenko’s
repeated assurances that a long-awaited
Association Agreement would be signed at
the 13th Ukraine-European Union Summit
held on December 4 at the Presidential
Political posturing
stalls Ukraine’s
vaccination program
by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau
KYIV – Political gridlock and election
posturing have delayed government plans
to launch mass vaccinations in prepara-
tion for an expected second wave of influ-
enza and acute respiratory illnesses.
President Viktor Yushchenko criticized
the Cabinet of Ministers led by Prime
Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on December
9 for failing to approve an official vacci-
nation policy, as requested by the World
Health Organization (WHO) during meet-
ings with top officials on November 24.
Parliament on November 3 approved
an allotment of 1 billion hrv ($125 mil-
lion U.S.) in order to buy between 7 mil-
lion and 8 million doses of vaccines.
President Yushchenko vetoed the law
two weeks later, arguing he’s not against
the financing but how it would have been
achieved – by printing more money.
Meanwhile, the WHO is ready to offer
Ukraine 5 million doses of vaccines (of
an estimated 12.3 million that are need-
ed), but under certain controversial condi-
tions that may lead to loss of electoral
support should the Tymoshenko govern-
ment approve the plan.
As part of the deal, the government
must protect the vaccine manufacturers,
among them likely to be GlaxoSmithKline,
from any lawsuits should their products
cause side effects or deaths. Furthermore,
the vaccines must be distributed without
any additional testing or registration in
Ukraine.
Vaccinations have become a sensitive
subject among Ukrainians after well-pub-
licized reports of several vaccine-related
deaths, particularly the case of 17-year-
old Anton Tyschenko in Donetsk Oblast
in May 2008.
That same year, the Ukrainian govern-
ment accepted measles and rubella vac-
cines in the form of WHO humanitarian
(Continued on page 23)
No.50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY
Secretariat.
President Yushchenko made the claim
most recently during an October 27 cam-
paign speech when registering his presiden-
tial candidacy at the Central Election
Commission. Foreign Affairs Ministry offi-
cials distanced themselves from the assur-
ances throughout, stressing that they were
striving for a quality agreement.
“There are no political parameters on
relations between the EU and Ukraine, no
visa regime and no free-trade zone,” said Dr.
Oleh Soskin, director of the Institute of
Society Transformation. “There are no
results and it’s not clear when there will be.”
Dismissing such critics, Foreign Affairs
Minister Petro Poroshenko said the
Ukrainian government made significant
progress in deepening a free-trade zone,
negotiating free visas and improving coop-
eration in law enforcement.
The summit was attended by Council of
Europe Chair Fredrik Reinfeldt and
European Commission Chair Jose Manuel
Barroso, who announced that he expects the
long-anticipated Association Agreement
between the two governments will be final-
(Continued on page 9)
Events of November 2004:
Rebellion, rising or revolution?
by Marko Tarnawsky
NEW YORK – Five years have passed
since those tumultuous days on Kyiv’s
Independence Square. Enough time for
memories to fade. As it turns out, howev-
er, there is still a significant amount of
interest in these storied events.
The Ukrainian Studies Program at the
Harriman Institute, Columbia University,
marked the fifth anniversary of the Orange
Revolution with an all-day conference
that focused on the “colored revolutions”
and their impact on the development of
democratic systems of government in
Eastern Europe and the former Soviet
Union.
The conference consisted of four pan-
els, each of which covered an aspect of
the colored revolutions, their impact on
the politics and development of the coun-
tries in which they occurred, and the pos-
sibility that similar events could occur
elsewhere.
The presence of a significant number
of well-known scholars at the conference
were ample proof that Ukrainians aren’t
alone in following politics in Ukraine and
that the political evolution in this impor-
tant Eastern European country attracts
attention at the highest academic levels in
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009
U.S. and Ukraine inaugurate
Strategic Partnership Commission
Foreign Affairs Minister Poroshenko visits Washington
Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Petro Poroshenko and U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton share their thoughts about the development of bilateral
relations between their countries during a news conference following their
December 9 meeting at the State Department.
by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly
WASHINGTON — The United States is
committed to the development of a demo-
cratic, strong and independent Ukraine with-
in the European community.
the United States. The Ukrainian diaspo-
ra’s support for Ukrainian studies pro-
grams, embodied in the Ukrainian Studies
Fund (which provides funding for the pro-
gram at Columbia), bears mention, as it
provides for a continued growth of schol-
arship about Ukraine.
The conference’s first panel focused on
the events that took place in Ukraine dur-
ing the 2004 presidential elections and
their role in shaping the future of a demo-
cratic system of government. The modera-
tor, Alexander Motyl, professor of politi-
cal science at Rutgers University, intro-
duced the principal speakers: Valerii
Kuchynsky, a former ambassador to the
United Nations from Ukraine and current-
ly a professor of international and public
affairs at Columbia; Keith Darden, profes-
sor of political science at Yale University;
and Joshua Tucker, professor of political
science at New York University.
Ambassador Kuchynsky began the pre-
sentation by returning the audience to
those uplifting and hopeful days when,
five years ago, thousands of Ukrainians
gathered in Kyiv’s Independence Square
(Maidan Nezalezhnosty) to demand new
elections in response to widespread
(Continued on page 21)
$1/$2 in Ukraine
Yaro Bihun
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton underscored that commitment dur-
ing her talks on December 9 at the State
Department with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs
Minister Petro Poroshenko, whose visit here
coincided with the inaugural session of the
U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership
Commission.
“The United States is committed to sup-
porting Ukraine as it continues on the path
to democracy and prosperity,” Secretary
Clinton told a news conference following
their meeting. “We applaud the growth of a
free press and a vibrant political culture in
Ukraine. We support Ukraine’s further inte-
gration with NATO and the European
Union.”
“A strong and independent Ukraine is
good for the region and good for the world,”
she stressed.
Foreign Affairs Minister Poroshenko
expressed his government’s appreciation for
Washington’s declared assurance to security
and other support for Ukraine and the bilat-
eral dialogue that has been established
toward that end. The U.S.-Ukraine Strategic
Partnership Commission was established in
July, during Vice-President Joe Biden’s visit
to Kyiv.
“We have a long list of problems we
should deal with together,” he said, includ-
ing the return of the International Monetary
Fund mission to Ukraine, which he charac-
terized as being “crucially important” for his
country.
This was Mr. Poroshenko’s first visit to
Washington since his appointment as for-
eign affairs minister in October. His two-
day, December 9-10, schedule here included
meetings with administration officials,
members of Congress, The Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, repre-
sentatives of Ukrainian American organiza-
(Continued on page 23)
2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY
ANALYSIS
Islamic terrorist threat in Crimea
by Taras Kuzio
Eurasia Daily Monitor
The head of the Crimean Internal
Affairs Ministry, Gennadii Moskal, has
drafted new legislation to ban extremist
groups in Ukraine (Ukrayinska Pravda,
October 27). Mr. Moskal is also a nation-
al deputy from the Our Ukraine-People’s
Self Defense faction (OU-OSD) and a
member of the People’s Self-Defense
party in the OU-PSD bloc, which is head-
ed by his close ally Internal Affairs
Minister Yurii Lutsenko.
“The police are concerned about the
situation arising from the penetration into
Crimea of Islamic sects, some of them
banned in most Islamic states,” one report
stated (UNIAN, September 11).
The draft legislation is a product of Mr.
Moskal’s new Crimean position after the
Internal Affairs Ministry (known by its
Ukrainian acronym as MVS) and Security
Service of Ukraine (SBU) received intel-
ligence about the growth of Islamic ter-
rorist groups on the peninsula.
“Unfortunately in Ukraine we are faced
with the problem that Hizb-ut-Tahrir al
Islami (Islamic Liberation Party), al-Tak-
fir wa al-Hijrah (Excommunication and
Exile) and other terrorist, fundamentalist
and extremist groups that are not banned,”
Mr. Moskal said (Ukrayinska Pravda,
October 27). Hizb-ut-Tahrir is banned in
many countries.
In Crimea there are more than 100
members of Islamic fundamentalist
groups who have arrived as political refu-
gees from countries where they are out-
lawed. Most of them are from Uzbekistan,
where Islamic fundamentalists have faced
strong levels of repression from the secu-
rity forces after mounting an armed upris-
ing in Andijan against the Uzbek govern-
ment in May 2005. Mr. Moskal has
requested that the State Committee for
Ethnic and Religious Affairs strip the
leader of al-Takfir, Khudar Raad
Mukhamad Alzhi Bur, of his Ukrainian
refugee status.
Mr. Moskal pointed to how blasé the
authorities had been in registering the
Vozrozhdeniye newspaper, which propa-
gates support for an Islamic Caliphate
and the ideas of Islamic fundamentalists.
The SBU has blocked two websites –
www.vozrojdenie.crimea.ua and www.
qirim-vilayeti.org – run by Hizb-ut-
Tahrir.
On July 19, Hizb-ut-Tahrir and its
NGO, the Crimean Muslim Community
Davet, held the fifth Islamic conference
in Symferopol titled “From Capitalist
Oppression and Injustice to the Light of
the Caliphate” (www.maidanua.org, July
24). Some 800 people took part in the
conference (www.poluostrov.net, July
24).
Some Islamic fundamentalists have
entered Crimea disguised as returning
Crimean Tatars, 95 percent of whom have
emigrated from Uzbekistan. Islamic fun-
damentalists in Crimea include Tatars
frustrated with the non-violent, Soviet
dissident approach of former political
prisoners who lead the Crimean Tatar
movement, such as Mustafa Dzhemilev.
Mr. Dzhemilev’s bodyguards are now
permitted to carry weapons to protect him
and other senior Crimean Tatar leaders in
the unofficial Tatar Parliament, the Mejlis
(Ukrayinska Pravda, October 27). The
decision to permit bodyguards to carry
weapons came belatedly and only after
Mr. Moskal and the SBU received intelli-
gence that Islamic fundamentalists had
plans to assassinate the Mejlis leadership
and install radicals in their place.
Islamic fundamentalist groups operat-
ing in Crimea have declared that Mr.
Dzhemilev is not a true believer and,
therefore, a potential target. Mr.
Dzhemilev accused Russian military
intelligence (GRU) of being behind
planned assassination attempts, part of a
wider plan to promote instability in
Crimea. Mr. Moskal has publicly stated
his disagreement that Russia is behind
these Islamic fundamentalists. Mr.
Moskal believes the funding for Islamic
fundamentalists in Crimea comes from
the Taliban via Uzbekistan.
Free Islamic, Crimean Tatar and Arabic
language courses are increasing in popu-
larity in Crimea overseen by the Spiritual
Directorate of Crimean Muslims (Yani
Dunya, Qirim, September 5). The funding
for them comes from Saudi Arabia and
Turkey, where there are large numbers of
Tatar emigrants.
In October, the Crimean police, who
only began to turn their attention to the
Islamic fundamentalist threat after Mr.
Moskal’s appointment, detained members
of al-Takfir. Most were former members
of Hizb-ut-Tahrir who had defected to the
more radical al-Takfir, and had stopped
attending official mosques and pro-
claimed their unwillingness to recognize
the legitimacy of the Ukrainian state. The
police reported that al-Takfir “has started
to actively prepare for armed jihad. They
have bought and made weapons, studied
literature on the tactics of guerrilla and
subversion war in the conditions of
Crimean mountain woods. They built a
hideaway near the Chystenke village in
the Symferopol region and recruited peo-
ple for conducting radical extremist activ-
ities.” The police report added: “Literature
and CDs popularizing Wahhabism, in
particular, its extreme wings like Hizb-ut-
Tahrir and al-Takfir, were found and con-
fiscated during a search in the house of a
group member in the Dubky village. Also,
manuals on the technical characteristics
of weapons and certain explosives were
found” (Interfax-Ukraine, October 6).
Three Sevastopol residents were arrest-
ed in Balaklava after seeking to sell
weapons to undercover policemen. A
search of their homes led the police to
find more arms, hand grenades, detona-
tors, improvised explosives and narcotics,
suggesting a possible second avenue as
drug dealers for providing income to the
arms traffickers. The SBU and the MVS
arrested five religious extremists and dur-
ing a search of their homes found AK-47
assault rifles, plastic explosives with elec-
tric detonators, 16mm-calibre sawed-off
guns, and explosive devices. In addition,
terrorist, guerrilla warfare and survivalist
manuals on how to survive and engage in
warfare in wooded mountains and popu-
lation centers, maps, and plans of terrorist
actions were found (Interfax-Ukraine,
October 23). Further searches in undis-
closed Crimean hills found two hidden
caches with explosives, weapons, camou-
flage fatigues and stored foodstuffs.
The lack of attention paid to these
Islamic militants until now is surprising.
The SBU has been focused on separatists
and Russian extremists in Crimea and
from Russia while military counter-intel-
ligence, in cooperation with the SBU, has
shadowed the Black Sea Fleet. All three
areas are seen in Kyiv as the greatest
potential threat to Ukraine’s territorial
integrity and sovereignty.
Islamic fundamentalists were not con-
sidered as a potential threat until this
summer, because Ukraine is not seen as a
potential target. This may be true after
Ukraine withdrew its troops from Iraq in
(Continued on page 20)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50
NEWSBRIEFS
U.S. envoy presents credentials August President Yushchenko endorsed the
Annual National Program 2009 (ANP) on
KYIV – The new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine’s preparation for NATO member-
Ukraine, John Tefft, has presented his let- ship. The president ordered the Cabinet to
ters of credence to Ukrainian Foreign submit a draft ANP for 2010 by December
Affairs Minister Petro Poroshenko, it was 1. (Ukrinform)
reported on December 3. The minister
wished the ambassador fruitful work in his Poroshenko: Ukraine is a reliable partner
new post. Ambassador Tefft has been a
KYIV – After the presidential elections,
career foreign service officer for 37 years.
Ukraine will remain a reliable and consis-
He served as U.S. ambassador to the
tent partner of the North Atlantic Alliance,
Republic of Georgia in 2005-2009. Prior to
that assignment he served as deputy assis- Foreign Affairs Minister Petro Poroshenko
tant secretary of state for European and said during the Ukraine-NATO Commission
Eurasian affairs, and was responsible for meeting in Brussels on December 3. He
U.S. relations with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus said this year was of particular importance
and Moldova. In 2003-2005 Mr. Tefft was for relations between the alliance and
the international affairs advisor at the Ukraine, because NATO foreign ministers
National War College in Washington. He decided last December to open a new for-
mat of bilateral relations. Thanks to this
served as the U.S. ambassador to Lithuania
in 2000-2003. He was deputy chief of mis- decision, Ukraine launched the develop-
ment of its annual target plan and certain
sion at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in
1996-1999 and served as chargé d’affaires results of this work have been already
summed up. “Implementation of the 2009
from November 1996 to September 1997.
His other foreign service assignments target program conformed to expectations
of the alliance. And we want to thank you
include: Jerusalem, Budapest and Rome.
(Ukrinform) for this. This result is also satisfactory to us.
The annual target plan helped step up
Russian envoy to arrive in 2010
reforms in the military and civil areas, make
relations with the alliance more intensive,”
KYIV – The new Russian ambassador to
Ukraine, Mikhail Zurabov, will arrive in Mr. Poroshenko said. He pointed out that
Kyiv next year, said former Russian the decision of the Bucharest summit and
A m b a s s a d o r t o U k r a i n e Vi k t o r subsequent decisions by the NATO foreign
Chernomyrdin at a December 7 briefing at ministers’ meeting on Ukraine’s future
the Russian Center of Science and Culture membership were correct and beneficial for
in Kyiv. “The ambassador has already been relations between NATO and Ukraine. “We
appointed, so I think he will arrive next are making pragmatic and realistic steps
year,” he said. Mr. Chernomyrdin declined towards our goal, which is membership in
to say whether the new ambassador would the alliance. It is most important that our
arrive after the presidential election in path to this became better oriented on the
Ukraine. The decree appointing Mr. needs of the people. It accords with the
Zurabov as Russia’s ambassador to Ukraine people’s hopes for better life and well-
was signed on August 5. (Ukrinform) being. It is quite clear that these goals can
be achieved only through deep and truly
Government OKs NATO cooperation democratic changes,” Mr. Poroshenko
explained. “Ukraine highly appreciates the
KYIV – The Cabinet of Ministers of possibility of participation in discussing the
Ukraine approved the Annual National
NATO strategic concept, and it is ready to
Program in preparation for Ukraine’s acces- make its contribution to the common cause
sion to NATO, said the Minister of the
of responding to the global challenges in
Cabinet of Ministers, Petro Krupko. the field of security. We are taking part in
According to Mr. Krupko, a draft decree by
all NATO operations, including in Kosovo,
the president was approved at the Cabinet Iraq, Afghanistan and on the Mediterranean.
meeting on December 2. However, he did
not disclose any details of the decree. In (Continued on page 18)
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The Ukrainian Weekly, December 13, 2009, No. 50, Vol. LXXVII
Copyright © 2009 The Ukrainian Weekly
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No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 3

NEWS ANALYSIS: Moscow backtracks from strategy to bypass Ukraine’s gas transit system
by Vladimir Socor
Eurasia Daily Monitor
Russian Energy Minister Sergei
Shmatko declared on November 16 that
the Nord Stream pipeline on the Baltic
seabed would not be used for diverting
gas volumes away from Ukraine’s transit
pipelines to Europe. In effect, this state-
ment acknowledges that the Nord Stream
pipeline, from Russia directly to
Germany, is not a Ukraine-bypass project
(Interfax, November 16).
As if on cue, the Gazprom-led Nord
Stream consortium confirmed for Western
audiences that this project is not about
avoiding East European transit routes, but
is simply targeting North European gas
markets other than those being supplied
through the Ukrainian transit pipelines
(Wall Street Journal, November 18).
In a similar vein, Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin declared on
November 14 that the South Stream proj-
ect – from Russia via the Black Sea to
southern and central European countries
– is intended to “discipline Ukraine.”
This statement, too, implies that the
undersea South Stream is meant to pres-
sure Ukraine, not actually to bypass it,
particularly as Russian authorities have
never been able to identify gas sources to
supply South Stream (Interfax, November
14).
These statements mark a political
retreat from Moscow’s long-standing
threats to circumvent Ukraine through
Nord Stream and South Stream. Those
threats had aimed to intimidate successive
Ukrainian governments into ceding con-
trol over the Ukrainian transit system to
Gazprom, lest the flow dry up.
Gazprom’s threats were hardly credi-
ble, however. All along, the Russian com-
pany lacked the means to modernize the
Ukrainian transit system (unless it enlist-
ed allied companies in Western Europe to
finance the upgrades in Ukraine for
Gazprom). Moreover, the European
Union and Ukraine signed an agreement
in March of this year on upgrading
Ukraine’s gas transit system, irrespective
of Gazprom. This agreement solidified
Europe’s interest and strategic stake in
preserving the integrity of Ukraine’s gas
transit system and its full-throttle opera-
tion for Russian gas deliveries to Europe.
By the same token, Moscow’s dis-
claimers of intent to bypass Ukraine
might discomfit certain European parties
to the Nord Stream and South Stream
projects. From Germany (the main cus-
tomer for Nord Stream gas) to Slovenia
(the latest entrant to Nord Stream), those
parties had taken Moscow’s threats to
bypass Ukraine seriously. Some conven-
tional wisdom had it that Nord Stream
and South Stream were Ukraine-bypass
projects and that their viability rested on
gas volumes being shifted from the
Ukrainian system into the two pipeline
projects.
At the moment, Russia wants Ukraine
to consider an agreement on bilateral
cooperation in the gas sector. The Russian
draft’s centerpiece is a proposal on
Gazprom’s participation in upgrading
Ukraine’s gas transportation system until
2030, apparently through a consortium
arrangement. As Energy Minister
Shmatko admits, however, Ukrainian
approval is far from assured and would
have to be sought from several power
centers in Ukraine (Interfax-Ukraine,
UNIAN, November 17).
The Russian proposal is clearly timed
to coincide with Ukraine’s ongoing presi-
dential election campaign. It seems
designed to test the position of Ukraine’s
political forces and draw support from
Moscow-friendly parties and candidates
ahead of the January election, when those
forces need Moscow’s goodwill more
than they would later.
It looks like an opening proposal in
what Moscow probably anticipates to be
a post-election negotiating process. And
it adds to the circumstantial evidence that
Moscow is not holding fast to the previ-
ously intimated strategy of circumventing
Ukrainian pipelines through Nord Stream
and South Stream.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia
Tymoshenko promptly clarified her posi-
tion: “No matter where I am, in power or
opposition, I will never allow our gas
transport system to be privatized, any
consortiums to be created or any other
states to encroach on our gas transport
system. This is our national treasure,
which must permanently remain in
Ukrainian state ownership” (Interfax-
Ukraine, November 16).
With Russia’s own gas production
stagnant and its declared readiness to
assume new supply commitments grow-
ing, a wide gap has opened between
Russia’s actual export potential and its
declared promises of gas to external con-
sumers. Some of those potential consum-
ers (notably in German business circles)
reckoned with Gazprom’s monopsony to
continue with regard to Turkmen gas, so
as to free up gas volumes from Russia’s
own production for export to Western
Europe. That expectation, however, now
seems increasingly unlikely to be ful-
filled.
The financial-economic crisis has com-
pelled Gazprom to suspend its imports of
Turkmen gas since April and to down-
scale its declared offer to import Turkmen
gas next year and afterward.
Turkmenistan’s Dauletabad field, which
accounted for the lion’s share of Turkmen
gas exports to Russia, is now being partly
reoriented for export toward Iran.
In mid-November Turkmenistan com-
pleted the construction of a new export
pipeline from Dauletabad, southward to
Iran, with a first-stage capacity of 6 bil-
lion cubic meters (bcm) per year and a
planned second-stage capacity of another
6 bcm annually. The new pipeline, which
runs in eastern Turkmenistan, adds to the
existing pipeline in the western part of
the country, Korpeje-Kurt Kuy, delivering
up to 8 bcm of Turkmen gas to Iran
(www.iran.ru, November 20).
In December Turkmenistan and China
are set to inaugurate the new gas pipeline
from the Bagtyarlik contract area, for an
ultimate volume of 30 bcm of Turkmen
gas to China via Kazakhstan. Thus, early
production from newly opened Turkmen
fields is headed in directions other than
Russia, in line with Ashgabat’s export
diversification policy.
With Russia’s monopsony rapidly los-
ing ground in Turkmenistan, the ambi-
tious Nord Stream and South Stream
projects look even more questionable.
South Stream can hardly expect to be
filled with Turkmen gas; and Nord Stream
can hardly count on Turkmen gas vol-
umes in Russia to free up equivalent
Siberian gas volumes for export to
Germany and other possible Nord Stream
destinations.
Thus, Moscow now seems to be back-
(Continued on page 20)

Community representatives meet with new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine

Ukrainian National Information Service
WASHINGTON – After months of
waiting for his Senate hearing and then a
floor vote for his confirmation, on Friday
evening, November 20, Ambassador John
Tefft, former U.S. ambassador to Georgia
and Lithuania, was confirmed as the
United States’ next envoy to Ukraine.
Pursuant to protocol requirements,
Ambassador Tefft did not hold any official
meetings prior to his confirmation.
Ukrainian American community organiza-
tions were privileged to meet with the
ambassador on Tuesday morning,
November 24 prior to his departure for
Kyiv in early December. Also present at the
State Department meeting were Lawrence
Silverman, director, and Mark Bocchetti,
deputy director, Office of Ukraine,
Moldova, and Belarus Affairs; and Elisabeth
Zentos, Ukraine Desk Officer.
The meeting with Ambassador Tefft,
organized by the Ukrainian Congress
Committee of America, included repre-
sentatives from the Ukrainian Catholic
and Orthodox Churches, the Ukrainian
National Association, The Washington
Group, World Council of Ukrainian
Cooperatives, United Ukrainian American
Relief Committee, Ukrainian National
Credit Union Association and the
Shevchenko Scientific Society.
Due to the quick turnaround of the
meeting and the upcoming Thanksgiving
holiday, other organizations that were
also invited could not attend.
Ambassador Tefft warmly greeted the
Ukrainian community representatives and
proceeded with a few opening remarks.
His goal was to hear concerns from
Ukrainian American community organi-
zations about the status of U.S.-Ukraine
relations. After initial introductions, the
community representatives mentioned
various issues of concern: USAID proj-
ects in Ukraine; the U.S.-Ukraine
Strategic Partnership Commission; the
upcoming presidential election and inter-
national monitoring; unity of the
Ukrainian Churches and interjection from
foreign Churches; the fight against cor-
ruption; energy reform and diversification
of the energy sector; and reforms associ-
ated with NATO’s Annual National
Program. Each topic prompted a dialogue
with the newly confirmed ambassador.
After a discussion of more than an
hour, the community representatives
thanked the ambassador for his time and
expressed their sincerest wishes for his
future endeavors in Ukraine.
In commenting on the meeting, UCCA
President Tamara Olexy noted: “Ambassador
Tefft is knowledgeable about the region and,
in particular, about the current political situ-
ation in Ukraine. Our forthright discussion
today was a unique opportunity to share our
concerns with him and develop a working
relationship. We look forward to our com-
munity’s cooperative efforts with the ambas-
sador while he is stationed in Kyiv.”

Demjanjuk
trial delayed
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The Nazi
war crimes trial of John Demjanjuk
was delayed on its third day,
December 2, because the defendant
was found to be too ill to attend.
Andrew Bihun The New York Times quoted pris-
Newly confirmed U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Tefft is seen above with representatives of Ukrainian American com- on doctors as saying that the 89-year-
munity organizations. (from left are) the Rev. Volodymyr Steliac, Ukrainian Orthodox Church; Stefan Kaczaraj, Ukrainian old Mr. Demjanjuk had an infection
National Association; Ihor Laszok, World Council of Ukrainian Cooperatives; Bohdan Watral, Ukrainian National Credit and advised against moving him to
Union Association; Andrew Futey, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America; Tamara Olexy, Ukrainian Congress the courtroom.
Committee of America; Ambassador John Tefft; Marie Duplak, UCCA; the Rev. Robert Hitchens, Ukrainian Catholic The trial is scheduled to resume on
Church; Larissa Kyj, United Ukrainian American Relief Committee; Andrew Bihun, The Washington Group; Michael December 21.
Sawkiw, Jr., Ukrainian National Information Service; Borys Hlynsky, Shevchenko Scientific Society.
4 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50

OBITUARY: Dr. Murray Senkus, prolific research chemist, 95

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Dr. Murray Senkus, a
renowned and prolific research scientist, died at Arbor
Acres Retirement Community in Winston-Salem, N.C.,
on November 12. He was 95.
Dr Senkus’ fields of specialization were spectroscopy,
synthetic organic chemistry, insecticides, recovery of fer-
mentation products, chemotherapeutic agents and chemis-
try of flavorants. He holds 57 U.S. patents and several
foreign patents and is the author of 20 scientific articles.
Dr. Senkus’ parents emigrated from what is now
Ukraine and settled on a homestead near Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, around 1900. He was born there on August
31, 1914. After finishing high school, he enrolled at the
University of Saskatchewan, where he obtained a master
of science degree in 1936. He then emigrated to the
United States and, while teaching chemistry at North Park
University in Chicago, enrolled in the Graduate School of
the University of Chicago, where he obtained his Ph.D. in
chemistry in 1938.
That same year he was employed as a research chemist
by Commercial Solvents Corporation in Terre Haute, Ind..
The company’s research department was involved in vari-
ous defense projects during World War II. His research on
these projects, such as synthetic rubber and anti-vesicants,
made a significant contribution to the war effort.
His most important achievement during this period was
the development of a process to stabilize penicillin. The
commercial product at that time was unstable at ordinary
temperatures and could not be stored without refrigera-
tion. Dr. Senkus’ crystallization process made it possible
to store penicillin at ordinary temperatures, making it
available for use on the battlefield and thus saving many
lives.
After the war, Dr. Senkus developed a process for the
production of synthetic rubber, and a process for isolation
of bacitracin from its broth. Turning to organic synthesis,
he synthesized many useful new compounds, such as
hexetidine, an antiseptic, and hexedine, an antibacterial.

The Ukrainian Weekly Press Fund: November Dr. Murray Senkus

Amount Name City Walter Zalisko Port Orange, FL In 1951 he was employed as the director of the chemi-
$500.00 Irene Komarynsky Stamford, CT $15.00 Olha Balaban Walnut Creek, CA cal division of the newly established research department
$105.00 Irene Nowak Milwaukee, WI I. Iwanyckyj Big Pine Key, FL of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem. In
Ulana Steck Mississauga, ON Jan Kaczmarek Fallston, MD 1964 he was promoted to the position of director of
$100.00 Sviatoslav Bozhenko San Francisco, CA Wolodymyr Kawka Drexel Hill, PA research and in 1977 was appointed as director of scientif-
Maria Hrycelak Park Ridge, IL Igor Kowal Concord, MA ic affairs. He retired from the company at age 65 in 1979.
Sofia Malachowsky Redondo Beach, CA Steven Macko Hoffman Estates, IL After retirement, he consulted for the Tobacco Institute
Roma and George Manlius, NY Wasyl Mojsiak Weston, ON in Washington. From 1983 to 1987 he was employed by P
Temnycky Markian Onuferko Jenkintown, PA T Djarum, as director of development, in Jakarta,
Thoms Urchuk North Bergen, NJ Olga Palaschenko Parma, OH Indonesia. Upon his return to Winston-Salem in 1987, he
Leonid Petrenko Sun City, AZ was employed as a special litigation consultant on techni-
$65.00 M. Mackin San Diego, CA Natalia Ripeckyj Eau Clair, WI cal matters, finally going into full retirement in 2001.
$55.00 Andrij Baran Saratoga Springs, NY Myron Saldyt Carrales, NM Dr. Senkus was a member of the New York Academy
Michael Buryk North Caldwell, NJ Iwan Sierant New York, NY of Sciences, Coresta, the Gamma Alpha Scientific
Maria and Leo East Windsor, NJ Gregory and Maria Forest Hills, NY Fraternity, the Tobacco Science Research Conference, the
Chirovsky Woloszyn
Yuriy and Irene North Potomac, MD Nicholas Zavisky Watervliet, NY
(Continued on page 24)
Deychakiwsky $10.00 Tom and Xenia Boone Indian Head, MD
Wolodymyr Wronskyj Greenlawn, NY John Bortnyk Forked River, NJ
$50.00 Olga Blethen Orange, VA George Chuchman Winnipeg, MB
Marko and Eugenia
Korlatowych
Strongsville, OH Andrij Cybyk
Larissa Dolinsky
Woodside, NY
Westfield, NJ Liberal MPs pass motion
Peter Myskiw Phoenix, AZ Nicholas Fil Latham, NY
Stephen Nachesty
Greg Rak
Northampton, PA
Saskatoon, SK
Anastazia Frueauf
John Guty
Washington, DC
Ottawa, ON
to mark Black Ribbon Day
$45.00 George Dydynsky Lehighton, PA Lubomyr Hewko Clarkston, MI OTTAWA – Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae
Walter Terkun Chantilly, VA Gregory Hywel Mansfield Township, NJ passed a unanimous resolution on December 1 to com-
$35.00 Olena Boyko Urbanna, VA Andrew Klek North Port, FL memorate the victims of Europe’s totalitarian regimes.
Stephen Sokolyk New Braunfels, TX Mykola Konrad Westborough, MA “Millions of Canadians of Eastern and Central
$30.00 George Buk Las Vegas, NV Adrian Krawczeniuk Denver, CO European descent whose families have been directly
Walter Nalywajko Palatine, IL Chester Kuc Edmonton, AB affected by either Nazi or Communist crimes have made
$25.00 John Cherniawsky Astoria, NY Larysa Kurylas Kensington, MD unique and significant, cultural, economic, social and
Vera Chuma-Bitcon Wayne, NJ Andrij Leshchyshyn Columbia, MD other contributions to help build the Canada we know
Tom and Cheryl Clifton, NJ Eli Matiash Aliquippa, PA today,” said Mr. Rae. “We must unequivocally condemn
Hawrylko Olga Semeniuk Amherstburg, ON the crimes against humanity committed by totalitarian
Olga Hustak Matthew, NC Taras Slevinsky Statford, CT Nazi and Communist regimes and offer the victims of
Luba Keske Woodland Hills, CA Marusia Soroka Mississauga, ON these crimes and their family members’ sympathy, under-
Roman and Anisia Reading, PA $5.00 Myron Boyko Avondale Estate, GA standing and recognition for their suffering.”
Kowalchuk Svetlana Dubinin Del Mar, CA Twenty years after the fall of the totalitarian Communist
Stefan Krycki Clifton, NJ Petro and Olenka Ottawa, ON regimes in Europe, knowledge among Canadians about
Jurij Kuzycz Glen Ellyn, IL Galadza these regimes, which terrorized their fellow citizens in
Walter Lomaga Parks, AZ Andrew Horbachevsky Yonkers, NY Central and Eastern Europe for more than 40 years, is still
Cathy Longinotti Short Hills, NJ Alexandra Hrycak Portland, OR alarmingly superficial and inadequate. This annual day of
Roman and Kathy New Hartford, CT Merle and Bonnie Toledo, OH remembrance is to be held on August 23rd to mark the
Melnyk Jurkiewicz anniversary of the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact
Lubomyr Miz Oak Forest, IL Roman Kernitsky Colts Neck, NJ between the Nazi and Soviet Communist regimes.
George Oprysko Vernon, CT Maria Kodeslky Kailua, HI “Called Black Ribbon Day, the establishment of this
Jurij and Marta Ozga Naperville, IL Roman Kopychuk Saint Augustine, FL Day of Remembrance on August 23rd will show
Alexandra Rakowsky Riverhead, NY Harry Kowalcheck West Newton, PA Canadians and those around the world that Canada will
Martha Tesluk-Derhak W. Hartford, CT Ivan Kujdych Vineland, NJ not stand for crimes against humanity, and we will be
Michael Wawryshyn Toronto, ON Adrian Levytsky Elkins Park, PA counted among those who stand up for victims of system-
$24.00 Walter Sosiak Colonia, NJ Zenon Lishchynskyj Parkland, FL atic and ruthless abuse, “ Mr. Rae commented. “Canadians
$20.00 Z. Bilos Elk Grove Village, IL Alexander Malycky Calgary, AB must not allow these crimes to go misunderstood and
Alexandra Borregaard Millsboro, DE Marta Harasowska Munich, Germany unrecognized.”
Jarema Didoszak Marina, CA Tania Petrasz Chicago, IL Borys Wrzesnewskyj, special advisor on emerging
Askold Jacuch Bristol, CT Nazar Shcheglov Jackson Heights, NY democracies to Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, went on
John Koshikar Pisgah Forest, NC Bohdan Smolynsky Shrewsbury, MA to explain the personal impact of this motion.
Marta Kowal Florham Park, NJ “My parents were refugees who arrived on Canada’s
Natalka Maciukenas Portland, OR TOTAL: $3,359.00 shores having survived the hatred, genocides and wars
Mykola Mirchuk Livingston, NJ unleashed by two of humanity’s greatest tyrants,” he said.
Maria Oharenko Redondo Beach, CA Sincere thanks to all contributors to “Stalin, responsible for the Famine and genocide of
Larysa Polansky Cleveland, OH The Ukrainian Weekly Press Fund. Ukrainians, the Holodomor; and Hitler, who unleashed
Eugene Serba Mount Laurel, NJ the Holocaust, divided Europe and cost the lives of close
Wolodymyr Skrypka Gainesville, GA The Ukrainian Weekly Press Fund is the only fund to 100 million souls.
Michael Sofiak Chesterton, IN dedicated exclusively to supporting the work of this “Let us all remember this dark part of history to ensure
Irene Stasiuk Irving, TX that the world will never stand by in the face of crimes
John Terlecky Ansonia, CT
publication. against humanity - so that Europe’s people can never
again be divided,” Mr. Wrzesnewskyj said.
No. 50
THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM
The Ukrainian National Foundation deserves your support
by Roma Lisovich
UNA Treasurer
Our country continues to face difficult
economic times. Among the victims of
this continued financial crisis are non-
profit organizations as charitable giving
continues to decline. The Ukrainian
National Foundation Inc. (UNF), the
charitable arm of the Ukrainian National
Association (UNA) is not alone in seeing
donations drop off. Times are tough – and
all of us share the pain of our neighbors,
colleagues and members who have lost
their jobs and experienced difficulties
during this economic downturn.
For this reason, we especially appreci-
ate every donor dollar we have received
this year. No matter what the size of the
donation, it all adds up and helps the
UNF fulfill its important mission: to pre-
serve and propagate the Ukrainian cul-
ture.
As you review yearend charitable giv-
ing, we would like to suggest that the
UNF deserves your support.
The Ukrainian National Foundation
Inc. is a registered 501 (c) (3) corpora-
tion, established in 1992 as the charitable
arm of the Ukrainian National Association
Inc. The UNF continues the UNA’s tradi-
tion of excellence in promoting educa-
tional, cultural and humanitarian causes
for the benefit of the Ukrainian commu-
nity in the United States, Canada and
Ukraine. We are most grateful for your
contributions, as each and every donation
to the foundation makes a lasting impact.
Funding for the foundation comes solely
from donations by individuals and corpo-
rations (including the UNA). Please be
aware that there are no administrative
fees attached to the donations received at
the foundation.
Charitable gifts can benefit you
and Ukrainian National Foundation
There can be no denying that the state
of the economy has made everyone more
cautious than usual when it comes to
spending. At the same time, though,
December remains a traditional time for
giving, both personal and charitable.
Carefully planned charitable donations,
made by December 31, can result in tax
Stefan Bohdan Holubec, son of Orest and
Natalie Holubec of Cincinnati, Ohio, is a
new member of UNA Branch 358. He was
enrolled by his grandparents Dr. Zenon
and Myroslawa Holubec. Dr. Holubec is
the UNA’s first vice-president.
THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY
savings to you. And it’s important to
remember that when you make a charita-
ble gift to the Ukrainian National
Foundation or another qualified non-prof-
it organization, you aren’t just giving
money away – you are furthering the mis-
sion of the institution and playing a real
role in its good works. In the case of the
UNF, you are helping us continue to build
educational and cultural bridges between
the United States and Ukraine, and help-
ing us preserve our unique Ukrainian cul-
ture.
There are many ways to remember the
UNF for planned giving in your estate
plans, and you may be surprised to dis-
cover how inexpensive it is to accomplish
most of these. Here are seven options to
consider:
1. Amend an existing insurance policy
to add the foundation as an additional
beneficiary. You could also purchase a
new policy for the foundation’s benefit.
2. Visit your personnel office and ask
to amend your group life insurance policy
or retirement plan to add the foundation
as one of your beneficiaries.
3. Instruct your lawyer to prepare a
simple, inexpensive codicil to your exist-
ing will, creating a bequest for the foun-
dation.
4. If you are over 65 and disappointed
with the income you are receiving from
your long-term stocks or your certificates
of deposit, consider the foundation’s char-
itable gift annuity program. Besides pro-
viding attractive tax benefits, this easy-to-
accomplish gift may reward you with
higher annual income.
5. Deed your house to the foundation
and continue to live in it. The income tax
savings from your gift may cover the
legal costs.
6. Leave written or verbal instructions
for your surviving spouse to include the
foundation when redrawing his or her
will.
7. If you have a sizable estate, let us
show you how a charitable trust may ben-
efit both you and the foundation. Again,
the tax advantages are significant and
may offset any legal costs.
Some of these gift arrangements are
revocable, while others cannot be
changed once established. Some work
Young UNA’ers
Siblings Katya and Stephan Osmak, children of Larysa and Andrew Osmak of
Toronto, are new members of UNA Branch 461. They were enrolled by their parents.
THE UNA: 115 YEARS OF SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009
better with cash and others with appreci-
ated assets. There are many variations –
enough so that a giving plan can be tai-
lored to your needs, desires and capabili-
ties.
For your protection, we will urge you
to check with your professional advisor(s)
before completing any planned gift. We
Northern New Jersey District
holds fall organizing meeting
by Roma Hadzewycz
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The Northern
New Jersey District Committee of the
Ukrainian National Association held its
fall organizing meeting here at the UNA
Home Office on Friday, November 13.
The meeting was called to order by the
district chairman, Stephan Welhasch, who
introduced the UNA General Assembly
members present: Second Vice-President
Michael Koziupa, National Secretary
Christine Kozak and Advisor Eugene
Oscislawski.
A moment of silence was observed in
memory of recently deceased UNA activ-
ists from the region: Vasyl Maruszczak
and Julian Kotlar, both of Branch 42.
First to address the gathering of the
district’s branch representatives was Ms.
Kozak, who informed them about the
lower premiums now available on UNA
life insurance certificates, as well as two
new products: a 20-Year Term Life
Insurance Plan and a Single-Premium
Immediate Annuity.
She also advised her audience that life
insurance illustration software is available
for them to run on their own computers,
noting that this is a very handy tool that
can help organizers enroll new members
into the UNA and provide them with cus-
tomized documents for their customers.
In addition, Ms. Kozak reported a new
fraternal benefit for UNA members who
are residents of New Jersey that allows
them to take advantage of the competitive
rates and excellent service provided by
High Point Auto Insurance, one of the
state’s leading auto insurance companies.
5
are also available to meet with your
advisor(s) to assist in the process.
You can contact Roma Lisovich at
973-292-9800 or via e-mail at una@
unamember.com. Thank you.
Next week: What does the UNF sup-
port?
Members can save on their car insurance,
while the UNA receives a commission
from High Point on policies sold.
At the UNA Home Office, Ms. Kozak
continued, the computer system has been
upgraded and is now client-based, allow-
ing UNA staff to look up all of a mem-
ber’s information in one step instead of
having to enter information about each of
the member’s certificates separately.
She also reported that the UNA has
hired a marketing specialist who will be
working on redoing the UNA’s promo-
tional materials.
Finally, Ms. Kozak noted that prepara-
tions have already begun for the UNA’s
37th quadrennial convention, which will
be held on May 20-23 at the Soyuzivka
Heritage Center in Kerhonkson, N.Y.
Chairman Welhasch spoke about the
district’s organizing results for he first
nine months of 2009, noting that the face
value of UNA certificates sold was
$1.218 million, which was the highest
among all the UNA’s districts.
However, in terms of the number of
certificates sold, the district fulfilled only
12 percent of its annual quota by enroll-
ing 12 members. The organizers of the
Northern New Jersey District who had
enrolled those members are: Mr.
Oscislawski (eight members) Oksana
Trytjak (three) and Mr. Welhasch (one).
Mr. Welhasch also presented some
highlights of a report written by UNA
Treasurer Roma Lisovich in which she
stated that 2009 has been a good year for
the UNA. Premium income has soared to
(Continued on page 10)
Do you have
a young UNA’er,
or potential
young UNA’er
in your family?
Call the UNA Home Office,
973-292-9800,
to find out how to enroll.
6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009
COMMENTARY
The Ukrainian Weekly
Five years ago, and today The Demjanjuk trial in Germany
Following is an excerpt of comments
Five years ago at this time, in our December 13, 2004, issue, our top story was made by attorney Ulrich Busch, a lawyer
headlined “Ukraine headed for rerun of presidential run-off.” It was, in short, a victory for John Demjanjuk, at the Ukrainian of
for the Orange Revolution. The country’s Supreme Court on December 3 had over-
turned the Central Election Commission’s declaration that Viktor Yanukovych won
the Year banquet held on November 1 by
the Ukrainian Graduates of Detroit and
the presidential election, and the Verkhovna Rada on December 8 approved a new law Windsor. Dr. Busch’s wife, Vera Kostiuk
on presidential elections and amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine, in what was Busch, received the Ukrainian of the Year
a compromise that defused the electoral crisis. award from the association of university
The court ruling came after 12 days of protests in the city center of Kyiv – on the graduates, professionals and business-
famed “maidan” – by Ukrainian citizens who saw the Yanukovych victory as rigged, persons.
stolen. Orest Deychakiwsky of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in by Ulrich Busch
Europe, who served as an observer at the November 21 election, told RFE/RL at the
time these events were unfolding: “The countless numbers of protesters in Kyiv and John Demjanjuk will be tried by a
across Ukraine were the front lines in the struggle for democracy, human dignity, German court in Munich, beginning
respect for the will of the people and against a return to the past. They were on the November 30. He is accused of assisting
front lines in the struggle against any return to Ukraine’s colonial past. They were the Nazis in cruelly killing about 27,000
struggling for freedom and, in a very real sense, true independence.” Jews, by working in the death factory in
The Supreme Court concurred with the demonstrators, concluding that the electoral Sobibor, Poland, in 1943 – 66 years ago.
fraud was systemic and widespread. Democracy won. John’s fate, John’s life, is a human
Thus, Ukraine had a new run-off on December 26. The result was that Viktor tragedy: the Holodomor, World War II,
Yushchenko was elected president and the Orange Coalition came to power. The Red Army soldier, war injury, POW in a
promise of the Orange Revolution was great. And the expectations for Ukraine’s new Nazi POW camp, loss of U.S. citizenship,
leaders were likewise great. In retrospect, they were unrealistically huge. As we all extradition to Israel, death sentence in
know, the Orange Coalition collapsed and Ukraine became mired in political battles. Jerusalem, seven and a half years in pris-
Five years later, Ukraine is looking ahead to a new presidential election. And the on, five years in a death cell, deportation
news is not good. The citizenry is disenchanted, and the squabbling and posturing to Germany, trial in Germany.
among Ukraine’s political leaders have had deleterious effects on all spheres of the Each of these events means massive
country’s endeavors. At the Ukraine-European Union summit, Jose Manuel Barroso, illegal and inhuman treatment. For exam-
president of the European Committee, said Ukraine needed to preserve “political and ple: In the German POW camps for Red
economic stability” by putting aside destructive politics. He told Mr. Yushchenko: “I Army soldiers 3.5 million men out of 5.3
will speak honestly with you, Mr. President. It often seems to us that commitments on million died from starvation, cannibalism
reform are only partly implemented and words are not always accompanied by action. and epidemics. Among them there were
Reforms are the only way to establish stability, closer ties with the EU.” many more than a million victims of
But there is some good news as well, for the Orange Revolution forever changed Ukrainian descent. The POW camps were
the Ukrainian people’s view of themselves. They saw they had the power to effect nothing else than death camps, the Red
change, that their votes – their legitimate votes – counted. Army soldiers were criminals in the eyes
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking at a press conference with of the SS and the Wehrmacht, the German
Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Petro Poroshenko, underscored the lasting legacy Army.
of the events of 2004: “…the promise of the Orange Revolution, which was so mov- The latest terrible and inhuman treat-
ing to so many of us, is that the people of Ukraine have the right to choose their lead- ment is the deportation of John to
ers without interference, without any kind of electoral abuse.” Germany and the trial in Munich.
Let us hope the people of Ukraine make good use of that right, and that power, on I will tell you why: The deportation
January 17, 2010. was chosen by the United States and
Germany to avoid the principle of double
jeopardy. An extradition, the legal way,
was forbidden by Israeli, German and
Dec. Turning the pages back...
American law. Only the illegal deporta-
tion opened the possibility to reopen the
19
Israeli trial and to overrule the decision of
the [Israeli] Supreme Court to drop the
case, as far as Sobibor was concerned and
Last year, on December 19, 2008, U.S. Secretary of State also as far as Sobibor was a part of the
2008 Condoleezza Rice and Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister
Volodymyr Ohryzko signed a “Charter on Strategic Partnership”
indictment.
The deportation itself is already a con-
in Washington and affirmed their commitments in security, eco- viction, a life sentence. John has to stay
nomic and energy spheres, as well as a commitment to establish a “diplomatic presence” in in Germany until death under complete
Crimea. isolation and welfare conditions. He has
The last sentence of the document stated: “Ukraine welcomes the United States’ intention no rights and no way to return to his wife
to establish an American diplomatic presence (American Presence Post) in Symferopol.” and children. For John there will be no
During a press briefing by the State Department, one reporter suggested that Russia could difference between a small cell in a nurs-
see this as “yet another American incursion into Russia’s historic sphere of influence,” or, in ing home and a prison cell. The deporta-
the words of another questioner, “as a provocative act, somehow protective of Crimea that it tion already destroyed his life completely.
will stay with Ukraine.” John’s legal situation after the deporta-
State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said that if the Russian government tion is already a life punishment, [even]
“chooses to be upset” by this, he added, “Well there’s not much I can do about that.” before the trial starts; guilty, whether
The American Presence Post, Mr. McCormack explained, would consist of one or two innocent or not.
diplomats working on such things as cultural exchanges and events, and political reporting, And his personal situation – I say it in
among other duties. his words:
After the signing of the charter, Secretary Rice said, “We have long believed that “I lost everything and all my hopes.
Ukraine’s independence, its democracy, is essential to a Europe whole and free and at They took my little future away. I’m
peace.” never gonna make it.”
The first section of the charter states that both countries would provide “support for each For the first time in his life he is no
other’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders constitutes longer fit to fight and defend himself.
the foundation of our bilateral relations.” Physically: he is deadly sick, pre-cancer,
Other points included in the document, affirmed that the two partners “share a vital inter- beginning leukemia, pain all over, gout,
est in a strong, independent and democratic Ukraine,” that Ukraine’s integration into Euro- serious kidney problems, back and knee
Atlantic institutions “is a mutual priority.” problems. Mentally he is without any
“This year we have made a strong surge in our bilateral relationship,” Mr. Ohryzko said hope, depressed, sad, crying, desperate.
during a meeting at the Embassy of Ukraine with representatives of Ukrainian American Germany vs. John Demjanjuk is an
organizations. In 2008 the two countries had established a solid foundation for a pro-West- unfair and inhuman trial of a government
ern course in Ukraine’s foreign policy and its goal of getting into the European Union, he against a man who has a life expectancy
added. Mr. Ohryzko pointed out the lack of similar progress in Russia-Ukraine relations on of months, not years.
similar issues. Let’s assume John would still be fit for
Russia was unwilling to seriously discuss border demarcation in the Azov and Black seas, trial; is the trial then a fair one?
the removal of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet from Crimea in 2017 and other issues, noted Mr. Let’s go to Moscow, back to 1979.
Ohryzko, that remain “major irritants in our relations.” It was the KGB, which offered copies
of so-called evidence, which was pro-
Source: “U.S. and Ukraine affirm relations in Charter on Strategic Partnership,” by duced in secret trials and under torture of
Yaro Bihun, The Ukrainian Weekly, December 28, 2008. their victims. The “Dienstausweis,” the
No. 50
Germany vs. John
Demjanjuk is not
a fair trial at all.
It is a political
show, in which
John is the victim.
service card, was declared a fake of the
KGB by the world’s most famous expert,
Dr. [Julius] Grant. The German head
office for criminal research,
“Bundeskriminalamt,” estimated the ser-
vice card as a very simple falsification by
the KGB. We all know that Soviet law
and the court system and all the KGB
activities never intended to achieve jus-
tice – they only served and supported the
ruling dictator and mass murderer Stalin
and his successors. The prosecutors and
courts were political instruments, used to
liquidate opponents and the freedom of
people in subjugated satellite states like
Ukraine.
Let’s go to Jerusalem, back to 1986
-1993.
What do you think is the most remark-
able event in the Israel trial against John
Demjanjuk? I am sure, you all will say
the acquittal of John by the Supreme
Court of being “Ivan the Terrible.” What
a great court! Excellent judges!
I disagree. For me the most remarkable
event in Israel was the death sentence of
the District Court against an innocent
man. This result shows clear evidence of
the weakness, of the mistakes and the
errors of human court systems and their
judges. The judges in Israel wanted to
believe in the guilt of John as Ivan the
Terrible. The world’s mass media asked
hysterically for a death sentence and there
was only John, his son, his son-in-law
and his lawyer, [Yoram] Sheftel, who
believed in John’s innocence.
And there was the criminal and fraudu-
lent deception of the American and Israeli
courts. Since 1979 the Office of Special
Investigations of the U.S. Department of
Justice, called OSI, and the Israeli prose-
cutor withheld the existing evidence that
John was not “Ivan the Terrible.” The
OSI wanted the death sentence against a
man that they definitely knew was inno-
cent and not “Ivan Grozny.”
And it worked. They got what they
strictly wanted – the death sentence – by
withholding the so-called Danilchenko
statements. Danilchenko was a Trawniki
man who was forced by the Nazis to be a
guard in Sobibor. After the war he was
repatriated to the Soviet Union and was
convicted as a traitor of his motherland
and sentenced to 25 years in the gulag.
After the manipulation was discovered,
after it was established, that there was
more material in the archives of the
Russian KGB, the defense was able to
find 36 statements of Treblinka guards,
that Ivan Marchenko, and not John
Demjanjuk, was “Ivan Grozny.” The dis-
covery of the manipulation was the rea-
son for finding so much exculpatory
material, that John had to be aquitted of
being “Ivan the Terrible.” But for five
years there was only an inch between
John and the gallows.
Now let’s go to Munich:
The world and German mass media
have already convicted John: the Nazi
monster, the top-listed Nazi criminal, the
(Continued on page 10)
No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 7

Let’s talk about it Faces and Places

by Yaro Bihun by Myron B. Kuropas

The Gulag Collection Remembering a righteous Jew

One of the best ways to learn about the Yakiv Suslensky died in Israel on To his credit, Mr. Suslensky never
horror that was the Soviet Gulag system October 18. He was one of those rare abandoned his quest. He was an observer
is by listening to the stories told by rela- Jews who loved Ukraine and Ukrainians. at the Demjanjuk trials and he was instru-
tives, friends and others who endured it And Ukrainians loved him back. mental in erecting a monument in Israel
personally and survived. Almost all of A teacher of English in the Soviet memorializing Ukrainian and Jewish vic-
these sources have passed away, however. Union, he became active in the 1960s tims of Nazi and Soviet terror. Dedicated
Some may have left a written or recorded human rights movement in the USSR. on April 13, 1985, the site of the monu-
recollection of what they witnessed and Arrested for his efforts in 1970, Mr. ment was approved by the Chamber of
experienced. Most, unfortunately, proba- Suslensky spent seven years in the labor the Holocaust in 1984; the cost – $53,000
bly did not – either finding it too painful camps of the Mordovian Gulag. Seven – was absorbed by George Deba, a
to relive that past or by just putting it off months were spent in solitary confine- Ukrainian Canadian. On September 26,
until next year. ment. It was during his internment that 1985, a group of Israelis, claiming to be
One could, of course, read Alexander Mr. Suslensky met Ukrainian dissidents former Soviet partisans, defaced the mon-
Solzhenitsyn’s epic, “The Gulag who, he once told me, saved his life.
Archipelago,” and other published eye- ument. That same month Visti z Ukrayiny,
Released in 1977, Mr. Suslensky immi-
witness and historical accounts of that a KGB-run periodical published in
grated to Israel with his daughter. On
Soviet Stalinist hell that millions of inno- Ukraine specifically for Ukrainians in the
August 15, 1979, he helped establish the
cents were forced to endure – the fear, Society for Ukrainian-Jewish Contacts. diaspora, praised the vandalism as an act
dehumanization, hunger, torture and death More than half of the members were for- of righteous anger against “bourgeois
– over much of the last century. mer Jewish labor camp inmates who had Ukrainian nationalism.”
But a printed description, no matter positive experiences with Ukrainians. According to a November 21, 1985,
Nikolai Getman column in Svoboda, the heads of numer-
how masterfully written, relies too much I first met Mr. Suslensky when I trav-
on the ability of the reader’s imagination
into that city at the end of Wolrd War II, eled to Israel in March of 1981 as a guest ous Ukrainian organizations protested the
to bring that experience to life. And that
through which some in the audience of David Roth and the American Jewish outrage, which was also roundly con-
imagination may not be up to the task of
could not sit through to the end. Committee. Both of us wanted to improve demned by Mr. Suslensky and his organi-
recreating the emotion one feels directly Unlike the Nazi Holocaust, however, relations between our two peoples. While zation. Responding to Lubow Margolena,
when hearing a hesitant, trembling flowwhich has been well-documented with in Israel, I met with members of Mr. one of the protesters, Yosef Yaakov,
of words of a survivor, the inexplicable
ample images, in photographs and film, Suslensky’s committee, interviewed them Israeli consul general, wrote that the
pause, watching that empty stare into the Soviets did not allow their crimes and was impressed with their sincerity. I monument “was set up illegally” and “the
what could be eternity, the tears... against humanity to be documented in wrote about my encounter in The city authorities issued orders for it to be
There are a few documentary films any visual format. Or so they thought. Ukrainian Weekly. transferred to another site.” This was
covering this period that have been shown One unique and very moving excep- Mr. Suslensky arrived in the United patently untrue.
in the Washington area, and elsewhere, States the following month and, as a vice- During his lifetime in Israel, Mr.
tion has been on exhibit during this peri-
over the past few weeks in conjunction president of the Ukrainian National Suslensky and other Israelis familiar with
od at The Heritage Foundation in
with the 20th anniversary of the fall of Association, I was able to convince our Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky’ s World
Washington – “The Gulag Collection,”
the Berlin Wall which help to bridge this home office to give him the red-carpet War II efforts in saving over 150 Jews
consisting of 50 paintings recreating life
visual-emotional gap: Latvian filmmaker treatment in Jersey City. He was warmly from the Nazi death camps, proposed his
and death in that Soviet labor camp sys-
Edvins Snore’s “The Soviet Story,” Yurij
tem by one of its survivors, Ukrainian welcome by President John O. Flis and name for “righteous” status at Yad
Luhovy’s new Holodomor documentary the entire executive on his arrival. “Olive
artist Nikolai Getman (Mykola Hetman). Vashem a total of 18 times, only to be
“Okradena Zemlya” (The Plundered branch in hand,” wrote The Ukrainian
Born in Kharkiv in 1917, Getman rejected each time. “Even more sense-
Land) and Slavko Nowytski’s “Between Weekly, “and saying that he had come to
graduated from the Kharkiv Art College
Hitler and Stalin.” They include excerpts less,” wrote Mr. Suslensky in The
the United States ‘to gauge the spirit’ of Ukrainian Weekly at the time, “is the
and became a professional artist. After
of interviews with some victims and wit- Ukrainian-Jewish relations, Yakiv refusal to recognize the metropolitan’s
serving in the Red Army in the second
nesses, as well as standard newsreel-type Suslensky... has set out on a nationwide brother, Klementiy Sheptytsky [who also
documentary footage from that period.  world war and being discharged in 1945,
tour to check the feasibility of establish-
And noticeable emotion was conveyed he had the misfortune of being in a group saved numerous Jews] as a ‘righteous
ing similar groups in the United States
from the screen to those watching. One of artists, one of whom drew an unflatter- gentile.’ Here the refusal is based simply
and Canada... We applaud the goals of the
ing caricature of Stalin on a piece of ciga-
could hear occasional gasps and tearful, on his status as a member of the
Society of Jewish-Ukrainian Relations,
painful exclamations from some, for therette paper. All were arrested and sent off and only hope that Mr. Suslensky’s mes- Sheptytsky family… We, Jews, always
most part, elderly members of the audi-to the Gulag. sage of unity is heeded by both communi- demand justice when our pride and inter-
ence. There was also Max Farberbock’s Getman spent eight years in the infa- ties.” ests are injured. It is unethical, however,
“A Woman in Berlin,” based on the diarymous camps at Kolyma, in the Russian I flew with Mr. Suslensky to Chicago to demand justice in a selective fashion,”
of Anonyma about the Red Army’s entry Far East. Upon his release in 1953, he felt and he was a hit at a rally I helped orga- concluded Mr. Suslensky.
the need to recreate from mem- nize in our Ukrainian community. Traveling to Ukraine in 1990, Mr.
ory onto canvas what he saw Speaking in fluent Ukrainian, he spoke of Suslensky continued to toil on behalf of
and experienced there. his experiences with Ukrainians in the improved Ukrainian-Jewish relations. In
“I undertook the task,” he labor camps and his dedication to improv- 2007 he was honored by President Viktor
explained, “because I was con- ing relations with our people. “If we can Yushchenko with the Order of Merit (“za
vinced it was my duty to leave be friends in the hardest conditions of zasluhy”) third class.
behind a testimony to the fate life, in the Soviet labor colonies,” he Knowing that I would be in Israel in
of the millions of prisoners who asked some 130 Ukrainians and Jews in November of this year, I called his home.
died and who should not be for- attendance, “why can’t we be friendly He fondly remembered his visits to
gotten.” here, where we are a free people?” He DeKalb and Chicago and, even though he
  He had to do it secretly, of received a standing ovation. knew he was dying, he hoped we could
course. Not even his wife knew Lesia and I later hosted a reception for meet. “We have much to talk about,” he
about his project. It took him Mr. Suslensky in our DeKalb, Ill., home told me. Unfortunately his death came
40 years to complete the 50 where he was honored by Moshe Gilboa, first.
large paintings with titles that the Israeli consul general, and leaders of It is one of the great tragedies of our
describe almost every aspect of the local Jewish community. communal history that the endeavors of
life and death there, among Unfortunately, contacts with the Jewish Mr. Suslensky to improve Ukrainian-
them: “In the Depths of the establishment in Chicago didn’t go as Jewish relations were never realized. An
Kolyma Mines,” “Punishment well. Mr. Roth took Mr. Suslensky, Lesia optimist all of his life, Mr. Suslensky
by Mosquitoes,” “Last Rights,” and me to a meeting of the Chicago never gave up trying, however. Like
“A Dead Man’s Bread Ration,” Jewish Federation. Our guest was not David Roth who preceded him in death,
“Gulag Prisoners’ Morgue,” even allowed to speak. Undismayed, Mr. Yakiv Suslensky was a truth seeker who
“Escape.” Roth took us to the office of the local
was willing to go against the tide. I will
The collection was first Jewish newspaper. Turning his back on
always remember him with great fond-
exhibited in Russia in 1993, Lesia and me, the editor, a man in his
ness and respect. It was a privilege to
after the fall of the Soviet 20s, pointed to us over his shoulder and,
looking at Mr. Suslensky, asked, “Why have known him.
Union. Fearing that the paint-
ings would be destroyed if he do we want to have anything to do with
“Punishment by Mosquitoes” (death by torture) these people?” Mr. Roth’s face was ashen Myron Kuropas’s e-mail address is
by Nikolai Getman. (Continued on page 20) as we walked out of the office. kuropas@comcast.net.
8 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY
Boston concludes yearlong commemoration of Holodomor’s 75th anniversary
by Peter T. Woloschuk
BOSTON – The greater Boston
Ukrainian community concluded its year-
long commemoration of the 75th anniver-
sary of the Holodomor on Sunday,
November 22, with a liturgy and solemn
requiem service (panakhyda) offered in
the memory of all of the victims. The ser-
vices at Christ the King Ukrainian
Catholic Church were followed by a spe-
cial program organized by the greater
Boston Committee to Commemorate the
75th Anniversary of the Holodomor under
the auspices of the Ukrainian Congress
Committee of America, Boston branch.
Also part of the commemoration was
the release of a 180-page book highlight-
ing the major efforts of the Boston
Ukrainians over the years protesting the
Holodomor and bringing it to the atten-
tion of the American public.
The Rev. Yaroslav Nalysnyk, pastor of
Christ the King, devoted his entire homily
to the Holodomor and pointed out that
God is all-good and all-merciful, and that
it was the actions of the Communist offi-
cials of the time that attempted to pull the
Ukrainian nation away from God and in
doing so brought disaster upon them-
selves and upon the entire people as well.
Following the liturgy more than 70
people gathered in the parish house for
the commemorative exercises. Attorney
Paul Rabchenuk of Salem, vice-president
of UCCA Boston and chairman of the
Greater Boston Committee to
Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of
the Holodomor, acted as master of cere-
monies and delivered welcoming
remarks.
The American and Ukrainian national
anthems were played and the Rev.
Nalysnyk offered the invocation. Zenovi
Prots, president of UCCA Boston,
stressed the importance of the work that
the Boston Ukrainian community had
undertaken over the years and the neces-
sity to keep the memory of the tragedy of
the Holodomor alive and he then looked
at the demographic impact that Famine
had, and continues to have, on the
Ukrainian nation. He also spoke briefly
about the commemorative book that was
now available to the Boston community.
Tamara Gallo Olexy, president of the
UCCA executive board, spoke on the var-
ious Holodomor activities that the nation-
al UCCA is currently sponsoring, as well
as current topics of interest related to
Ukraine including the upcoming
Ukrainian presidential election.
Ms. Olexy then talked about the new
Holodomor memorial that will be built in
Washington by the Ukrainian government
and went into detail about the process of
gaining U.S. government approval and
obtaining an appropriate site on federal
land. She mentioned that the site was
dedicated on December 8, 2008, and that
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko
attended the ceremony.
The next speaker was Dr. Lubomyr
Hajda, associate director of the Harvard
Ukrainian Research Institute, who
reviewed the Harvard Project that was
launched during the 50th anniversary
commemorations of the Holodomor and
gave the first solid scholarly proof of the
reality of the Famine, the fact that it was
deliberately caused by Soviet Russian
leaders to break the fierce opposition of
Ukrainians to their regime and its impact
on Western thought and scholarship.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50
Vsevolod Petriv
Committee members at the concluding commemoration of the 75th anniversary-
year of the Holodomor.
Dr. Hajda then talked about the new
project that HURI is undertaking to look
at the ongoing impact of the Holodomor
on the Ukrainian people, including demo-
graphically, psychologically and even
politically, as well as the new series of
publications that HURI is co-sponsoring
with the Ukrainian Studies Fund.
He concluded by pointing out that the
international Ukrainian community needs
to immortalize the victims of the
Holodomor with tangible memorials such
as those being constructed in Kyiv and in
Washington, and that it also needs to sup-
port ongoing research and academic
efforts to counteract the distortions now
being launched by the government lead-
ership of the Russian Federation and its
official academic community. He then
called on the UCCA, as well as the entire
Ukrainian community, to be equally sup-
Cover of the 180-page publication high-
portive of both efforts.
lighting the work of the Boston-area
A cultural interlude then followed with
community in raising awareness of the
Christ the King choir director Igor Kowal
Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 in
performing two songs on the bandura,
Ukraine.
UCCA Boston secretary Maria
Fedynyshyn Saxe reciting a Holodomor-
taken by the Boston community to protest
themed poem from the collection “The
Thirty-Third Tear,” UCCA Boston Vice- the Holodomor beginning with a
President Lubov Gentyk singing two November 1933 public meeting that
appropriate pieces with her sister attracted more than 2,000 participants and
Stephania Zarytska, Mr. Prots reciting a number of Communist hecklers who
another poem from the same collection, attempted to disrupt the proceedings, as
and the folk group Lvivska Khvylia sing- well as a 6,000-strong protest march
ing a selection of appropriate patriotic through the center of the city by
and religious songs. Ukrainian Americans.
The Rev. Nalysnyk then offered the It also has articles about the commem-
benediction and the commemoration was orations of the 25th, 50th and 75th anni-
closed with Lvivska Khvylia leading versaries, as well as the full series of pho-
everyone present in singing the prayer tographs and posters issued in Kyiv by
“Bozhe Velykyi Yedynyi.” the Ukrainian government as part of the
Following the program, the 180-page Ukraine 3000 project.
commemorative book “Ukraine The book reflects the effort of the
Remembers – The World Acknowledges!” greater Boston Ukrainian community to
was made available. The full-color book
contains stories and articles on the actions (Continued on page 20)
UCCA Boston Branch President Zenovi Prots and UCCA President Tamara Gallo
Olexy.
No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 9

“Okradena Zemlya” has its New Jersey premiere

SOUTH BOUND BROOK, N.J. – The
Ukrainian Museum of New Jersey in
Memory of Patriarch Msytlav of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of U.S.A.,
on Sunday, November 17, sponsored the
New Jersey screening of “Okradena
Zemlya,” a newly released Ukrainian
Language documentary film on the
1932-1933 Genocide-Holodomor in
Ukraine.
The film is based on the newest avail-
able archival material, eye-witness
accounts, including those of survivors liv-
ing near the Russian border, and com-
mentaries by prominent historians, writ-
ers and researchers on the Ukrainian
genocide. The film was produced, direct-
ed and edited by award-winning film-
maker Yurij Luhovy, member of the
Academy of Canadian Cinema and
Television, who also produced “Harvest
of Despair.”
The archival footage presented in this
documentary along with actual documen-
tation from Soviet archives revealing
Stalin’s orders to intentionally annihilate
the Ukrainian peasantry in 1932 and 1933
and “turn them into earth” unambiguous-
ly prove that the Famine was intentional
and devised by Stalin.
The film explores the short-lived hope
and optimism of the Ukrainian SSR and
of what socialism promised, and then
proceeded to visually depict the betrayal
and horror as entire villages of ethnic
Ukrainians were wiped out in such
regions as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv
and Odesa.
Archival footage reveals the peasants’
uprisings against the government and
presents startling facts about how they
protested the incomprehensible and
impossible requirements imposed on
them.
Other archival documents reveal that a
special commission covered up the truth
about the huge number of unregistered
deaths resulting from the Famine and that
a secret document in April 1934 ordered
all official registries of Soviet Ukraine to
be destroyed.
Most poignant were the accounts of the
survivors. “No one cried anymore...,”
s a y s o n e 9 0 - y e a r - o l d s u r v i v o r.
Interviewed in the documentary after the
film, Luba Shevchenko shared her recol-
lections of the Famine as a 5-year-old,
and there was a question and answer ses-
sion with the director.
The film is intended for use in schools
and universities, by historians, journalists,
government officials, and the general
public. An English-language version of
the film is currently under way. To
arrange for a screening or to support Mr.
Luhovy in this project, readers may con-
tact him at mmlinc@hotmail.com or
514-481-5871.

Bandurist and musicologist Victor Mishalow visits Edmonton

EDMONTON, Alberta – The Kule
Center for Ukrainian and Canadian
Folklore and the Canadian Institute of
Ukrainian Studies at the University of
Alberta on October 1 and 2 hosted Victor
Mishalow, a renowned musician and eth-
nomusicologist.
Mr. Mishalow was born in Australia,
where he first became acquainted with
the bandura and fell in love with the
instrument. Although his parents wanted
him to be an engineer and he tried to ful-
fill their wishes, music was his true call-
ing. Mr. Mishalow began studying the
bandura while still in Australia. In 1979
he went to Ukraine to attend the Kyiv
Conservatory, where he supplemented his
formal study of the bandura with private
instruction in the traditional kobzar art
from such important performers as
Hryhorii Tkachenko, one of the few
remaining masters of old playing tech-
niques.
When he won an Australian fellowship
in 1988, Mr. Mishalow used it to travel to
Canada and the United States, where he
studied under and recorded many leading
players of the bandura, and perfected his
own technique. That same year Mr.
Mishalow moved to Toronto, where he
currently resides.
Earlier this year he earned his candi-
date of sciences degree at the Kharkiv
State Academy of Culture after success-
fully defending his dissertation on
“Cultural and Artistic Aspects of the
Genesis and Development of Performance
on the Kharkiv Bandura.”
On the evening of October 1 Mr.
Mishalow lectured at the University of
Alberta on “Hnat Khotkevych, the
Kharkiv Bandura and the
Re-establishment of a Neglected Playing
Tradition.” Mr. Mishalow is especially
interested in the Kharkiv style of perfor-
mance because it is almost extinct. He is
also interested in the instrument itself and
showed a video of Canadian bandura-
maker William Vetzal, with whom he col-
laborates. Mr. Vetzal has recently started
making high-quality banduras with fibre-
glass backs.
The next day, Mr. Mishalow met with
students and staff at a lunch co-sponsored
by the Kule Center and Folkways Alive!
at the Department of Modern Languages
and Cultural Studies. Here he played on a
newer bandura, as well as on the old-
world or traditional bandura, demonstrat-
ing various performance styles.
He also attended a class on Ukrainian
folk song and demonstrated both different
song types and different types of bandu-
ras. He played “dumy” (epic songs) and
other traditional songs on the old-world
bandura and on a newer instrument that
allows him to play not only traditional
melodies but also other types of music,
including classical music. His favorite is
music composed by Khotkevych espe-
cially for the bandura, which in his view
makes use of the bandura’s special quali-
ties.
In addition to appearing at the univer-
sity, Mr. Mishalow performed before stu-
dents in the Ukrainian-English bilingual
school program at St. Martin’s and Father
Kevin Kearns elementary schools.
On the evening of October 2 he played
a concert sponsored by the Ukrainian
Music Society of Alberta at the Ukrainian
Youth Unity Complex. This concert,
attended by a small audience, had an inti-
mate character; Mr. Mishalow’s skillful
and passionate playing evoked deep sen-
timent and reflection. His performances
of dumy were especially memorable.
A virtuoso bandura player, Mr.
Mishalow also showed exceptional verbal
skills, acting as his own MC through
introductions that sometimes included
histories of how the pieces were per-
formed, woven together with reminis-
cences and plans for the future.
– Canadian Institute of Ukrainian
Studies and Kule Center for Ukrainian
and Canadian Folklore

At Ukraine-EU... logue protocol as well.

(Continued from page 1)
ized next year. The European leaders also
expressed certain fatigue.
“We support the Ukrainian people and
we maintain these positions, but Ukraine
should support itself as well for economic
stability, economic reform and all other nec-
essary steps toward modernization,” Mr.
Barroso told a press conference.
On the same evening of the one-day
summit, Mr. Poroshenko appeared on the
“Grand Politics” (Velyka Polityka) politi-
cal talk show on the Inter television net-
work to outline what was accomplished. “I
am absolutely convinced that we will com-
plete coordinating all these positions
[within the] terms Barroso indicated,” Mr.
Poroshenko said. “This is practically a
year of intense work in concluding a free-
trade agreement.”
Ukraine completed coordinating the steps
towards energy cooperation, he said, which
await approval by the EU energy ministers
council meeting on December 18 in Zagreb,
Croatia.
Ukraine agreed to participate in the
Atlanta anti-piracy program and coordinated
its activities with the EU, Mr. Poroshenko
said. Ukraine also approved a strategic
cooperation agreement to work with
Europol. They agreed on a visa-free dia-
“Ukraine is the first country among the
partner countries to reach an agreement on
liberalizing the visa regime,” the foreign
affairs minister said. “We agreed that chang-
es to this agreement in the nearest future –
changes on widening the categories of citi-
zens who will receive free visas from the
EU, including tourists, pilgrims, religious
activists.”
A road map for structured visa dialogue
was “practically concluded,” which involves
the EU listing its requirements for what
reforms are needed from Ukraine. They
include maintaining the borders in proper
condition, ensuring readmission, establish-
ing order with Ukrainian passports and
ensuring confidentiality of data.
The Ukrainian government’s remaining
main task is to defend the interests of
domestic producers when coordinating phy-
tosanitary standards and tariff policies, Mr.
Poroshenko said.
“No one ever from the Foreign Affairs
Ministry, including the minister, asserted
that we can sign an Association Agreement
at the summit,” he said. “It’s 90 percent
ready. We have one document left – the
ever-deepening free-trade zone, which isn’t
done in a month or two.”
Dr. Soskin said he doesn’t believe the
document is 90 percent ready. “Let’s see it,”
he said. “Pass it around to the non-govern-
mental organizations.”

To subscribe to The Ukrainian Weekly, call 973-292-9800, ext. 3042

10
FILM CLIPS: Yuri Illienko’s “Prayer for Mazepa” returns
by Yuri Shevchuk
NEW YORK – Yuri Illienko’s much crit-
icized, maligned and even ridiculed film
“Prayer for Hetman Mazepa” (2002) is
about to get a new lease on life. After seven
years of oblivion the last film of the interna-
tionally recognized director has been re-
edited, supplied with a new 5.1 surround
sound soundtrack and in a matter of weeks
will be all but ready for a theatrical release
in HD Video format. The news was broken
to the Ukrainian Film Club of Columbia
University by Yuri Illienko himself.
“Prayer” was conceived as a Ukrainian
answer to “Braveheart” by Mel Gibson
and Polish blockbuster “With Fire and
Sword” (1999) by Jerzy Hoffman. The
project enjoyed massive financial support
from the then prime minister of Ukraine
Viktor Yushchenko, and had a budget of
$2.5 million – the biggest for a film since
independence.
The historical drama, featuring some
of Ukraine best actors, was widely
expected to herald a much overdue reviv-
al of the Ukrainian national cinema.
Instead, “Prayer” proved a huge box-
office failure and artistic disappointment.
David Stratton of the influential industry
publication Variety described it as “a will-
fully chaotic picture … [whose] merits,
such as they are, lie in its very craziness,
certainly not in its utterly confusing way of
telling a story…” One intriguing aspect of
the picture seemed to be an anathema vocal-
ized in person by the Russian minister of
culture, Mikhail Shvydkoy which meant a
de facto ban on its screening in the Russian
Federation and made it into something of a
forbidden fruit.
Mr. Illienko explained the poor recep-
tion of his film among critics and viewers
alike by citing the fact that it was never
THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY
finished. After a short theatrical release
and screenings at several film festivals,
including the Berlinale (outside the com-
petition), “Prayer” vanished from view
for seven years and was nowhere to be
seen or purchased – not even from DVD
pirates. It became something of a cine-
matographic enigma.
This year the copyright ownership for
the “Prayer” was transferred from the
original producer, Yuri Didkovsky, to
Illienko Films LLC, created with the
express goal of completing the making of
this film and bringing it to Ukrainian and
international viewers.
According to Philip Illienko, Yuri
Illienko’s son and a co-founder of the
company, the new version of “Prayer” is
“in fact a completed old film that up until
now was not finished in what concerns its
sound.” It is about 15 minutes shorter.
“The shortening of the film did not
change its creative concept and artistic
execution. In addition, the director’s
background commentary was added with
explanation of the historical context in
which the events portrayed in the film
unfold, as well as the history of the mak-
ing of the film. This addition of author’s
voice outside the frame as a protagonist
of the story is organically linked to the
appearance in the frame of the director
himself, as well as with the sometimes
subjective camera movements, which all
the time takes part in the construction of
the mise en scène as a participant rather
than a mere reporter. In the opinion of the
director, this new addition will facilitate
viewers’ comprehension.
Illienko Films LLC is currently look-
ing for partners and investors to facili-
atate the “Prayer’s” release in movie the-
aters and on DVD, as well as its broad-
cast on television.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009
Bohdan Stupka (left) in a scene from “Prayer for Mazepa,”
The Ukrainian Film Club of Columbia
university is currently exploring the pos-
sibilities of screening the new version of
The Demjanjuk...
(Continued from page 6)
mass murderer. Hitler, Eichmann,
Demjanjuk – all the same.
The German prosecutor is now using
the contents of the Danilchenko state-
ment. For the prosecutor it is the most
important piece of evidence that John
served in the death factory, that John was
part and member of the joint criminal
enterprise called Sobibor.
But the statement is only a piece of
paper. Danilchenko and all the witnesses
on behalf of Sobibor are dead.
Danilchenko’s statement is the only one
that somehow brings John to Sobibor. All
the survivors, all the other private guards,
gave statements that they never saw John
in the death camp of Sobibor.
A piece of paper is not evidence of the
truth of its content. You need the man
who gave the statement in the witness
stand to find out if it is true what he said
in the paper. If a man lies or not, if his
statement was produced under torture in
the KGB cellars or not – you can only
find out if you see the person, his face
and his eyes, if you hear what he has to
say.
Danilchenko died in 1985 – 24 years
ago.
It is the fundamental and essential
principle in all Western criminal codes,
that evidence from a simple statement on
a piece of paper is not a legal possibility
to prove guilt if the accused and his law-
yers did not have the chance to crossex-
amine the witness. And that is exactly the
case here.
It takes us back to the OSI manipula-
tion, to withhold the Danilchenko state-
ments for years. John’s lawyers would
have had the right and the chance from
1979 until 1985, to cross examine
Danilchenko, if the OSI would not have
withheld the statements from the defense
Northern New...
(Continued from page 5)
a record of over $20 million and total
assets have grown to the highest level in
the UNA’s history and as of September
30 of this year stood at $98.8 million.
Ms. Lisovich also pointed out in her
report that the UNA’s surplus has risen to
over $5 million during a time when most
insurers and fraternal societies saw their
surplus erode. Also noteworthy is that the
UNA’s investment portfolio continues to
No. 50
Mr. Illienko’s “Prayer for Hetman
Mazepa” in New York City and other U.S.
venues.
and the courts. Because of the OSI
manipulation, John and his defense never
had the chance to prove what was right
and what was wrong in Danilchenko’s
statements. For that the OSI is forever
responsible and guilty. On purpose the
OSI destroyed the right of the defense to
prove that Danilchenko’s statement is not
true or is a fake or was produced under
torture of the KGB.
The withholding of the Danilchenko
statement for more than six years – the
same manipulation of the OSI, which
brought John into a death cell in
Jerusalem for five years, is now at work
in the German trial and is misused by the
German prosecutor. The Danilchenko sta-
tements are the foundation for the
indictment and the basis of John’s impri-
sonment, whose cell in Munich is proba-
bly his final, his second death cell.
The manipulation leads directly to the
loss of the guarantee of a fair trial, pro-
tected under Article 6 of the European
Convention of Human Rights.
Let me come to a conclusion: Germany
vs. John Demjanjuk is not a fair trial at
all. It is a political show in which John is
the victim. The OSI wants the trial to
show that John was not “Ivan the
Terrible,” but a terrible Ivan.
Germany has already been trying for a
long time to share the guilt for the
Holocaust with other nations and Europe.
Demjanjuk is their last possibility, the last
face and the last name to make other
nations, especially Ukraine, responsible
for the incredible crimes of German Nazis
and the Holocaust.
And the trial should satisfy those
Jewish organizations that always wanted
to see John – whether found guilty or not
– on the gallows.
My demand: America and Germany:
Stop this unfair trial. Bring John home.
Let him die in peace in the bosom of his
family.
be strong and resilient, yielding an aver-
age return of nearly 6 percent at a time
when most companies are experiencing
investment losses.
At the conclusion of the meeting,
National Secretary Kozak stated that the
UNA is looking for people to become
licensed agents. The UNA pays for their
training and continuing education courses
as well. She underscored that the UNA’s
independent agents are doing a very good
job in selling UNA products, adding that
the organization also needs UNA’ers to
sell policies.
No. 50
Students and colleagues honor scholar and teacher Renata Holod
by Oksana Zakydalsky
PHILADELPHIA – Renata Holod
began her teaching career in 1972 at the
University of Pennsylvania in the
Department of the History of Art, where
she is now a full professor. In mid-Octo-
ber of this year, Prof. Holod’s former stu-
dents organized several events to honor
her years of teaching and mentoring.
These included a reception on October 9
at the University Museum in the Egyptian
galleries, a symposium on October 10 and
a dinner that evening.
The reception was attended by col-
leagues and former colleagues, current
Prof. Renata Holod speaks at the
University of Pennsylvania Museum.
A tribute to Renata Holod
Below are introductory remarks deliv-
ered at the University of Pennsylvania
celebrations in honor of Prof. Renata
Holod by Dr. Nancy Micklewright,
senior program officer of the Los
Angeles-based Getty Foundation.
It is my great pleasure and honor to be
the first to welcome you to this reception
honoring Renata Holod, organized by her
students and hosted by her colleagues in
the Department of the History of Art here
at Penn. People have asked if we are
commemorating a particular event, such
as retirement (fortunately not!) or a major
birthday – and while it’s true that Renata
did celebrate her birthday last month, as
many of you know, she turned 39 this
year as she always does!
No, it just seemed the right time to
thank Renata for all that she has done
for her students, for her department and
for the field over the years, and without
getting overly sentimental here, to say
how important she has been to so many
people in her professional life. But as is
often the case, events have overtaken us
and we do in fact have something spe-
cific to celebrate, but we will hear more
about that later this evening.
Renata came to Penn in 1972 and
wasted no time in becoming involved in
training grad students, an aspect of her
professional life that has been a major
priority for her over the course of her
entire career. In the early years, it was a
bit lonely to be a grad student in Islamic
art from Penn, going to conferences
alone and meeting up with the Harvard
mafia or the only slightly smaller
Institute of Fine Arts mob, but there
were important benefits from the smaller
size of Renata’s gang, as any of us can
tell you.
And in any case, Renata’s gang is not
THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 11
and former students, the honoree’s family
and long-time friends. Many of her for-
mer colleagues and students came from
afar – Illinois, Indiana, Texas, California
and the state of Washington – and close
to 200 people showed up. An all-day
symposium, “Seeing the Past –
Envisioning Islamic Art and
Architecture,” featured nine papers pre-
sented by her former students and attract-
ed about 100 participants.
Acknowledged today as one of the
leading scholars of Islamic art and archi-
tecture, Prof. Holod, 67, received her
B.A. in Islamic studies at the University
of Toronto and completed an M.A. in his-
tory of art at the University of Michigan
in 1965 and a Ph.D. in fine arts at Harvard
University in 1972. Her doctoral thesis,
“The Monuments of Yazd, 1300-1450:
Architecture, Patronage and Setting,”
completed under Prof. Oleg Grabar, was Oksana Zakydalsky
the result of fieldwork in Iran. Prof. Renata Holod with husband Oleh Tretiak and daughter Marianna Tretiak.
During her years at Harvard, Prof.
Holod was a member of the University of Aga Khan was read at the reception in Khan, in accepting the National Building
Michigan and Harvard expedition to Syria which he underlined the importance of Museum’s Vincent Scully Prize in 2005,
(1966-1971) and co-authored the pub- her work for the award: “I would like to given in recognition of his contributions
lished results in “City in the Desert” in share in recognizing Prof. Renata Holod’s to promoting excellence in Islamic archi-
1978. She has also taken part in archaeo- magnificent accomplishments. In the aca- tecture, mentioned “Renata Holod of the
logical projects in Morocco (1973-1975), demic realm, she is one of the most dis- U.S.A. and Canada and of Ukrainian ori-
Tunisia (1994-2000) and Ukraine tinguished scholars of Islamic art, archi- gin, [who] helped us build the foundation
(Chingul Kurgan, ongoing since 2002). tecture and history, and her teaching has of award procedures, seminars and field
Prof. Holod’s main focus has been the significantly contributed to the develop- visits.”
study of the architecture of the Islamic ment of a new generation of researchers In recent years, Prof. Holod has over-
world – from the seventh century to the in these fields. I would, however, particu- seen an ongoing scholarly exchange
contemporary era. In 1977 she became larly like to emphasize her role as a major between the University of Pennsylvania
convenor of the Aga Khan Award for driving force of the Aga Khan Award for and the Institute of Archaeology, National
Architecture with the responsibility of Architecture. Prof. Renata Holod devel- Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. She is
designing and operating the new interna- oped, from its inception, the principles part of a team working on an array of
tional award. and concepts that have guided the devel- works of art found at an excavation of the
A letter of congratulations from the opment of the award over the past 30 grave of a nomadic Polovetsian khan in
years. She has also been one of the most the Zaporizhia Oblast – work that is being
faithful contributors to its success.” supported by a grant from the Getty
It is interesting to note that the Aga Foundation.
so small anymore – her students have
been at the forefront of a wave of expan-
sion in our field, taking jobs across the
U.S. and internationally, and well along
in training new generations of students.
As everyone who has been one of
Renata’s students is well aware, she is
an incredibly gifted mentor – perceptive
and patient in an impatient kind of way
– very limited tolerance for bad work,
sloppy thinking or wasting her time, but
willing to wait for students to figure out
for themselves how best to solve their
own intellectual problems and willing to
read a lot of drafts if that’s what it takes
to get students where they need to be.
We have all learned how to be men-
tors from her, and have been shaped by
the example she has provided for us.
However, her dedication to teaching
has not been so great that it has blinded
her to other opportunities. Such as in
1977, when I came to Penn to start grad
school as Renata’s first Ph.D. student
and learned that she had somehow for-
gotten to tell me that she would be on
leave for the next three years! But, of
course, it all worked out – I was then
lucky enough to work with another new
member of the Penn department, Irene
Winter, and Renata of course went off to
become the first convener of the Aga
Khan Award for Architecture.
Her work with the Aga Khan Award
took her well outside the orbit of confer-
ences and research that is the more typi-
cal sphere of many academic art histori-
ans, providing the means to travel all
over the world with architects, planners,
policy-makers and scholars; it allowed
her the opportunity to develop the
administrative experience that would
stand her in such good stead later in her
(Continued on page 20)
12 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50

U.S. UKRAINIANS IN NUMBERS

Growth and decline of Ukrainians in metropolitan areas: 1990-2006

by Oleh Wolowyna
In a previous article (October 25), we analyzed the geo-
graphical dispersion among states, of Ukrainians in the
United States during the 1990-2006 period. In this article
we will analyze the settlement dynamics of Ukrainians dur-
ing the same period among metropolitan areas.
The large growth in the number of Ukrainians in some
states and losses experienced in other states, documented in
the previous article, are even more pronounced at the met-
ropolitan area level. Between 1990 and 2006, in quite a few
cities the number of Ukrainians has grown between 200
percent and 1,000 percent, while some cities with large
numbers of Ukrainians experienced losses of between 10
percent and 64 percent.
In panel A of Table 1 we present selected metropolitan
areas that experienced very large relative increases in their
numbers of Ukrainians in 1990-2006. These cities are
divided into four groups. In the first group we list five cities
in the Southeast, with relative growth between 221 percent
for Atlanta, Ga., and 1056 percent for the Greenville-
Spartanburg-Anderson, S.C. metropolitan area (MA). The
number of Ukrainians in the Greenville MA increased more
than ten-fold during this period, from about 300 to close to
3,800; Atlanta had about 3,250 Ukrainians in 1990, and
their number grew to about 10,500 by 2006. The number of
Ukrainians in the two largest MAs in North Carolina,
Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, grew by 507 percent and
310 percent, respectively, and Nashville, Tenn., experienced
almost 550 percent growth during this period.
In the last column of Table 1 we show the percent of
new wave immigrants (defined here as born in Ukraine and
arrived in the U.S. between 1991 and 2006) among all
Ukrainians in 2006. We see that a good part of the extraor-
dinary growth of Ukrainians in these cities was due to the
new wave. About 30 percent of all Ukrainians in Greenville,
S.C., and Nashville, Tenn., in 2006 were new wave immi-
grants, and the respective percentages for Atlanta, Ga., and
Charlotte, N.C., were 25 percent and 27 percent, while 14
percent of all Ukrainians in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area
were new wave immigrants.
In the second group we list two MAs in Florida:
Jacksonville and Sarasota. The 1990-2006 growth of
Ukrainians in these cities was 312 percent and 431 percent,
respectively, but the contribution of new wave immigrants
to this growth was quite different. In Jacksonville about 14
percent of all Ukrainians in 2006 were new wave immi-
grants, while in Sarasota this percentage was 35 percent. A
priori one may have hypothesized that the growth of
Ukrainians in Florida would be mainly due to retirees mov-
ing from Northern and Midwestern cities. However, as
indicated by the large percentage of new wave immigrants
living in Sarasota, the data do not support this hypothesis.
In the third group we list two cities in New England:
Springfield, Mass., and Stamford, Conn. These two cities
illustrate two points: a) the recent growth in the number of
Ukrainians is not limited to cities in the South and the West
Coast; b) the contribution of new wave immigrants to this
growth can very significantly from one city to another, as
already seen in the case of the Jacksonville and Sarasota
MAs. In Springfield almost half of all Ukrainians in 2006 number of Ukrainians between 1990 and 2006, and with of 17 percent, has attracted a sizeable number of new wave
were new wave immigrants, while in Stamford, the bulk of the distinctive characteristic that about half of all Ukrainians immigrants.
the growth was due to U.S.-born Ukrainians who migrated in these cities were new wave immigrants in 2006. These While many cities have experienced significant growth
moved there from other U.S.-cities. cities have large proportions of new wave immigrants who in their number of Ukrainians, a more limited number of
In the fourth group of cities in Table 1 we list four cities were members of Protestant sects in Ukraine, and started cities experienced losses during the 1990-2006 period, as
on the West Coast with very large relative growth in their migrating to the United States even before Ukraine’s inde- can be seen in Table 2. Many of these cities are in areas that
pendence. experienced serious economic problems during this period.
Oleh Wolowyna, Ph.D., is a demographer and sociol- In the second panel of Table 1 we analyze the growth of For example, cities like Flint, Johnstown, Pa., and
ogist, and owner of the consulting firm Informed Ukrainians in cities with large organized communities, i.e., Youngstown, Ohio, experienced losses in the number of
Decisions in Chapel Hill, NC. He is a research fellow at cities that had more than 10,000 Ukrainians in 1990. These Ukrainians in the 30 percent to 64 percent range. While the
the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and Eastern European cities grew at a much slower pace between 1990 and 2006 economy has been a key factor in the outmigration of
Studies, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and than the cities with fewer Ukrainians listed in the first Ukrainians in some cities, this is not the only factor moti-
full member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, U.S.A. panel. Washington had the highest growth with 61 percent, vating Ukrainians to migrate to other regions of the country.
His main areas of research are: demography and sociol- New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Rochester grew Cities like Fort Lauderdale, Fla., or Trenton, N.J., that were
ogy of Ukrainians in the United States and Canada, and between 17 percent and 26 percent, while Philadelphia and not seriously affected by the economic crisis, have also
demography of Ukraine and the Holodomor. He is cur- Pittsburgh grew 9 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively. experienced losses in their number of Ukrainians, albeight
rently a Fulbright research scholar in Ukraine and We see that the contribution of new wave immigrants to of a smaller magnitude,
founder of the Research Center for the Study of the the growth in the number of Ukrainians in these cities also A very significant fact is that most cities with high losses
Ukrainian Diaspora in the United States, which was varies greatly from city to city. In general, with the excep- of Ukrainians had practically zero new wave immigrants in
recently established at the Shevchenko Scientific Society, tion of Washington and Chicago, the smaller the relative 2006, and in cities with relatively smaller losses the propor-
U.S.A. growth in the number of Ukrainians in a city, the smaller tion of new wave immigrants was only 3 percent to 8 per-
This article is part of a series of demographic and the percent of new wave immigrants in 2006. In Pittsburgh, cent (Table 2). This is consistent with the hypothesis that
socio-economic analyses of Ukrainians in the United for example, with a relative growth of 3.5 percent during new wave migrants tend to settle in cities with good job
States, based on the integrated databases made avail- 1990-2006, only about 1 percent of all Ukrainians were opportunities.
able by the Research Center for the Study of the new wave immigrants in 2006. Washington had the highest It is important to note that in some cities new wave
Ukrainian Diaspora. Details about the center can found growth with about 60 percent, but the new wave immi- immigrants helped soften the impact of emigration of
on the center’s website: http://inform-decisions.com/ grants made up only 10 percent of all Ukrainians in 2006.
ukrstat/. Chicago, on the other hand, with a relatively modest growth (Continued on page 22)
No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 13

First branch of Ukrainian American Youth Association marks 60th anniversary

by Leo Iwaskiw by its president, Andriy Bihun. involved in running the association’s activi- Prof. Natalia Pazuniak recalled how her
The intermingling of artistic performanc- ties. The recognition ceremony was con- mother was a teacher in Kyiv in the 1920s,
PHILADELPHIA – Sixty years ago, a es and formal items on the evening’s agenda ducted by Branch President Midzak, along and one of her students was Mykola
group of young Ukrainians in Philadelphia, continued as the older youths performed an with UAYA National President Bihun. Pavlushkov, who founded SUM in Ukraine
acting on the initiative of Mykola Baczara, original montage titled “The Changing of The younger youths performed a mon- in 1925. The original founders and members
created the first branch of the Ukrainian the Generations.” Written and directed by tage called “UAYA’s 60th Anniversary,” also of SUM in Ukraine were executed by the
American Youth Association (UAYA) in the Mr. Nakonechny, it presented an interesting written and directed by Mr. Nakonechny. Soviet regime in the 1930s.
United States. They proudly named it in portrait of the age-old striving of the The youths artistically recreated the CYM Before dinner commenced, Leo Iwaskiw
honor of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army Ukrainian nation for independence – from emblem indicating the 11 countries through- raised a toast to Ukraine and the United
(UPA), which waged a long and bitter armed the glorious days of ancient Kyivan Rus’, out the world where the association exists States, SUM founders and those who fol-
struggle from 1942 to 1952 for the liberation through the Kozak age, to the liberation today. lowed in their footsteps, and to all attendees,
of Ukraine from Nazi Germany and wars of the 20th century and the present-day Mary Kolodij, chairman of the Ukrainian after which everyone present sang
Communist Russia. efforts to preserve the freedom of Ukraine. Sefreliance Federal Credit Union in “Mnohaya Lita!”
Three generations of Ukrainian youth This was followed by the melodious singing Philadelphia, greeted the UAYA Branch on After dinner, Mr. Midzak expressed his
have now been raised in the UAYA remain- of the UAYA youth choir directed by head its jubilee and presented a check for $5,000 gratitude to all the guests for their atten-
ing faithful to the organization’s motto, counselors Daria Hryckowian and Larysa designated to modernize the UAYA office. dance. The banquet ended with all the
“God and Ukraine.” Luzeckyj. Contributions were also received by mail attendees singing the prayer for Ukraine
In order to fittingly mark the 60th anni- Because the UAYA golden jubilee cere- from the Heritage Foundation in Chicago “Bozhe Velykyi Yedynyi.”
versary of the UAYA’s establishment in monies had recognized many longtime ($1,000) and the SUMA Credit Union in Longtime Philadelphia UAYA member
Philadelphia, a jubilee banquet and ball were members, this year’s ceremonies were Yonkers, N.Y. ($250). and youth counselor Jerry Mykijewycz cre-
held on October 24 at the Ukrainian aimed at lauding those who had contributed The last artistic performance was the ated a beautiful 88-minute CD depicting the
Educational and Cultural Center, with 250 significantly to UAYA’s growth and devel- “Hutsulka” dance performed by Vesna and activities of the first UAYA Branch in the
persons attending the formal banquet. opment over the last 10 years. Certificates of directed by instructor Mariana U.S. All attendees received this unique com-
The banquet was opened by Philadelphia merit were also given to those younger Tomalishchak. She received a bouquet of memorative recording. After the banquet,
UAYA Branch President John Midzak. The UAYA members (age 18-35) who have con- flowers in recognition of her fine work with the guests enjoyed a dance to the tunes of
master of ceremonies was Roman Dubenko. sistently helped out with many tasks the group. the Hrim band from New England.
The first item on the agenda was an orga-
nized formation of UAYA youth age 4-18.
After the presentation of flags, everyone
present joined in singing the U.S. and
Ukrainian national anthems. The youth for-
mation formal ceremonies were conducted
by UAYA Youth Director John Yaworsky
and his assistant, Stefan Dubenko.
The opening invocation was delivered by
the spiritual advisor of the Providence
Association of Ukrainian Catholics, the Rt.
Rev. Mitred Archpriest Ihor Midzak, vicar
general of the Stamford Eparchy. A moment
of silence was observed in memory of the
departed members of the UAYA Branch.
Philadelphia UAYA’s dance ensemble,
Vesna, performed the “Welcome” dance to
greet the assembly. After the MC introduced
the head table, he called upon the represen-
tative of U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, who pre-
sented an official proclamation that was
introduced by the congressman in Congress
and which commends the first UAYA branch
for its 60 years of raising patriotic American
citizens who are proud of their national heri-
tage. Rep. Gerlach represents the 6th
Congressional District and is running in the
2010 Republican primary election for gov-
ernor of Pennsylvania.
MC Roman Dubenko delivered a brief
but pointed discourse underscoring the
extremely important role of the Ukrainian
American Youth Association and Plast
Ukrainian Scouting Organization in the
upbringing of Ukrainian youth in America.
He commented that he was very pleased by
the multifaceted patriotic education provided
by the local UAYA branch.
An abbreviated English-language article
about the role and history of the Philadelphia
UAYA Branch was read by Natalka Midzak;
it was also read by Stefan Dubenko that
same day on the “Ukrainian Hour” weekly
radio program.
The keynote address was delivered by
Yuriy Nakonechny, former branch president
and also former president of the national and
world executive boards of the Ukrainian
Youth Association (known by its Ukrainian-
based acronym as SUM). His concise
remarks narrated the history of CYM in
Philadelphia. He also recognized among the
attendees several UAYA pioneers: Myroslaw
Soltys (the first branch president and also
longtime director of the UAYA’s dance
ensemble), Mykola Pryszlak, Wolodymyr
Ryndycz and Dr. Ivan Kujdych. They were
greeted with a round of applause while
UAYA youth presented them with flowers.
After Vesna performed the “Vesnianka”
folk dance, the MC introduced the many
representatives of Ukrainian community
organizations and establishments present,
including a delegation from the local Plast
branch. Brief greetings on behalf of the
national board of the UAYA were delivered
14 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50
No. 50
HURI sponsors photo exhibit on Ukraine’s search for identity
by Peter T. Woloschuk
CAMBIRDGE, Mass. – For the first
two weeks in November the Harvard
Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) spon-
sored a photo exhibit titled “Ukrainian
Journey” in the main exhibition gallery of
Harvard’s Center for Government and
International Studies (CGIS).
The exhibit consisted of more than 50
color photographs and was a preview of a
larger traveling exhibition that is currently
scheduled to open in Brussels in early
2010, followed by six weeks at the
Nooderlicht Foundation Gallery in
Nooderlicht, Holland, starting on March 6.
It will then be shown in various cities
around Europe, including Ukraine, as well
as in the United States and Canada.
A reception was held for the exhibit
and its organizer, the non-profit group
Altemus, on Thursday, November 12, in
conjunction with a meeting of the
American Association for Ukrainian
Studies that was hosted by HURI and
drew more than 60 scholars and Boston
Ukrainians. Altemus is a non-profit edu-
cational organization, founded in 1999
and headquartered in Toronto. Its goal is
to help young people in emerging democ-
racies and transitional societies develop
their leadership skills.
In order to better understand Ukraine
and what it means to be Ukrainian – how
different generations define their identity,
what the conditions are in Ukraine today,
what brings Ukrainians together and what
pulls them apart, and how all this affects
the formation of identity and nation-build-
ing – the foundation commissioned a
group of young, Eastern European photo-
journalists to travel the country and cap-
ture its ethos. The photographers are alum-
ni of the Altemus leadership training pro-
gram who founded their own international
photographers association, Sputnik Photo
in 2005. To deepen this process of discov-
ery, Altemus also asked Ukraine’s most
talented young writers to put pen to paper
and write short essays or stories on the
theme of identity.
Christine Medycky, founder of Altemus,
served as project manager and coordinated
the work of nine photographers, who each
were responsible for submitting 25 photos,
and Ukrainian journalists; Altemus and
HURI summer school alumna Ludmilla
Kowal was in charge of the Ukrainian
authors. The nine photographers included
Andrej Balco from Slovakia, Jan
Brykczynski from Poland, Justyna
Mielnikiewicz from Georgia, Rafal Milach
from Poland, Janis Pipars from Latvia,
Agnieszka Reyss from Poland, Ivan
Kurinnoy from Russia, Filip Singer from
the Czech Republic and Andrei Liankevich
A waitress in a popular restaurant in Sevastopol.
THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 15
from Belarus. Victor Suvarov (1974-2006)
from Ukraine also participated in the early
stages. The five young writers included
Lubko Deresh, Sergei Zhadan, Sashko
Ushkalov, Iryna Karpa and  Natalka
Sniadenko.
Their photographs and stories reveal a
country caught between two worlds, com-
munism and liberalism, tradition and
modernity, as well as a country rich in
diversity and resilient in spirit. From the
coal mines of the Donbas to the Carpathian
Mountain villages and the Tatar settle-
ments in Crimea, they bear witness to a
country in full flux, on a journey to find
itself and its place in the world.
A number of the exhibit’s photographs
have been published in magazines and
newspapers and one is highlighted in Earth Justyna Mielnikewicz
magazine’s November issue. Several of the A woman Cossack at a Congress of the International Union of Cossacks of
photographers have won awards for their Taurida. While both Ukrainian and Russian Cossack organizations accept
work on the project: the Czech Press Photo women, only women in Ukrainian Cossack organizations have a right to vote.
Award (Mr. Singer), the Picture of the Year
International Award (Mr. Milach) and a
$25,000 prize in the 2009 Photography
Book Now contest (Mr. Milach).
In 2010 Altemus is planning to release
both a book and calendar of the photos.
All of the participating photographers
are alumni of the Altemus leadership train-
ing program for young professional photo-
journalists from Eastern Europe which was
run in conjunction with the photo agency
VII and photojournalism professor and
author Ken Kobre. For this project
Altemus received grants and in-kind spon-
sorship from a number of corporations
(Procter & Gamble, Swatch, Lucent
Technologies, Coca Cola, DHL, SWIFT,
Jansport, Canon, Northland Power Co. of
Toronto and Ukraine International
Airlines) and foundations (Council of Justyna Mielnikewicz
Europe – European Youth Foundation, A cadet at a private Cossack boarding school has a lesson in “dzhigitovak,” a
Open Society, Rory Peck Trust, King style of trick riding originating in Central Asia and the Caucasus and adopted by
Baudoin Foundation, the Fondation the Ukrainian and Russian Cossacks.
Vidrogeni and the Visegrad Fund) as well
as private donors.
Since their initial training, the group has
received numerous grants and awards
including the Alexis Foundation Award,
the Getty Images Grant for Editorial
P h o t o g r a p h y, E u r o p e a n C u l t u r a l
Foundation Grant and World Press Photo
Award, and their work has appeared in
major publications (Time, The New York
Times, The Times, The Sunday Times,
Paris Match, Figaro, Courier International,
Le Monde, Der Spiegel and National
Geographic). It has also been exhibited at
the Organization for Cooperation and
Security in Europe Human Dimension
Implementation Meeting, Europe’s largest
human rights and democratization project.
The exhibit at Harvard was underwrit-
ten by HURI and the Ukrainian Congress
Committee of America Boston Branch. Justyna Mielnikewicz
Cossack veterans at lunch in Sevastopol.
Rafal Milach Rafal Milach
A young welder at the shipyard in Mylolayiv.
16 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50
No. 50
STALKER computer game series made in Ukraine spawns subculture
by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau
KYIV – Embroidered shirts and music
albums aren’t the only Ukrainian
Christmas gifts. Looking for a genuine
“Made in Ukraine” product needn’t take
shoppers any further than their local mall.
The STALKER computer game series
is available at most Game Stop and Best
Buy stores, and many Wal-Marts. The lat-
est version, “Call of Pripyat,” won’t be
released in the U.S. until February, but
“Shadow of Chernobyl” (2007) and
“Clear Sky” (2008) remain widely dis-
tributed.
Recreating the 30-kilometer Chornobyl
Exclusion Zone, STALKER is produced
by Kyiv-based GSC Game World, a firm
of 60 full-time employees that has
become the biggest producer of computer
games in the post-Soviet countries and
among the gaming leaders in Eastern
Europe.
Since its release in March 2007,
STALKER has exploded into a subculture
that includes science fiction literature in
Russian and German, Internet forums,
and diverse Stalker leagues devoted to
paintball, airsoft games and survivalist
culture.
“We didn’t expect all this, but now it’s
a reality that we’re excited about,” said
Oleg Yavorsky, the company spokesman.
“It’s become a certain culture with many
different directions.”
GSC Game World hosted the first annu-
al international STALKER Fest to cele-
brate “stalker culture” on Kyiv’s
Independence Square on October 3, attend-
ed by thousands of fans, including dozens
dressed in military camouflage and even
hazardous materials (HAZMAT) gear.
Hundreds of boys swarmed an outdoor
station of about 30 computers to try their
hand at “Call of Pripyat,” released the
day before throughout the post-Soviet
sphere.
Since then, more than 350,000 copies
of the Russian-language version of “Call
of Pripyat” were sold in the post-Soviet
sphere, Mr. Yavorsky said, estimating that
between two to three times more are
pirated and sold on the black market.
Worldwide, more than 3.8 million cop-
ies of the three STALKER versions have
been sold in Europe, North America and
Central Asia. The January release of “Call
of Pripyat” in Europe will push sales past
4 million.
GSC Game World’s concept of a stalker
– a tracker, guide or hunter – is based on
the 1979 film “Stalker” produced by
Soviet film legend Andrei Tarkovsky and
inspired by the 1972 novel “Roadside
Picnic” written by the Strugatsky brothers.
Lera Samoylenko, 15, said she doesn’t
play many computer games but loves
STALKER.
THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 17
The game’s intrigue and international
success lie in the high-quality graphics
and intricate fantasy story lines in which
a first-person shooter engages in sophisti-
cated missions.
It took six years of meticulous labor to
produce “Shadow of Chernobyl.” (The
Ukrainian-based spelling is Chornobyl.)
GSC Game World conducted extensive
research to recreate the Exclusion Zone in
virtual form, including such landmarks as
the Red Forest, abandoned cities such as
Prypiat (spelled according to the translit-
eration system used at The Weekly) and
the nuclear power plant itself.
“A precise model of the station would
be hard to create for several reasons,”
said Sergiy Grushko, the sales manager
for GSC Game. “You’d hardly find the
blueprints for a military base in America,
right? Or nuclear reactors? But it’s quite
similar.” Zenon Zawada
GSC Game World researchers even STALKER offers computer gamers a relaxing adventure into a parallel reality of
collected myths about the Chornobyl Chornobyl, said 21-year-old Andrii Dombrovskyi (left).
zone, such as a concrete antenna that was
speculated to have been used in psycho- GSC Game World’s success in creating
tropic experiments on plant workers to a science fiction enterprise amidst the
study the effects of radiation on the mind. ruins of the Chornobyl disaster has
“According to this myth, power over- repeatedly drawn skepticism from jour-
loaded and people were irradiated,” Mr. nalists, who question the ethics of cashing
Yavorsky said. “As a result, they made in on a historical event that ruined thou-
the mistakes that led to the explosion. sands of lives.
This is a theory we used in our storyline.” Portraying the zone as a land of creepy
S TA L K E R i s a n a c r o n y m f o r people and mutated animals isn’t exactly
Scavenger, Trespasser, Adventurer, Longer, a public relations victory for Ukraine
Killer, Explorer, Robber, and the series’ either. A few dozen villagers still live in
plot lines are based on what Mr. Yavorsky the zone.
calls a “hero-stalker” literary motif. GSC Game World’s General Director
In “Shadow of Chernobyl,” players are Sergiy Grygorovych is convinced, how-
thrust into a Chornobyl zone in the year ever, that the game has brought far more
2012 that has endured a second nuclear positive attention to Chornobyl and
accident after attempts to repopulate the Ukraine than negative.
region with scientists and the military to “We concluded that this theme as a
work on mind-control technologies. tragedy isn’t as sensitive anymore,” Mr.
A conscious, self-aware computer pro- Grygorovych said. “Of course, it would
gram (called “C-Consciousness”) takes have been inappropriate had we done
control of the zone and autonomously something like this in the first days after Sergiy Grygorovych, 31, founded GSC
continues conducting mind-control exper- the tragedy. But it’s history now, just as Game World, which has become the
iments, taking control of stalkers’ minds movies and games about World War II leading computer game producer in the
and assigning them tasks. Players can join don’t cause offense.” former Soviet Union.
the C-Consciousness or fight against it. Europeans who knew little of the disas-
While searching for money, artifacts ter are now more aware, he said. Stalker The next year he was expelled from Kyiv
and scientific information, players come fans in Ukraine also believe the game Polytechnic Institute as a freshman, which
across animals and humans mutated from doesn’t exploit the tragedy. didn’t concern him much.
the radiation fallout, as well as small “They interested Ukraine’s youth in “We had to earn money and there was
patches of altered physics known as the Chornobyl problem,” said Andrii no time for studying,” Mr. Grygoryshyn
anomalies that can pull players into the Dombrovskyi, 21, who attended the said. GSC Game World’s first projects
air or electrically shock them. Entering Stalker Fest dressed in a HAZMAT suit. involved translating computer games into
highly irradiated areas leads to poisoning. “If before all the youth knew was the Russian and creating encyclopedias, his-
The second STALKER version, “Clear fourth reactor and nothing more, now the tory texts and biographies on compact
Sky,” is a prequel in which the player youth is more closely familiar with this discs for students.
aligns with various factions such as issue, becoming interested and thinking The successful release in 2000 of the
Loners, Freedom, Duty, Clear Sky and about its future. The game encourages real-time strategy game “Cossacks:
Bandits to progress through numerous examination of this problem.” European Wars” thrust GSC Game World
stages with the goal of stopping the Mr. Grygorovych was 16 years old
C-Consciousness from releasing radiation when he launched his company in 1995. (Continued on page 21)
fallout.
“Call of Pripyat” begins where
“Shadow of Chernobyl” concludes, with
the C-Consciousness having been
destroyed and the government attempting
to retake control of the power plant. The
player is an agent of the Security Service
of Ukraine (SBU), dispatched to learn
why the mission failed.
Prypiat is the city the Soviet govern-
ment built for Chornobyl’s employees
before it was abandoned during an evacu-
ation of just a few days that rendered the
city a ghost town.
“Call of Pripyat” focuses on the city’s
off-limits eastern district, where even
most tourists are forbidden to enter.
Players explore the abandoned secret
Jupiter factory, the Yaniv rail station, the
Prypiat river port and the buried village
of Kopachi, all depicted in remarkably
precise detail.
It took a year to collect the research –
including video recordings and photogra- Boys enjoy a free trial of the latest STALKER version, “Call of Pripyat,” at the
phy – and recreate the district in cyber- first annual International STALKER-Fest on Kyiv’s Independence Square on
space, Mr. Yavorsky said. October 3.
18 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50

NEWSBRIEFS Verkhovna Rada. In particular, he was con-

CLASSIFIEDS (Continued from page 2)

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And we intend to strengthen our contribu-
tion to NATO effort through participation in
new initiatives, such as the rapid reaction
force, cyber security and combating sea
piracy.” He pointed out that the National
Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
has decided to triple the strength of the
Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent in
Afghanistan. (Ukrinform)
Nemyria in talks with IMF in DC
KYIV – A Ukrainian delegation headed
by Vice Prime Minister for European and
International Integration Hryhorii Nemyria
held talks on December 8 with the leader-
ship of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF). Meetings with IMF Managing
Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, mem-
bers of the executive board, IMF Mission
Chief in Ukraine Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, and
European Department Director Marek
Belka were held at the IMF headquarters
in Washington. In an interview with an
Ukrinform correspondent in the United
States, Mr. Nemyria described the talks as
“concrete and constructive.” He said, “We
have actually resumed talks with the IMF
on the parameters of completing the third
review under the stand-by program.” Mr.
Nemyria noted that the talks would result
in the resumption of Ukraine’s cooperation
with the international financial organiza-
tion. At the same time, he declined to spec-
ify the concrete terms of completing the
next review. “It’s currently premature to
say when financing will definitely be
resumed. Ukraine is doing all it can for its
part so that this review is completed soon,”
he explained. Mr. Nemyria said that the
IMF’s leadership had welcomed the for-
mation of an agreed-upon position by the
Ukrainian government and the National
Bank of Ukraine on a number of key
issues. “Representatives of the internation-
al financial organization called for the con-
tinuation of a dialogue on the successful
completion of talks and the adoption of a
positive decision by the IMF executive
board on providing the next tranche to
Ukraine,” Mr. Nemyria said. The IMF
approved a two-year stand-by arrangement
with Ukraine worth around $16.4 billion
(U.S.) in November 2008 and has already
allocated over $10 billion in three tranches
to the country. (Ukrinform)
PACE rapporteur calls for amendments
KYIV – The co-rapporteur of the
Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE), Renate Wohlwend, said at a press
conference at Ukrinform on December 9
that it had been agreed at a meeting with
Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr
Lytvyn that a roadmap for compliance by
Ukraine with its commitments to PACE
would be drafted after the presidential elec-
tion in the country. “It is the Ukrainian
Parliament that should determine the priori-
ty of these commitments and the terms of
their implementation,” she said. Ms.
Wohlwend also said that it is currently
impossible to analyze when the Council of
Europe will stop monitoring Ukraine. “I
cannot promise that PACE monitoring pro-
cedures will be lifted from Ukraine after the
presidential election,” she said, adding that
everything depends on the compliance with
commitments assumed by Ukraine over 15
years ago. She also expressed hope that the
Verkhovna Rada would soon pass amend-
ments to the law on the election of the
Ukrainian president in order to prevent pos-
sible electoral fraud on election day.
(Ukrinform)
President Yushchenko vetoes law
KYIV – President Viktor Yushchenko on
December 9 returned a bill on making
amendments to some laws of Ukraine with
his proposals for its reconsideration by the
cerned about the issue of removal of the
president from his post by way of impeach-
ment, Presidential Secretariat sources said.
According to Mr. Yushchenko, a number of
provisions of the law adopted by the
Parliament on November 5 do not comply
with the Constitution of Ukraine. The law
outlines the form and content of the
Parliament’s juridical recourse to obtain a
court ruling regarding the constitutional
procedure in investigating and considering
removal of the president by way of
impeachment. The law states that the
Constitutional Court of Ukraine has no
more than five working days from the day
the Verkhovna Rada submits a constitution-
al presentation, documents and materials
that should be added to it, to open priority
proceedings on a case. (Ukrinform)
Yushchenko comments on Euro 2012
KYIV – Ukraine and Poland will
undoubtedly be able to handle preparations
for and the hosting of the finals of the Euro
2012 European soccer championship,
President Viktor Yushchenko said on
December 7. “Over the past two and a half
years, I had no doubt that Ukraine and
Poland would tackle this challenge,” the
presidential press service quoted Mr.
Yushchenko as saying in an interview with
the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita. He
said that none of the host countries had
faced such problems, particularly with
infrastructure development, over the whole
period of this soccer championship.
However, he noted that the Euro 2012 spurs
reforms and modernization in many sectors.
“I have no doubt that a final positive deci-
sion will soon be formally taken and we,
along with our Polish friends, will show
how two big European Slavic nations can
host the European championship at a high
level,” Mr. Yushchenko said. He said that
this is not merely a sporting event for
Ukraine, but also part of its Euro-integration
process. The UEFA has chosen Kyiv and
provisionally Donetsk, Lviv and Kharkiv as
Ukrainian host cities for the Euro 2012.
(Ukrinform)
Polish Consulate to open in Sevastopol
KYIV – Poland is to open a Consulate
General in Sevastopol, Crimea, said the first
vice-chairman of the Sevastopol City
Administration, Volodymyr Kazarin. He
said that Poland had notified the city admin-
istration of preparations for opening the
Consulate in the city. Mr. Kazarin noted that
several Consulates General of European
Union countries, particularly Germany and
the Czech Republic, could open in
Sevastopol in the next few years.
(Ukrinform)
Foreign mass media may be regulated
KYIV – The Cabinet intends to legisla-
tively regulate licenses for dissemination of
foreign printed mass media, it was reported
on December 8. According to the website
of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a bill
“On Making Amendments to the Law of
Ukraine on Printed Mass Communication
Media (Press) in Ukraine” was registered
by the government in the Verkhovna Rada.
In particular, the bill stipulates the terms for
making decisions about the issuance or
refusal of issuance of permits for dissemi-
nating foreign printed mass media in
Ukraine, grounds for overruling a decision,
as well as responsibility for such activities
without the required permission. If the bill
is adopted, revenues to the state budget are
envisaged from the payment of fees for the
issuance of permits. (Ukrinform)
Olympic team to be named
KYIV – A committee of the Ministry of
Family, Youth and Sports on November 27
called the pace of preparations of Ukrainian
teams for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games
(Continued on page 19)
No. 50
NEWSBRIEFS
(Continued from page 18)
satisfactory. The Games will be held in
Vancouver, British Columbia, on February
12-28, 2010. Eighteen Ukrainian athletes
(11 biathletes and seven figure-skaters)
have thus far met the qualification require-
ments for the Olympics. The final composi-
tion of the team will be determined by
February 1, 2010, after completion of quali-
fying competitions and fulfillment by can-
didate athletes of qualification criteria for
the Winter Olympics. (Ukrinform)
Poland transfers historic documents
KYIV – The Polish Institute of National
Remembrance has passed on to the Security
Service of Ukraine (SBU) around 20,000
pages of documents on the activity of orga-
nizations of the Ukrainian liberation move-
ment in Poland. The handover ceremony of
the documents took place at a meeting
b e t w e e n S B U C h i e f Va l e n t y n
Nalyvaichenko and president of the Polish
Institute of National Remembrance, Janusz
Kurtyka, the SBU press center reported on
November 30. Mr. Nalyvaichenko, in turn,
presented to Poland electronic copies of 223
documents (10,139 pages) on repressions
conducted by the Soviet regime against
Poles in the 1930s and in the first half of the
1940s. (Ukrinform)
Jubilee coin honors Kost Levytsky
KYIV – Continuing the series
“Outstanding Persons of Ukraine,” on
November 27 the National Bank of Ukraine
introduced into circulation a jubilee coin
honoring Kost Levytsky. The coin, with a
face value of 2 hrv, is dedicated to the
Ukrainian lawyer, public and state worker,
and president of the Western Ukrainian
National Republic. The coin, made of
German silver, was released in an edition of
35,000. (Ukrinform)
Airlines withdrawn from black list
KYIV – The European Commission has
withdrawn from its black list of air carriers
three Ukrainian aviation companies:
Ukrainian Cargo Airways, Volare and
Motor Sich. The fourth carrier, Ukrainian-
Mediterranean Airlines, was permitted to
resume flights with the use of only one
plane, an Ukrinform correspondent reported
on November 30 from Brussels.
(Ukrinform)
Law on hate crimes is signed
KYIV – Ukrainian President Viktor
THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 19
Yushchenko on December 1 signed into
law a bill increasing punishment for
crimes motivated by racial, ethnic or reli-
gious intolerance. The law, which amend-
ed the Criminal Code of Ukraine, was
adopted on November 5. It stipulates that
crimes motivated by racial, ethnic or reli-
gious intolerance, as well as discrimina-
tion based on gender, social or property
status, residence, language and other dif-
ferences, are punishable by fines of 200
hrv to 500 hrv, or deprivation of freedom
for a term of up to five years with a ban
on taking certain posts or engaging in Walter P. Hendricks
certain activities over a term of up to
three years. (Ukrinform)
Born June 28, 1921, in Brooklyn, NY.
Ukraine 117th on women in politics list
KYIV – Although Ukraine is one of Died November 22, 2009, in Hurleyville, NY.
the few countries where women hold top-
ranking posts such as that of prime minis- His name at birth was Wolodymyr Hrycyshyn. His parents, Paul and
ter, secretary of the National Security and Michalina, came from the Pomoriany area of Halychyna.
Defense Council and chair of the
Presidential Secretariat, the country ranks Mr. Hendricks served as a corporal in the infantry during World War II.
only 117th based on the level of partici- He taught social studies at Stuyvesant High School in New York City
pation of women in political life and 61st from 1966 until his retirement in 1991.
in a general rating of gender equality.
Tetiana Kondratiuk, vice-minister of fam- He was a member of various organizations, including the Elks and the
ily, youth and sports, reported this infor- American Veterans.
mation during a November 27 press club
meeting on discrimination against women He was preceded in death by his wife, Lydia G. Korsak-Hendricks,
in contemporary society. At the same who died on Aug. 5, 2009, after a long illness.
time, she noted that Ukraine’s progress in
implementing international commitments He is survived by three second cousins:
to guarantee gender equality was duly
assessed during special consultations at Dr. Roman Bilak and family of Kenosha, WI
the governmental level in Geneva in early Irena Mychajluk and family of Rochester, NY
November. (Ukrinform) Wolodymyra Maciurak of Chicago, IL
U.S. help in disposal of missile complexes
On Monday, November 30, a Divine Liturgy for the repose of Mr.
KYIV – The United States will help Hendricks’ soul was served at Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn. A burial
Ukraine dispose of Scud missile com- service, including military honors at graveside, was held at Mount
plexes. Ukraine’s acting Defense Minister Olivet Cemetery in Maspeth, Queens, NY.
Valerii Ivaschenko and U.S. Chargé
d’Affaires in Ukraine James Pettit on
November 30 signed a memorandum of
understanding between the Ukrainian
Defense Ministry and the U.S.
Department of Defense on assistance in
disposing of and demilitarizing Scud mis-
sile complexes and their equipment,
materials and rocket fuel components.
Mr. Ivaschenko said the disposal of Scud
missile complexes is the next stage in
implementing the Cooperative Threat
Reduction Program with the technical and
financial assistance of the U.S. govern-
ment. “Ukraine is continuing to meet its
foreign political commitments on the
removal of the weapons of mass destruc-
tion,” he said. (Ukrinform) Andronik E. Skulski
passed away Sunday, November 29, 2009 at Norwalk Hospital. He
was 81 years old. He was born in Univ, Ukraine on October 25, 1928.
He was the son of the late Rev. Joseph and Melania (Retchuk) Skulski.
Mr. Skulski was a Research Pharmacist for Vicks Pharmaceutical
Corporation for over 15 years.
He is survived by his wife, Oksana Skulski; three sons, Myron A.
Skulski, Mark A. Skulski, George R. Skulski and his wife Halina and
her sons Oleg and Taras Kryvi, a brother in law Bohdan Magockyj, an
aunt Irena Jurczyk. He also had distant family in Ukraine and Brazil.
Memeorial sevices were held Thursday December 3rd at Bosak
Funeral Home in Stamford Ct. He is buried at Holy Spirit Catholic
Cemetery in Campbell Hall, NY.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the
American Red Cross, Connecticut Regional Chapter, PO Box 5003,
Hartford, CT 06102-5003 (http://www.ctredcross.org/)
20 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50

A tribute... issue from multiple vantage points or

(Continued from page 11)
years as chair of the Penn department; and
she developed a compelling interest in and
understanding of contemporary architec-
ture in the Islamic context. In her work
with the Aga Khan Award she was able to
bring together practitioners and scholars in
a variety of related fields in ways that had
not been done before and which enriched
and deepened their work.
Looking back from a distance of more
than 30 years, it is hard to remember how
new the work that took place in the context
of the Aga Khan Award projects really
was, and the extent to which Renata’s
practice has shaped thinking and working
modes going forward in the field of
Islamic architecture.
On the one hand, a world-class expert
on architecture in the contemporary
Islamic context, Renata has also main-
tained her commitment to archaeology, an
interest which stretches back to the begin-
ning of her career. Of her many archaeo-
logical projects, tonight there is time to
mention only the two most recent: the
excavations on the Tunisian island of
Jerba, from 1994 to 2000, and her ongoing
collaborative research project focusing on
the burial material from Chingul Kurgan,
with a joint Penn/Ukrainian team.
The subject matter of these two projects
in themselves, one a Mediterranean island
with centuries of occupation, and the other
a medieval burial site in the steppes of the
Black Sea region, demonstrates yet again
Renata’s incredible range of interests and
scholarly expertise. Her archaeological
projects, like most of her research, are
occasions to assemble teams of highly
qualified colleagues from different disci-
plines, to train students, to ask difficult
questions of challenging material and to
marshal all of the team’s substantial
resources to provide new insights and
advance knowledge.
The major research projects that I have
mentioned have been large, complex, even
sprawling endeavors. It is not surprising
then that Renata’s publications are like that
too. She has certainly written a number of
very fine articles on her own, but the work
that I think most often comes to mind in
terms of her publications are the multi-
authored or collaborative projects where
she has been involved in assembling a
team of people to approach a complex
where she has edited the work emerging
However, having done so, and thinking
about what ties together her incredible
thrives in public, multi-dimensional,
almost chaotically interdisciplinary con-
from a project that she has organized. teaching and mentoring of students, her texts.
She has tackled subjects for which very ground-breaking work with the Aga This intellect together with an unwaver-
little else had been written at the time, for Khan, her continuing commitment to ing sense of service to her students, depart-
example her book with Ahmet Evin on archaeology, her publications and her ment and field, and more energy than most
“Modern Turkish Architecture” from 1984, always invigorating presence at scholarly of us can keep up with is the Renata that
or the modern mosque book with Hasan meetings, it is this amazing intellect, at we have all been privileged to know these
ud-Din Khan that came out in 1994. Her the same time sharp and generous, that many years.
incredibly useful two-volume collection
on “The City in the Islamic World,” edited
with Atillio Petruccioli and Andre
Raymond, came out in 2008, and, of The Gulag... tion and is looking for an appropriate per-
manent home for the paintings.
course, the first volume of the Jerba mate- (Continued from page 7) The Gulag Collection exhibit at the
rial has just appeared as a supplement to were to die, Getman sought to have them Heritage Foundation was open to the pub-
the Journal of Roman Archaeology, co- moved to the West. With the financial lic through December 10. More informa-
edited with Lisa Fentress and Ali Drine. help of Jim Kimsey, the Jamestown tion about the Gulag Collection can also
When we think about a scholar’s contri- Foundation bought the collection in 1997 be obtained at these Internet sites:
butions to the field, we tend to think about and put it on display in the U.S. h t t p : / / w w w. h e r i t a g e . o r g / P r e s s /
a certain range of activities, like the ones I Congress. NewsReleases/nr093009a.cfm
have already mentioned – the training of Getman died in Russia in 2004 at the http://www.jamestown.org/aboutus/
students, major research projects and pub- age of 84, but his “testimony to the fate getmanpaintings/getmancatalog/
lications because to a large extent these are of the millions” lives on at The Heritage http://www.artukraine.com/old/paint-
the benchmarks by which scholars are Foundation, which now owns the collec- ings/getman.htm
measured.
In Renata’s case, we need to add one
more activity more to this list, one which
is more ephemeral, and that is the role of
respondent in a conference or seminar set-
ting. I happened to mention Wednesday to
a German colleague that I would be here
in Philadelphia for this occasion, and he
took the opportunity to say that Renata’s
contribution, in the form of comments
from the floor at a conference he had orga-
nized over the summer, had been absolute-
ly brilliant and had provided essential
insights for the entire group of partici-
pants. We have all seen Renata in action in
this way, and have all been the beneficiary
of her keen insights, wide-ranging knowl-
edge and ability to make inspired connec-
tions among the most far-flung of topics.
These are ephemeral contributions in the
sense that they rarely appear in print under
her name, but of course her comments
have often had a significant impact on her
colleagues’ work.
The assignment I was given by my co- John Edward Hilboldt, Heritage Foundation director of lectures and seminars,
organizers David Roxburgh and Dede discusses Nikolai Getman’s “Convict’s Bread Rations” with Ada Kulyk, whose
Ruggles, to talk tonight about Renata’s father spent five years in Kolyma, the scene of this and other Getman paintings in
contributions to the field has led me to the Gulag Collection exhibit.
think in a much more focused way about
Renata’s professional life than I might
have otherwise – I met Renata when I
was 20 years old, so while I don’t at all Moscow backtracks... strategy to bypass Ukraine.
Accordingly, Moscow is reverting to
take her for granted, I have known her for (Continued from page 3) its earlier strategy to seek control of the
so long that I do not often feel that need Ukrainian system under the guise of a
to reflect on her in a conscious way. tracking from its earlier threats to bypass
Ukraine through Nord Stream and South consortium formula that would include
Stream. Russia’s own stagnant produc- Western companies allied with Gazprom.
tion, the loss of monopsony in
Turkmenistan and – at least as important- The article above is reprinted from
ly – the European Union-Ukraine agree- Eurasia Daily Monitor with permission
ment on upgrading Ukraine’s transit sys- from its publisher, the Jamestown
tem are at this stage defeating Moscow’s Foundation, www.jamestown.org.

THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

will mail Christmas greetings and small gift packages to American-Ukrainian ser- Islamic terrorist... haven for Islamic terrorists seeking to
enter the European Union through
vice people presently serving their country in many parts of the world. (Continued from page 2) Ukraine’s porous western borders that are
fall 2005. But Ukraine has held joint open to corruption from local officials,
UNA wishes to solicit your help in getting names, addresses and ranks of any border troops and customs officers.
Ukrainian you may know who is serving in the armed forces. Help make this exercises with NATO and the United
project successful. UNA will mail Christmas and New Year’s greetings States for over 15 years in Crimea, Odesa The article above is reprinted from
to our service people by December 25, 2009. and western Ukraine, and American and Eurasia Daily Monitor with permission
NATO forces might become terrorist tar- from its publisher, the Jamestown
We wish to contact all our service men and women. gets. Ukraine could also become a safe Foundation, www.jamestown.org.
With your help we will reach most of them!

Name:

Rank:
Boston concludes...
(Continued from page 8)
Address: develop greater awareness and under-
standing of the Holodomor among the
non-Ukrainian community by sponsoring
a memorable series of events using the
Please send the information by December 14, 2009, to:
75th anniversary as a focal point. The
Ukrainian National Association, Inc.,
UNA National Organizer – Oksana Trytjak
effort was a collaboration of the four local
2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280 Ukrainian parishes, including Christ the
Parsippany, NJ 07054 King Catholic Parish, Boston; St.
tel: 1 973 292-9800 x3071 e-mail: oksanauna@comcast.net Andrew’s Orthodox Parish, Boston; St.
John the Baptist Catholic Parish, Salem,
and St. Michael’s Catholic Parish,
Woonsocket, R.I., the Harvard Ukrainian
Research Institute and local community
organizations.
The book was put together by the
Greater Boston Committee to
Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of
the Holodomor under the patronage of
UCCA Boston. The project was chaired
by Oksana Iwaszczenko, who was also
responsible for the layout and design of
the book in conjunction with Vsevolod
and Yuri Petriv, Mrs. Saxe and Patricia
Libby.
No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 21

Events of November... become significantly less decisive. In Prof.

(Continued from page 1)
reports of falsifications in tabulating the vote
in the second round of Ukraine’s presiden-
tial election. The official tally pronounced
Viktor Yanukovych the winner.
For seven days the political tension in
Ukraine grew. The number of protesters
swelled as the current government looked
for a way out that would preserve Mr.
Yanukovych’s victory. The entire world
marveled at the Ukrainians’ stubborn, and
peaceful, demands for democracy. In the
end, the protesters (the “maidan”) prevailed.
The Ukrainian Supreme Court ordered
another round of elections, and Viktor
Yushchenko was elected president of
Ukraine.
For Ukrainians and, perhaps, for others,
the maidan became a symbol of democratic
change, a promise of improving living stan-
dards, and the political and social integration
of Ukraine with Europe and the West. Many
Ukrainians expected a better life to result
from their Orange Revolution. This eupho-
ria was comparatively short-lived.
The members of the Orange Coalition
were soon squabbling, the promised reforms
never materialized, and the country’s cor-
ruption didn’t subside. In short order, the
coalition disintegrated and Mr. Yanukovych,
the very same man who had recently been
accused of stealing the election, became
prime minister.
The former ambassador related all of
these events with some bitterness, claiming
that the Orange Revolution had not succeed-
ed. The principal reason for this, in his view,
was, and continues to be, the inability of the
members of the coalition to create a work-
able “vertical” system of governance that
could realize the promised reforms, bring
Ukraine closer to Europe and the West, and
rejuvenate a national, ethnically Ukrainian,
culture.
Prof. Darden, on the other hand, views
the Orange Revolution in a much more posi-
tive light. Having spent a few months last
summer in the southern part of Ukraine, he
recounted his conversations with rank-and-
file political operatives in the Odesa,
Vinnytsia, and Chernivtsi oblasts. These
meetings convinced him that the maidan
protests did bring fundamental changes to
Ukraine’s political culture.
Governmental structures, which had pre-
viously been actively involved in determin-
ing the vote count, have become more neu-
tral. Massive falsification of vote counts has
become less likely. Electoral campaigns
have taken on a more Western character:
although fraud is still present, its scope has
Darden’s view, the greatest danger is the
possibility of a return to the use of govern-
ment institutions to influence the elections
in favor of a particular candidate. Here, he
would pay particular attention to the activi-
ties of Yulia Tymoshenko’s campaign.
Prof. Tucker examined the results of the
Orange Revolution from yet another point
of view. He asked, “What were the
Ukrainian public’s expectations – what did
they expect the Orange Revolution to
achieve?” He pointed out that many
Ukrainians held unrealistic views and
expected wide-ranging and long-lasting
changes.
Nevertheless, substantial change did
occur. The voters understood that they were
capable of rising up against the government
and directing it onto a new course – that the
government was responsible to its citizens
and not the other way around. This new
understanding influences every subsequent
government, which, as a result, becomes far
more conscious of the will of the people.
The second panel took a wider view:
encompassing the colored revolutions that
occurred in the so-called Russian “near
abroad.” The moderator was Prof. Catharine
Nepomnjashchy of Columbia University’s
Barnard College; the panelists were: Lincoln
Mitchell, professor of international politics
at Columbia; Alexander Cooley, professor
of political science at Barnard; Gordon
Bardos, the assistant director of the
Harriman Institute at Columbia; and Mark
Beisinger, professor of political science at
Princeton University.
Profs. Mitchell and Cooley described and
compared the colored revolutions that took
place in the former Soviet Union (those in
Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan). Among
these they identified the Ukrainian revolu-
tion as the most successful in that it man-
aged to achieve some changes in Ukraine’s
political system. Those changes, however,
can still be reversed and everything might
still move in the direction of an autocratic
state. In Georgia, however, nation-building
took precedence over democratic develop-
ment. And, in Kyrgyzstan, the revolution
simply replaced one gang of kleptocrats
with another.
Prof. Bardos argued that the democratic
movement in Serbia was the most success-
ful of the colored revolutions, having per-
manently transformed that country’s system
of governance. He noted that Russia’s posi-
tive attitude toward Serbia and its restraint
from meddling in Serbian internal affairs
had a decisive impact on the Serbs’ attempts
to democratize.
Prof. Beisinger focused on Russia’s role
in the political evolution of its neighbors. He
noted that all three revolutions in the former
Soviet Union (Georgia, Ukraine and
Kyrgyzstan) were anti-Russian, that Russia
perceived them as such, and that this – in
view of the fact that the Russian authorities
have no wish to democratize and the
Russian people have not demanded it – gave
it an opening to attempt to influence events
in their perceived “sphere of influence.”
The third panel – titled “Have the Colored
Revolutions Come to an End?” – examined
the possibility of repeat occurrences of col-
ored revolutions in other countries. The
moderator was Timothy Frye, professor of
political science and the director of the
Harriman Institute at Columbia, who was
the principal organizer of the conference.
Taking part in the discussion were: Sharon
Wolchik, professor of political science and
international relations at George Washington
University; Rajan Menon, professor of inter-
national relations at Lehigh University; and
Jack Snyder, professor of political science
and international relations at Columbia.
Prof. Wolchik opened the conversation
by listing the necessary preconditions for a
democratic revolution to take place. These,
in her view, include not only the indigenous
organizers of such protests, but also assis-
tance from outside the country. She noted
that this process began in Slovakia and
Croatia, where democratic movements, with
the help of foreign agencies that support
democracy, achieved significant democrati-
zation in their respective political systems.
Prof. Menon pointed out that it is not
accurate to call these protests “revolutions”
since, strictly speaking, a revolution involves
a fundamental change in a country’s system
of governance, usually brought about
through a violent overthrow of the existing
system and brings about dramatic social
changes, a new system of government and,
often, a new political and social culture.
Prof. Snyder added that the colored rev-
olutions managed to bring about changes
in government, but failed to ensure demo-
cratic consolidation in the countries where
they occurred. A large portion of the dis-
cussion centered on what American policy
should be regarding these processes of
democratization.
At the end of the third panel, Prof. Frye
thanked everyone who attended, including
the panelists and, especially, Mark
Andryczyk, the administrator of the
Ukrainian Studies Program and a lecturer
of Ukrainian literature at Columbia, who
was a key organizer of the conference. He
also invited all of those in attendance to
gather once again, after dinner, for the
final session: “The Orange Revolution in
Film.”
Like dessert after a fine meal, the fourth
session displayed the maidan and its influ-
ence on Ukrainian culture. Prof. Yurii
Shevchuk, who teaches Ukrainian language
courses at Columbia and is also the presi-
dent of the Columbia University Ukrainian
Film Club, presided. Deftly juggling various
pieces of equipment he presented a collage
of Ukrainian films that demonstrated the
response of Ukraine’s film community’s to
the Orange Revolution.
He then screened a 30-minute fragment
of a new documentary film titled “Orange
Revolution,” which depicts the events of
November 2004 (The film will be screened
by various public television stations in the
United States during the next two months –
for additional information go to http://www.
orangerevolutionmovie.com/pbs.php.).
Conference participants had the opportunity
to experience, once again, the passions of
those tense days and the success, albeit ten-
tative, of democracy in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Studies Fund supports the
Ukrainian Studies Program at Columbia
University, which organized the conference.
For more information about the program
readers may contact Prof. Andryczyk at
ukrainianstudies@columbia.edu or
212-854-4697.

STALKER... November 2004. Yet the STALKER proj-

(Continued from page 17)
onto the international computer gaming
scene and earned Mr. Grygorovych his
first million dollars in profit as the firm’s
sole owner.
The company’s success has only accel-
erated since then, launching two more
versions of “Cossacks,” as well as anoth-
er history-based strategy game,
“American Conquest.”
Not everything was a success.
Americans aren’t as interested in histori-
cally-based strategy games as Europeans,
Mr. Grygorovych said.
In 2004 GSC Game World launched its
publishing division which enabled it to
produce in-house its games for the post-
Soviet market.
The company also secured the rights to
produce a real-time historical strategy
game for the Hollywood blockbuster
“Alexander,” directed by Oliver Stone.
“Alexander” was the first Hollywood-
licensed computer game marketed and
distributed for the post-Soviet region
when GSC Game World released it in
ect has taken the company to unprece-
dented heights, achieving a globally rec-
ognized brand that has inspired films,
books, comics and animation.
The 31-year-old gaming whiz has
become a celebrity among Ukraine’s young
generation, known for his passion for
extreme sports such as kiteboarding, wake-
boarding and motorcycle racing. Mr.
Grygorovych’s private autopark includes a
Ferrari F430 Spider, a Porsche Cayenne
turbo and a Hummer, among other vehicles.
He’s even begun to learn some
Ukrainian. Yet the company produces its
games in the Ukrainian language for pres-
tige and publicity, not so much sales.
A Ukrainian version of “Call of
Pripyat” will be downloadable from the
Internet by the year’s end, Mr. Yavorsky
said, but it will work only for those who
have bought the game. The English-
version will hit American store shelves in
February.
In the meantime, Ukrainian-language
versions of “Shadow of Chornobyl” and
“Clear Sky” can be downloaded from the
STALKER website at: http://stalker-
game.ru/ru/?page=misc_downloads.
22 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50

Growth and decline...

(Continued from page 12)
Ukrainians from these cities to other parts of the country.
For example, if it were not for new wave immigrants, cities
like Detroit or Trenton, N.J., would have experienced even
larger losses in their number of Ukrainians.
The geographical distribution of Ukrainians in the
United States has experienced significant changes in the
last 20 to 30 years (in order to capture the effect of the new
wave on this population distribution shift, we have limited
our analysis to the 1990-2006 period). This population
redistribution has been driven by two processes: a) migra-
tion from cities with large organized communities to cities
with few or no Ukrainians and no organized communities;
b) influx of new wave immigrants from Ukraine, many of
whom settled in cities with no Ukrainian organized com-
munities.
These processes have resulted in critical masses of
Ukrainians in new cities, providing the necessary basis for
the organization of new communities in these cities. In cities
with incipient organized communities, large increases in the
number of Ukrainians provide the opportunity to expand
existing organizations and starting new organizations.
In Table 3 we list some candidate cities that fall under
these two categories. In panel A we list cities that went
from a very small number of Ukrainians in 1990 to between
2,500 and close to 6,000 Ukrainians in 2006. These num-
bers provide the critical mass that can sustain an incipient
organization. In panel B of Table 3 we list cities that already
had some kind of organized life in 2006, and their growth
allows one to entertain the possibility of expanding the
community by strengthening existing organizations and
starting new ones.
When thinking about organizing Ukrainians in a new
city, it is important to disaggregate the Ukrainian popula- Ukrainian churches and participate exclusively in American involved in other Ukrainian organizations.
tion into three groups: a) long-term residents in the city; b) organizations. It may be difficult for them to make the nec- The estimation of the sizes of these three groups among
recent migrants from cities with well-organized Ukrainian essary changes in order to become active in Ukrainian all Ukrainians residing in a city, as well as measurement of
communities; c) new wave immigrants. It is also useful to organizations. their characteristics, like age structure, socio-economic sta-
estimate some basic characteristics of these three groups, The second group is much more likely to become active tus and language spoken at home, can help develop better
like age structure, socio-economic status and language spo- in community work, as probably many of them were active strategies for organizing these new communities. The data
ken at home. in Ukrainian organizations in their cities of origin. On the base developed by the Research Center for Study of the
It may be difficult to mobilize the first group, as most of other hand it is difficult to predict the degree of interest in Ukrainian Diaspora in the U.S. allows us to elaborate
them have lived for many years without any involvement in Ukrainian organized life by the new wave immigrants. detailed profiles of Ukrainians in many U.S. cities, provid-
Ukrainian organized life and are probably fully integrated Experience shows that many of them may attend Ukrainian ing valuable input for more rational planning and manage-
into American society. They are likely to belong to non- churches, but few may be willing to become actively ment of our organizations.

FACEBOOK FRIENDS: VOTE!!!

JP Morgan/Chase is conducting a contest on Facebook through December
15, 2009, in which the top 100 vote-getting eligible charitable organizations
will get $25,000 and also be eligible for additional funds up to $1 million.
The Ukrainian National Foundation (UNF) is listed as an eligible charity in
the contest. The Ukrainian National Association is trying to mobilize all its
members and supporters to vote online so the UNF can be one of the top
vote-getters.

The Ukrainian National Foundation – a 501 (c) (3) organization – is the

charitable arm of the Ukrainian National Association Inc., The UNF supports
the Soyuzivka Heritage Center and its many programs, and organizes the
Ukrainian Cultural Festival at Soyuzivka. The UNF provides support for
many other Ukrainian community projects and organizations. The UNF also
financially supports the newspapers The Ukrainian Weekly and Svoboda.
The UNF annually distributes scholarships to Ukrainian American students
and students in Ukraine.

PLEASE VOTE, and ask your friends to vote, by logging on to:

www.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving

The steps are as follows:

1. Become a Facebook Fan of Chase by going to the above website.

2. Chase will send you an acceptance through Facebook.
3. Go back to the charity search page above and type in
“Ukrainian National Foundation.” Vote!

THANK YOU!!! We truly appreciate it!

No. 50
University of Toronto Libraries digitize Ukrainian holdings
by Ksenya Kiebuzinski
TORONTO – The University of
Toronto Libraries (UTL) has launched a
project to digitize its Ukrainian imprints
thanks to the generosity of the John and
Mary A. Yaremko Foundation. So far
over 400 volumes have been scanned as
part of the Yaremko Ukrainian Digital
Project, and the texts in their entirety are
freely available for scholars and the gen-
eral public on the Internet Archive.
Overall, the UTL, as a partner of the
Open Content Alliance, has been contrib-
uting material over the past five years –
so far about 210,000 out-of-copyright
titles in all languages – to the non-profit
online library. There the digitized content
is available so that anyone can search the
files or download the printed material for
his or her own use. There is no limit to
the number of books and serials that can
be downloaded or to the ways in which
they can be used.
A part of the UTL’s large contribution
to the online library has been the digitiza-
tion of pre-1923 Ukrainian imprints (i.e.,
material in the public domain) through
the auspices of the Yaremko Foundation.
The Yaremko Foundation has pledged
support for five years to be used for spe-
cial projects to preserve and improve
access to Ukrainian materials held by the
library.
The plans are to scan in total about 500
Political posturing...
(Continued from page 1)
aid under the same conditions – that
domestic medical testing not be per-
formed, reported the Dielo daily newspa-
per. It was the measles and rubella vac-
cine that killed Mr. Tyschenko.
Such deaths have been politicized by
the Party of Regions of Ukraine, whose
leader, Viktor Yanukovych, is competing
with Prime Minister Tymoshenko to
become Ukraine’s next president.
During the campaign, Party of Regions
National Deputy Olena Bondarenko told
residents in the Donetsk town of
Druzhkivka “the government is bringing
to Ukraine vaccines that are killing chil-
dren,” as reported by Opora, an election
monitoring group.
An estimated 24 Ukrainians out of the
5.8 million who received vaccinations are
listed as having died, according to the
State Sanitary Epidemiological Service of
the Health Ministry. That’s less than one-
thousandth of 1 percent. However the ser-
vice’s director, Dr. Oleksander Bilovol,
told an October 23 press conference that
he believes none of these deaths were
caused by vaccinations.
Officials assured the public that no
mass vaccination campaign would be
mandatory. Yet, the government is con-
sidering a policy requiring all children
attending state schools to be vaccinated.
Most medical authorities and govern-
ment officials are confident that vaccines
are the best means of preventing mass
viral contagion. President Yushchenko
said he’s willing to get vaccinated himself
to prove his faith in the inoculation.
Instead, much of the criticism has
focused on why the Tymoshenko govern-
ment hadn’t launched a mass vaccination
program before the epidemic erupted in
October.
Officials ignored many warnings signs,
including WHO pleas to stockpile drugs,
face masks and other flu-fighting materi-
als, UNICEF spokesman Michael
Bociurkiw wrote in a November article
published in Canada’s national newspa-
per, The Globe and Mail.
Additionally, the Health Ministry has
THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY
titles of Ucrainica from Robarts and
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Libraries for
the Internet Archive, with a focus on lan-
guage and literature. The material
includes: belles-lettres (for example,
poetry, plays, novels, short stories, songs,
children’s literature, etc.), literary criti-
cism, biographies of writers, memoirs,
letters, periodicals, and bibliographies or
catalogues. Material is presently scanned
on the premises – UTL has 23 Internet
archive Scribe machines, capable of digi-
tizing between 40 million and 50 million
pages of text per annum.
Of the Ukrainian material added so far
to the Internet archive, the most frequent-
ly downloaded titles include: Ivan
Franko’s anthology “Akordy” (Lviv,
1930); Serhii Iefremov’s history of the
Ukrainian literature “Istoriia Ukraïnskoho
Pysmenstva” (Kyiv, 1919); the literary
journal “Nova Hromada” edited by Borys
Hrinchenko (Kyiv, 1906); the poetry col-
lection “Ukrainska Muza” edited by
Oleksa Kovalenko (Kyiv, 1908); and the
t w o - v o l u m e a n t h o l o g y “ Vy b i r z
Ukrainskoho Pysmenstva” edited by
Antin Krushelnytskyi (Vienna, 1922).
Other popular titles reaching a broad
audience are works by Taras Shevchenko,
Panteleimon Kulish, Hryhorii Skovoroda,
Iurii Fedkovych and Bohdan Lepkyi,
among many others. Visitors to the
Internet archive are also downloading
other literary anthologies, song collec-
no contingency plans to replace the nearly
9 million doses of expired measles,
mumps and rubella vaccine that must be
destroyed in coming weeks and months,
he wrote, “themselves a legacy from an
ill-fated United Nations initiative that got
caught up in a miasma of bureaucratic
ineptitude, manipulation and attacks from
a well-financed anti-vaccination move-
ment.”
“The government deserves harsh con-
demnation from neighboring and
European governments for its almost con-
temptuous handling of public health
emergencies,” Mr. Bociurkiw wrote.
The WHO’s spokesperson in Kyiv did
not respond to The Weekly’s e-mail mes-
sages or phone call.
As of December 10, the influenza virus
and acute respiratory illnesses have led to
474 deaths, hospitalized 135,000
Ukrainians and infected 2.3 million since
the government declared an epidemic on
October 29, according to Health Ministry
statistics.
Of 255 confirmed H1N1 cases, 17
were fatal. This means that H1N1
accounts for less than 1 percent of all
influenza and acute respiratory illness
cases and 3.6 percent of all fatalities.
About 6.7 percent of those infected with
H1N1 have died.
The illnesses reached epidemic levels
only in the Halychyna oblasts of Lviv,
Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk. Yet a sud-
den surge in cases in eastern Ukraine dur-
ing the last week may lead to pandemics
being officially declared in those oblasts,
including Donetsk, Kirovohrad and
Dnipropetrovsk.
Several Kirovohrad districts reported
infection levels 50 percent higher than
normal levels.
On December 8, 1,392 residents of
Mariupol reported flu and respiratory ill-
ness symptoms to medical authorities,
prompting a quarantine of the city’s
schools. The city of Donetsk placed its
schools under quarantine two days later,
effective until December 20.
Crimean Chief Medical Doctor Maria
Kroviakova announced the first con-
firmed H1N1 virus infections on the pen-
insula on December 1.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009
“Chervona Shapochka” (Little Red
Riding Hood) by Ia. Vilshenko, ill. by
A. Manastyrskyi (Lviv: Svit Dytyny,
1921).
tions, survey histories of Ukrainian litera-
ture and children’s books.
To access the digital Ucrainica, readers
may visit the Internet Archive at http://
www.archive.org/index.php. From there,
type in “yaremko” in the search box
located in the upper left corner. For addi-
tional Ukrainian material, select any one
of the records and click on the hyperlink
“Ukrainian” next to the language field.
This will yield over 500 results, with
additional contributions being material
digitized by Google from the libraries of
Harvard University and University of
Michigan that has been uploaded to the
Internet archive.
The making of UTL’s collection of
Ucrainica broadly accessible is in the true
spirit of the digital project’s benefactor,
Mr. Yaremko, who as a Canadian states-
man, lawyer and civic leader, has been an
unwavering advocate for the importance
of education, human rights and multicul-
turalism. Mr. Yaremko was the first
Ukrainian Canadian elected to the Ontario
Legislature and the first Ukrainian
Canadian to be appointed Cabinet minis-
ter in Ontario. His tenure as a public ser-
vant lasted for more than 23 years, and, in
his retirement, he and his late wife, Mary,
have created a legacy of philanthropy
supporting academic and cultural pro-
U.S. and Ukraine...
(Continued from page 1)
tions and of American businesses already
engaged in or thinking of investing in
Ukraine, organized in the U.S.-Ukraine
Business Council.
The State Department talks also touched
on energy issues and, as Secretary Clinton
noted, “the importance that we place on
Ukraine becoming more energy-secure and
more energy-independent.”
She said that Washington assured the for-
eign affairs minister and his delegation that
the United States “certainly support Ukraine
becoming more integrated within the
European energy security framework and
we will support in any way, through techni-
cal expertise and other assistance, the devel-
opment of the Ukrainian energy sector.” She
added that Ukraine has “a tremendous
opportunity” to develop much greater ener-
gy sufficiency by attracting investments in
its natural gas sector.
“We know that there are a number of
investors from the United States and else-
where who are interested in participating,
but the most important precondition is that
these economic and political reforms take
23
“Kulturno-Natsionalnyi Rukh na
Ukraini v XVI-XVII Vitsi” (The
National-Cultural Movement in
Ukraine in the 16th-17th Centuries) by
Mykhailo Hrushevskyi (Kyiv:
Dniprosoiuz, 1919).
grams throughout the city of Toronto.
It was in fact the generosity of a librar-
ian in his childhood who inspired in the
10-year old John Yaremko a lifelong love
of books and learning. On his first visit to
a library in Hamilton, Ontario, a librarian
loaned him a nickel – since he did not
have any money – so that he could
become a member and borrow books. On
that first visit he took home three books
only to discover once at home that they
were on anthropology. He read them any-
way.
From then on, he would visit the
library regularly taking home three books
each time. He could not believe that
someone originally from a one-room
schoolhouse in Welland could have such
worlds of knowledge opened to him.
Mr. Yaremko’s gift to the University of
Toronto Libraries is his wish to do the
same for others.
For questions and more information
about the UTL’s Ukrainian collection
readers may contact Dr. Ksenya
Kiebuzinski, Slavic resources coordina-
tor, and head, Petro Jacyk Central and
East European Resource Center,
University of Toronto Libraries (ksenya.
kiebuzinski@utoronto.ca or
416-978-1288), or visit the website http://
pjrc.library.utoronto.ca/.
place so that the Ukrainian people can real-
ize the benefits of their own natural resourc-
es,” the secretary of state said.
Asked if there is any role the United
States should play in assuring that next
month’s presidential election are free and
fair, Secretary Clinton said that it is up to the
Ukrainian people to decide who their lead-
ers should be.
“But the promise of the Orange
Revolution, which was so moving to so
many of us, is that the people of Ukraine
have the right to choose their leaders with-
out interference, without any kind of elec-
toral abuse,” she said.
The United States supports Ukraine in
this, she added, “And, of course, we will
work with whoever the Ukrainian people
elect in a fair and free election.”
In turn, Minister Poroshenko noted that
among independent Ukraine’s greatest
achievements has been the establishment of
freedom of speech and freedom of the mass
media, as well as equal access to those
resources by all candidates.
He also pointed to another “symbol of
democracy,” as he termed it, in the coming
election: “This is the first presidential elec-
tion in Ukraine where nobody knows who
will be the next president.”
24
Ukrainian American Veterans award 10 scholarships
NORTH PORT, Fla. – At the Ukrainian
American Veterans’ held 62nd annual
national convention in North Port, Fla.,
on October 15-17, the recipients of the
U AV S c h o l a r s h i p Aw a r d s w e r e
announced.
The UAV Scholarship Committee
awards scholarships to undergraduate col-
lege students who are descendants or
related to Ukrainian American Veterans.
Students are required to write an essay
(400-500 words) about a current military
topic. Other criteria considered for a
scholarship are extracurricular activities
and academics.
Ten students applied and received
scholarship awards. The recipients were:
• Christopher Michael Orem from
Clifton, Va., who is attending Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University
and is majoring in mathematics, received
the Ukrainian American Club of Palm
Beaches award for $500.
• Christine Marie Lucachick from
International Falls, Minn., who is attend-
ing St. Benedict College and majoring in
chemistry, received the National Ladies
Auxiliary Award for $400.
• Thomas Andrew Wynohradnyk from
Stony Point, N.Y., who is attending Kean
University and majoring in meteorology,
received an award for $300.
• Paul Alexander Hadzewycz from
Morristown, N.J., who is attending
Lafayette College and majoring in policy
studies and economics, received an award
from Russel and Maria Olijarczyk (Post
301) for $200.
• Maria Louise Haras from South
Pasadena, Calif., who is attending Yale
University and majoring in history in
medicine, received an award from Post
27 for $200.
• Larissa Kunynskyj from Sterling
THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY
Christopher Michael Orem Christine Marie Lucachick
Maria Louise Haras Larissa Kunynskyj
Heights, Mich., who is attending St.
John’s University and majoring in anthro-
pology, received an award for $200.
• Andrew Roman Chiminec from
Milford, N.J., who is attending Monmouth
University and majoring in communica-
tions, received an award for $200.
• Roman Stefan Palylyk from New
York City, who is attending New York
University and majoring in music busi-
ness, received an award for $200.
• Tatiana Jaroslava Palylyk from
Ridgefield, Conn., who is attending
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50
Thomas Andrew
Wynohradnyk Paul Alexander Hadzewycz
Andrew Roman Chiminec Roman Stefan Palylyk
Fairfield University
and majoring in psy-
chology, received an
award for $100 from
UAV Post 17.
• Matthew
William Smith from
Anna, Ill., who is
attending Shawnee
Community College
and majoring in pre-
medicine, received
an award for $100
from Denise M. Tatiana Jaroslava Palylyk Matthew William Smith
Duke, in memory of
her mother, Dorothy Budacki. the last day of August. Moreover, under-
Students interested in applying for UAV graduate students may reapply for schol-
Scholarship Awards should fill out applica- arship awards up to four times.
tions, include their college transcripts, Businesses/corporations, community
write an essay on this year’s military topic, organizations and individuals who wish
and include their photos. Applications are to make a tax-exempt donation should
available with instructions on the UAV make checks payable to UAV Scholarship
website, www.uavets.org. Fund. Those who contribute $100 or more
To be eligible for a UAV scholarship, will have an award given in their name.
applicants must be descendants or related Contributions should be mailed to the
to Ukrainian American Veterans and be a UAV national scholarship officer,
full-time matriculated students in a degree Nicholas Skirka, at 109 Windsor Terrace,
program. Students from accredited trade Yonkers, NY 10701. Applications for the
schools or institutions that have degree scholarship should also be sent to the
programs are eligible as well. Students same address. For additional information,
can apply while in their senior year of readers may e-mail nskirka@optonline.
high school, as college attendance will be net or call 914-965-3707.
verified before the awards are given in The UAV National Scholarship
the fall semester. Committee members include John
Applications are accepted all-year- Tkachuk, Peter Olijarczyk, Peter
round and the deadline for each year is on Matthews and Russel Olijarczyk.
Dr. Senkus... Ukraine regularly from 1969 to 2005. He
was recognized for his contributions and
(Continued from page 4) achievements in 2001, when he was
Tobacco Working Group, the American awarded the Nation Builders Award of the
Association for the Advancement of Ukrainian Canadian Congress
Science, Sigma Xi Society and the Saskatchewan Provincial Council.
Shevchenko Scientific Society, and was a Dr. Senkus was predeceased by his first
highly recognized 70-year member of the wife Emily. Surviving are their four chil-
American Chemical Society. dren, Neal, Bill, Joanne, and David, and
He was actively involved with Caritas their families. He was predeceased also by
Ukraine, assisted in the establishment of his second wife, Ethel. Surviving are her
the Prairie Center for the Study of two daughters, Kathy Hylton and Trish
Ukrainian Heritage at the University of Decker, and their families
Saskatchewan, and was a member of The family has requested that donations
Kiwanis, an international service club, in memory of Dr. Senkus be made to
and Toastmasters International, an organi- Centenary United Methodist Church of
zation that helps members develop com- Winston-Salem, where the Senkus family
munication, public speaking and leader- were members; the University of
ship skills. Saskatchewan Graystone Heritage Trust;
Dr. Senkus was especially proud of his and the University of Chicago
Ukrainian heritage, and he traveled to Development Trust.
No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY
OUT AND ABOUT
December 17 Recital, featuring violinist Solomia Gorokhivska,
Arlington, VA Roslyn Spectrum, 703-228-1850
December 17 St. Nicholas program, Power of Spirit Society,
Kensington, MD Temple Visitor’s Center, 301-587-0144 December 31 New Year’s Eve gala, featuring music by Klopit, St.
or 215-469-0910
December 17 through Art exhibit, “5th Annual Artists Registry.com
January 15 Members’ Juried Exhibit,” featuring Pat Zalisko,
Orlando, FL Gallery at Avalon Island, 407-803-6670
December 18 Book presentation, “Thread” by Vasyl Makhno,
Philadelphia Ukrainian League of Philadelphia, 215-684-3548
December 19 Fund-raiser, Ukrainian American Youth Association,
New York Bar 82, ddlaboha@cym.org
December 19 St. Nicholas Show and holiday bazaar, Taras
Bethesda, MD Shevchenko School of Ukrainian Studies, Westland December 31 New Year’s Eve, featuring music by Fata Morgana,
Middle School, www.ukieschool.org/events.htm
December 19-20 Christmas Bazaar, St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic
Baltimore, MD Church, 410-967-4981
December 20 Christmas Bazaar, St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox
Silver Spring, MD Cathedral, 301-384-2407
December 23 Film screening, “Folk!” by Roxy Toporowych,
New York NewFilmmakers Program Anthology Film Archives,
www.kinorox.com
December 29 Kolomiyka workshop, led by Andrij Cybyk, Iskra
Whippany, NJ Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and Academy, Ukrainian
American Cultural Center of New Jersey,
syzo63@optonline.net or 973-895-4868
December 30 Presentation by Orysia Tracz, “Veselykh Sviat!
Winnipeg, MB Ukrainian Christmas,” Millennium Library,
http://wpl.winnipeg.ca/library/eventsall.asp
December 31 New Year’s Eve Gala, featuring music by Hrim,
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 25
Stamford, CT St. Vladimir Organization of Young Adults, St.
Basil College, 203-329-8693
or UkiMandM@aol.com
Chicago Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church, 773-625-4805
December 31 New Year’s Eve, featuring music by Tempo,
Whippany, NJ Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey,
973-585-7175
December 31 New Year’s gala, featuring music by Svitanok,
Rochester, NY Ukrainian Cultural Center of Rochester,
585-872-0240
December 31 New Year’s Eve, featuring music by Vorony,
Syracuse, NY Ukrainian National Home, 315-478-9272
Jenkintown, PA Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center,
215-663-1166
January 15 6th annual Malanka, St. Vladimir Parish Center,
Scranton, PA 570-563-2275
January 16 Malanka, featuring music by Na Zdorov’ya,
Dedham, MA Ukrainian American Educational Center of Boston,
St. John of Damascus Church hall, 508-245-1890
January 16 Malanka, Ukrainian American Youth Association –
Mississauga, ON Mississauga Branch, Mississauga Convention
Center, www.cymmissmalanka.com
January 16 Malanka, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Ottawa Ukrainian Orthodox Church, ottmalanka@gmail.com
Entries in “Out and About” are listed free of charge. Priority is given to
events advertised in The Ukrainian Weekly. However, we also welcome sub-
missions from all our readers. Items will be published at the discretion of the
editors and as space allows. Please send e-mail to mdubas@ukrweekly.com.
26 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50

UKELODEON
FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

Masquerade party in Yonkers attracts 70 kids

by Natalka Horbachevska
YONKERS, N.Y. – On Tuesday,
October 27, the “Druzhynnyky”
(members age 18-35) from the
Yonkers, N.Y., branch of the
Ukrainian American Youth
Association (UAYA) held a mas-
querade party for the association’s
younger members. Among decora-
tions of spider webs, pumpkins and
flashing lights, over 70 children age
3 to 12 participated in games, com-
peted in a costume pageant and
received goody bags of candy to
start off their Halloween festivities.
Yonkers UAYA has a long tradi-
tion of holding an annual masquer-
ade party for the children of the
organization at the UAYA building,
located at 301 Palisade Ave. in
Yonkers. This year’s party was
organized by Andrea Bybel and
Sammy Warycha, who had only a
few short weeks to plan the event
and recruited their fellow
Druzhynnyky to help them pull it
off. Druzhynnyky ran most of the
game stations and decorated the
hall the night before. Parents as
well as 13- to 18-year-old UAYA
members (starshe yunatstvo) also
helped out during the event.
All sorts of costumes were seen in
the hall: princesses, action heroes,
witches, baseball players, pop stars
and animals. The kids ran from
table to table, playing games such
as bean-bag toss and throwing darts
at balloons. They could also go
“fish” for prizes, color in
Halloween-themed worksheets, and
get their faces painted.
Prizes were awarded to the four
most creative costumes.
The winners of prizes for the most creative costumes (foreground) with the
judges.

Mishanyna
Continuing our series of Mishanynas highlighting states of the
U.S., we present the next 13 states in alphabetical order. (The
first installment of tis series appeared on November 8.)

ILLINOIS LOUISIANA MICHIGAN

INDIANA MAINE MINNESOTA
IOWA MARYLAND MISSISSIPPI
KANSAS MASSACHUSETTS MISSOURI
Some of the participants of the masquerade party for children age 3-12 in
Yonkers, N.Y. KENTUCKY

UAYA branch marks anniversary

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Ukrainian American Youth Association, Hartford

Branch, celebrated the 60th anniversary of UAYA on November 17 with a
special assembly in uniforms and a short program at the Ukrainian
National Home of Hartford. Hartford’s UAYA will celebrate its own 60th
anniversary on May 4, 2012. Above is a photo of the Hartford branch taken
at the November 17 assembly.
No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 27

“Young Eagle” flies with actor Harrison Ford

DENVER – Marko Babiak, 9,
earned his “Young Eagles”
Certificate from the Experimental
Aircraft Association (EAA), on
November 14 after he flew with
pilot and actor Harrison Ford from
the Centennial Airport in metropoli-
tan Denver. The flight has been
permanently entered in the World’s
Largest Logbook at the EAA
AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh,
Wis.
Marko is the son of Dr. Maya
Bunik and John Babiak, grandson
of Stefania and the late Michael
Babiak of Amsterdam, N.Y., and
Peter and the late Nina Bunik of St.
Louis Park, Minn.
The aspiring aviator earned the
opportunity to fly in Mr. Ford’s
Canada de Havilland DHC-2
Beaver N28S plane through his
participation in the “Take Flight”
youth model-building contest spon-
sored by the Wings Over Rockies
Air and Space Museum in Denver.
He submitted six, hand-crafted rep-
lica models of aircraft that Mr. Ford
flew in his “Star Wars,” “Indiana
Jones” and “Air Force One” motion
pictures. One entry included a
36-by-34-inch, scale model of Air
Force One made from foam board.
It is now on display at the museum.
Marko’s 30-minute flight with the
famous actor took them over south-
east Denver. The two chatted about
their mutual interests: airplanes,
wildlife conservation and, of course,
Indiana Jones.
Marko asked Mr. Ford what is his
favorite airplane to fly. Not showing
any favoritism, he replied: “It’s is
like asking me which of my five chil-
dren is my favorite. My airplanes are
all rather different and have unique
characteristics. For those reasons, I
like to fly all of them.”
Mr. Ford is an accomplished pilot
who generously gives his time to
help support a variety of aviation-
related organizations, including the
EAA. He is the outgoing chair-
man and spokesperson for EAA
Young Eagles, which has provided
volunteer pilots to fly more than 1.4
million youths, giving them a per-
sonal flight experience. Mr. Ford
was honored at Wings Over the
Rockies Museum “Spreading
Marko Babiak with Harrison Ford in front of the actor’s Canada de
Wings” Gala in recognition of
Havilland DHC-2 Beaver N28S.
his dedication to promote aviation
and the aerospace community. put in his Christmas wish list to St. simulator, ground school training
Meanwhile, Marko has already Nicholas: a computerized flight classes and more flying lessons.

New Britain extends a warm welcome to St. Nicholas

by Christina Jancew Iwanik
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – On Sunday, December 6,
St. Nicholas took time out of his busy schedule to
visit the parish children here at St. Josaphat
Ukrainian Catholic Church after the liturgy. The
weather was perfect for his trip to Connecticut and
the atmosphere in the church hall was joyful.
A short program, along with arts and crafts, preced-
ed St. Nicholas’ visit. Wide-eyed and eager, the chil-
dren welcomed the visitor as he entered the hall, as
the congregation sang “O Khto, Khto, Mykolaya
Lubyt.” St. Nicholas asked the children whether they
were good this past year, helped their parents and
studied well in school. Of course, each child
exclaimed “Yes!”
Holy cards, gifts and candy canes were then given
out to each child and before you knew it, it was time
for St. Nicholas to leave and visit other children St. Nicholas visits with the children of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Parish in New Britain,
throughout Connecticut and the world. Conn., on his feast day, December 6.
28 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50

PREVIEW OF EVENTS
Soyuzivka’s Datebook Saturday, December 19
BETHESDA, Md.: The Taras Shevchenko
School of Ukrainian Studies will host a
December 31 New Year’s Eve Mykolai Show and Holiday Bazaar.
Students will present “Mykolai
–Superhero” at noon. Sviatyi Mykolai (St.
Nicholas) will then meet with each grade/
age group (non-students welcome). The
Heavenly Office will be open at 9:15-11:45
a.m.; please bring only one item per child
($2 fee), clearly labeled (child’s full name,
grade/age). The bazaar/bake sale at 9:30
a.m.-noon will feature: torte slices, fancy
cookies for your holiday cookie tray, kola-
To book a room or event call: (845) 626-5641, ext. 140 chi, makivnyky, medivnyky, children’s
216 Foordmore Road P.O. Box 529 sweets, varenyky and vushka (frozen),
Kerhonkson, NY 12446 books, CDs, gift items. Location: Westland
E-mail: Soyuzivka@aol.com Middle School, 5511 Massachusetts Ave.,
Website: www.Soyuzivka.com Bethesda, MD 20816. For further informa-
tion visit http://www.ukieschool.org/
events.htm, or contact Lada Onyshkevych,
lada2@verizon.net or 410-730-8108.
Saturday, December 19
NEW YORK: The Shevchenko Scientific
Society invites all to a Literary Bazaar on
the subject “European Accent Plus: New
York Poetry in Ukrainian and English
Translation.” The participants will be:
Anna Frajlich, a Polish poetess; Olena
Jennings, an American poetess; Andrey
Gritsman, a Russian poet; Vasyl Makhno,
a Ukrainian poet, will serve as master of
ceremonies. The program will take place
at the society’s building, 63 Fourth Ave.
(between Ninth and 10th streets) at 5 p.m.
For additional information call
212-254-5130.
Tuesday, December 29
WHIPPANY, N.J.: Iskra Ukrainian Dance
Ensemble and Academy invites all inter-
mediate and advanced dancers to a
Kolomyika Workshop to be held at 6-10
p.m. at the Ukrainian American Cultural
Center of New Jersey, 60 N. Jefferson
Road, Whippany NJ 07054.   Cost is $20 
and includes Kolomyika Workshop taught
by Andrij Cybyk followed by snacks and
refreshments.   To register or for more
information please contact:  Christine
Syzonenko, syzo63@optonline.net or
973-895-4868;   or  Oksana Lodziuk, san-
alod@verizon.net, 908-518-9685 or
908-759-1771. 

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