Rower from Ukraine seeks to cross Atlantic, twice - The Ukrainian ...

INSIDE: 

• New feature: “The News from Here” — page 4. 

• Lviv to be site of shrine to Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky — page 9. 

• A Ukrainian American journeys to the North Pole — page 13. 

THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY 

Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association 

Vol. LXXI No. 27 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 6, 2003 

$1/$2 in Ukraine 

Story of Duranty’s Pulitzer continues 

to receive international exposure 

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – From North 

America to Russia, from India to Argentina, 

in newspapers and magazines, on radio and 

television, and online in various publications 

and discussion groups, the case of Walter 

Duranty continues to be in the headlines. 

The Chicago Tribune of June 25, published 

a story by Senior Correspondent 

Charles Leroux, who reported that “In 

1932, the Pulitzer Prize went to a foreign 

correspondent who concealed a famine 

and the deaths of millions. Ukrainians 

want that prize revoked.” 

Headlined “Bearing witness,” the story 

focuses on one survivor of the Great 

Famine, Anatole Kolomayets of Chicago, 

and his reaction to the Duranty debacle. “He 

does not belong with the honest men. It 

[awarding the prize to Duranty] was shameful,” 

Mr. Kolomayets told the Tribune. 

Mr. Leroux wrote that “Duranty had 

made a deal with what turned out to be the 

devil. In 1929, an exclusive interview with 

Stalin secured him tremendous influence in 

his profession. ... In exchange for continued 

precious access to the Kremlin, he agreed to 

report favorably on Stalin’s plan to raise 

industrial and agricultural productivity and 

the standard of living for citizens of the 

USSR.” 

During the worst of the famine, he noted, 

“Duranty reported that ‘village markets 

[were] flowing with eggs, fruit, poultry, 

vegetables, milk and butter. ... A child can 

see this is not famine but abundance.’ ” 

Mr. Kolomayets, whose family lived in 

eastern Ukraine, told the Tribune that it was 

actually much different: “I remember a 

boiled egg – just one. It was at Christmas.” 

The article then went on to tell more about 

the life of Mr. Kolomayets and his relatives 

at the time of the famine. 

Mr. Leroux also focused on other correspondents 

who, unlike Duranty, did report 

what was happening in Ukraine. “Reporters 

other than Duranty – principally Welsh 

journalist Gareth Jones and The Guardian’s 

[Malcolm] Muggeridge – described scenes 

of great suffering. One such report told of 

grain stores (the Soviets exported grain to 

the West during the famine) guarded by 

armed Russian troops while Ukrainians 

died of starvation nearby.” 

The reporter also brought up the issue of 

Duranty’s libel of other journalists: “... in an 

August 1933 New York Times story [he] 

called Muggeridge’s and Jones’ work ‘an 

exaggeration of malignant propaganda.’ At 

that time, Duranty reportedly had told a 

British Foreign Office acquaintance that at 

least 10 million people had died.” 

As well, Mr. Leroux focused on the 

Ukrainian community’s campaign to revoke 

Duranty’s Pulitzer. “Ukrainians contend that 

the long-lingering damage of Duranty’s sins 

outweighs the Pulitzer board’s contention 

that the award is for specific work of the 

prior year (Duranty won not for non-coverage 

of the famine, but for his coverage of 

the forming of the Five-Year Plan). They 

have read the after-the-fact New York 

Times repudiations of their reporter’s work, 

including a piece on the editorial page in 

(Continued on page 15) 

by Maryna Makhnonos 

Special to The Ukrainian Weekly 

KYIV – “No, we have no flour,” said 

a middle-aged grey-haired woman who 

sells grains in Kyiv’s central market. 

“The same goes for buckwheat,” she 

added to another customer. 

Following reports of this year’s poor 

grain crop and of slight price increase, 

Ukrainians rushed into the markets during 

the past two weeks to stock up on 

flour, prompting anxiety despite officials’ 

promises to stabilize the situation. 

Representatives of the Ukrainian Bakers’ 

Association called an urgent news conference 

in Kyiv on July 1, to explain the 

causes of the shortage and to calm their 

customers. 

“The stir originated in little towns across 

the country due to the post-Soviet psychology,” 

said Yevhen Lenh, deputy head 

of the UkrZernoProm grain company and 

a member of the Bakers’Association. 

Grain prices increased about 2.5 times 

from 410 hrv per ton (about $82 per ton) 

last August to 1,050 hrv (some $210 per 

ton) in June, according to a press release 

by the state grain company, Khlib 

Ukrainy (Bread of Ukraine). 

Prices for a kilogram of bread rose about 

10 to 15 percent across the country, which 

resulted in higher costs to the public of 

between .10 and .15 hrv (several cents). 

The highest price increase by 18 percent 

was registered in Crimea, but local bakers 

said the increase came after last October’s 

Rower from Ukraine seeks to cross Atlantic, twice 

Peter Steciuk 

Ocean rower Teodore Rezvoy is flanked by Kenneth Crutchlow (right), director 

of the Ocean Rowing Society, and Serhii Pohoreltzev, Ukraine’s consul general 

in New York, who hosted the press conference. 

Ukrainians worry about grain shortage 

despite government promise of stability 

by Peter Steciuk 

NEW YORK – Ukrainian Teodor 

Rezvoy is making a daring bid to become 

just the third person in the world to row 

solo across the Atlantic Ocean and back. 

Should he succeed, Ukraine would 

become the third country, after Great 

Britain and France, to have one of its 

countrymen achieve the feat. Ukraine’s 

Consulate General in New York hosted a 

press conference on June 20 at which Mr. 

Rezvoy discussed his upcoming journey. 

Mr. Rezvoy, 35, of Odesa, Ukraine, has 

already completed the first leg of the journey, 

having rowed from Spain to the 

Barbados in just over 67 days, according 

to information compiled by the Ocean 

Rowing Society. That journey, which took 

place from October to December 2001 

and covered a distance of 2,934 miles, 

made him the first man from the former 

Soviet Union to row across an ocean. 

The second leg will take Mr. Rezvoy 

from New York to Brest, France, along 

what is referred to as the “Gulf Stream 

Route.” This was the same route traveled 


15 percent deflation and that the actual 

increase could be estimated as 3 percent. 

“Most of the population who bought 

flour in reserves grew up during Soviet 

era,” Mr. Lenh told the news conference. 

“The inherited behavior played a role in 

most of the cases.” 

The bakers told the news conference that 

the 2002 grain harvest was not estimated 

correctly and was actually less than the 

declared 38.8 million metric tons [a metric 

ton is 2,204.62 pounds, while a short ton is 

2,000 pounds]. To make matters worse, the 

cold spring followed by a drought made it 

obvious in June that 2003 grain and spring 

crop harvest would not be plentiful. 

“This (harvest estimation) was the last 

drop of negative expectations ... that provoked 

this situation,” Mr. Lenh said. 

The bakers, whose association 

includes the country’s top 400 baking 

plants and an other 600 minor bakeries, 

said market dealers used people’s expectations 

as the basis for speculation, which 

is a normal market trend in such cases. 

Meanwhile, the government attacked 

the dealers immediately with checks on 

their bookkeeping and threats of punitive 

measures in cases of speculation. As a 

result, many businessmen preferred to 

take flour off their counters to avoid 

problems with the authorities concerning 

price issues. However, inspectors could 

fine them for holding back foodstuffs. 

Former Prime Minister Anatolii 

Kinakh, who heads the Industrialists and 

Entrepreneurs Union, criticized the 

moves saying that “instead of modern 

market mechanisms and creation of conditions 

to make supply bigger than 

demand, the fiscal and administrative 

measures are being applied.” 

According to the Interfax news agency, 

Mr. Kinakh said the country has a sufficient 

amount of grain. His comment followed 

similar remarks by President Leonid 

Kuchma aired on local TV news last week. 

The president assured the public that the situation 

will improve. Mr. Kuchma reminded 

viewers that Ukraine had survived an even 

more difficult situation without panic in 

2000, when farmers had an even poorer 

grain harvest of 24.8 million tons (27.28 

million metric short tons). 

To solve the shortage, the president 

ordered the State Grain Reserve to sell 

some 2 million tons of grain in the next two 

months until the same amount of grain 

imports arrive. However, bakers claimed 

the reserve’s officials are stalling on fulfilling 

the order, which strengthens rumors that 

the country doesn’t have sufficient grain 

reserves despite the positive statistics cited. 

“Of the promised 6,800 tons (7,480 short 

tons) we received only 1,000 tons (1,100 

short tons) from the State Reserve,” said 

Volodymyr Slabovskyi, director of a bakery 

enterprise and a representative of the 

Bakers Association’s Crimean branch. 

(Continued on page 5)

2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 6, 2003 

No. 27 

ANALYSIS 

Will Kuchma outwit the opposition 

via his version of constitutional reform? 

by Jan Maksymiuk 

RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report 

President Leonid Kuchma submitted a 

modified version of his constitutionalreform 

bill to the Verkhovna Rada on 

June 20, as he pledged in a televised 

address to the nation the previous day. Mr. 

Kuchma told the nation that, guided by 

the public discussion of the reform draft 

and his will to find a compromise with 

Ukrainian political forces, he had decided 

to scrap some of his earlier proposals. 

Opposition activists claim, however, that 

in pursuing this constitutional reform, 

President Kuchma is still seeking to prolong 

his term in power beyond 2004. 

Mr. Kuchma withdrew his earlier suggestions 

to introduce a bicameral legislature, 

reduce the number of national 

deputies, and apply the results of national 

referendums directly without seeking 

approval from any other branch of government. 

“It is these three contentious 

points that have spurred the most heated 

discussion between the president and his 

opponents,” he said on television. “But 

we have no right to continue to engage in 

a tug of war to mark time, which is why I 

have removed these barriers.” 

As earlier, Mr. Kuchma suggests that 

the prime minister be appointed by the 

Parliament after his candidacy has been 

proposed by a “permanently functioning 

parliamentary majority” and submitted to 

the Parliament by the president. He also 

proposed that the Verkhovna Rada 

appoint all ministers except for the ministers 

of foreign affairs, defense and interior 

affairs, who are to be appointed by the 

president. Under Mr. Kuchma’s constitutional 

reform bill, the president also has 

the right to appoint the heads of the 

Security Service, the State Customs 

Committee, the State Tax Administration, 

and the State Border Committee. 

The new bill stipulates that the president 

has the right to disband Parliament 

if it fails to create a permanent majority 

within one month; if a new Cabinet composition 

has not been approved 60 days 

after the resignation of the preceding 

government; and if Parliament fails to 

approve Ukraine’s budget for the next 

year by December 1. 

The new bill also retains President 

Kuchma’s previous proposal that the 

president, national deputies and local 

deputies be elected for five-year terms in 

elections held during the same calendar 

year. 

“Ukraine needs a stable electoral 

cycle, because one cannot regard as normal 

the practice where society only passes 

from one electoral campaign to another, 

while politicians literally never leave 

the electoral barricades,” Mr. Kuchma 

said. “I believe that elections should be 

held once in five years. This is quite 

enough. ... I have repeatedly stressed and 

I want to stress it again: the next presidential 

election should be held in 2004.” 

However, Mr. Kuchma did not tell television 

viewers how he envisages 

switching to this new electoral cycle. But 

Ukrainian print media highlighted a provision 

in the bill stating that the 

Verkhovna Rada must approve a date for 

the first such elections within two 

months of the constitutional reforms’ 

passage. According to some Ukrainian 

observers, the provision is a clear indica- 

Jan Maksymiuk is the Belarus, 

Ukraine and Poland specialist on the 

staff of RFE/RL Newsline. 

tion that President Kuchma is seeking to 

outwit the opposition and prolong his 

term in power beyond 2004. 

While constitutional amendments 

require 300 votes for passage, the 

approval of a bill setting the date for the 

next presidential elections (as well as 

parliamentary and local ones) would 

require just 226 votes – well within the 

reach of the pro-Kuchma parliamentary 

majority. And this date, the president’s 

opponents argue, might be set for 2005, 

2006 or even 2007. 

The Socialist Party has launched a drive 

to collect signatures among lawmakers on 

a petition requesting the Constitutional 

Court to rule whether Mr. Kuchma may 

run for a third presidential term. 

On the other hand, Viktor Yushchenko’s 

Our Ukraine called on lawmakers to introduce 

a moratorium on making constitutional 

amendments until 2006, when a regular 

parliamentary election is to take place. 

It seems that Our Ukraine has finally 

decided that it is not going to take part in 

reforming the constitutional system as 

long as President Kuchma is in power. 

Without Our Ukraine’s participation in the 

process, it is rather unlikely that the pro- 

Kuchma forces in the Parliament will be 

able to muster 300 votes necessary for the 

passage of the Kuchma-submitted bill, 

especially as the Socialist Party and the 

Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc are sponsoring a 

different constitutional-reform bill. 

The weekly Zerkalo Nedeli in its June 

21-27 issue commented sarcastically on 

Mr. Kuchma’s recent constitutional reform 

proposal by saying that the number 

of scenarios allowing him to remain in 

power longer than two terms is constantly 

increasing. The weekly cited four such 

scenarios. 

• Scenario 1: The Constitutional Court 

rules that President Kuchma may run for 

a third term since he was elected in 1994 

and 1999 under different Constitutions 

(Ukraine promulgated its current 

Constitution in 1996, when Mr. Kuchma 

was serving his first term). Thus, under 

the 1996 Constitution, Mr. Kuchma is 

formally serving his first term. 

• Scenario 2: The Verkhovna Rada 

passes the constitutional reform bill proposed 

by Mr. Kuchma and the pro-presidential 

majority subsequently schedules 

the next presidential election well 

beyond 2004. 

• Scenario 3: The Verkhovna Rada passes 

the constitutional reform bill proposed by 

Kuchma, a new president is elected in 2004 

for a transition period until 2006 or 2007, 

when the country is to enter the five-year 

electoral cycle. Mr. Kuchma does not participate 

in the 2004 election but chooses to run 

again in 2006 or 2007. The Ukrainian 

Constitution prohibits one person from serving 

more than two consecutive presidential 

terms, but it does not restrict the number of 

presidential terms for the same person. 

• Scenario 4: A new president and a 

new Parliament are elected in 2004. The 

Verkhovna Rada fails to form a permanent 

parliamentary majority or a Cabinet, 

or to approve a budget within constitutional 

terms, and the president disbands 

it. This automatically means that a new 

election cycle is to be launched in the 

country, and Kuchma gets the the possibility 

to run once again. 

“It is simply amazing how it is possible 

for one to go hunting so many at the same 

time,” Zerkalo Nedeli wrote. “Will the 

450 potential hunters [lawmakers] ever 

become tired of being game?” the weekly 

marveled. A good question, indeed. 

Authorities decry food price hikes 

KYIV – The Ministry of Agriculture 

said it believes that recent hikes in food 

prices, including bread and other grain 

products, are “absolutely groundless” in 

light of the state’s sufficient grain 

resources, Interfax reported on June 26, 

quoting ministry official Serhii Melnyk. 

Mr. Melnyk said the rises are the result 

of a rush for flour, cereals and pasta 

products observed in a number of 

Ukrainian regions. In particular, bread 

prices rose by 25 percent in 

Dnipropetrovsk and by 30 percent in 

Crimea this week. Mr. Melnyk also said 

this year’s grain harvest, because of 

unfavorable weather conditions, is 

expected to total 28.8 million to 30.8 

million tons, compared with 38.8 million 

tons in 2002. (RFE/RL Newsline) 

Kyiv tries to keep food prices in check 

KYIV – Prime Minister Viktor 

Yanukovych threatened on June 27 that the 

government will punish retail traders who 

unjustifiably overcharge for bread, flour, 

cereals and pasta products, Ukrainian news 

agencies reported. Mr. Yanukovych was 

referring to recent hikes in food prices and 

the ongoing consumer rush on grain products 

in Ukraine that were reportedly fueled 

by bad prospects for this year’s harvest. 

President Leonid Kuchma ordered the 

government to sell grain from the state 

reserves in order to stabilize the food market. 

(RFE/RL Newsline) 

Hepatitis outbreak is reported 

SUKHODILSK, Ukraine – The number 

of hospitalized people with symptoms 

of hepatitis A in the city of 

Sukhodilsk, Luhansk Oblast, has grown 

to 479, including 139 children, Ukrainian 

news agencies reported on June 28. The 

outbreak of the disease was reportedly 

caused by a virus in drinking water that 

was contaminated following a breakdown 

of the city’s water-supply system. 


Yanukovych meets with Visegrad Four 

TALE, Slovakia – Leaders of the 

Visegrad Four – the Czech Republic, 

Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia – met here 

in central Slovakia on June 25, TASR and 

CTK reported. Czech Prime Minister 

Vladimir Spidla, Hungarian Foreign 

Minister Laszlo Kovacs, Polish Prime 

Minister Leszek Miller and Slovak 

Premier Mikulas Dzurinda agreed to continue 

cooperation after their countries join 

the European Union. The meeting was 

also attended by Ukrainian Prime Minister 

Viktor Yanukovych. Mr. Dzurinda said the 

NEWSBRIEFS 

Ukrainian prime minister’s presence does 

not indicate that the Visegrad Four intend 

to transform Ukraine into an associate 

member of the group, but that it was 

aimed at signaling that Ukraine “is not 

only a neighbor of Hungary, Poland, and 

Slovakia, but also of the EU. We wish 

Ukraine success, but it is only Ukrainians 

who will decide whether the country will 

meet conditions to set out on the road to 

the EU,” Mr. Dzurinda said. Messrs. 

Dzurinda and Yanukovych agreed to set 

up a joint team of experts to minimize the 

political and economic impact on Ukraine 

of Slovakia’s expected EU membership. 


Lviv marks anniversary of papal visit 

LVIV – A moleben (prayer service) in 

thanksgiving to the Mother of God was 

celebrated on June 27 at the Hippodrome 

in Lviv, where Pope John Paul II had celebrated 

a Byzantine-rite divine liturgy 

exactly two years before. Bishop Ihor 

Vozniak (Ukrainian Greek-Catholic 

Church) and Bishop Marian Buczek 

(Roman Catholic Church), both auxiliary 

bishops of Lviv, led the service. According 

to Bishop Vozniak, these two years are a 

test to see how Ukrainians have realized 

the words of the holy father. Bishop 

Buczek noted that several memorials of 

the papal visit have been established: a 

cross in the Hippodrome, a sculpture of the 

pope in Lviv’s Sykhiv neighborhood, 

where a papal youth rally was held, and a 

memorial tablet on the walls of the Roman 

Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption in 

Lviv, unveiled two days before. (Religious 

Information Service of Ukraine) 

Belarusian Orthodox look to Kyiv 

LVIV – Parishes of the Belarusian 

Autocephalous Orthodox Church (BAOC) 

intend to go under the jurisdiction of the 

Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv 

Patriarchate (UOC-KP) in Russia. 

Archbishop Petro (Hushcha) of the BAOC 

has begun preliminary correspondence on 

the subject. Similar movements of 

Orthodox seeking alternative jurisdictional 

ties, separating from the Russian Orthodox 

Church, are also happening in Russia. The 

information agency Ohliadach (Observer) 

reported this information on June 26, citing 

the Moscow Eparchy of the UOC-KP 

as a source. Ohliadach mentions representatives 

of the Russian Orthodox Church 

Outside of Russia (ROC-OR) who are 

now in a crisis that divides supporters of 

the Moscow Patriarchate and its opponents, 

representatives of which have 

renewed contacts with the UOC-KP. 

Archbishop Varnava (Prokofiev) of Kany 


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The Ukrainian Weekly Archive: www.ukrweekly.com 

The Ukrainian Weekly, July 6, 2003, No. 27, Vol. LXXI 

Copyright © 2003 The Ukrainian Weekly

No. 27 

U.S. report on human rights says Ukraine’s record remains poor 

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The U.S. State 

Department earlier this year released its 

annual Country Reports on Human Rights 

Practices for the 2002 year and presented 

the findings to Congress. Of Ukraine, the 

report notes: “The government’s human 

rights record remained poor and in some 

cases worsened; however, there were also 

some improvements in some areas.” 

The following is a rundown of some of 

the report’s main points. 

Violations of physical integrity 

The report could not confirm political 

murders. However, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast 

Vice-Chairman Mykola Shkribliak was 

killed two days before the Parliamentary 

elections, when he was slated to run on the 

ticket of the Social Democratic Party of 

Ukraine (United). 

Four journalists, including Mykhailo 

Kolomiyets, died under suspicious circumstances. 

Also, the case of the murder of 

Heorhii Gongadze remains unsolved, as 

does the murder of Ihor Aleksandrov, who 

had criticised Donetsk politicians in his 

role as director of a television station. 

Little headway had been made in the 

investigation of Oleksander Olynyk, an 

election monitor who disappeared after the 

Parliamentary elections. 

Torture of suspects by the police is 

widespread. The methods of torture are 

quite severe, and the suspect is often tortured 

until he waives his right to an attorney. 

Violent hazing of new recruits in the 

armed forces also remained widespread. 

Prisons are beset by killings, suicides 

and diseases that result from unsanitary 

conditions, including tuberculosis and 

dysentery. Inmates are often tortured by 

guards. It is also believed that military 

groups called Berkut (“Golden Eagles”) 

beat inmates as part of their training. 

Arbitrary detentions against darkskinned 

people and potential political dissidents 

were prevalent. 

One area of improvement in Ukraine’s 

human rights record was a decrease in 

Herbst confirmed 

as envoy to Ukraine 

WASHINGTON – John E. Herbst was 

confirmed on June 27 by the Senate as 

next U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. 

Mr. Herbst, 51, a career member of 

the Senior Foreign Service, is U.S. 

ambassador to Uzbekistan and previously 

served as the U.S. consul general in 

Jerusalem. In addition, he was the principal 

deputy to the ambassador-at-large for 

the newly independent states and as 

director of the Office of Independent 

States and Commonwealth Affairs. 

News of his nomination by President 

George W. Bush to serve as the next 

envoy to Ukraine was reported in The 

Weekly on May 4. A transcript of his 

remarks at his confirmation hearing 

appeared in The Weekly last week. 

Quotable notes 

the number of suspects detained indefinitely 

pending trial. More were released 

from custody while awaiting trial than in 

previous years. 

Trials and the courts 

The accused do not always receive a fair 

trial, with President Leonid Kuchma and 

his administration often influencing court 

decisions. Also, by the end of the year, 

only 50 percent of court decisions had been 

enforced. 

The procurator general often uses his 

power to selectively prosecute opponents 

of the ruling party but not members of it. 

The procurator general, who is appointed 

by the president and confirmed by 

Parliament, oversees the work of the 

regional prosecutors. Although a 2001 bill 

limited the power of prosecutors, they 

retain a large degree of discretion for investigating 

serious crimes, e.g. murder, corruption 

and major economic offenses. 

Court officials are also subject to intimidation 

and violence. Judge Ihor Tkachuk of 

the Donetsk Oblast Commercial Court was 

hanged, possibly because of a case with 

which he had been involved. The same 

happened to Judge Natalia Achynovych of 

the Nikopol Municipal Court, who had 

been involved in a decision to invalidate 

parliamentary election results in the 

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. 

Freedom of the press and media 

Before the September protests against 

President Kuchma the news media were 

told by the administration to focus their 

reporting on the crash in Lviv at the air 

show that had occurred earlier, probably to 

distract attention from the protests. 

Media groups distasteful to the administration 

have had difficulty obtaining and 

renewing licensing for their programming. 

Half of the members of the National 

Council for Television and Radio 

Broadcasting, which grants licenses, were 

appointed by the president and half by the 

Verkhovna Rada. Licenses were not 

renewed for Voice of America and Radio 

Kontynent, which rebroadcasts the British 

Broadcasting Corp. (BBC). 

Freedom of the press is hampered by the 

pressure placed on journalists by means of 

libel suits. When a libel charge is levelled 

at a media entity, its funds can be frozen 

pending an outcome in the case, often 

bankrupting it. 

Although opposition candidates had 

increased access to the media, the reporting 

was still “highly biased,” acording to the 

Organization for Security and Cooperation 

in Europe (OSCE). 

Police confiscated 100,000 copies of the 

anti-presidential newspaper Svoboda from 

a van, throwing the issues into the river. 

Police similarly disposed of 100,000 more 

copies of Svoboda later in the day, after a 

search of the publishing house in Cherkasy. 

In addition to Mr. Kolomiyets, who was 

hanged, possibly in connection with his 

reporting, and the three other mysterious 

journalist deaths, there were many incidents 

of assault on journalists. The editor 

of Berdiansk Dielovoi, Tatiana Goriacheva, 

“President [Leonid] Kuchma wants to obtain support from foreign partners 

and he has a ‘way’ with each of them. In dealing with the United States, he pretends 

that he wants Ukraine to join NATO. In dealing with Russia, he pretends 

that he wants Ukraine to fully integrate with this country. And in dealing with 

Poland, he pretends that he desires full reconciliation. ... It will be very bad if 

Ukraine’s current leadership, which has tiny social support, chooses to close the 

problem of the Volhynia tragedy in such a light-hearted way.” 

– Yulia Tymoshenko in an interview with the newspaper Rzeczpospolita on 

June 24, commenting on the planned Ukrainian-Polish commemoration of the 

60th anniversary of the Volhyn massacres. 

THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 6, 2003 3 

had acid thrown in her face. She said the 

attacks might have been linked to reports 

on illegal metal exports through Berdiansk 

ports, corruption, judicial misconduct and 

politicians. 

Freedom of association 

Police generally did not directly interfere 

with legal demonstrations. However, 

during the September 2002 anti-Kuchma 

demonstrations in Kyiv, authorities intentionally 

made it difficult for the demonstration 

to take place. Opposition leaders were 

detained, buses traveling to Kyiv were 

turned back, train access was decreased 

and there were television blackouts. 

Freedom of religion 

Freedom of religion was at a good 

level, although some groups reported difficulty 

registering with the State 

Committee on Religious Affairs. Acts of 

anti-Semitism were rare, although there 

was an unpremediated attack on the 

Great Synagogue in Kyiv. 

Elections 

The report writes, “Officials did not take 

steps to curb the widespread and open 

abuse of authority, including the use of 

government positions and facilities, to the 

unfair advantage of certain parties.” There 

was a large disparity between the results of 

the party-list vote and the single mandate 

vote. The single mandate vote is more subject 

to manipulation. 

Oles Donii, of the Yulia Tymoshenko 

Bloc, alleges that police raided his election 

office and required 20 of his supporters to 

be questioned. He accuses the authorities 

of harassment. 

There seems to have been election fraud 

in Oleksander Zhyr’s attempt for re-election 

to Parliament. A videotape shows the 

deputy governor of the Dnipropetrovsk 

Oblast and the leaders of the relevant election 

commissions deciding who should win 

the election. 

Political opponents often faced charges 

of libel or tax evasion, which were politically 

motivated. Ms. Tymoshenko, for 

example, was still being pursued on criminal 

charges at the time of publication. 

Women and ethnic minorities 

The report writes, “Violence against 

women reportedly was pervasive.” Past surveys 

have estimated that 10 to 15 percent of 

women have been raped, and a quarter of 

women have been physically abused. 

Unemployment disproportionately 

affects women, with 65 to 70 percent of the 

unemployed being women. Also, the average 

salary for women was 27 percent 

lower than for men. Yet, Ukraine is the 

only country in which women make up the 

majority of the workforce. 

Trafficking of women continues to be a 

problem. Women are often lured to other 

countries with offers of employment, ultimately 

finding themselves under the control 

of traffickers. 

Discrimination against ethnic minorities 

is still commonplace. Increasingly, people 

of African and Asian descent are being 

harassed. Also, ethnic Ukrainians and 

Crimean Tatars complain of discrimination 

by ethnic Russians in Crimea. 

Economic issues 

The minimum wage was raised to 

approximately $35 per month this year, 

with the Rada setting the level of subsistence 

at $64 per month. June 2002 marked 

the first time the average salary was higher 

than the subsistence level, and this average 

later reached $73 per month. Since the 

unreported “shadow economy” accounts 

for half of Ukraine’s economic activity, the 

amounts earned per family are higher than 

many statistics suggest. 

Kuchma and Kwasniewski 

discuss peacekeepers, 

visa regime, other issues 

by Maryna Makhnonos 

Special to the Ukrainian Weekly 

KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma of 

Ukraine and his Polish counterpart, 

Aleksander Kwasniewski, meeting on 

June 23-24 discussed their troops’ activities 

in the U.S.-led post-war stabilization 

process in Iraq, the introduction of a visa 

regime and bilateral cooperation after 

Poland’s accession next year to the 

European Union. The two met in Odesa 

during the sixth economic forum of 

Ukrainian and Polish business circles. 

The presidents discussed the operations 

and safety of 1,800 Ukrainian and 2,000 

Polish peacekeepers destined for central 

and southern Iraq, where they are expected 

to arrive in August. 

“Ukraine-Poland cooperation is a commitment 

to the program of stabilization in 

Iraq and its further revival,” said Mr. 

Kwasniewski, according to the Interfax 

news agency. He added that the program 

will be beneficial both for Iraq and the 

countries involved in its post-war stabilization. 

Last week an advance group of 

Ukrainian soldiers left for Iraq to pave the 

way for deployment of their units. The 

troops will join a Polish-led contingent 

and will be responsible for maintaining 

order and helping set up new civilian 

authorities in a zone between the Britishrun 

area in southern Iraq and the U.S.- 

controlled sector in the north. 

During their meeting in the Black Sea 

port city, the two presidents also discussed 

a new visa regime agreement, which officials 

plan to sign in mid-July. To enter the 

EU, Poland committed to establish visa 

regimes with non-EU countries along its 

borders. 

“The European dimension of our partnership 

with Poland is filled with specific 

content,” Mr. Kuchma said, as quoted by 

Interfax. “In particular, we managed to 

find an optimal, in our opinion, visa formula 

for the Ukrainian-Polish border.” 

According to the draft document, 

Ukrainian citizens would be granted 

Polish entry visas free of charge, while 

Poles would enter Ukraine without visas. 

The state secretary of Ukraine’s Foreign 

Affairs Ministry, Oleksander Chalyi, said 

on June 23 that the agreement is also 

expected to establish the same customs 

and border control procedures on the 

Ukrainian-Polish frontier as those now 

used on the Polish-German border. He 

added that other EU candidates – 

Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – 

expressed interest in the planned Polish- 

Ukrainian visa regime. 

“After Poland enters the European 

Union, its cooperation with Ukraine 

should be activated, and borders should 

not put obstacles in the way of economic 

and trade ties,” President Kwasniewski 

observed. 

Touching on economic cooperation, 

President Kuchma urged both countries’ 

business institutions to implement “joint 

economic and energy, transport and scientific 

projects on a large scale.” 

Speaking at a gathering of the business 

elite, both presidents promised to personally 

support their activities. Mr. Kuchma 

also called for the development of bilateral 

economic ties taking into account 

Poland’s forthcoming membership in the 

EU, as well as Ukraine’s increased 

engagement in trans-European processes. 

The presidents also discussed some 

sensitive issues between their nations, 



No. 27 

THE NEWS FROM HERE 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Readers of The Ukrainian Weekly 

might recall an editorial headlined “The news from 

here” that appeared in our March 9 issue. The reference 

was to a reader who called to complain that our 

newspaper did not carry any “news from here,” but 

declined to say just exactly where “here” was. Her 

point was well-taken, however. It is clear to us that one 

of the things we lack is news from our local communities. 

We explained in that editorial how we, a staff of 

2.5, do not have our own reporters all over North 

America, and that we rely to a great extent on local 

activists to share the news from their communities. 

Two weeks later we printed a letter from a reader 

titled “The Weekly needs ‘news from here.’ ” The letter 

writer suggested that we establish a special section for 

such news and that we encourage readers to send in 

information to a coordinator on our staff who would 

then be responsible for compiling it into something a la 

“Newsbriefs.” 

And thus, with thanks to our readers – and in anticipation 

of our readers’ continued input to this column – 

we publish our first issue of “The News from Here,” as 

compiled by Roxolana Woloszyn, a summer intern on 

our editorial staff. 

* * * 

It warms the heart to read about people who perform 

good deeds. Those with a sense of duty inspire people to 

donate their time and effort to a cause they deem important. 

These citizens have contributed to causes not with 

themselves in mind, but strictly to help others in need. 

The initiative that those like Paul Logan Safchuck, Vera 

Petrusha and Orest Fedash take, inspires us all to do a 

little extra, to accomplish more in our lives. 

BALTIMORE: Pioneer in White Lung efforts 

Paul Logan Safchuck, who dedicated his life to White 

Lung health and safety, died in May of complications 

from asbestosis. According to an obituary written by 

Jacques Kelly of The Baltimore Sun (headline: “Paul 

Logan Safchuck, 90, advocate for worker safety, Beth 

Steel riveter”), Mr. Safchuck was a steel riveter and 

shipfitter in Bethlehem, Pa., from 1935 until his retirement 

in 1975. In this type of work, Mr. Safchuck was 

exposed to asbestos and was diagnosed with asbestosis 

more than 20 years ago. 

His contraction of asbestosis prompted Mr. Safchuck 

to join the Dundalk, Pa., chapter of the White Lung 

Association in 1982. That same year he became the chapter’s 

president, and then the national treasurer in 1983. 

Mr. Safchuck went on to become the national president in 

1984 and remained in that position until his death. Upon 

becoming a member of the White Lung Association, Mr. 

Safchuck appealed to the state and federal governments 

for asbestos control and elimination legislation. 

A part of this crusade required Mr. Safchuck to testify 

before the House and Senate committees in Washington. 

He also rallied to remove asbestos from educational 

institutions by supporting the Asbestos Hazard 

Emergency Response Act. 

Mr. Safchuck’s work concerning asbestos did not go 

unnoticed, beginning in 1969 when he received the governor’s 

citation for his work with sick children. In the 

1980s he won the Governor’s Annual Volunteer Service 

Award for victims of asbestos-related diseases. Then in 

1986 Mr. Safchuck was given the Citizens 

Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste certificate for his 

work to close the Norris Landfill in Baltimore County. 

At the age of 90, Paul Logan Safchuck died at 

Franklin Square Hospital Center. However, his dedication 

to the White Lung Association will be remembered 

for years to come. 

TROY, MICH.: Advocate for Ukrainian orphans 

In Troy, Mich., Vera Petrusha also works for a cause 

in which she has wholeheartedly involved herself. Ms. 

Petrusha’s parents were born in Ukraine, and in 1996, 

Ms. Petrusha visited her parents’ birthplace. What she 

saw there shocked her: overcrowded and dilapidated 

orphanages lacking necessities. 

These images altered Ms. Petrusha’s life, so she 

decided to help alleviate the situation by founding the 

Ukrainian Children’s Aid and Relief Effort (UCARE), 

as reported late last year by Kurt Kuban of the Troy 

Eccentric. She and other parishioners from the church to 

which she belongs, St. Mary’s Ukrainian Orthodox 

Church in Southfield, Mich., help raise money, and col- 

lect clothing and toiletries. Annually, Ms. Petrusha takes 

these supplies to Ukraine and distributes them among 

the most needy orphanages. UCARE also pays for medical 

procedures and provides college scholarships for 

the orphans. 

Approximately 100,000 children live in orphanages 

in Ukraine. Various factors contribute to this high number 

of orphans in the country, one of them being the premature 

death of parents in a country where health is not well 

maintained. In addition, rough economic times and substance 

abuse lead to child abandonment. Lastly, many 

children occupying the orphanages suffer from birth 

defects due to the Chornobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. 

EAST HANOVER, N.J.: Supporter of veterans 

Like Mr. Safchuck’s and Ms. Petrusha’s stories of an 

individual making a difference in many people’s lives, 

this is a story of individual goodwill in this competitive 

corporate world. When Costco, Home Depot and Target 

stores in northern New Jersey would not allow veterans 

to distribute poppies for donations during their traditional 

Memorial Day drive, Orest Fedash did. 

Mr. Fedash is the executive general manager of the 

Ramada Inn and Conference Center in East Hanover, 

N.J., where he gave veterans permission to set up fundraising 

tables. The veterans positioned themselves in the 

hotel lobby where many people pass during busy nights. 

His support of the veterans drew the attention of The 

New York Times and an article spotlighting his assistance 

appeared in the New Jersey section of the newspaper’s 

Sunday, May 25, issue. 

Under the heading of “Communities,” The Times ran a 

story by George James headlined “Patriotism, Shopping 

and Poppies; Veterans’ Memorial Day Drive is Barred at 

Big Chain Stores.” The article was accompanied by a 

photo of a commander of a local post of the Veterans of 

Foreign Wars pinning a poppy on a Ramada guest. 

Mr. Fedash said he knows the importance of soldiers 

as a result of living under the Communist regime. A 

Ukrainian who fled Communist-dominated Poland and 

came to the United States in 1972, Mr. Fedash said he 

believes that during World War II men like these helped 

preserve the freedom that we have today. “Without 

them,” he said, “We’d have no freedom.” 

The Ukrainian Weekly Press Fund: May 2003 

Amount Name City 

$225.00 Serge Polishchuk Jersey City, N.J. 

$100.00 Chrystyna and Mykola 

Baranetsky 

Livingston, N.J. 

Roxana Charkewycz Park Ridge, Ill. 

John Nowadly Fairfax, Va. 

Jaroslaw and Maria 

Tomorug 

Cranford, N.J. 

$55.00 John Husiak New York, N.Y. 

Jaroslava Mulyk Morristown, N.J. 

Andrew Zura 

Broadview Heights, Ohio 

$50.00 Eugene and Helena 

Melnitchenko Owings, Md. 

Taras and Lubow 

Shegedyn 

South Orange, N.J. 

$45.00 George Jaskiw S. Euclid, Ohio 

Roman Klodnycky East Peoria, Ill. 

$40.00 Roman Cap Mississauga, Ontario 

$35.00 Inia Yevich-Tunstall Annandale, Va. 

$30.00 Victor Fedorowich Yorkton, Sask. 

Wolodymyr Wolowdiuk Chatham Township, N.J. 

$28.00 S. Wusowych-Lule Glen Ellyn, Ill. 

$25.00 Stefania Katamay Philadelphia, Pa. 

Michael Komichak McKees Rocks, Pa. 

Roman Nestorowicz Warren, Mich. 

Donna and Roman 

Stelmach 

Morristown, N.J. 

Orest and Judy Tataryn San Jose, Calif. 

$20.00 Ann Goot Union, N.J. 

Mary Horbay 

Oakville, Ontario 

Joseph and Catherine 

Levitzky 

Hamden, Conn. 

Mary Sowchuk New York, N.Y. 

Nicholas Stupak Milwaukee, Wisc. 

Orest and Judy Tataryn San Jose, Calif. 

Natalie Trojan 

New York, N.Y. 

$15.00 Bohdan Birakowsky College Points, N.Y. 

Gene Loboyko Broadview, Ill. 

Sydir Michael Tymiak Pittsburgh, Pa. 

$10.00 Robert John Chomiak New Haven, Conn. 

Alice Gural 

Lakehurst, N.J. 

Vera Iwanycky Chicago, Ill. 

Walter Kalapuziak Chicago, Ill. 

Adrian Klufas 

Bridgeport, Conn. 

Stephanie Lopuszanski Philadelphia, Pa. 

Olga Luck 

Takoma Park, Md. 

William Maruszczak Wayne, Pa. 

George Nawrocky Queens Village, N.Y. 

Luba Sochockyj Richfield, Ohio 

Roman Tresniowsky Ann Arbor, Mich. 

Orest and Chris Walchuk Pittstown, N.J. 

Ostap Zyniuk 

Silver Spring, Md. 

$5.00 Irene Adamchuk Milwaukee, Wisc. 

D. Maksymowich- 

Waskiewicz 

Cooper City, Fla. 

Stefan Golub 

Minneapolis, Minn. 

Merele and Bonnie 

Jurkiewicz 

Toledo, Ohio 

Stephen Kolodrub Easton, Pa. 

O. Kowerko Chicago, Ill. 

Paul Makowesky Shoreview, Minn. 

George Malachowsky Rochester, N.Y. 

Walter Milinichik Whitehall, Pa. 

Iwan Mokriwskyj Rego Park, N.Y. 

Nick Mykolenko Warren, Mich. 

Carol Novosel Sharon, Pa. 

Eugene Nykyforiak Warren, Mich. 

Renata Ockerby Arlington, Mass. 

Bohdan and Anna Pokora Glastonbury, Conn. 

W. Rybak Dixon, Ill. 

Michael Scyocurka Laguna Woods, Calif. 

Wolodymyr Slyz Woodside, N.Y. 

Stephanie Sywyj Parma, Ohio 

Marian Tymchyshyn Loudonville, N.Y. 

Zenon Wasylkevych Warren, Mich. 

Sophia Zaczko North Haven, Conn. 

Olga Zazula 

Rego Park, N.Y. 

TOTAL: $1,698.00 

Sincere thanks to all contributors 

to The Ukrainian Weekly Press Fund. 

The Ukrainian Weekly Press Fund is the 

only fund dedicated exclusively to supporting 

the work of this publication. 

Rower from Ukraine... 

(Continued from page 1) 

by George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen in 1896, when they 

became the first men to row across the Atlantic Ocean, 

using a vessel called the Fox. Mr. Rezvoy will be the first 

solo rower to depart from New York since the voyage in 

1896. Mr. Rezvoy embarked on this leg of the journey on 

July 2, 

The boat that will carry Mr. Rezvoy on his dangerous 

journey is called Ukraine. It has a length of 23 feet, a width 

of 6 feet, and a weight of 2,000 pounds when loaded with 

provisions. 

As Kenneth Crutchlow, director of the Ocean Rowing 

Society and Mr. Rezvoy’s stepfather, explained at the press 

conference, ocean rowing technology has come a long way 

since the days of Harbo and Samuelsen. Whereas the Fox 

was an open vessel, Ukraine is covered. Also, Ukraine is 

self-righting, weighted in such a way that it rights itself 

immediately after flipping. According to Mr. Rezvoy, the 

boat likely will flip at some point in the journey. 

Additionally, the boat holds an impressive array of technological 

equipment, including tracking devices and satellite 

phones. 

The ocean row of the type that Mr. Rezvoy is undertaking 

can be quite arduous. Mr. Rezvoy’s boat will not be 

accompanied by other boats during the journey, which he 

expects to last approximately 80 days. At the press conference, 

Mr. Rezvoy explained that he is not able to sleep for 

long stretches of time on such journeys, but rather must 

content himself with naps. There are several reasons for 

this. First of all, the rocking of the boat makes it difficult to 

relax. Second, even during the night, Mr. Rezvoy must 

wake up every two to three hours to check the horizon and 

his course. Third, it is helpful to row at night. Plus, at night, 

other boats cannot easily see Mr. Rezvoy’s boat, so his 

being awake helps him avoid disaster. 

Mr. Rezvoy noted that he cannot even go swimming to 

refresh himself on his trip. If he tried to go for a swim in the 

water, the boat would become too difficult to control, he 


No. 27 

by Roma Hadzewycz 

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The Ukrainian 

National Association has announced a new 

joint program with the National University 

of Kyiv Mohyla Academy in Ukraine, 

whereby purchasers of UNA insurance 

policies can support perhaps the most 

unique educational institution in independent 

Ukraine, which also happens to be the 

oldest university in all of Eastern Europe. 

“It’s a natural fit,” exclaimed Ihor 

Wyslotsky, president of the Kyiv Mohyla 

Foundation of America. “The Kyiv 

Mohyla Foundation was seeking a broader 

appeal to the Ukrainian community and 

to raise awareness of the NUKMA and its 

mission beyond the borders of Ukraine, 

while the UNA,” he continued, “more 

than any other Ukrainian organization in 

North America, is engaged in Ukraine.” 

That engagement takes the form of 

everything from the UNA’s support for 

various institutions in Ukraine to programs 

for teaching the English language, and, 

lest we forget, the Kyiv Press Bureau of 

The Ukrainian Weekly – the only full-time 

Western press bureau in Ukraine. 

Viacheslav Briukhovetsky, president 

of the National University of Kyiv 

Mohyla Academy, welcomed the new 

program – dubbed the UNA Gift-Giving 

Project – and the potential it represents 

for his growing university. 

But why should the program be attractive 

to members? For someone interested in 

providing significant support to an extraordinary 

institution – in leaving a legacy – the 

costs are low, but there is a substantial benefit 

to that institution in the long-term. 

Via a gifting program, an individual 

purchases a UNA life insurance policy 

(whole-life or 20-payment life are the 

two plans that may be used for this purpose) 

and “gifts” that policy to the Kyiv 

Mohyla Foundation by designating the 

foundation as the policy’s beneficiary. 

Mr. Wyslotsky explained that holders 

of policies purchased under this program 

will be given special treatment by the 

NUKMA. Each will get a symbolic key to 

the historic Kyiv Mohyla Academy and 


UNA Gift-Giving Project to benefit Kyiv Mohyla Foundation 

During a meeting between officials of the National University of Kyiv Mohyla 

Academy and the Ukrainian National Association are: (seated, from left) Roma 

Lisovich, UNA treasurer; Viacheslav Briukhovetsky, president of the National 

University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy; Christine Kozak, UNA national secretary; 

(standing) Stefan Kaczaraj, UNA president; Oksana Trytjak, the UNA’s fraternal 

activities coordinator; and Ihor Wyslotsky, president of the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation. 

when visiting Kyiv can take advantage of 

the opportunity to get a complete tour of 

the university campus and thus become 

familiar with the depth of its traditions 

and the breadth of its academic offerings. 

Plus, those who enroll in the UNA 

through this program get all the membership 

benefits for which the UNA is known, 

such as substantial discounts at the association’s 

Soyuzivka resort and on the UNA’s 

newspapers, Svoboda and The Ukrainian 

Weekly, and student scholarships. 

Dating back to 1615, the Kyiv Mohyla 

Academy was re-established after a 175- 

year hiatus soon after the proclamation 

of Ukraine’s independence. In 1994, two 

years after its rebirth, KMA was granted 

the status of “national university.” Today 

it combines age-old teaching traditions 

Lev Khmelkovsky 

with the best offerings of modern 

Western education; it offers bachelor’s 

and master’s degree programs. 

It should be noted that the Ukrainian 

National Association’s involvement with 

the NUKMA did not begin with this gifting 

program. Dr. Briukhovetsky underscored 

that the UNA has supported his 

institution with scholarships for a special 

college-preparatory program designed for 

talented students from rural regions of 

Ukraine who wish to enter the university. 

In addition, he said that beginning this 

year the UNA is helping to promote a 

NUKMA summer program for college 

students from the West who want to further 

their knowledge of Ukrainian studies. 

The 2003 summer program, which 

runs from June 23 to August 1, offers 

intensive courses in Ukrainian language 

and lectures on various aspects of the rich 

Ukrainian culture, with special excursions 

that support this learning through 

exposure to the Ukrainian capital city’s 

cultural, historical and political life. 

The university has applied for international 

accreditation of its summer program, 

which has been functioning since 

1995, through the International Education 

Committee. Dr. Briukhovetsky added 

proudly, “We are the first college in 

Ukraine to apply for this type of accreditation.” 

It is hoped that by next year all 

students from abroad who attend 

NUKMA in the summer will be able to 

earn college credits that will be applicable 

at their own colleges and universities. 

“Since the UNA is the oldest and most 

influential Ukrainian organization in the 

diaspora,” Dr. Briukhovetsky, “I anticipate 

more collaborative efforts between 

the university and the UNA.” 

Mr. Wyslotsky added in concluding his 

interview with The Weekly that those 

who opt to participate in this joint UNA- 

NUKMA program are actually participating 

in the development of a civil society 

in Ukraine as that is a fundamental mission 

of the National University of Kyiv- 

Mohyla Academy. “Those who buy these 

policies will be part of the process of creating 

the new Ukraine,” he emphasized. 

In short then, the UNA Gift-Giving 

Project is a win-win-win situation. The 

insured gets to deduct the cost of his or 

her life insurance premium as a charitable 

donation since the beneficiary of the 

policy is the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation, a 

tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) corporation; the 

UNA gets additional members into its 

ranks; and the National University of 

Kyiv Mohyla Academy gets financial 

support for its expanding programs. 

For further information, readers may 

contact Oksana Trytjak, the UNA’s fraternal 

activities coordinator, at (973) 292- 

9800, ext. 3071. Ms. Trytjak also advises 

readers to be on the lookout for more 

information about an upcoming benefit for 

the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation to be held in 

the autumn of this year in New York City. 

Ukrainians worry... 


“They do not provide us with the rest on 

various pretexts.” 

In another measure, the government 

initiated consultations with the National 

Bank of Ukraine to provide grain dealers 

with favorable credits to overcome the 

shortage without losses. 

“It’s a great mistake today to think that 

our economy, our business and agriculture 

won’t be able to provide us with 

foodstuffs,” said central banker Serhii 

Tyhypko, according to Interfax. 

Rower from Ukraine... 


would be open to attack by jellyfish and 

other dangerous creatures of the sea, and it 

would be difficult to wash the salt off his 

skin after the swim. 

On the journey, Mr. Rezvoy said he will 

subsist mostly on dried and vacuum-sealed 

food products. He also catches fish, and 

noted that fish often jump directly into the 

boat. However, one needs to be careful with 

large fish, since they can pull the fisher 

from the boat or break whatever they are 

tethered to. Mr. Rezvoy managed to bring 

beer, salami and whiskey on board with him 

for the trip from Spain to Barbados. He also 

uses a water de-salinizer. 

When asked what he would do in case of 

To keep bread prices stable, the government 

ordered bakeries to temporarily 

reduce their profitability. In some cases, 

the factories began to produce with little 

or no profitability, the Ukrainian Bakers’ 

Association said. 

At the same time Khlib Ukrainy was 

ordered to buy 1 million tons (1.1 million 

short tons) of grain from the 2003 harvest 

of feed and provisions. 

Serhii Melnyk, state secretary of 

Ukraine’s Agrarian Policy Ministry, 

asserted that this year’s low harvest 

would not affect food supply in the 2003- 

2004 marketing year. 

a storm at sea, Mr. Rezvoy commented that 

all a rower can do is get inside the boat, batten 

down the hatches and pray. 

For much of his life, Mr. Rezvoy has 

exhibited an affinity for physically 

demanding activities. He was born in 

Odesa in 1968 and took up both horseback 

riding and rowing at the age of 3. He used 

to accompany his father on geological 

expeditions to the Pamir Mountains in the 

Himalayas. He also took up mountaineering, 

skiing, martial arts, archery, tennis 

and volleyball, and holds a diploma in 

advanced sailing courses. He also served 

in the Soviet air force for two years. 

Mr. Rezvoy worked as an actor at the age 

of 7 at the Odesa Film Studio. He later 

attended the Education Institute of Fine Arts 

in Odesa. Afterwards, he designed sets and 

did commercial computer design at the 

The government expects farmers to harvest 

some 28.8 million to 30.8 million 

metric tons (31.68 million to 33.88 million 

short tons) of grain this year. 

Ukraine’s annual need in grain is estimated 

at 6.5 million to 7 million metric tons 

(7.15 million to 7.7 million short tons). 

“I ask you, compatriots: do not buy 

flour, everything will be all right,” Mr. 

Lenh appealed via TV cameras at the end 

of the news conference. 

However, the more the media cover 

issues related to grain, the harder it seems 

to fight the public’s negative perceptions. 

Last weekend, this writer nearly put 

Odesa Film Studio. Before he decided to 

embark on the trans-Atlantic journey, Mr. 

Rezvoy was the webmaster for the Ocean 

Rowing Society. 

At the press conference, Mr. 

Crutchlow commented on an encounter 

during which he asked Mr. Rezvoy why 

he wanted to row across the Atlantic. Mr. 

Rezvoy had replied, “I want my son to be 

proud of me,” referring to 6-year-old 

Dimitriy. He also said he hoped that 

Ukraine would garner some publicity 

from his trip. 

Mr. Rezvoy also signaled his intention 

to dedicate his voyage to the firemen 

who lost their lives in the September 11, 

2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade 

Center in New York. The journey is funded 

by Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers as 

well as private donors. 

off plans to bake pyrizhky (a Ukrainian 

pastry). The woman seller in Kyiv’s central 

market whispered that their boss 

doesn’t allow them to sell flour from 

their surplus storage. However, she then 

asked if I could afford 2 kilos of flour for 

6.5 hrv (about $1.2) – the price was 

almost twice as high as a month earlier. 

Anxiously the seller went to the storage 

area nearby to settle the deal with a stock 

clerk. She walked along the counter and 

back to me, took money and voice lowered: 

“Go to the storage area and take the pack 

that he put on the refrigerator.” 

I followed the route and saw my pack of 

flour in its place, no soul was around, I took 

it silently and went away as a spy who just 

made a trick. During the Soviet-era times of 

chronic deficits, people referred to such 

transactions as “selling under the counter.” 

And here it was happening again in 2003. 

As I was leaving the market, I could 

hear many a villager expressing concern 

about their inability to buy grains and 

feed poultry and animals. 

“Many of our citizens know perfectly 

the events of 1933 (the Great 

Famine/Genocide), and many of them 

personally overcame 1947 (post-war 

famine),” Kyiv Mayor Oleksander 

Omelchenko said on June 27 after 

announcing plans to supply the capital 

with enough grain. 

“Today people are not sure. They are 

not convinced and are not directed officially 

by the state – they themselves create 

the shortages,” Mr. Omelchenko said, 

according to Interfax.


No. 27 


Remembering Patriarch Mstyslav I 

June 11 marked the 10th anniversary of the death of Patriarch Mstyslav I, a truly 

extraordinary man who embodied the best qualities of a Churchman and national 

leader, a hierarch who led the Church during some of its most turbulent and its most 

joyous times. As bishop, archbishop and metropolitan – and later as patriarch – he 

worked tirelessly toward unifying Ukrainian Orthodox faithful around the globe. 

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. marked the anniversary of the patriarch’s 

repose with special services at the crypt where he is buried beneath St. Andrew 

Memorial Church on the grounds of the Ukrainian Orthodox Center (see last week’s 

issue). As noted by a longtime co-worker of Patriarch Mstyslav, Mykola Francuzenko, 

who spoke at the 10th anniversary memorial dinner held in tribute to the Church 

leader, the hierarch was no doubt destined for the role he was to play. Born as Stefan 

Ivanovych Skrypnyk on April 10, 1898, in Poltava, he came into a family of noted 

religious and political leaders. 

His own life’s path was remarkable as well, encompassing the military, political 

activity and the religious life. His world view was shaped by both the Soviet and Nazi 

occupations of Ukraine, and his work for his Church and his nation spanned Ukraine, 

western Europe, Canada, the United States and then, once again, Ukraine. 

Here in the United States, Metropolitan Mstyslav was perhaps best known for his 

decades of work to establish the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s worldwide center in 

South Bound Brook, N.J. It was at the Church’s center that Metropolitan Mstyslav had 

built St. Andrew Memorial Church, which is dedicated to the memory of the victims 

of the 1932-1933 Great Famine in Ukraine. (This magnificent Church served as the 

focal point of the entire Ukrainian American community’s solemn observances of the 

50th anniversary of the Great Famine in 1983.) 

A most tangible recognition of his strength of character and his leadership came 

during the synod on June 5-6, 1990, of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 

Church when Metropolitan Mstyslav of the UOC-U.S.A. was elected as the first patriarch 

of the reborn Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Less than five months 

later, on October 20, 1990, Patriarch Mstyslav returned triumphantly to Ukraine – at 

the age of 92 and after an absence of 46 years – in preparation for his enthronement. 

His first destination on that fateful day in 1990 was St. Sophia Sobor, where the patriarch 

fell to his knees and kissed the ground thrice. Inside the cathedral he celebrated a 

moleben of thanksgiving. The next day he officiated at an archpastoral divine liturgy 

at St. Andrew Cathedral, where he had been consecrated as bishop back in May of 

1942. Finally, on November 18 he was enthroned as patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine. 

Alas, his tenure as patriarch was short-lived. Patriarch Mstyslav I died at the age of 

95 on June 11, 1993. Patriarchal funeral rites were offered in South Bound Brook over 

the course of three days on June 21-23, with some 3,000 hierarchs, clergy and laity – 

faithful of the Orthodox and other Churches – from around the globe coming to pay 

their last respects. It was vivid testimony to Patriarch Mstyslav’s far-reaching influence 

and the esteem in which he was held. 

Patriarch Mstyslav’s testament, read at the memorial tryzna after the religious rites 

were concluded, was an exhortation to unity “for the sake of God, the martyrs of the 

Church and the people” to achieve the goal of a sovereign Church dependent on no 

one. It is a testament worth recalling and a noble goal still worth striving for today, 10 

years after the patriarch’s passing. 

July 

7 

1945 

Turning the pages back... 

On July 7, 1945, The Ukrainian Weekly reported that 

Carpatho-Ukraine had been annexed by the Soviet Union, giving 

the Soviet Union control over the entire territory of Ukraine, with 

the exception of the Lemkivschyna and Kholmschyna regions. 

Carpatho-Ukraine had declared independence on March 15, 1939, but was re-taken 

by Hungary shortly thereafter, despite fierce opposition from Carpatho-Ukraine’s 

Sitch Guard. The annexation by the Soviet Union occurred by means of an agreement 

signed in Moscow by the Soviet Foreign Commisar Vyacheslaff M. Molotov, with 

Joseph Stalin in attendance, and Czechoslovakia’s Prime Minister Zdenek Fierlinger. 

Czechoslovakia had ruled Carpatho-Ukraine before its break-up in 1939. 

The agreement provided for an exchange of populations between the Soviet Union 

and Czechoslovakia, and the creation of commissions to set boundaries between the 

countries and to liquidate property in Carpatho-Ukraine. 

According to The Weekly, the agreement stipulated that Carpatho-Ukraine would be 

“reunited with her ancient motherland.” It was to become a part of the Ukrainian 

Soviet Socialist Republic. 

The pact also stated that the transferal of Carpatho-Ukraine was “in accordance 

with the desire shown by the population of Carpatho-Ukraine.” However, as The 

Weekly noted, there was no vote to determine this so-called desire. 

The Soviet Union’s acquisition of Carpatho-Ukraine was thought to be aimed at 

ending any chance of a nationalist uprising. By bringing the area under Soviet control, 

Carpatho-Ukraine could not enjoy the freedom to foment rebellion in other Ukrainian 

territories already incorporated into the Soviet Union. 

In the same issue, The Weekly re-published an article by The New York Times correspondent 

Anne O’Hare McCormick about the acquisition of Carpatho-Ukraine by 

the Soviet Union. In her conclusion, Ms. McCormick wrote, “The relationship of all 

these countries are changed. Before even the preliminary peace conference, the 

Versailles map of Eastern Europe is already altered beyond recognition, and already 

in a new way, for such transfers as that of the Carpatho-Ukraine mean incorporation 

not only into another country but another system of life. This is why they are significant, 

and why it is important to give people some voice in their destiny.” 

Source: “Soviet Annexation of Carpatho-Ukraine,” The Ukrainian Weekly, July 7, 

1945. “Now the Great Ukraine Is All in the Soviet Union,” The Ukrainian Weekly, 

July 7, 1945 

Double Exposure 

by Khristina Lew 

It’s all in the name 

If you grew up like I did, you were 

deprived of Saturday morning cartoons 

because you had to go to Ukrainian School. 

When you were older, you couldn’t go out 

on Friday nights because you had to do 

homework for Ukie school. Thursday 

nights were Plast (Ukrainian scouting) 

nights, and Tuesdays were devoted to the 

bandura, the many-stringed Ukrainian 

instrument played on the knee. (Thank 

goodness the trembita, the Hutsul mountain 

horn, was not readily available in North 

America, or we would have lost our 

Wednesday nights too.) 

My sisters and I groused about the many 

Ukrainian activities, but we entered adulthood 

with a strong sense of our heritage. 

Then we went off to college and, like many 

of our friends, we explored things, um, non- 

Ukrainian. 

In our 20s, we started our careers, traveled 

the world, fell in love. In the 1990s 

when the Iron Curtain came down, it was 

hip to be Ukrainian. Some of us stayed in 

touch with our childhood friends from the 

Ukrainian School-Plast-bandura days. 

Some continued to go to Wildwood and 

Soyuzivka on the East Coast, or Baraboo 

and Wisconsin Dells in the Midwest. But 

with each generation the numbers got 

smaller. 

Now, as a 30-something, I’ve had a 

chance to kick around what it means to be 

Ukrainian in an American world. I had 

worked as a “professional Ukrainian” for 

many years before joining a mainstream 

U.S. organization. I kept in touch with my 

Ukrainian friends and attended the occasional 

Ukrainian function. 

Being Ukrainian, however, took on a 

whole new meaning with the birth of my 

son last year. Suddenly, the double life to 

which I had grown accustomed was 

dragged out from under the bed, to be reexamined 

all over again. How Ukrainian 

did I want my son to be? Would he speak 

Ukrainian? Join Plast or SUM? Play the 

trembita? 

I don’t pretend to have the answers to 

these questions. My husband – who is half 

Ukrainian, half Irish – and I do want our 

son to speak Ukrainian. We want him to 

have the opportunities we did growing up 

hyphenated Americans, because for us there 

were many. 

We met each other at Ukrainian School. 

Some of our closest friends are people we 

met at Plast summer camps. Speaking a 

second language and living in a bicultural 

home broadened our horizons, made us 

more open to new ideas and people. Being 

Ukrainian launched my career and took me 

Khristina Lew 

to Ukraine at one of the most interesting 

periods in its history. 

So we agreed to try to raise a Ukrainian 

child in an American world. Determined, 

we embarked on our first major decision: 

what to name him or her. 

Naming a child is handing it a legacy 

that it will carry its whole life. We realized 

fairly quickly that A) we both had strong 

opinions about names, and B) we did not 

share these opinions. 

My husband, whose name is Adrian, 

grew up hating his name. He said that as a 

kid he got teased for having a girl’s name, 

and under no circumstances would he allow 

his child to suffer the same humiliation – 

real or imagined. He wanted something 

solid, unequivocal. I guess that ruled out the 

name Ruslan for a boy. 

We both wanted something mellifluous 

in Ukrainian and strong in English. 

Something a little different. We had the 

added distraction of my husband’s last 

name, which was constantly mispronounced 

in English: Gawdiak. (Change a few letters 

around, and you can imagine what telemarketers 

come up with.) Were he a Johnson or 

a Smith, we could have gotten away with 

naming the child something unique, like 

Dzvineslava, but with a name like Gawdiak, 

all bets on proper pronunciation were off. 

Choosing a girl’s name turned out to be 

easy, and we never second-guessed our 

decision. A boy’s name was tough. 

Most expectant parents who try to maintain 

a link to their Ukrainian heritage when 

naming their child go through exactly what 

we did. What sounds great in one language 

sounds horrible in the other. We liked the 

name Maksym, or Max, but it, like 

Christina in the late 60s, was the current 

name du jour for Ukrainians in America. 

We started sifting through family names. 

Wasyl and Ihor, after the future grandfathers 

– tough in English. In the previous 

generation we had a Robert – solid, but not 

very Ukrainian; an Omeljan and another 

Wasyl, and an Alexander – not bad. 

I pulled out the family tree. We had a lot 

of Wasyls in my family, but way back, my 

great-great-grandfather, a priest on the outskirts 

of Yavoriv, was a Hryhoriy. Hryhoriy 

Lew. Gregory. Gregory Gawdiak. 

I turned it over in my mind. It was strong 

in both languages. We knew only one 

Hryhoriy growing up, and he was pretty 

cool, so we didn’t have any weird associations 

with the name. It was easy in English. 

And it was a family name. 

When our son was born, we named him 

Gregory Lew Gawdiak. And after all the 

thought that went into choosing his name, 

we call him Hryts – in both languages. 

Our new columnist, Khristina Lew, 

who will write monthly on issues 

faced by young Ukrainian Americans 

and families, is familiar to readers of 

The Ukrainian Weekly. She reported 

for this newspaper and served three 

tours of duty at our Kyiv Press 

Bureau in the 1990s. Ms. Lew grew 

up in the Washington, D.C., area. She 

attended high school in Ridgewood, 

N.J., and graduated from the College 

of the Holy Cross in Worcester, 

Mass., in 1989. She worked on public 

education campaigns during 

Ukraine’s parliamentary and presidential 

elections in 1998-1999, 

served as public relations manager 

for the YWCA of the U.S.A., and currently 

is freelancing. Ms. Lew and 

her family reside in Metuchen, N.J.

No. 27 


NEWS AND VIEWS 

Ukrainian professionals announce 

“Walter Duranty Foolitzer Prize” 

by Dr. Jaroslaw Sawka 

The Ukrainian American-Canadian 

Professional Association, a.k.a. the 

Ukrainian Graduates of Detroit/Windsor, 

has announced that it will be instituting an 

annual journalistic award called the 

“Walter Duranty Foolitzer Prize” to the 

author of the most biased, disinforming, 

misinforming or the most anti-Ukrainian 

hatemongering work of journalism. 

Unfortunately, even in these times of a 

free and independent Ukrainian nation 

there is no abatement to the outpouring of 

journalistic-type garbage concerning 

Ukraine and Ukrainians. It didn’t stop 

with the settlement in CBS’s infamous 

“60 Minutes” segment “The Ugly Face of 

Freedom.” Some of this year’s contenders 

for the prize will be: Robert D. Kaplan for 

his article, “Euphorias of Hatred,” May 

2003, The Atlantic Monthly, (see the 

review by Dr. Myron Kuropas in The 

Ukrainian Weekly of April 20) and Sol 

Littman for his book, “Pure Soldiers or 

Bloodthirsty Murderers: The Ukrainian 

14th Waffen-SS Division.” There are 

plenty of other worthy contenders and the 

year 2003 still has enough time left to 

make for an interesting contest. 

The sponsoring group’s concern is not 

confined to mere commercial journalism. 

Of even more importance is the content of 

what is being propagated in academia. A 

case in point is the book “Political Culture 

and National Identity in Russian- 

Ukrainian Relations” by Prof. Mikhail 

Molchanov published by the Texas A & M 

University Press at taxpayer expense and 

subsidy. 

Dr. Bohdan Vitvitsky is correct in taking 

Prof. Molchanov to task for his misinformation 

(April 6 The Ukrainian 

Weekly). Although the book was published 

in 2002, Prof. Molchanov is eligible 

for the Duranty prize because the 

debate he has generated is still raging in 

print well into this year. In his “scholarly” 

work he relies on outright Communist 

propaganda (see his bibliography) to discredit 

Ukrainian freedom fighters. 

Unlike Mr. Duranty, Prof. Molchanov 

admits there was a famine but denies it 

was genocidal. For this he relies on the 

book, “Is the Holocaust Unique?” by Alan 

Rosenbaum, Westview Press, 1996, where 

we find such gems as this on pp. 30-31: 

“demographic data indicate that fewer 

than 760,000 children died, largely from 

starvation, between 1932-1934 ... 66.5 

percent of Ukrainian children at a minimum 

survived ... This historical outcome 

regarding the children is not trivial. What 

makes the Ukrainian case non-genocidal, 

and what makes it different form the 

Holocaust, is the fact that the majority of 

Ukrainian children survived and, still 

more, they were permitted to survive.” 

The nominated work must be in the 

English language as an article, or book or 

an audio-video endeavor that has reached 

a wide non-Ukrainian audience. Everyone 

is invited to send nominations. The person 

submitting the winning nomination will 

receive a $100 honorarium. The “winning” 

author will receive a certificate and 

a monetary award of 2 pennies. The winners 

will be selected and announced by a 

special committee that will meet each year 


during the Martin Luther King holiday 

weekend. Nominations are for the year 

prior. The meeting in January 2004 will 

pick the winner of a journalistic work produced 

in 2003. 

None of this is intended to make anyone 

rich. The $100 nomination award is 

merely intended to stimulate readers or 

viewers to forward materials they may 

encounter that would warrant recognition 

via a Duranty prize. This is intended to 

encourage the competitive effect of having 

our community scour the media 

actively looking for anti-Ukrainian bias or 

disinformation. The winner will be determined 

by earliest postmarked letter until 

the award committee can devise a computerized 

system that would be fair. To 

recap and clarify: there will actually be 

two winners each year. The Nomination 

Award ($100) for the person nominating 

the winner of the Duranty prize and the 

journalist/author who actually wins the 

Duranty prize (2 cents). 

The journalist receiving the Walter 

Duranty Foolitzer Prize will be notified 

that he/she is considered to be in a category 

worthy of Walter Duranty. That should 

be punishment enough. The 2 cents is 

intended to make this a “monetary” award 

and not just a certificate worthy of the 

winner’s talents. 

Copies of published materials must be 

sent in with the nomination; broadcast 

may be considered for the prize if accompanied 

or corroborated by an authentic 

transcript. 

The idea for the presentation of this 

award has been prompted by the recent 

activity by many who feel that the Pulitzer 

Prize awarded to Duranty should be withdrawn 

because it was based on propaganda 

and outright lies, and that it resulted in 

incalculable damage to the Ukrainian people 

and their struggle for dignity and freedom. 

It is not known whether the members 

of the Pulitzer Prize committee have 

enough honor or pride to ensure the 

integrity of their award. The tarnish on 

their prize is their problem. (If they don’t 

want to clean it, so be it.) However, the 

Ukrainian Graduates of Detroit/Windsor 

know what they have to do. They have 

carefully picked the name “Foolitzer” so 

as to avoid confusion with the currently 

disgraced “Pulitzer.” Theirs will be an 

untarnished, honorable, pure and noble 

award which should unintentionally cause 

shame, envy, gnashing of teeth, wringing 

of hands and awe to the disgraced members 

of the Pulitzer Prize committee. 

The award committee still hasn’t decided 

(intense internal debate) whether to 

throw in a Stalin Apologist Literary Prize 

and/or a Lenin Literary Prize (an intense 

internal debate is onoing). These would 

carry no monetary value (not even a 

penny) and would be strictly “symbolic.” 

Community support is requested in the 

form of sending in nominations; donations 

also would be appreciated. The association’s 

address is: Ukrainian Graduates of 

Detroit-Windsor, P.O. Box 92415, Warren, 

MI 48092. (The group also publishes a 

Ukrainian Graduates newsletter, available 

for $10 per year; the newsletter is free to 

members.) 

Visit our archive on the Internet at: http://www.ukrweekly.com/ 

Faces and Places 

by Myron B. Kuropas 

Did Pavlychko really say that? 

Yes he did. And more! 

Dmytro Pavlychko, former Ukrainian 

Ambassador to Slovakia and Poland, 

opened the 22nd annual Conference on 

Ukrainian Subjects at the University of 

Illinois on June 16 with a riveting condemnation 

of Ukraine’s present administration. 

His most shocking claim involved 

Ukraine’s former nuclear arsenal with 

which Mr. Pavlychko was once intimately 

involved. Strobe Talbott of the Clinton 

White House demanded that Ukraine 

turn over its warheads to Russia. When 

Mr. Pavlychko suggested they be turned 

over to the United States instead, Mr. 

Talbott told him that if Russia did not get 

them, he could expect Russian troops 

forcibly expropriating them while the 

United States looked the other way. Mr. 

Pavlychko traveled to the U.S. to appeal 

to Sen. Richard Lugar (R.-Ind.) of the 

Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 

assistance, all to no avail. Russia needed 

to be accommodated. 

I approached Mr. Pavlychko after his 

presentation to be certain I heard him 

correctly. He assured me I had. 

Mr. Pavlychko had more to say. Thanks 

to the Kuchma regime, he insisted, 5 million 

Ukrainians have left Ukraine to find 

work on practically every continent on the 

face of the earth. President Kuchma doesn’t 

care because Ukraine’s new immigrants 

send money home, a fact that helps 

bolster the economy. 

Mr. Kuchma and his cronies are out of 

touch with the Ukrainian people, Mr. 

Pavlychko contends. Thanks to the colonial 

mind-set of the president, his 

Cabinet, and many members of 

Parliament, the Russian language is 

regaining its former popularity. 

The Russian press in Ukraine continues 

to offend Ukrainian sensibilities, and 

the administration does not react. Eighty 

percent of the books published in 

Ukraine are in Russian despite the fact 

that 70 percent of the population claims 

Ukrainian as their native language. 

The recent census was a blatant 

attempt to incease by falsification the 

official number of ethnic Russians living 

in Ukraine in order to apply more pressure 

for the formal recognition of 

Russian as Ukraine’s second formal language. 

As Russian firms gobble up Ukrainian 

companies and form new financial enter- 

prises, the aim is economic domination 

followed by Russian political 

control. Mr. Pavlychko predicted 

that by 2005, 70 percent of 

Ukraine’s economy will be 

dependent on Russia. Amazingly, 

Ukraine can get oil at a lower 

price from Arab countries. 

Opposition to the Kuchma 

Klan is weak because of personal 

ambitions. Rukh remains 

split. Yulia Tymoshenko is aloof 

and refuses to support Our 

Ukraine which, under Viktor 

Yushchenko, appears to be 

increasingly weak. 

An excellent panel at the conference 

this year was chaired by 

Dr. Myroslav Labunka of 

Ukrainian Catholic University. 

Papers titled “Pariarchate of the 

Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church: 

Actuality of the Question” 

(Labunka), “The Ukrainian 

Catholic Church in Ukraine and the 

Diaspora” (the Rev. Roman O. Mirchuk) 

and “The Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 

Emigration and in Ukraine. Problems of 

Dialogue” (Oksana Khomchuk), were presented 

and followed by a heated discussion. 

Ms. Khomchuk later formally presented her 

new book, “Tserkva poza Tserkovnoiu 

Ohorozheiu.” 

Like other conferences sponsored by 

the Ukrainian Research Program at the 

University of Illinois – this year’s theme 

was “Ukraine: Yesterday, Today and 

Tomorrow” – the conclave was not only 

informative but exciting as well, especially 

when scholars from Ukraine and 

the United States went head to head on 

topics such as “Higher Education in 

Ukraine” and “Relations between 

Ukraine and the Diaspora.” 

The Illinois conferences were initiated 

in 1982 by Prof. Dmytro Shtohryn. Since 

then, there have been 23 (22 annual) 

conferences on Ukrainian subjects at the 

University of Illinois in 

Champaign/Urbana, attended by 2,230 

participants, involving 1,190 speakers 

and principal discussants from 24 countries, 

including Australia, Austria, 

Canada, China (PRC), the Czech 

Republic, Denmark, England, France, 

Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, 

Kazakstan, the Netherlands, Poland, 

Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, 

Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the 

United States, and Yugoslavia. Over the 

years Ukraine has had speakers who 

hailed from Donetsk in the east to 

Uzhorod in the west. A total of 1,186 

papers have been delivered thus far – 

317 in English, 867 in Ukrainian, and 

two in Russian. 

The principal organizer and chairman 

of all of the conferences is the indefatigable 

Dr. Shtohryn, professor emeritus at 

the University of Illinois. He has been 

ably assisted by Raisa Bratkiw, president 

of the Foundation for the Advancement 

of Ukrainian Studies at the University of 

Illinois. 

A volume of selected papers edited by 

Drs. Taras Hunczak and Shtohryn, will 

come on the market in September to be 

followed by a second volume of papers, 

edited by Dr. Jaroslav Rozumnyj, scheduled 

for publication early in 2004. 

Myron Kuropas’ e-mail address is: 

mbkuropas@compuserve.com. 

Conference presenter Natalia Lominska of the 

National University of Ostroh Academy, presenting 

a copy of a history of Ostroh Academy 

to Prof. Dmytro Shtohryn.


No. 27 

FOR THE RECORD: Reaction to Los Angeles Times commentary 

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – On June 14 the Los Angeles 

Times ran a commentary by Tim Rutten titled “The 

Blair affair fuels a 70-year-old scandal,” which has 

caused a stir in the Ukrainian American and Ukrainian 

Canadian communities. The article begins by describing 

the campaign to revoke The New York Times correspondent 

Walter Duranty’s Pulitzer Prize and ends by accusing 

the members of the Galicia Division and followers 

of Stepan Bandera in the Organization of Ukrainian 

Nationalists (OUN) of anti-Semitism and atrocities 

against Jews during World War II. 

The first half of the article affirms the validity of 

many of the accusations against Mr. Duranty. Mr. Rutten 

writes, “As the Times’ Moscow correspondent in the 

1920s and ‘30s, [Mr. Duranty] was an active agent of 

Soviet propaganda and disinformation – probably paid, 

certainly blackmailed, altogether willing. For years, 

Duranty lied, distorted and suppressed information to 

please Josef Stalin.” 

Mr. Rutten also writes, “In 1933, Stalin’s savage campaign 

to collectivize agriculture in the Ukraine created a 

man-made famine in which somewhere between 6 million 

and 11 million people died. Duranty’s reports did 

not simply ignore the famine. They denied its existence.” 

The article then goes on to detail the history of the 

campaign to revoke Mr. Duranty’s Pulitzer Prize. Mr. 

Rutten presents the viewpoint of the North American 

Ukrainian communities and the responses of the Pulitzer 

Prize Board and The New York Times, and then explains 

how the Jayson Blair scandal has focused attention on 

Mr. Duranty. 

Then, abruptly and inexplicably, the subject of the article 

changes to alleged Ukrainian complicity in the 

Holocaust. The shift is marked by the sentence: “Curiously, 

the same organizations and commentators who are pressing 

the issue of Duranty’s prize have been resolutely silent 

about one of the Holocaust’s darkest chapters – the collaboration 

by tens of thousands of Ukrainians with the Nazi 

murderers of Eastern European Jewry.” 

The article continues: “The Waffen SS raised an 

entire brigade from among the Galician Ukrainians. 

Ukrainian POWs volunteered to serve as guards in the 

German death camps. Followers of the Ukrainian 

nationalist Stepan Bandera enthusiastically joined the 

Nazis in carrying out massacres of Jews throughout the 

Ukraine and adjoining regions.” 

Mr. Rutten’s article does not explain the relevance of 

his accusations to the issue of Walter Duranty and the 

Famine-Genocide. Relevance aside, many Ukrainian 

Americans and Ukrainian Canadians immediately 

responded to the article by contesting the accuracy of 

Mr. Rutten’s accusations with letters to the editor of that 

newspaper. 

The Ukrainian Weekly has elected to reprint for its 

readers three letters sent by members of the North 

American Ukrainian community to the editor of the Los 

Angeles Times in response to Mr. Rutten’s article. Thus 

far, none of these letters has been published in the 

Times. 

Bandera’s grandson reacts 

Dear Editor: 

I would like to take personal issue with Mr. Tim 

Rutten’s article of Saturday, June 14: “The Blair affair 

fuels a 70-year-old scandal.” In that article, Mr. Rutten 

writes: 

“This week, the Los Angeles Times asked officials of 

the leading U.S. and Canadian Ukrainian émigré organizations 

whether they ever had censured or condemned 

the Galician Brigade or Bandera’s followers for their 

participation in genocide.” 

“Followers of the Ukrainian nationalist Stepan 

Bandera enthusiastically joined the Nazis.” 

“Curiously, the same organizations and commentators 

who are pressing the issue of Duranty’s prize have been 

resolutely silent about one of the Holocaust’s darkest 

chapters – the collaboration by tens of thousands of 

Ukrainians with the Nazi murderers of Eastern 

European Jewry.” 

First, Ukrainians have not been silent. We have been 

working for decades to set the record straight on the 

alleged collaboration between Ukrainians and Nazis. 

The Nazis arrested my grandfather, Stepan Bandera, 

in July 1941, after the Organization of Ukrainian 

Nationalists (OUN) proclaimed Ukrainian independence 

as Stalin’s troops retreated in front of Hitler’s advancing 

divisions. 

He spent the remainder of the war in the 

Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Two of my grandfather’s 

brothers – Oleksa and Vasyl – were killed by the 

Nazis in Auschwitz. 

Recall that like Jews, Slavs were considered untermenschen 

[racially inferior persons], and thousands of 

Ukrainian nationalists were incarcerated alongside the 

victims of the Holocaust in places like Dachau, 

Mauthausen and Buchenwald. 

Also, it may surprise those unacquainted with Eastern 

European history to learn that there were Jewish 

Ukrainians who participated in the national liberation 

struggle from 1939 to 1953, including within military 

formations created by the OUN during its two-front 

struggle against both Hitler’s Nazis and Stalin’s Soviets. 

I would be glad to introduce Mr. Rutten to Mr. Alex 

Epstein, a Jewish Canadian lawyer who helped our family 

present the case for grandfather Bandera in front of 

the Deschenes War Crimes Commission in Canada in 

the mid-1980s, in response to similar claims by the 

Simon Wiesenthal Center. We won our case in front of 

an impartial judge. 

In addition, I would be glad to put Mr. Rutten in touch 

with Mr. Herbert Romerstein, who for the last 15 years 

has been engaged in research of the dual Soviet active 

measures campaign of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s 

against “Ukrainian bourgeois nationalists” and 

“Zionists.” In his well-considered opinion, the campaign’s 

intention was to keep the Ukrainian dissidents and 

Jewish refusenik movement from coalescing into a united 

front against the repressive apparat of the Soviet Union 

during the said period. Mr. Romerstein, a former 

Professional Staff Member of the House Permanent 

Select Committee on Intelligence, is best known for his 

work with Eric Breindel, “The Venona Secrets, Exposing 

Soviet Espionage and America’s Traitors.” Mr. 

Romerstein’s latest article is titled “Divide and Conquer: 

The KGB Disinformation Campaign against Ukrainians 

and Jews.” 

I fear that Mr. Rutten has not been diligent in his 

background work. He may in fact be unduly influenced 

by Soviet apologist materials of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. 

Stephen Bandera 

New York, NY 

PS: I would be glad to forward a copy of Mr. 

Romerstein’s latest article, printed in The Ukrainian 

Quarterly. 

PPS: If the editorial board so deems, this material can 

be published as an op-ed. 

Galicia Division was cleared 


Re: “The Blair affair fuels a 70-year-old scandal...,” 

The Los Angeles Times, June 14, 2003, by Tim Rutten. 

In 1986 the Ukrainian Division Galicia was cleared, 

as a unit, of any allegations of war criminality by an 

official Canadian Commission of Inquiry on War 

Criminals, headed by the late Justice Jules Deschenes. 

After 1991 the division’s record was again reviewed by 

the government of Canada, and our minister of justice, 

the Honorable Anne McLellan, then confirmed that 

there is no evidence of war criminality on the part of 

this Waffen SS formation. Jewish Canadian organizations 

and other interveners were always given an opportunity 

to provide information to the contrary but, other 

than making “grossly exaggerated” claims (the phrase 

Justice Deschenes used), they have never come forward 

with evidence of the sort necessary to secure criminal 

conviction. 

In North America everyone is entitled to be considered 

innocent until proven guilty, not the other way 

around. As for allegations about entire ethnic or racial 

minorities being guilty of one crime or another, such 

remarks smack of prejudice and must be dismissed as 

such. 

Stepan Bandera, as leader of one faction of the 

Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, spent most of 

the second world war in Sachsenhausen, and both of his 

brothers were murdered in Auschwitz. He was himself 

later assassinated by a Soviet agent in Munich. Many 

members of the OUN were interned at Auschwitz, and 

were murdered there and in other Nazi concentration 

camps. A Holocaust survivor, Stefan Petelycky, tattoo 

No. 154922, wrote about this in his memoir “Into 

Auschwitz, For Ukraine.” 

There can, of course, be no denying that some 

Ukrainians did collaborate with the Nazis, out of fear, 

prejudice, greed or simply to survive, but fewer collaborated 

in Ukraine than in many other parts of Europe. 

Arguably, however, Ukraine lost more of its population 

than any other country in Nazi occupied Europe. Those 

“20 million Soviet war dead” were, in the majority, 

Ukrainians, not Russians. 

As for calling for the prosecution of war criminals, it 

must be stated that the Ukrainian Canadian community’s 

position has always been that any and all war criminals 

found in Canada, regardless of ethnic, religious or racial 

heritage, or the period or place where crimes against 

humanity or war crimes were committed, should be 

brought to justice in a Canadian criminal court of law. 

Only someone aping Duranty’s style of journalism 

would suggest otherwise. 

Our organizations have in no way ignored the possibility 

that there may be a few World War II era war 

criminals in Canada. But we have not seen any evidence, 

to date, proving that there are any Ukrainians 

here who collaborated with the Nazi occupation in perpetrating 

war crimes. 

We do know, however, there are people in Canada 

who worked for the Soviet NKVD/KGB/SMERSH and 

that they are not being investigated. Unfortunately, the 

media shows no interest in why that is. We conclude, 

with regret, that Canada, the U.S.A. and other countries, 

including Israel, have knowingly allowed themselves 

to become havens for alleged Communist war 

criminals. 

Perhaps future articles about the Duranty campaign 

(which, by the way, was initiated by the Ukrainian 

Canadian Civil Liberties Association and not by any 

Ukrainian American group) will do your readers the 

service of not diverting them from that contemporary 

story to another one (which is not even remotely related, 

unless you see the killings of the second world war as 

some kind of revenge for the atrocities perpetrated by the 

Soviets in the 1920s-1940s, a rather contentious view). 

As for special interest groups like the Wiesenthal 

Center, apparently interested in recalling only their 

people’s sufferings, we have no comment on such partiality 

other than pointing out that we have always 

taken a more inclusive approach, hallowing the memory 

of all victims of the Nazi and Soviet dictatorships 

and calling for all perpetrators of such crimes to be 

brought to justice. 

Instead of regurgitating unfounded allegations about 

who did what to whom during the second world war, 

your reporter might have done better to explore why 

some folks at the Pulitzer Prize Committee and at The 

New York Times still seem intent on protecting as odious 

a character as Walter Duranty, the man who covered 

up an unparalleled atrocity that cost many millions of 

Ukrainians their lives during the politically engineered 

Great Famine of 1932-1933. 

Lubomyr Luciuk, Ph.D. 

Kingston, Ontario 

The writer is director of research of the Ukrainian 

Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which is based in 

Toronto. 

What’s the relevance? 


Tim Rutten’s “The Blair Affair Fuels a 70-Year-Old 

Scandal” (Regarding Media, June 14) is an excellent 

analysis of the scandalous exploits of The New York 

Times’ Walter Duranty. It is the last quarter of his article 

that unfortunately misses the mark by a rather wide margin 

for reasons of relevance and historical accuracy. 

What is the conceivable relevance of what happened 

during the Holodomor – the murderous 1932-1933 

famine engineered by Stalin in which many millions of 

Ukrainians and others died in eastern Ukraine and elsewhere 

– to what 10 years later may or may not have 

happened in western Ukraine during World War II and 

the Nazi Holocaust? 

There is none. And that there is none becomes clearer 

from the following example. One of the two founding 

fathers of the criminal Soviet regime, Leon Trotsky, was 

Jewish. Lazar Kaganovich, one of Stalin’s two closest 

associates during the bloodiest decade of Soviet rule, the 

1930s, was Jewish. If you read the second volume of 

Solzhenitsyn’s “Gulag Archipelago,” you will learn that 

many of those who ran the Soviet concentration camps 

were Jewish. Yet would it ever occur to anyone to 

demand from someone who writes or speaks about the 


No. 27 

“Here I will stay forever this is the home 

I have chosen.” – Psalm 132:14 

by the Rev. Mykhaylo Voloshyn 

LVIV – During the divine liturgy that 

Pope John Paul II celebrated in Lviv on 

June 27, 2001, 27 Ukrainian Catholics – 

referred to as “Blessed Venerable Martyr 

Nicholas Charnetsky and his 

Companions” were beatified as martyrs 

and confessors of the faith. Such heroes 

of the faith, who bore witness of their 

loyalty to the ideals of the Gospel with 

their very lives, are treasured by all 

nations and all Churches. They are not 

only our pride and the proof of the vitality 

of our Church but also our holy intercessors 

before God. Through them we 

receive God’s abundant graces and, at 

times, miraculous healings and reprieve 

from hopeless situations. 

Nicholas Charnetsky was born on 

December 14, 1884, to a poor peasant 

family in the village of Semakivtsi. 

Having successfully completed his seminary 

studies, he was ordained a priest in 

1909 by Bishop Hryhorii Khomyshyn. In 

1919, Father Nicholas entered the 

Congregation of the Most Holy 

Redeemer (the Redemptorists), and in 

1934 he was consecrated as bishop and 

designated as the apostolic visitator to 

Ukrainians in the Volyn and Polissia 

regions. 

On April 11, 1945, Bishop Charnetsky 

was arrested by agents of the KGB and 

thus began his veritable “Way of the 

Cross” through 30 Soviet prisons and 

slave-labor camps, where he survived 


Lviv to be site of shrine dedicated to Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky 

A scene of some of the crowd of thousands in Lviv who participated in the procession of the relics of Blessed Nicholas 

Charnetsky, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2001 and is venerated as a saint. 

over 600 hours of interrogation and torture. 

In 1956, fully exhausted and physically 

destroyed, he was released from 

prison and was allowed to return to Lviv, 

where, on April 2, 1959, he went to his 

eternal reward. 

The veneration of a potential saint normally 

commences only after the official 

proclamation of his beatification or even 

his canonization; however, in the case of 

the Blessed Venerable Martyr Nicholas 

Charnetsky, this began much sooner. 

Ukrainian faithful, spontaneously and 

intuitively experienced his holiness. 

Almost immediately after his death, this 

confessor of the faith was venerated as a 

saint and his grave at the Lychakiv 

Cemetery in Lviv became a renowned 

pilgrimage site. A saint’s prayers have 

great power before God, and the Lord 

Jesus confirms this in supernatural ways. 

The archives contain hundreds of documented 

instances of the Blessed 

The Rev. Mykhaylo Voloshyn is 

provincial of Lviv Redemptorists. (Continued on page 22) 

Hierarchs and clergy officiate at a service before the transfer of the relics of the 

Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky. 

Faithful carry a portrait of Blessed Nicholas Charnetsky in the procession. 

The relics of the martyr Bishop Nicholas Charnetsky are taken from Lychakiv 

Cemetery for transfer to the Church of St. Josaphat, where a reliquary was set up.


No. 27 

Plast’s Vovcha Tropa campground to celebrate 50th anniversary 

by Zirka Klufas 

EAST CHATHAM, N.Y. – In a small 

corner of a picturesque mountain setting 

lies Vovcha Tropa, the campground of 

Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization. 

Located here in East Chatham, N.Y., 

Vovcha Tropa gives young people a 

chance to escape city life, both physically 

and spiritually, amid fresh air, rustling 

forests and green meadows, at least for a 

few weeks each year. 

Thanks to the efforts of visionaries 

like Orest Klufas, Bohdan Sobolta, 

Jaroslaw Boydunnyk and Wolodymyr 

Sushkiw, generations since 1953 have 

had the opportunity to spend their summers 

there, maintaining old friendships 

and developing new ones while earning 

merit badges, working on joint projects 

and putting into practice much of what 

they learned at weekly Plast troop meetings 

during the course of the year. 

During the 50 years of its existence, 

Vovcha Tropa has hosted 200 camps 

attended by more than 10,000 novaky 

and novachky (boys and girls age 6-10) 

and yunaky and yunachky (age 11-17). 

On July 18-20 Vovcha Tropa will mark 

its golden anniversary with a three-day celebration 

during the traditional “Den 

Plastuna” weekend, including an evening 

of song and a dance on Friday, followed by 

special camp performances on Saturday 

afternoon and a bonfire that night. The 

Sunday program will include divine liturgy 

and official closing ceremonies. 

The camps were originally held in 

four-week sessions in July and August, 

one for boys and girls. They are now held 

during a single three-week session in July, 

with the boys’ and girls camps being held 

simultaneously. The Plast homestead also 

holds specialized camps and counselor 

training sessions, as well as Sviato Vesny 

(an annual Memorial Day jamboree) and 

meetings of Plast fraternities and sororities. 

Vovcha Tropa has even hosted international 

Plast jamborees, when the meadow 

found at the heart of Vovcha Tropa, 

encircled by a forest of trees, comes to 

life. Then the vitality and beauty of the 

campground works its magic on the people 

who gather from all across the planet. 

Over the years members of Plast have 

Congratulations, Graduates! 

greeted dignitaries from the Ukrainian 

Catholic and Orthodox Churches at Vovcha 

Tropa, including Patriarchs Josyf Slipyj and 

Mstyslav Skrypnyk, Cardinals and Major 

Archbishops Myroslav Lubachivsky and 

Lubomyr Husar, Archbishop Paladii 

Wvdvbida-Rudenko, Metropolitan Stephen 

Sulyk, Bishop Basil Losten and 

Metropolitan Joseph M. Schmondiuk. 

Vovcha Tropa has always helped fulfill one 

of the three main duties of a Plast scout: 

“To be faithful to God and Ukraine.” 

Vovcha Tropa – where so many children 

have played and learned in a stunning 

mountain setting – begins its second 

half century on July 18-29, fondly looking 

back on 50 successful years and looking 

forward to 50 more. 

Congratulations, Luba! 

Your family and friends are very proud of your accomplishments and achievements that you have 

worked so hard for at the University of Pennsylvania. 

To be an Ivy League alumna is something you will cherish the rest of your life. Good luck at Robert 

Wood Johnson Medical School. 

Love, 

Mom, Dad, Alex and Monica 

Luba Ann Voinov received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology on May 18, 2003, graduating Magna Cum Laude with Distinction in 

Biology. She was on the Dean’s List, is a member of the Ernest M. Brown College Alumni Society, and was a recipient of an 

Undergraduate Research Grant at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 

Congratulations to our dear son and 

brother, Petro Andrij Steciuk, on your 

graduation on June 5, 2003, from Harvard 

University with a B.A. in Government 

Magna Cum Laude and a Citation in 

Ukrainian. We are also very proud of your 

election to Phi Beta Kappa and your 

Fulbright Fellowship to Ukraine. Good 

luck at Harvard Law School upon your 

return from Ukraine. We are also very 

proud of your continuous involvement in 

Plast and the Ukrainian community. 

Love, 

Katia and Yurko Steciuk, and Mark and family 

Natalia Sophia Payne 

was awarded a B.A. degree 

in theater studies on May 26, 2003, 

from Yale University in New Haven, CT. 

She graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi 

Beta Kappa with distinction in her major. 

Congratulations Natalka! You’ve made 

us very proud. 

Baba Tanya and Dido Bohdan Osadca 

Stephan Oleksander Hruszkewycz, 

son of Jaroslav and Marta (Kuczer) 

Hruszkewycz, graduated Magna Cum 

Laude from The Ohio State University 

with a B.S. Degree in Materials Science 

and Engineering. 

Stephan will begin a Ph.D. fellowship 

in MSE at Johns Hopkins University in 

September. 

Congratulations! 

With love, 

Mama, Tato, Adrian and Damian 

Peter J. Borayko R.Ph. has completed his 

Doctor of Pharmacy studies and has 

received his Doctorate of Pharmacy degree 

from the University of Florida. He attended 

graduation ceremonies that were held 

May 3, 2003, at the Pharmacy – Health 

Sciences Building at the University of 

Florida Gainesville Campus. Peter had 

received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy 

from the University of Connecticut. 

Peter is a clinical pharmacist at Bristol Hospital in Bristol, Conn. He 

has been appointed to the rank of Adjunctive Faculty as an 

Instructor in Pharmacy Practice at the University of Connecticut 

School of Pharmacy.

No. 27 


DATELINE NEW YORK: Ukrainian headline-makers at the Met 

by Helen Smindak 

The American Ballet Theater’s 2003 spring season at 

the renowned Metropolitan Opera House was graced by 

the performances of four dancers born in Ukraine: Irina 

Dvorovenko, her husband Maxim Belotserkovsky, and 

her mother Olga Dvorovenko, all of whom hail from 

Kyiv, and Vladimir Malakhov, a native of Kryvyi Rih in 

eastern Ukraine. 

Their performances through May and June drew critical 

acclaim from many quarters, including the esteemed 

dance critics Anna Kisselgoff, Jennifer Dunning and 

Jack Anderson of The New York Times. 

Partnered by Ethan Steifel, Irina Dvorovenko, a 

dynamic and excellently schooled dancer who can whip 

off perfect fouettes, opened ABT’s ballet gala on May 5 

in the role of Gamzatti, a rajah’s daughter. She and Mr. 

Steifel danced the betrothal scene from Natalia 

Makarova’s 1980 staging of Marius Petipa’s 19th century 

spectacle, “La Bayadere.” 

In a review by Ms. Dunning of Antony Tudor’s 

“Offenbach in the Underworld,” Ms. Dvorovenko was 

described as “delicious perfection” in the lead role of the 

Operetta Star – “ with every flick of the shoulders, wrists 

and come-hither legs signaling hard-boiled insouciance.” 

Olga Dvorovenko, in the role of Offenbach’s 

Madame la Patronne, “made the cafe proprietor into a 

gracious woman who had obviously lived and loved,” 

wrote Ms. Dunning. The dancer is a ballet instructor 

who interprets character roles in ABT productions. 

Mr. Belotserkovsky, termed by Ms. Dunning “a terrific 

dancer” in Stanton Welch’s “Clear” – a ballet she 

described as “a feast of understated bravura dancing for 

men” – found an even greater admirer in Ms. 

Kisselgoff. Complimenting him for his performance in 

“La Fille Mal Gardee,” Ms. Kisselgoff pointed out that 

he and his partner (Nina Ananiashvili), as the lovers, 

gave a most animated performance that was “sometimes 

free form but full of theatrical detail.” 

Ms. Dunning singled out Irina Dvorovenko for praise 

in “Don Quixote,” noting that she was “all flashing 

limbs in her jumps, with a rare, strange beauty to her 

delicate fan play in the fouettes.” 

On June 17, Ms. Dvorovenko and Mr. Belotserkovsky, 

who are among Ballet Theater’s most popular principals, 

were seen for the first time as the star-crossed lovers in 

“Romeo and Juliet.” Ms. Kisselgoff’s review said that 

Ms. Dvorovenko’s portrayal of Juliet ranged from vivacious 

to dazed, and Mr. Belotserkovsky’s short-tempered 

Romeo was also tender. 

Mr. Anderson devoted most of his June 22 review of 

the season’s first “Swan Lake” to the couple – Ms. 

Dvorovenko in the dual role of Odette, the Swan Queen, 

and Odile, the sorcerer’s daughter who disguises herself 

as Odette, and Mr. Belotserkovsky as Prince Siegfried, 

who loves Odette but is deceived by Odile. 

Wrote Mr. Anderson: “Mr. Belotserkovsky quickly 

established that his Siegfried was eager and high-spirited. 

Yet his noble line in the slow solo at the end of the first 

act indicated that Siegfried was sensitive and gregarious.” 

He praised Ms. Dvorovenko, saying she “offered a 

mimed solo in the second act that was clear, sincere storytelling.” 

In the adagio act, she and Mr. 

Belotserkovsky “let one limpid movement flow into 

another until their dancing was like a long sigh of love.” 

Mr. Malakhov, a multi-award winning dancer known 

for his soaring leaps and skimming traveling brises, 

made only a few appearances this season. He was lauded 

by Ms. Kisselgoff for his “gentle Romeo – a poetic 

dreamer who nevertheless snarles as he goes after 

Tybalt.” 

Ms. Kisselgoff said his noble line and fabled airy 

leaps were visible in the male trio of Act I and during 

his solo in the balcony scene. 

Mr. Malakhov, who joined ABT in 1995, is a product 

of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, where he began studies 

at the age of 10. Mr. Belotserkovsky, with ABT 

since 1994, and Ms. Dvorovenko, who joined the company 

in 1996, studied at the Kyiv Ballet. 

The Kyiv Ballet was also the training ground for 

Romanian-born Alina Cojocaru, a 21-year-old guest 

artist from the Royal Ballet in Britain who made her 

debut with Ballet Theater in June as Nikiya in “La 

Bayadere.” 

Kirov’s Ukrainians 

Four Ukrainian singers who are principals in the 

Kirov Opera of St. Petersburg will appear in leading 

roles when the Kirov comes to the Met this week for a 

three-week run. 

Baritone Vassily Gerello, tenors Vladimir Grishko 

and Viktor Lutsiuk, and bass-baritone Mikhail Kit will 

sing title or principal roles in the operas “Semyon 

Kotko,” “Khovanshchina,” “The Legend of the 

Invisible City of Kitezh” and “Macbeth.” 

The season opens on July 8 with Prokofiev’s 

“Semyon Kotko” in a new production which transports 

the characters from the opera’s original setting of 

the Ukrainian steppe to a charred, pitted scrap yard. 

The Met’s official press release offers this synopsis: 

The revolutionary Bolshevik government in Moscow 

has made peace with Germany, but much of Ukraine is 

still under German occupation. The Red Army, supported 

by scattered revolutionary partisan units, is 

advancing, opposed by the Germans and Haidamakmembers 

of a cavalry detachment loyal to a reactionary 

Ukrainian nationalist. 

Mr. Lutsiuk, who also appears in “Khovanshchina” 

and “Eugene Onegin,” sings the role of Semyon, 

returning to his Ukrainian village in 1918 after four 

years as a gunner in the Russian army. 

In the final act of the very long opera (curtain time 

is 7:30 p.m.), a blind bandura player laments the troubles 

of Ukraine. 

Mr. Grishko takes on the role of Semyon the following 

night. He and Mr. Kit tackle the roles of Andrei 

Khovansky and Dosifei in “Khovanshchina” on July 

11, and Mr. Gerello sings the title role in “Macbeth” 

on the evening of July 12. 

It’s very likely that there will be more than four 

Ukrainians performing on the Met stage during this run, 

since the Kirov roster includes quite a few Ukrainian 

names (Moroz, Petrenko, Semenchuk and Steblianko). 

The Met press office, however, was unable to provide 

additional information, and Kirov’s publicity rep has 

not responded to “Dateline’s” e-mail query. 

Two cultural institutions 

Two new Ukrainian cultural organizations – 

Hollywood Trident Network-New York and Zorya Inc. 

– have surfaced in the New York metropolitan area, a 

phenomenon that will undoubtedly expand our cultural 

borders in the Big City and beyond. 

The California-based Hollywood Trident Network, 

seeking to widen the scope of its central organization, 

the Hollywood Trident Foundation, has formed a New 

York chapter that will be known as Hollywood Trident 

Network-New York (HTN-NY). 

Bringing together entertainment and media industry 

professionals, HTN-NY expects to support fellow members 

in their career pursuits in New York and internationally 

and facilitate contact among professionals in 

the entertainment industry who are interested in 

Ukrainian affairs. 

The inaugural meeting, held in May at the Ukrainian 

Institute of America, was chaired by Peter Borisow, presi- 


Marty Sohl 

Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Belotserkovsky in American Ballet Theater’s production of “Don Quixote.”


No. 27 

Ukrainian American journeys to North Pole, and yes, even there ... 

One for the photo album: Moki Kokoris and friend (read on...) hold Ukrainian flag at the North Pole. 

by Moki Kokoris 

Imagine the following scenario: You 

are dressed in bright yellow and black 

clothing, thicker and puffier than anything 

else you have ever worn. 

Underneath it, you bear a resemblance to 

an onion with its many layers. The only 

exposed surfaces of your skin are experiencing 

what has to be the coldest temperature 

you have ever felt. Aside from what 

you have learned by reading about this 

place, you find yourself surrounded by a 

vast expanse of a world thus far completely 

unfamiliar; a thousand shades of 

blinding white, just as many hues of 

turquoise blue, a seemingly endless flat 

horizon along the perimeter of which the 

midnight sun relentlessly revolves without 

setting. Were it not for the absence of 

stars and a black velvet sky, you might as 

well be on the moon. 

However, you are in fact standing upon 

the very apex of our own planet, the virtual 

pin-point around which it spins. Your 

address is degree 90 North. The time is 

April 18, AD, 2003, 13:50 Moscow time. 

The description above is what this 

author was fortunate enough to witness 

not too long ago. It had been a childhood 

dream, a secret wish which I never truly 

believed could be realized. But with perseverance, 

determination and even more 

conviction, I have come to understand 

that much more can happen, and that 

many more dreams can come true as long 

as one is willing to give them wings. 

Stranger things have happened, as you 

shall soon discover. 

The personal experience of a polar nirvana 

aside, what amazed me just as much 

as the infinity of the ice cap, was the fact 

that, as large as planet Earth really is, as 

minuscule and trivial as one can feel 

while standing in the midst of it all, it can 

still be a small world. 

KYIV – President of Ukraine Leonid 

Kuchma on June 11 presented the Order 

of Princess Olha, III level, to Western 

NIS Enterprise Fund President and Chief 

Executive Officer Natalie A. Jaresko in 

recognition of her distinguished contribution 

toward the development of Ukraine’s 

investment climate. 

The order was bestowed upon Ms. 

Jaresko on June 11 in Kyiv at the All- 

Ukrainian Meeting on Improvement of 

Investment Climate in Ukraine. President 

Kuchma presided over the meeting, 

which was attended by the prime minister, 

all oblast chairman, many mayors, 

key members of the Verkhovna Rada and 

the Cabinet of Ministers, select foreign 

investors, members of President 

Kuchma’s Foreign Investment Advisory 

Council, as well as representatives of 

many diplomatic missions and international 

financial institutions operating in 

Ukraine. 

Established in 1997, the Princess Olha 

Order is one the most prestigious national 

awards recognizing women who have 

made remarkable achievements and contributions 

to the national, industrial, 

Prior to leaving home for the Arctic 

world yet unknown, I had researched 

whether I could perhaps somehow get 

my name on the list of North Pole firsts. 

According to my sources, it was determined 

that there had never been a 

woman to “claim” the North Pole by 

planting the Ukrainian flag. I could be 

the first. However, (“Houston, we have a 

problem”). I did not have access to a 

Ukrainian flag. Emergency measures had 

to be put into place. A dear friend from 

our very small local Ukrainian community, 

Uljana Slabicka, came to the rescue 

by actually sewing one at the last 

minute. (“Thank you, Uljana!”) So, precious 

cargo packed, and off northward I 

went. 

The last leg of my expedition was via 

helicopter, from Borneo Ice Base Camp 

to a “safe” landing spot nearest the pole. 

As has been the case since 1968, all of 

the aircrafts, as well as the base camp 

social, scientific, educational, cultural, 

charitable and other spheres of life in 


Under Ms. Jaresko’s leadership and 

guidance, WNISEF has become the 

region’s leading private equity fund. It 

has built a nearly $80 million investment 

portfolio that includes 24 companies in 

Ukraine and Moldova. The majority of 

these companies lead the market in consistently 

providing high-quality, innovative 

products and services as a result of 

their enduring commitment to excellence 

in all business areas. WNISEF’s portfolio 

companies set standards for other businesses 

in the region and serve as strong 

examples of success that attract further 

potential investment into economies. 

Ms. Jaresko has spent over 11 years 

actively working to attract and promote 

foreign investment in Ukraine. After 

serving three years as the first chief of 

Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy 

to Ukraine, where she focused attention 

on encouraging private businesses to 

invest their capital in Ukraine’s fastgrowing 

emerging market, she has 

embarked on an effort to get directly 

itself, are operated by Russians. 

Conveniently, the Ukrainian language is 

close enough to theirs that communication 

with the crew was rather effortless. 

To the amusement of many in my group, 

including myself, I became expedition 

interpreter by default. This accidental 

fact also purchased me open access to 

the cockpit. Security? What security? It 

is not necessary here. It is highly unlikely 

that there would be any terrorist 

threats or hijackings during flights to the 

polar ice cap. 

After testing the integrity of the ice 

by literally tapping the surface in a few 

places with our helicopter’s landing 

gear, a safe location was finally found, 

and we expeditioners, collectively, could 

safely utter, “The Eagle has landed.” 

Everyone off! 

Once we all stepped out onto the ice, 

the expedition leaders began to set up 

the flags they had brought along – one 

representing each expedition member’s 

country. But their set did not include a 

Ukrainian flag, which is when I quickly 

unrolled the one I had brought with me. 

After everyone else was finished with 

their “Kodak moments,” I stepped into 

the half-circle of flapping flags, and 

unfurled mine for my own moment in 

the midnight sun, while from inside the 

cockpit the four helicopter pilots looked 

on disinterestedly, but only until they 

recognized my flag. Suddenly, three of 

them were standing in front of me, 

pushing the fourth man forward. He 

introduced himself as Yurii Kuzmenko – 

from the town of Kremenchuk in 


Imagine now that you are standing at 

degree 90 North, on a shifting crust of 

frozen ocean only 2 meters thick, in front 

of a row of international flags, holding 

up one corner of a Ukrainian flag, the 

opposite one of which is supported by, 

yes, a fellow Ukrainian. We are everywhere! 

Yes, even here, at the North Pole. 

What are the odds of that? 

No real reasons for this question are 

necessary, but I would like to know why 

the colors of our flag seemed to glow a 

hint more brilliantly in that place, on 

that eventful day. My speculation: pride 

of heritage. And whoever begs to differ 

with my theory will be forced to come to 

the pole with me next spring, and prove 

me wrong. 

Kuchma presents Order of Princess Olha to Western NIS Enterprise Fund’s president/CEO 

The Order of Princess Olha, III level, 

awarded to Natalie A. Jaresko, president 

and CEO of the Western NIS Enterprise 

Fund, for her distinguished contributions 

toward the development of Ukraine’s 

investment climate. 

involved in the country’s private sector 

development by joining Western NIS 

Enterprise Fund (WNISEF). 

WNISEF was established by the U.S. 

government in 1994 to support smalland 

medium-sized private businesses of 

Ukraine and Moldova by providing them 

with capital and the necessary management 

tools to evolve from entrepreneurial 

ventures into professionally managed 

companies. 

Ms. Jaresko received a master’s degree 

in public policy from the Harvard 

University Kennedy School of 

Government in 1989 and a Bachelor of 

science in accounting from DePaul 

University in Chicago in 1987. She is a 

registered CPA and serves on the boards 

of the International Management Institute 

in Kyiv, the East-West Institute in Kyiv, 

and the DePaul University Commerce 

Exchange. 

A Chicago native, Ms. Jaresko was 

named by Mayor Richard Daley to the 

Kyiv-Chicago Sister City Committee. 

She is married and has a young daughter 

and is also a member of Ukrainian 

National Association Branch 114.

No. 27 


FOCUS ON PHILATELY 

by Ingert Kuzych 

Commemorating the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 

This year marks the 85th anniversary 

of Ukraine entering into one of the most 

important agreements in its history: the 

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. By terms of this 

treaty, Ukraine was able to withdraw 

from World War I in the spring of 1918 

and enjoy a period of relative peace that 

extended for most of the remainder of the 

year. This time was crucial for the nascent 

state in establishing all manner of 

new Ukrainian institutions, many of 

which would help it survive the turbulence 

of the next few years before finally 

succumbing to Bolshevik forces. 

Most importantly, however, the treaty 

also granted Ukraine international recognition 

by the four Central Powers: 

Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria and 

Turkey. Eventually, about a dozen countries 

would extend diplomatic recognition 

to Ukraine. 

Brest-Litovsk is located in the southwest 

corner of today’s Belarus, about 25 

kilometers (15 miles) from the border of 

the Volyn Oblast in Ukraine. The town 

became the focus of the peace talks since 

it was then the seat of the German army’s 

headquarters on the Eastern Front. By 

December of 1917, the Soviet government 

– which had seized power in the 

Revolution just the month before and 

which wished to end Russia’s participation 

in the war – signed a three-month 

armistice (December 16, 1917) with 

Germany. 

Hungering for peace 

It was in the interest of both sides to 

conclude a peace when they met at Brest- 

Litovsk in late 1917. Russia had suffered 

crushing defeats earlier in the year and 

many returning disillusioned Russian soldiers 

were creating instability in the 

countryside. The Soviets desperately 

needed peace to consolidate their hold on 

the country. The Central Powers, on the 

other hand, did not wish to move any further 

east and occupy more Russian territories. 

They were interested in eliminating 

their Eastern Front so that they could 

concentrate their forces against France 

and Italy in the west. 

There was still another powerful factor 

that drove the Central Powers to the bargaining 

table: hunger. Both Germany and 

Austria-Hungary were in dire need of 

foodstuffs and raw materials, both of 

which they hoped to obtain from 


So, it was for these reasons that the 

Central Powers welcomed delegates from 

the Ukrainian National Republic or UNR 

(as well as representatives from Finland, 

Poland and the Baltic states, each of 

which had declared or was about to 

declare its independence from Russia). 

The delegates from Ukraine were 

Oleksander Sevriuk, Mykola Liubynsky, 

Mykola Levytsky and Serhii Ostapenko. 

The Soviet Russian delegation was headed 

by Leon Trotsky, who at a session of 

the conference on January 10, 1918, recognized 

the independence of the UNR 

and agreed to have its delegation participate 

in the proceedings. Subsequently, 

when he tried to discredit the Ukrainian 

delegation, he was ignored by the Central 

Powers. 

The position of Minister of Foreign 

Affairs Count Ottokar Czernin, who led 

the Austrian delegation, was especially 

important during the discussions. He 

needed a treaty at any cost in order to 

secure grain to alleviate a catastrophic 

food shortage in Vienna. (Food riots, 

strikes and mutinies had sprung up in 

various parts of the Austro-Hungarian 

Empire in January of 1918.) Knowing of 

conditions in Austria, the Ukrainian delegation 

acted firmly and calmly, at first 

even attempting to obtain the union of 

Ukrainian-inhabited regions within the 

Austro-Hungarian Empire – the Kholm 

region, Eastern Galicia and Bukovyna – 

with greater Ukraine. 

Count Czernin firmly opposed these 

opening demands but, in the end, the 

Kholm lands did (temporarily) transfer to 

Ukraine and a supplemental secret 

amendment was agreed to in which the 

western Ukrainian lands of the empire 

would be separated into a special crownland 

(but still within Austria-Hungary). 

The UNR’s most important demand, its 

recognition by the Central Powers, was 

obtained during a plenary session of the 

Peace Conference with the grudging 

approval of the Soviet Russian delegation. 

The peace agreement was signed on 

February 9, 1918 (see Figures 1 and 2). 

Treaty provisions 

The treaty provided for the establishment 

of frontiers between Ukraine and 

Austria-Hungary to run along the prewar 

boundaries between Russia and Austria- 

Hungary. The territory of the Ukrainian 

state recognized by the treaty included 

not only the nine former Russian imperial 

provinces claimed by the UNR’s 

Central Rada but also the above-mentioned 

province of Kholm, and the southern 

third of the Minsk and Grodno 

provinces, including Brest-Litovsk itself, 

all of which had sizable Ukrainian populations 

(see Figure 3). 

As regards the secret protocol for 

Ukrainian-inhabited territories of 

Austria-Hungary (Galicia and Bukovyna) 

to become a separate crownland, the 

agreement was that a bill introducing the 

territorial redesignation would occur in 

the Austrian legislature by July 31, 1918. 


FIGURE 1. Austrian postcard of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty negotiations. The 

German inscription reads: “The peace with Ukraine. The concluding night session 

of February 9-10 during which the peace protocol was signed.” The 

Ukrainian delegation sits on the left facing its Austrian counterparts. 

FIGURE 2. Another Austrian postcard carries the same inscription as the first. 

The Ukrainian delegates signing the treaty are (from left): Mykola Levytsky, 

Oleksander Sevriuk and Mykola Liubynsky. 

FIGURE 4. Ukrainian scouts participating in the Peace and Ukrainian 

Independence Celebration held in Lviv on March 3, 1918. 

FIGURE 5. A commemorative medal minted for the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty. 

FIGURE 6. Commemorative labels proclaim the Peace of Brest-Litovsk and 

prominently show a map of Ukraine. Label colors are black on cream brick red 

on cream, and black on gray.


No. 27 

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dent of Media Finance Management in Los 

Angeles, who heads the Hollywood Trident 

Foundation. (Los Angeles attorney Andy 

Semotiuk heads the Hollywood Trident 

Network.) On hand were a couple of film 

producers, a cinematographer, an actor, an 

advertising executive, a TV writer/producer, 

an artist and a theater director. 

The group selected a three-member 

commission which includes New Yorkers 

Teresa Zariczny, Marko Suprun and 

Peter Sabat to draw up a plan of action. 

Taking a cue from the foundation, 

which held a Dovzenko film festival at 

UCLA last fall and plans a human rights 

film festival this year, HTN-New York 

will consider arranging a Ukrainian film 

festival, planning an exhibit of large 

posters at the Ukrainian Institute and creating 

scholarships for Ukrainian students. 

Roman Czajkowsky, a member of the 

institute’s board of directors who is keen 

about an organization that will stage 

Ukrainian events and programs that 

would impact on the American public, 

sees HTN-NY as an instrument for educating 

Americans about Ukraine’s rich 

heritage and dispelling myths and mistaken 

notions about Ukraine. 

Individuals interested in joining the 

New York group, either as regular or associate 

members, are asked to contact Mr. 

Czajkowksy at the Ukrainian Institute of 

America, 2 E. 79th St., New York, NY 

10021; or phone (212) 288-8660. 

Zorya Inc., a not-for-profit organization 

dedicated to elevating and inspiring 

public awareness of Ukrainian history, 

culture, art and the sciences, was formed 

in Connecticut and has already established 

an affiliation with the New Yorkbased 

Ukrainian Academy of Arts and 

Sciences (UVAN). 

The organization was founded in April 

2001 at the initiative of Zorianna 

Majewski Altomaro of Greenwich, Conn., 

in memory of her late father, Alexander 

Alfred Majewski, her grandmother Tatiana 

Majewski Rosov and her maternal grandparents, 

Lew and Stephania Pushkar. Ms. 

Altomaro points out that her husband, 

Robert P. Altomaro II, and her mother, 

Christina T. Majewski, are the inspiration 

and guiding force behind Zorya. 

Valeriy Kuchinsky, Ukraine’s permanent 

representative to the United Nations, is 

Zorya’s advisor, and business and community 

leaders from a variety of backgrounds 

make up its board of directors. Though still 

in its initiatory phase, Zorya is on the way 

to realizing a number of its goals. 

The organization recently sponsored 

the debut presentation of groundbreaking 

research on archeological discoveries 

from Baturyn, Ukraine’s capital city in 

the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Currently, it is collaborating with 

UVAN to plan and support the restoration 

and preservation of the landmark New 

York building that houses the academy, 

and has already donated $20,000 toward 

the building’s restoration. There are plans 

to restore the academy’s archives, a project 

deemed extremely important to the 

cultural life of the Ukrainian community. 

Zorya is also sponsoring art exhibits 

of Ukrainian artists Valeriy Skrypka and 

Anton S. Kandinsky, as well as a booklength 

study on Ukraine’s royalty by 

Ukrainian Canadian historian/author 

Andrew Gregorovich. 

Named Zorya, which means star in 

Ukrainian, because it hopes to be the star 

by which people may navigate to a higher 

level of appreciation and knowledge 

of Ukraine’s history and culture, the 

organization may be contacted by e-mail 

at z.altomaro@zorya.org. 

Helen Smindak’s e-mail address is 

HaliaSmindak@aol.com.

No. 27 

Story of Duranty’s... 


1990 calling it, ‘some of the worst reporting 

to appear in this newspaper.’ That piece 

appeared the same day as a review of a 

biography of Duranty titled ‘Stalin’s 

Apologist.’ But they ask why the paper 

never has offered to return the prize,” wrote 

Mr. Leroux. 

The Los Angeles Times on June 14 printed 

a story headlined “The Blair affair fuels a 

70-year-old scandal.” Written by Tim 

Rutten and published on the front page of 

the newspaper’s “Calendar” (arts, entertainment, 

style and culture) section under the 

rubric “Regarding Media,” the article 

referred to “the 13-year-old campaign to 

strip The New York Times’ Walter Duranty 

of the Pulitzer Prize he won in 1932.” 

Mr. Rutten wrote: “American journalism 

has thrown up more than its share of vile 

characters; Duranty certainly was among 

the worst. As the Times’ Moscow correspondent 

in the 1920s and ‘30s, he was an 

active agent of Soviet propaganda and disinformation 

– probably paid, certainly 

blackmailed, altogether willing. For years, 

Duranty lied, distorted and suppressed 

information to please Joseph Stalin.” 

“Duranty’s reports did not simply ignore 

the famine. They denied its existence,” the 

article pointed out. When Duranty was 

awarded the Pulitzer, Mr. Rutten continued, 

in his acceptance speech he spoke of his 

“respect [for] the Soviet leaders, especially 

Stalin,” whom he called “a really great 

statesman.” 

Mr. Rutten’s article, which also appeared 

online, then went on to excoriate those 

pressing the Duranty case, including 

“Ukrainian émigré organizations”: 

“Curiously, the same organizations and 

commentators who are pressing the issue of 

Duranty’s prize have been resolutely silent 

about one of the Holocaust’s darkest chapters 

– the collaboration by tens of thousands 

of Ukrainians with the Nazi murderers of 

Eastern European Jewry.” (For a full report 

on this aspect of the story, see page 8.) 

Newspapers across the country picked 

up the Associated Press story previously 

reported in The Weekly’s round-up of 

media coverage of the Duranty issue 

(June 15). Among them were: The Star- 

Ledger, New Jersey’s largest newspaper; 

the Abilene Reporter of Texas, The Daily 

Gazette of Schenectady, N.Y., and the 

Palo Alto Daily News and the San Jose 

Mercury News, both in California. 

In Russia, The Moscow Times of June 

16 published a story by Matt Bivens, “One 

Pulitzer that should shake the world.” Mr. 

Bivens noted that Duranty won his prize in 

1932, “for ‘excellence in reporting’ out of 

the Soviet Union. That same year, the Stalin 

regime sealed the borders of Ukraine, 

ordered the confiscation of grain, and engineered 

a mass famine – one so neatly political 

that it stopped precisely at the 

Ukrainian-Russian internal border.” 

Juxtaposing the Blair case, which led to 

the publication of an exposé that began on 

the front page of The New York Times and 

took up four additional pages inside, with 

that of Duranty, in which an asterisk follows 

the discredited reporter’s name in listing of 

the newspaper’s Pulitzer winners, Mr. 

Bivens wrote the following: 

“So, a cub reporter publishes a string of 

articles that plagiarize or embellish upon 

some pretty minor realities – and this provokes 

a monster mea culpa on the front 

page detailing the paper’s sins, followed by 

the resignations of its editors. Meanwhile, 

another reporter is known to have been a 

serial liar, someone who actively worked 

over many years to cover up the equivalent 

of the Holocaust – and The New York 

Times admits as much, yet feels OK holding 

on to his Pulitzer. Doesn’t that tarnish 

the other 88?” 

The PBS network’s “Online NewsHour” 

reported on June 11 that the Pulitzer Prize 

Board had announced it would reconsider 


the award given to Duranty. It noted that Sig 

Gissler, administrator of The Pulitzer Prizes, 

said that Duranty was honored in 1932 for 

stories published the previous year, which 

were unrelated to the Famine. 

It further quoted Mr. Gissler, a former 

editor of The Milwaukee Journal and professor 

at the Columbia School of 

Journalism, as explaining that “There are no 

written procedures regarding prize revocation. 

There are no standards or precedents 

for revoking the prize. We look at what 

would be reasonable and analyze the factors 

that would have to be considered.” 

Fox News Channel aired a longer segment 

on the campaign to strip Duranty of 

his Pulitzer on its Sunday evening newscast 

on June 15. The story, reported by 

Rick Leventhal, contained interviews 

with Askold Lozynskyj, president of the 

Ukrainian World Congress, and Roma 

Hadzewycz, editor-in-chief of The 

Ukrainian Weekly. 

Among other broadcast media that 

reported on the campaign were New York 

area radio stations WNYC and WNBC, and 

the websites of CBS and ABC news. 

The Weekly Standard, a U.S.-based magazine 

of news and opinion, on June 12 carried 

a piece titled “Pulitzer-winning lies.” 

Arnold Beichman, a research fellow at 

the Hoover Institution and a columnist for 

The Washington Times, wrote: “At long 

last a Pulitzer Prize committee is looking 

into the possibility that the Pulitzer awarded 

to Walter Duranty, The New York 

Times Moscow correspondent whose dispatches 

covered up Stalin’s infamies, 

might be revoked.” 

He went on to quote some of the lies 

contained in the correspondent’s dispatches 

and pointed out that “What is so 

awful about Duranty is that Times top 

brass suspected that Duranty was writing 

Stalinist propaganda but did nothing,” 

citing S.J. Taylor’s biography of Duranty, 

“Stalin’s Apologist” as the source of 

information about editors’ misgivings 

about their star correspondent’s work, 

including a recommendation that he be 

replaced that was never acted on. 

He concludes his commentary thus: 

“Let’s all give a great encouraging cheer 

to the Pulitzer committee for undertaking 

a task 70 years late.” 

A major report on the Duranty case, in 

the form of an on-air discussion about who 

Duranty was and the decision facing the 

Pulitzer Prize committee was aired on June 

11 by National Public Radio (a transcript of 

the segment may be purchased online). 

“Talk of the Nation” Host Neal Conan 

spoke with Tom Rosenstiel, director of the 

Project for Excellence in Journalism, and 

William Taubman, a professor of political 

science at Amherst College and author of 

several books about the USSR, including 

the most recent and highly acclaimed 

“Khrushchev: The Man and His Era.” 

The NPR discussants noted that Duranty 

had won his award for 1931 coverage of the 

USSR, but agreed that the Pulitzer committee 

would now have to determine whether 

Duranty lied in his Pulitzer-award winning 

stories as he did later when he concealed the 

Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 in Ukraine. 

In order to make that determination, Mr. 

Rosenstiel said the committee would have 

to have evidence that Duranty knew his 

coverage contained falsehoods. 

In India, the country’s largest Englishlanguage 

business daily, The Economic 

Times, on June 6 carried a story headlined 

“Pulitzer to review award for Duranty.” 

The story began as follows: “As the U.S. 

media still digests the shock and lessons of 

the Jayson Blair affair at The New York 

Times, a far older and far worse journalist 

wrong may soon be posthumously righted, 

reports UPI.” It also cited The Ukrainian 

Weekly’s May 25 news story by Andrew 

Nynka that first reported the Pulitzer Prize 

Board’s review of the Duranty case. 

The Economic Times went on to call 


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No. 27 

Boryslav to get computer learning center 

LEHIGHTON – The Rotary Club of 

Lehighton, Pa., with support from Rotary 

International Foundation and with cooperation 

from the Kobzar Society is coordinating 

and co-sponsoring the establishment 

of a computer learning center on 

the premises of the Special School- 

Internat for Disadvan-taged and Crippled 

Children in the town of Boryslav, Lviv 

oblast. 

The Rotary Club Ratusha-Lviv will 

provide assistance locally in Boryslaw. 

Ten computers will be installed in one of 

the classrooms at the special school so 

that the children who live and study there 

will have ready and easy access to the 

computer technology. Additional assistance 

and funds will be provided to 

ensure successful launching of this very 

important facility. 

It is hoped that this computer learning 

center will provide the disadvantaged 

children with strong intellects and a new 

hope for a better future and an opportunity 

for a productive life. 

The Kobzar Society Ltd., a humanitarian 

aid corporation based in Lehighton, 

Pa., will supply the computers for the 

project. As part of a long-term ongoing 

program, the society is currently shipping 

61 additional computers to educational 

institutions throughout Ukraine. Among 

the computers in the latest shipment there 

are the 10 computers that are designated 

for delivery to the Special School- 

Internat in Boryslav. 

Organizations or individuals who may 

wish to organize, sponsor or join similar 

humanitarian projects for schools, hospitals, 

clinics, museums, libraries or other 

educational institutions in Ukraine 

should contact the Kobzar Society via 

phone at (610) 377-3383 or via e-mail at 

ojhanas@ptd.net. 

To subscribe: Send $55 ($45 if you are a member of the UNA) to The Ukrainian Weekly, 

Subscription Department, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054 

NEWSBRIEFS 


and Europe, head of the ROC-OR, is leading 

this movement away from the Moscow 

Patriarchate. Archbishop Varnava in 1992 

appealed in the name of the ROC-OR to 

the late Patriarch Volodymyr Romaniuk 

and his assistant, now Patriarch Filaret 

(Denysenko) of the UOC-KP, proposing 

the establishment of brotherly relations 

between the two Churches. There are now 

three eparchies of the UOC-KP in Russia 

which might in the future be separated into 

a separated Russian autonomous jurisdiction 

of the Kyivan Patriarchate. The UOC- 

KP also has contacts with various branches 

of the True Orthodox Church (TOC) of 

Russia, and it has entered into liturgical 

union with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church 

and the old calendar TOC of Greece. 

(Religious Information Service of 

Ukraine) 

Greek-Catholic bishops meet 

LVIV – The 19th session of the Synod 

of Bishops of the Kyiv and Halych 

Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Greek- 

Catholic Church (UGCC) was held on 

June 12-13 in Lviv. Catechesis, Polish- 

Ukrainian relations and the construction 

of the UGCC Cathedral in Kyiv were 

among the topics discussed. Commemorations 

of the 70th anniversary of the 

Famine-Genocide in Ukraine in 1932- 

1933 also were discussed. The bishops 

decided to mark the anniversary in Kyiv 

with other Churches, and agreed to facilitate 

the production of a documentary 

about the Famine. (Religious Information 

Service of Ukraine)

No. 27 


Sylvia Blake’s legacy: projects to help children’s hospitals in Ukraine 

by Larissa Kyj 

PHILADELPHIA – A shining example 

of generosity and humanitarian effort is 

that of Sylvia Blake, a woman who loved 

her fellow man and never forgot her roots. 

She died on September 25, 2002, in 

Michigan, but her memory lives on as she 

left a considerable portion of her assets, 

approximately $600,000 specifically earmarked 

for a special project to aid children’s 

hospitals in Ukraine. 

Ms. Blake had visited Ukraine in 1971, 

had seen the abysmal conditions in the 

hospitals and was determined to make a 

difference. She made a specific bequest 

allowing the United Ukrainian American 

Relief Committee, an organization that she 

remembered had helped Ukrainian immigrants 

resettle in the U.S. in the 1940s, to 

administer the program. 

The executor of the estate asked the 

UUARC to submit a detailed proposal for 

a specific program that would benefit ill 

children in Ukraine. With the help of the 

two UUARC directors in Lviv and Kyiv, 

15 hospitals were targeted for this project 

and a grant application was submitted. 

Needs were ascertained, bids were 

obtained and evaluated, hospital directors 

were consulted and an in-depth investigation 

began into the procedures that would 

be required to turn Ms. Blake’s dream into 

reality. Information from all sources led to 

the decision that the ambulances would be 

the most immediately useful and the most 

crucially needed items. 

The head of the Department of 

Children’s Medical Facilities of the 

Ministry of Health, Dr. Raissa 

Mojsejenko, was consulted and suggested 

that the UUARC consider assisting the 

more rural and less-equipped areas of 


The question arose whether some of the 

more rural areas would require a more 

powerful vehicle to better handle the dismal 

road conditions. The directors of the 

hospitals were polled regarding the interior 

outfitting of these ambulances, as there 

were two options: more complex technology 

built-in and simpler interiors with 

portable diagnostic and support technology. 

All of the doctors opted for the second 

interior option, and all but two required 

the heavier-terrain vehicle. 

Vera Prinko, the director of UUARC’s 

Kyiv office, next began researching potential 

sources for the ambulances. 

The general consensus was that 

Ukraine would maximally benefit from 

Ms. Blake’s legacy if the UUARC purchased 

Ukrainian-assembled vehicles, 

thereby also supporting the economy. 

Thus, the two in-country dealers of ambulances 

were approached. Final comparisons 

and negotiations led to contracts for 

15 ambulances, 13 UAZ heavy-duty and 

two HAZ regular vehicles, with the local 

dealers that offered the best prices, most 

beneficial discounts and best extended 

service plan. The vehicles were delivered 

by regional distributors for ease of delivery 

and servicing. 

The ambulances were delivered in 

February to the following recipients: 

Dolynska Likarnia – Dolyna, Ivano- 

Frankivsk Oblast; Nadvirianska Dytiacha 

Likarnia – Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast; 

Drohobytskyi Polohovyi Budynok – 

Drohobych, Lviv Oblast; Lysetska 

Likarnia – Lysets, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast; 

Krasnodonska Dytiacha Likarnia – 

Krasnodon, Luhansk Oblast; Novo-Odeska 

Likarnia – Nova Odesa, Mykolaiv Oblast; 

Tyvrivska Raionna Likarnia – Tyvriv, 

Vinnytsia Oblast; Artemivska Raionna 

Likarnia – Artemivsk, Donetsk Oblast; 

Turiiska Raionna Likarnia – Turiisk, Volyn 

Larissa Kyj is president of the United 

Ukrainian American Relief Committee. 

Oblast; Dytiacha Oblasna Likarnia – 

Sumy, Sumy Oblast; Volodarska Raionna 

Likarnia – Kyiv Oblast; Skvyrska 

Tsentralna Likarnia – Skvyra, Kyiv 

Oblast’; Lutskyi Polohovyi Budynok – 

Lutsk Volyn Oblast; Iziumskia Tsentralna 

Raionna Likarnia – Izium, Kharkiv Oblast; 

and Seredno-Budska Tsentralna Raionna 

Likarnia – Sumy Oblast. 

The hospitals reacted with gratitude and 

disbelief at their good fortune. The local 

press wrote many articles spotlighting Ms. 

Blake, the UUARC and her humanitarian 

gesture, and several hospitals have even 

put up plaques and photographs in memory 

of Ms. Blake. The hospital director of 

the Sumy Hospital, Dr. Arkadi Lushpa, 

said that since independence the oblast has 

gotten less than $40,000 in total foreign 

humanitarian aid, and, therefore, they were 

thrilled to be included in this project. 

The Blake Project Proposal included, in 

addition to the ambulances, necessary 

equipment for pediatric care – from 

portable incubators to pediatric respirators 

and small-scale surgical and support 

equipment. Each of the 14 selected hospitals 

will receive the necessary upgrades to 

serve its patients. The ordering of the medical 

equipment for the individual hospitals 

will commence as the UUARC is 

Larissa Kyj of the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee presents the keys 

to a new ambulance to Dr. P. I. Storozhenko of the Volodarska Raionna Likarnia. 

informed that the repairs and rehabilitation 

for the facilities are nearing completion by 

the Ministry of Health. 

In much of Ukraine, the child illness 

and mortality rate is very high, with children 

suffering from chronic respiratory 

disease, high rates of cancer and, currently, 

an outbreak of tuberculosis, not to mention 

HIV-AIDS. The most cost-effective 

method of improving the medical care of 

the greatest number of patients would be 

by providing the regional clinics and 

smaller village medical centers with standardized 

medical equipment packets. 

Thus, the UUARC has been working on 

finalizing deals with the manufacturers of 

the equipment for the medical packets, 

which mark the third phase of the project. 

The assembly of the packets is expected to 

be finalized this fall.


No. 27

No. 27 


Ukrainian pro hockey update 

by Ihor Stelmach 

Resilient Devils outlast ducks 

The unknown hockey name Michael 

Rupp was added to the Hall of Fame distinguished 

list of Wayne Gretzky, Bobby 

Orr, Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe. 

Mike Rupp was a 23-year-old rookie 

centerman with only 26 games of 

National Hockey League experience 

entering the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. 

In a somewhat desperate move, the 

New Jersey Devils activated and dressed 

the rookie halfway into the finals series 

against Anaheim. Seems those pesky 

Mighty Ducks were very mighty, indeed, 

controlling most key face-offs. Rupp was 

thrown in as a stopgap attempt to try and 

win more draws. 

A role player/spare forward, he certainly 

never dreamed he would go on to 

tally a Stanley Cup-winning goal. 

“Tough to believe,” he said about the 

Devils’ 3-0 victory in Game 7 that forever 

earned him a spot on the above elite 

goal scoring list. 

“Those are great names, but the most 

important names I’ll be linked with are 

the New Jersey Devils on the 2003 

Stanley Cup”, spoken by a young man 

who truly knows his place on a perennial 

championship team. 

Probably the most obscure player on 

one of the most obscure Stanley Cup 

winning teams in recent league history, 

he skated into the high slot, where he 

managed to maintain position early in 

the second period. Rupp’s deflection of a 

Scott Niedermayer shot from the point 

was a typical power forward’s move – 

fight for a precious spot not too far from 

the net, stand your ground and pray a 

slapper from a shooting defenseman 

bounces off your stick or body for a 

score. 

The 6’5” 230-pound Rupp raised his 

arms in celebrated shock when the 

deflected shot trickled its way through 

the pads of Ducks’ netminder Jean- 

Sebastien Giguere. Of course, this was 

Rupp’s first ever playoff goal, the first 

goal of this seventh playoff game and the 

only one Devils’ goaltender Martin 

Brodeur would need. 

The shutout was Brodeur’s record seventh 

in the playoffs and third in the 

finals. Such masterful goaltending was 

not enough to claim the Conn Smythe 

Trophy as post-season MVP, which was 

won by his counterpart in net, Giguere. 

As the New Jersey crowd booed the 

Conn Smythe announcement, the Devils 

players politely applauded when Giguere 

accepted the award. The Devils could 

readily afford to be magnanimous, as 

they had just won their third Cup in nine 

years. Though far from being the most 

imposing of the franchise’s winners, the 

2002-2003 edition may just have been 

the grittiest. 

The Devils played a near-perfect 

Game 7, stifling the Anaheim attack with 

their zone trap and getting two goals 

from former Duck Jeff Friesen. Coming 

off shaky performances in Games 5 and 

6, Brodeur was in total control. He 

stopped 24 shots on goal and handled the 

puck with control and care. During the 

post-game celebrations, he did an excellent 

job handling the Stanley Cup. Of 

course, he’s had plenty of practice in the 

past nine years. 

No new jerseys for Daneyko 

Kenny Daneyko’s NHL career did not 

get off to a very rousing start. In only his 

11th game with the New Jersey Devils, 

on the night of November 2, 1983, 

Daneyko suffered a broken leg at the 

Hartford Civic Center. The injury halted 

his inaugural campaign and left some 

hockey folks wondering how long the 

young defenseman could withstand the 

physicality of the NHL. 

“I don’t think anybody could have 

predicted I’d still be here and still be 

playing for the Devils,” Daneyko said. “I 

just wanted to get a few years in. You 

take it in steps. To still be here after all 

these years since the franchise started is 

hard for me to put into perspective.” 

An analysis of the hockey archives 

reveals the amazing fact that only three 

players in NHL history have played more 

games all with one team than Daneyko, 

who was over 1,280 and counting. Alex 

Delvecchio is the all-time leader with 

1,549 games, all as a Detroit Red Wing. 

He is followed by Stan Mikita (1,394 

with the Chicago Blackhawks) and Steve 

Yzerman (1,375+ with Detroit). 

Going back to the time Daneyko first 

wore a Devils Jersey for his debut on 

October 5, 1983, he has played longer 

than four NHL cities existed in the 

league. Hockey in Hartford, Quebec, 

Winnipeg and Minnesota (North Stars) 

came and went during Daneyko’s NHL 

career. He has played during the terms of 

(Continued on page ) 

four U.S. presidents (Ronald Reagan, 

George Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. 

Bush) while being able to call some 220 

fellow Devils his teammates. He has 

played for all 11 of New Jersey’s head 

coaches. 

“It has been very special to me,” 

Daneyko said. “Sometimes I sit at home 

and think how it has gone by so quickly 

that I can’t believe it. I’ve given my heart 

and soul to this team and I think they 

appreciate it, which is why I’m still 

here.” 

Daneyko, who turned 39 last April 17, 

freely admits his career was almost permanently 

derailed by partying too hard 

off the ice. He battled a drinking problem 

for many years in the first part of his 

career, until finally owning up to it in 

November of 1997. At that time he made 

the decision to enter the league’s substance-abuse 

program. 

“I made a helluva lot of mistakes,” he 

said. 

Many hockey experts believe it was 

his close relationship with former Devils 

owner Dr. John McMullen that nixed any 

notions of him being traded any number 

of times over the past decade. Daneyko 

does not disagree. 

“I think it probably played a factor, 

but I’m proud of that,” he said. “He liked 

what I gave when I went onto the ice. I 

don’t think he liked me just because I 

was a nice guy because, God knows, I 

was at the other end of the spectrum as 

far as reasons to be traded.” 

Needless to say he never was traded 

and his incredible threshold for pain 

always kept him in the line-up when 

most other players would have begged 

out due to serious bumps and bruises. In 

today’s times of pampered egos, high 

salaries and opinionated agents, pro 

skaters of the old-time hockey work ethic 

and value system are few and far in 

between. 

“I work under the old Tom McVie 

(long-time NHL and minor league head 

and assistant coach) adage: ‘If it ain’t 

broken, you’re playing,’” said Daneyko, 

referring to the two-time New Jersey 

coach. “A lot of nights I probably shouldn’t 

have played, but I didn’t want to 

come out of the lineup for too long. I 

knew I might not get back in. I rarely 

reported injuries.” 

He had no choice on the night of 

March 8 in 1995, when he tore the anterior 

cruciate ligament in his right knee at 

Madison Square Garden. 

“The Rangers doctor told me I was 

done for sure. He said I should be ready 

by next September,” Daneyko recalled. 

“But our doctors judged the person. They 

said I had a 30 percent chance of playing 

in the playoffs without an operation, so I 

didn’t have one. It was the same injury 

John MacLean had and he needed an 

operation (and missed an entire season).” 

“A month into rehab I didn’t think I 

would make it. About the fifth week I felt 



No. 27 

UKRAINIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA 

LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS 

IF YOU ARE A PHYSICIAN, DENTIST, OR OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONAL 

EITHER PRACTICING OR TRAINING, HERE’S YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN 

YOUR COLLEAGUES IN NORTH AMERICA’S PREMIER ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE WRITE TO: 

UKRAINIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA 

2247 W. CHICAGO AVENUE 

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60622 

TELEPHONE: 773-278-6262 

OR FAX YOUR REQUEST TO 773-278-6962 

NAME: _________________________________________________________________________________ 

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Soccer 

SPORTSLINE 

Ukraine's national team tied Spain 2-2 

after Oleksander Horshkov hit a dramatic 

volley 25 meters outside of the Spanish 

goal to tie the March 29 Euro 2004 qualifying 

contest with only seconds remaining 

in regulation play. Ukraine opened 

the scoring in the 11th minute on a goal 

by Andrii Voronin. Spain equalized on a 

goal in the 84th minute and then took the 

lead in the 87th minute. 

Ukraine then droped a crucial Group 6 

match to Greece on June 11 by a score of 

1-0. Ukraine's next match will be on 

September 6 against Northern Ireland. 

Ukraine currently sits in third place with 

nine points, while Greece holds first 

place with 12 points and Spain is in second 

place with 11 points. The top two 

teams in each group qualify for next 

summer's Euro 2004 tournament in 

Portugal. Group 6 also includes fourth 

place Armenia and Northern Ireland, currently 

in last place. 

Dynamo Kyiv edged Ukrainian premier 

division arch-rivals Shakhtar 

Donetsk 3-2 to win the inaugural Valerii 

Lobanovsky memorial tournament on 

May 14. 

Dynamo striker Maksym Shatskikh 

scored the golden goal in the fifth minute 

of overtime to break a 2-2 deadlock following 

the 90-minute regulation period. 

The three-day tournament, held in 

Kyiv, honored the late Dynamo Kyiv 

trainer who guided the club team to two 

European Cup Winner's Cups, one in 

1975 and the other in 1986. 

Lobanovsky died on May 13, 2002, at 

the age of 63, two days after undergoing 

brain surgery after suffering a stroke during 

a Ukrainian premier division match 

at FC Metalurg Zaporizhia. He was 

posthumously awarded the country's 

highest honor, the Hero of Ukraine 

award, last year. 

On May 12 Hryhorii Surkis, president 

of the Ukrainian Football Federation, and 

Michel Platini, member of both the 

Federation Internationale de Football 

Association (FIFA) and Union of 

European Football Associations (UEFA) 

executive committees, unveiled a bronze 

statue to commemorate the late coach. 

Mr. Platini also presented 

Lobanovsky's daughter, Svetlana, with 

the Ruby Order of Merit on behalf of 

UEFA President Lennart Johnson. "The 

UEFA Order of Merit, introduced in 

1998, thanks and rewards individuals 

who have devoted a large part of their 

life to football, and who have contributed 

to the game's development and history," 

UEFA's website explains. 

Track and field 

Ukraine's Ivan Heshko took third 

place in the men's 1,500-meter event at 

the International Association of Athletics 

Federations (IAAF) Super Grand Prix in 

Tsiklitiria, Greece, on June 24. He finished 

the race in 3 minutes and 32.73 

seconds, while Kenya's Cornelius 

Chirchir took first place with a time of 

3:32.61. Fellow Kenyan Alex Kipchirchir 

took second place, finishing the race in 

3:32.67. 

Oleksii Lukashevych of Ukraine took 

fourth place in the men's long jump with 

a mark of 8.19 meters. Dwight Phillips of 

the United States took first place with a 

jump of 8.44 meters. Greece's Tsatoumas 

Louis took second place with a jump of 

8.34 meters and America's Savante 

Stringfellow took third place with a jump 

of 8.28 meters. 

In the women's 100-meters Ukraine's 

Zhanna Block took second place with a 

time of 11.13 seconds. She finished 

behind France's Christine Arron, whose 

time of 11.09 was good enough for the 

gold medal. America's Chryste Gaines 

took third place with a time of 11.23. 

Ukraine's Olena Pastushenko came in 

sixth place with a time of 11.46. 

Ukraine's Yulia Krevsun came in sixth 

place in the women's 800-meters, finishing 

with a time of 2 minutes and 1.48 

seconds. Slovakia's Jolanda Ceplak took 

first place with a time of 1:57.79, while 

Russia's Larisa Chzhao took second 

place with a time of 1:59.52. Morocco's 

Mina Ait Hammou took third place with 

1:59.62. 

Tatiana Tereschuk Antipova of 

Ukraine came in fifth place in the 

women's 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 

56.44 seconds. Sandra Glover of the 

United States took first place with a time 

of 54.79, while South Africa's Surita 

Febbraio took second place with a time 

of 55.15. Androula Sialou of Cyprus took 

third place with 55.93. 

Olena Hovorova of Ukraine came in 

fifth place in the women's triple jump 

with a mark of 14.48 meters. Teammate 

Inessa Kravets came in eighth place with 

a jump of 14.19 meters. Cuba's Yamila 

Aldama took first place with a jump of 

15.00 meters, while Russia's Tatyana 

Lebedeva took second place with a jump 

of 15.00 meters. Italy's Magdelana Martz 

took third with a jump of 14.68 meters. 

In the women's discus Ukraine's Olena 

Antonova came in fourth place with a 

throw of 63.01 meters. Germany's Franka 

Dietzsch took first place with a throw of 

65.47 meters, while Vera Pospisilova of 

the Czech Republic took second place 

with a throw of 63.38 meters. Great 

Britain's Ekaterini Voggoli took third 

place with a throw of 63.35 meters. 

Gymnastics 

Russia beat Ukraine in the final at the 

2003 European Team Championships in 

Moscow on May 4. Russia took the gold 

medal with a score of 140.574 points, 

while Ukraine took second place with a 

score of 138.324. Belarus took third 

place, finishing with 71.399 points. 

Ukrainian Oleksander Beresh won 

second place in the men's horizontal bar 

event with a score of 9.675 at an 

International Gymnastics Federation 

(FIG) world cup event in Thessaloniki, 

Greece, on March 30. Aljaz Pegan of 

Slovenia won the event with a score of 

9.675, and Greece's Vlasios Maras took 

third place with a score of 9.65. 

Ukraine's Roman Zozulia took third 

place in the men's floor event, finishing 

with a score of 9.55. Bulgaria's Iordan 

Iovtchev took first place with a score of 

9.725, while Latvia's Evgeny Sapronenko 

took second place with a score of 9.575. 

Zozulia took fifth place in the men's 

rings event finishing with a score of 9.6. 

Greece's Dimosthenis Tampakos took 

first place with a score of 9.75. Bulgaria's 

Iordan Iovtchev took second place with a 

score of 9.725 and Italy's Matteo 

Morandi took third place with a score of 

9.65. 

In the men's parallel bars Zozulia took 

second place with a score of 9.625. He 

finished behind Romania's Marius Daniel 

Urzica who took first place with a score 

of 9.7. China's Dezhi Li took third place 

with a score of 9.6 and Ukrainian Ruslan 

Miezientsev came in fourth place with a 

score of 9.375. 

On the women's side of competition in 

Greece, Ukraine's Olena Kvasha came in 

second place in the women's vault with a 

score of 9.362. She finished behind 

Russia's Natalia Ziganshina, who fin- 


No. 27 

Sportsline... 


ished with a score of 9.45. Oxana 

Chusovitina of Uzbekistan took third 

place with a score of 9.337. Ukraine's 

Alina Kozich came in fifth place with a 


In the women's uneven bars Kozich 


She finished behind Russia's Svetlana 

Khorkina, who had a score of 9.7. 

Belgium's Aagjia Van Walleghem took 

third place with a score of 9.35, and 

Ukrainian Iryna Krasnianska came in 

fourth place with a score of 9.3. 

Kozich came in eighth place in the 

women's balance beam with a score of 

8.675. She finished behind Romania's 

Oana Ban, who took first place with a 

Pro hockey... 


I had a shot. I would have missed my 

first Stanley Cup,” he continued. 

Daneyko wound up playing in all 20 

post-season games and was the only 

Devil to appear in all of the franchise’s 

playoff games prior to the recently completed 

Stanley Cup run. (Daneyko’s consecutive 

playoff games streak ended in 

2003 when coach Pat Burns opted to 

rotate seven defensemen, usually dressing 

either fellow Uke Oleg Tverdovsky 

or Daneyko.) 

“I don’t think you’ll see what he has 

done very much anymore because of the 

movement and free agency in today’s 

game,” said streak-busting Coach Burns. 

Daneyko has been a fixture with the 

franchise for so long he has broken down 

his favorite teammates into three categories. 

When he was young, his favorites 

were Chico Resch, Dave Lewis and Mel 

Bridgman. “Those guys believed in me,” 

Daneyko said. “I’ll never forget, I was 

being sent down and Chico said, ‘Tell 

them you don’t want to go.’And I did.” 

During the middle of his career there 

was Kirk Muller, Brendan Shanahan, 

Dave Maley, Joe Cirella and MacLean. 

“They were all my buddies,” he said. “We 

were brash, and this team rose to the point 

where we were no longer doormats.” 

And now there are the three Stanley 

Cup-winning editions, with Scott 

Stevens, Martin Brodeur and Scott 

Niedermayer. General Manager Lou 

Lamoriello has not yet addressed next 

season, but said the situation will take 

care of itself. 

“I’ve had my ups and downs and inbetweens,” 

said Daneyko. “I’ve had battles 

with coaches. But it has all worked 

out because all I’ve wanted to do is win. 

My will to win has been my motivation. 

I know I can play one more year. I think 

that’s realistic. Then, who knows? 

Certainly, before I leave here, I’d like to 

win one more cup.” 

The Daneyko file 

Position: defense 

Shoots left 

Height: 6-1 

Weight: 215 

Born: April 17, 1964, Windsor, Ontario 

Drafted: 1982 – 18th overall, New Jersey 


score of 9.325. Italy's Ilaria Colombo 

took second place with a score of 9.25, 

and China's Nan Zhang came in third 

place with a score of 9.225. 

Ukraine's Kvasha came in fourth place 

in the women's floor event, finishing with 

a score of 9.05. Her teammate, Kozich, 

came in eighth place with a score of 7.75. 

Romania's Florica Leonida won the event 

with a score of 9.5. Russia's Svetlana 

Khorkina took second place with a score 

of 9.25, and Romania's Oana Ban took 

third place with a score of 9.225. 

Ukraine's Oleksander Chornohos took 

eighth place in the men's individual trampoline 

at a world cup trampoline and 

tumbling competition in Levallois, 

France, on June 11-14. Chornohos finished 

with a score of 13.30, while 

Russia's Alexandre Moskalenko took first 

place with a score of 40.80. Japan's 

Takayuki Kawanishi took second place 

with a score of 40.80 and Dmitri 

Pliarouch of Belarus took third place 

with a score of 40.70. 

The Ukrainian pair of Yurii Nikitin 

and Chornohos won the men's synchronized 

event with a score of 51.60. The 

French team of Mickael Jala and 

Sebastian Laifa took second place with a 

score of 51.50, and Canada's Michel 

Greene and Mathieu Turgeon took third 

place with a score of 50.20. 

Ukraine's Olena Movchan took fourth 

place in the women's individual event 

with a score of 39.50. Germany's Anna 

Dogonadze took first place with a score 

of 40.60, while China's Shanshan Huang 


Canada's Karen Cockburn took third 

place with a score of 39.80 and Ukraine's 

Yulia Domchevska took the 10th spot but 

failed to qualify for the finals. 

The Ukrainian pair of Movchan and 

Domchevska took second place in the 

women's synchronized event, finishing 

with a score of 48.30. They were beaten 

by Great Britain's Kirsten Lawton and 

Claire Wright, who won with a score of 

49.90. Germany's Jessica Simon and 

Anna Dogonadze took third place with a 


Ukraine's Olena Chabanenko took second 

place in the women's tumbling event, 

finishing with a score of 72.10. Russia's 

Anna Korobeinikova took first place with 

a score of 72.20, and Great Britain's 

Kathryn Peberdy took third place with a 


Swimming 

Joanne Malar of Hamilton, Ontario, 

has announced her intention to return to 

competition with the hope of competing 

in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. 

The 27-year-old Malar, a Canadian of 

Ukrainian descent, was a national team 

member from 1990 to 2000. She won 71 

international medals, 29 Canadian titles 

and a gold medal at the Commonwealth 

and Pan Am Games. 

Malar announced her retirement on 

January 25, 2001. She still holds three 

national records. Malar took part in the 

1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, 

although she has yet to win an Olympic 

medal. Her closest finish came in 1996 

in Atlanta where she took fourth place in 

the 200-meter individual medley. 

Diaspora sports 

The Ukrainian Nationals won their 

last two regular season matches to earn 

their second straight Inter County Soccer 

League title. The Ukrainian club soccer 

team beat UGH 3-2 on May 29 and completed 

their season on June 1 with a 10-1 

win against Black Sheep, giving them a 

final regular season record of 10 wins, 

three ties and one loss. 

– compiled by Andrew Nynka 

SEND THE WEEKLY TO UKRAINE 

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The Ukrainian Weekly for addressees 

in Ukraine, send $160 for subscription fee 

and postage costs to: 

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Parsippany, NJ 07054. 

DANEYKO DISH: An NHL scout 

says: “He’s at his best and most valuable 

in front of his own net and killing penalties.” 

Daneyko has failed to score a goal 

in six of his 20 seasons in New Jersey, 

but remains a vital part of the team’s 

defense. Played in 12 playoff games in 

2003 with two penalty minutes and no 

points. Dressed and on the ice when time 

ran out and the Devils beat the Mighty 

Ducks in Game 7 in New Jersey. 

(Thanks to Devils beat writer Rich 

Chere for Daneyko quotes.)


No. 27 

Story of Duranty’s... 


the Ukrainian Famine “the largest single 

act of genocide in European history,” and 

explained that “Stalin was determined to 

crush the slightest glimmer of Ukrainian 

national identity.” 

In Argentina, an article titled “The 

Republic of Ukraine” that drew attention to 

the Duranty affair appeared on June 12 in 

the newspaper Diario La Nueva Provincia 

S.R.L. The article made reference to the 

harsh fate of Ukraine under the Soviet 

regime, the massive political repressions, 

the Great Famine and the methods used by 

the Soviets to hide the truth about what was 

happening from the outside world, including 

the collaboration of sympathetic or 

servile foreign journalists. 

It cited in particular the work of 

Duranty, quoting from one of his articles in 

The New York Times, in which he wrote: 

“The author just completed a 200-mile trip 

by car through Ukraine’s heartland and can 

positively say that the crop is splendid and 

that everything being said or written about a 

famine is simply ridiculous” (a more specific 

reference to the article was not given). 

Canada’s CBS Radio carried a commentary 

by Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk, who teaches 

political geography at the Royal Military 

College in Kingston, Ontario, and is 

research director of the Ukrainian Canadian 

Civil Liberties Association – the group that 

initiated the postcard campaign seeking revocation 

of Duranty’s Pulitzer. 

In the piece, which was broadcast on 

May 1, Dr. Luciuk said of Duranty: “What 

he was really was Stalin’s apologist, a libertine 

prepared to prostitute accuracy for 

access. ... He betrayed the most fundamental 

principle of journalism, the obligation to 

report truthfully on what is observed.” 

“Those whose principled labors have 

earned them the honor of a Pulitzer should 

be revolted at knowing that Duranty is 

included amongst them,” he emphasized. 

National Review Online, which has previously 

reported on Duranty’s and The 

Times’ denial of the Famine, on May 15 carried 

a “guest comment” by Kenneth Lloyd 

Billingsley titled “Times and again: Bogus 

journalism did not start with Jayson Blair.” 

The writer, editorial director of the San 

Francisco-based Pacific Research Institute, 

wrote: “Fraudulent reporting by Jayson Blair 

should dislodge The New York Times as the 

paper of record. Such a downsizing should 

have happened long ago because of a writer 

whose lapses were worse.” 

After telling the story of Duranty’s deception, 

the writer stated: “The Blair affair is a 

good time to renew the call for revocation 

[of Duranty’s Pulitzer]. It is also a good time 

to reconsider how the Times, in light of 

Duranty, became the newspaper of record, 

and whether such a concept is even valid.” 

WorldNetDaily, an Internet newspaper, 

updated its report on the Duranty issue on 

June 10 with a story headlined: “All the lies 

fit to print: N.Y. Times 1932 Pulitzer could 

be revoked; Award to reporter who ignored 

Stalin’s atrocities under review.” 

The article pointed out that “For years, 

the media watchdog group Accuracy in 

Media has sought to set the record straight 

regarding Duranty, his reporting and his 

Pulitzer – the most coveted and honored 

award in journalism. AIM approached both 

The Times and the Pulitzer Prize administrator 

about the issue. In a 1999 letter, Reed 

Irvine, chairman of AIM, pointed out that 

Duranty received special favors from 

Stalin’s government, including a car and a 

mistress, designed to ensure the correspondent’s 

cooperation.” 

Several days later, on June 14, 

WorldNetDaily carried a column by Les 

Kinsolving, a radio talk show host on 

WCBM in Baltimore whose commentaries 

are syndicated nationally, as well as White 

House correspondent for Talk Radio 

Network and WorldNetDaily. Mr. 

Kinsolving, who as a New York Times 

shareholder had brought up the Duranty 

issue in the past, tells of his encounters with 

then Times publisher Arthur (“Punch”) 

Sulzberger, as well as with the current publisher 

Arthur (“Pinch”) Sulzberger Jr. 

He went on to write: “That the New York 

Times has refused to repudiate Duranty’s 

Pulitzer – as The Washington Post sent back 

their lying reporter Janet Cooke’s Pulitzer – 

is a continuing American journalistic outrage. 

If New York Times publisher ‘Pinch’ 

decides not to repudiate Duranty’s Pulitzer 

and stop the annual bragging with Duranty 

as one of the Pulitzer recipients, young 

Sulzberger should be forced to resign, just 

as he (finally) forced the resignation of editors 

Howell Raines and Gerald Boyd.” 

Several Internet sites also devoted attention 

to the Duranty controversy. Articles 

appeared on www.duckseason.com 

(“Pulitzer lies” by Lance Morrow, professor 

of journalism at Boston University and former 

longtime essayist for Time magazine, 

June 9) and on NewsMax.com (“Times still 

backs ‘greatest liar’ reporter” by Phil 

Brennan, May 19). The online discussion 

group www.freerepublic.com cited The 

Weekly’s report on the Pulitzer review of 

Duranty’s prize and elicited comments on 

the topic, while www.worldnetdaily.com 

asked in its daily poll of June 11 “Should 

The N.Y. Times’ 1932 Pulitzer Prize be 

revoked because the reporter turned out to 

be an apologist for Stalin?” 

– compiled by Roma Hadzewycz 

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Lviv to be site... 


Nicholas’ intercession. 

On July 4, 2002, the relics of the martyr 

Nicholas Charnetsky were solemnly 

transferred from the Lychakiv Cemetery 

to the Church of St. Josaphat, which is 

under the pastoral care of the 

Redemptorist Fathers of the Lviv Province. 

A procession of many thousands 

of faithful passed through the streets of 

the ancient royal city. 

During the first week that the holy 

relics were on display at the Church of 

St. Josaphat, nearly 150,000 faithful 

arrived from all parts of Ukraine to offer 

their personal prayers at the reliquary of 

the Blessed Nicholas, our own “St. 

Nicholas the Miracle Worker.” 

Since the deposition of the relics of 

Blessed Venerable Martyr Nicholas 

Charnetsky, the Church of St. Josaphat 

has become a popular pilgrimage site for 

thousands of faithful from all of Ukraine. 

From morning to late evening, people 

come, bearing their pain and grief, their 

worries and their problems, to pray at the 

reliquary of the Blessed Nicholas in the 

hope of recovering their spiritual 

strength and physical health. 

Religious celebrations, involving the 

anointing of the faithful with oil that has 

touched the relics of the confessor bishop, 

are conducted on a monthly basis. 

People throng to this site, absolutely convinced 

that whoever sincerely prays to 

God through the intercession of saintly 

martyr Nicholas, will assuredly be heard 

by Our Lord. 

On July 11, 2002, a memorial cross 

was consecrated on one of the scenic 

hills in the city of Lviv, marking the 

future site of the Shrine of Blessed 

Venerable Martyr Nicholas Charnetsky. 

This site wwill become a true center for 

pilgrimage of our Ukrainian people, a 

church where future generations, in an 

atmosphere of prayer and devotion, may 

partake of the ageless faith of our holy 

forefathers and also invoke their intercession 

for God’s blessings and graces to 

live good Christian lives. 

At this holy shrine we all may freely 

glorify Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

in heartfelt thanksgiving for divine protection 

of our long-suffering and persecuted 

Ukrainian people, especially for 

the gift of liberation from the totalitarian 

Soviet regime and the return of freedom 

to our Ukrainian Catholic Church. 

Reaction... 


victimization of the Jews during the 

Holocaust that such writer or speaker 

express censure or condemnation of the 

criminal activities of Jews in the Soviet 

Union? No, and for good reason: what 

Trotsky or Kaganovich or the Jews who 

were involved in running the Soviet concentration 

camps did has no relevance to 

the victimization of the Jews during the 

Holocaust. 

Why then is Rutten asking Ukrainian 

organizations who are speaking out about 

Duranty and The New York Times’ scandalous 

70 years of stonewalling to condemn 

what did or did not happen a 

decade after the Famine in a different 

part of Ukraine? 

As for historical accuracy, Rutten 

implicates the Ukrainian Waffen SS 

Division in genocidal activities. Over a 

decade ago, the Deschenes Commission 

in Canada devoted several years and 

spent several million dollars researching 

just that question, and found that allegations 

against this division were groundless. 

Rutten also alleges that Ukrainians 

among the Soviet POWs whom the 

We sincerely entreat all people of 

good will to join in this spiritual endeavor 

and to generously contribute to the 

creation of the Shrine of Blessed 

Nicholas Charnetsky in Lviv. 

Funds may be transferred to or checks 

may be payable to: St. John’s Church – 

Charnetsky Fund (Account No. 310530- 

000), Ukrainian American Federal Credit 

Union, 734 Sandford Ave., Newark, NJ 

07106. 

Points of contact: 

• USA: Redemptorist Fathers, St. 

John’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, 719 

Sandford Ave., Newark, NJ 07106; 

phone: (973) 371-1356. 

• UKRAINE: Provincial of Lviv 

Redemptorists, phone, (011) 38-0322-59- 

05-48; fax, (011) 38-0322-52-02-82; e- 

mail, monasyr@cssr.lviw.ua 

Kuchma, Kwasniewski... 


including the matter of the Polish soldiers’ 

burial ground at the historic 

Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv, whose opening 

was postponed after a row of negative 

remarks by both Ukrainian politicians 

and Polish diplomats. 

Another issue concerned preparations 

for the 60th anniversary of Ukrainian- 

Polish clashes in the Volyn region. Some 

20,000 Ukrainians and up to 100,000 

Poles were killed during the conflict, 

according to estimates by both countries’ 

historians. 

“We will leave this (issue) to historians, 

and we will work for our common 

future,” Mr. Kuchma said. 

His words came against the backdrop 

of a small protest outside Odesa’s 

regional administration building by 

Ukrainian nationalists, who held posters 

that read: “No excuses for defending our 

land.” 

Meanwhile, both countries’ Parliaments 

are working on preparing a joint 

statement aimed at mutual reconciliation 

between the two nations. 

Before departing Presidents 

Kwasniewski and Kuchma met with officials 

of the Odesa regional administration, 

visited the Ukrainian-Polish 

Cooperation Center, and attended the 

opening of Poland’s General Consulate – 

its fifth in Ukraine. Mr. Kuchma said the 

next year will be dedicated to Ukraine- 

Poland links within the framework of the 

“Year of Poland in Ukraine” project. 

Germans captured “volunteered” to serve 

as guards in Nazi concentration camps. 

The notion that a Soviet POW, of whom 

there were about 5 million, half of whom 

perished in German custody, “volunteered” 

to do anything betrays a profound 

ignorance of what was happening in that 

part of the world during World War II. 

Lastly, Rutten writes that followers of 

the Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera 

allegedly enthusiastically joined the 

Nazis in massacring Jews. Really? Then 

how do we explain why Bandera himself 

spent most of World War II in German 

prisons and concentration camps? Or 

why Bandera’s two brothers died as 

inmates in Auschwitz? 

Rutten cites Rabbi Cooper of the 

Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles 

as the authority for his historical claims. 

That’s like asking a Palestinian cleric for 

background information on the historical 

Israeli-Palestinian interface. There actually 

do exist some scholars at universities 

such as Harvard, Toronto and Alberta that 

could provide you with accurate information 

about Ukraine during World War II, 

and I would commend them to Mr. 

Rutten’s attention for future purposes. 

Bohdan Vitvitsky 

Summit, N.J.

No. 27 

Commemorating... 


The understanding, however, was a conditional 

one and depended on Ukraine’s 

ability to fulfill its treaty obligations, 

including supplying 1 million tons of 

grain to the Central Powers by the same 

date. 

Additional treaty passages renounced 

the payment of the costs of the war and 

of reparations for war damages. 

Regulations for the mutual exchange of 

agricultural and industrial surpluses were 

set up, and principles set forth for the 

establishment of customs, legal, diplomatic 

and consular relations. The release 

of prisoners of war and the exchange of 

war prisoners and interned civilians also 

were agreed to. 

The day the treaty was signed was 

also the day Kyiv fell to Bolshevik 

troops. It was, therefore, necessary for 

Ukraine to request military assistance of 

its new allies. Initially, the Ukrainian 

government only asked for (western) 

Ukrainian units in the Austrian Army or 

special volunteer units formed in 

Germany from Ukrainian POWs, but 

complications arose and the plan was 

abandoned. Instead, it was mostly regular 

German and Austrian units that 

cleared Ukraine of Bolsheviks. 

Reactions 

In Austria the treaty was hailed as the 

“bread peace.” This half of the Dual 

Monarchy was in a winter food crisis and 

the treaty was greeted with hysterical 

delight. No longer would the Austrians 

have to go begging for grain from their 

reluctant German allies or their tightfisted 

Hungarian partners. When informed 

of the news in Vienna, the Emperor 

Franz Josef declared it to be the happiest 

day of his life. 

On March 3, 1918, another peace 

treaty was signed at Brest-Litovsk, this 

time between Russia and the Central 

Powers. By its terms, Russia acknowledged 

the independence of Ukraine, 

Poland and Finland, and was bound to 

quickly make peace with these countries. 

On July 12, 1918, Russia signed an official 

armistice recognizing Ukraine, but a 

formal peace treaty was never signed. 

Germany ratified the Treaty of Brest- 

Litovsk with Ukraine on July 24, 1918, 

but Austria-Hungary postponed its treaty 

ratification because of the secret clause 

calling for the creation of the separate 

(Ukrainian-dominated) crownland. 

Ukraine, for its part, was able to deliver 

only a portion of the amount of grain 

it had promised by the end of July. This 

abrogated the secret clause, but made little 

difference anyway since by then it 

was becoming obvious that the Central 

Powers were going to lose the war and 


FIGURE 3. Map showing the extent of Ukraine after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. (Reproduced from “Ukraine: A Historical 

Atlas” by Paul Robert Magocsi.) 

that the post-conflict map of Europe 

would be changing dramatically. 

Saluting the treaty 

Several commemorations of the new 

peace with Ukraine were soon forthcoming 

after the signing. In Lemberg (present-day 

Lviv), the capital of Galicia, a 

special Peace and Ukrainian 

Independence Celebration was held on 

March 3, 1918. Various Ukrainian organizations 

took part in the parade that 

marched through the city on that day 

(Figure 4 shows one of the participating 

groups – Ukrainian scouts). 

A commemorative peace medal graphically 

portrays just how desperate the 

Austrians had become for foodstuffs 

(Figure 5). The obverse side depicts a rising 

sun behind a fruitladen tree. The 

“Friede Mit Der Ukraine” (Peace With 

Ukraine) inscription is supplemented with 

the word “Brot” (Bread). On the reverse, 

under the treaty date, an adult and young 

eagle clutch at a sheaf of wheat. 

Several commemorative seals (labels) 

in different colors were also prepared 

(Figure 6). All carry the same design of 

celebratory balloons labeled with the 

names of the treaty countries: Germany, 

Ukraine and Austria-Hungary. In the 

background is a map of Ukraine with its 

extended post-treaty borders. 

Surprisingly, Austrian western Ukraine is 

also shown (in only a slightly darker 

shading) adjacent to Ukrainian lands. The 

word “Friede” (Peace) appears in large 

letters at the bottom of the seals over the 

treaty locale and date. 

Although all the various treaty commemorative 

items illustrated in this article 

were made in Austria, they understandably 

have a special appeal to 

Ukrainian collectors. 

* * * 

I wish to extend my sincerest appreciation 

to Peter Cybaniak, Roman Dubyniak 

and Borys Zayachivsky for their assistance 

in the preparation of this article. 

References 

1. Brook-Shepherd, Gordon. “The 

Austrians.” New York: Carroll and Graf 

Publ., 1996. 

2. Kann, Robert A. “A History of the 

Habsburg Empire, 1526-1918.” Berkeley: 

University of California Press, 1974. 

3. Kubijovich, Volodymyr, ed. 

Ukraine: A Concise Encyclopedia, Vol. 1. 

Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 

1963. 

4. Magocsi, Paul Robert. “Ukraine: A 

Historical Atlas.” Toronto: University of 

Toronto Press, 1985. 

5. Magocsi, Paul Robert. “A History of 

Ukraine.” Toronto: University of Toronto 

Press, 1996. 

Ingert Kuzych may be contacted at P.O. 

Box 3, Springfield, VA 22150 or at his e- 

mail address: ingert@starpower.net. 

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No. 27 

Soyuzivka’s Datebook 

June 29-July 6 

Day Camp, Tabir Ptashat No. 2 

July 4-6 

Fourth of July Weekend and 

Zabavas with MONTAGE, 

TEMPO and Philadelphia Funk 

Authority (10-piece funk dance 

band) 

Music with Philadelphia Funk 

Brothers (five-piece funk band) 

July 6, Sunday 

Summer Heritage Concert No. 2 

featuring Virlana Tkacz’s 

Yara Arts Group performing 

“Kupala in the Garden.” 

July 6-19 

Boys’ and Girls’ Recreational Camp 

July 12, Saturday 

Soyuzivka Summer Zabava 

July 13-18 

Chemney Camp, Session No. 1 


Soyuzivka Summer Zabava with 

VORONY 

Children’s Weekend - Bounce 

House and Games for Kids 

July 20-25 

Chemney Camp, Session No. 2 

July 20- August 2 

Sports Camp 



with SVITANOK 

July 27, Sunday 


Featuring OBEREHY 

Musical Ensemble 

August 1-3 

Soyuzivka Sports Jamboree 

Weekend. 

Softball, Soccer, Volleyball and 

Hockey/Rollerblade 

Tournaments 

Music by Ihor Bachynskyj, 

Barabolya and Ron Cahute 

August 2, Saturday 


with BURYA 

August 3, Sunday 

UNWLA Day 

August 3-8 

Soyuzivka Scuba Diving Course 

August 7-10 

Korduba-Czubaty family reunion 


Ulster County Caesar Salad Festival 

held at Soyuzivka 

August 10-16 

Club Suzie-Q Week 


Art exhibit with Kozak family 

August 10-23 

Traditional Ukrainian Folk 

Dance Camp with Roma 

Pryma Bohachevsky 


Miss Soyuzivka Weekend and 

Zabava with FATA MORGANA 

August 17, Sunday 


featuring Dumka Choir 


Ukrainian Independence Day 

Celebration – Dance Camp 

Recital and Zabava 

August 25- September 1 

Labor Day Week 

August 30- 31 

Labor Day Weekend – Zabavas 

with FATA MORGANA and 

TEMPO 

Summer Heritage Concert with 

UKRAINA Dance Ensemble 

from Canada 

September 8-11 

Regensburg Reunion 


KLK Weekend and Annual Meeting 

Bayreuth Gymnasium Reunion 


Reunion of Salzburg Gymnasium 


Conference of Spartanky 

Plast Sorority 


Reunion of Mittenwald Schools 

October 17-19 

Plast-KPC Convention 

October 31 - November 2 

Halloween Weekend 

costume party for youth and 

costume zabava for all 

Tuesday, July 8 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.: The Harvard 

Ukrainian Summer Institute invites you to a 

special guest lecture "Is Ukraine a 

Democracy?" presented by Adrian 

Karatnycky, senior scholar and counselor, 

Freedom House, and editor of the annual survey 

“Freedom and the World” The lecture 

will take place at Harvard University in 

William James Hall, Room 105, 33 Kirkland 

St., at 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. 

For more information please contact the 

Ukrainian Research Institute at (617) 495- 

4053, e-mail huri@fas.harvard.edu or visit 

the website http://www.huri.harvard.edu. 

Thursday, July 10 


Ukrainian Summer institute is hosting to a 

screening of Alexander Dovzhenko’s silent 

film classic "Arsenal" with live piano 

accompaniment by Ukrainian composer 

Yakiv Gubanov, composer-in-residence at 

the Harvard Film Archive. The film deals 

with the story of the failed January 1918 

Bolshevik uprising against the Ukrainian 

national forces. Despite its ideological 

stance and oblique narrative structure, it 

stands as one of the finest and most lyrical 

works of silent cinema. The screening will 

take place at the Harvard Film Archive, 

Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St. (near 

Massachusetts Avenue) on the Harvard 

campus, at 7 p.m. Admission $4 to $7. For 

more information contact the Ukrainian 

Research Institute at (617) 495-4053 or e- 

mail huri@fas.harvard.edu; website: 

http://www.huri.harvard.edu. 

Friday, July 11 

PREVIEW OF EVENTS 


Ukrainian Summer Institute invites you to 

a theater performance of "Swan" a Yara 

Arts Group original presentation based on 

the poetry of Oleh Lysheha which uncovers 

the mythical in the everyday. Lysheha 

has been called the metaphysician of the 

natural world; his book, translated by 

James Brasfield and published by the 

Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, won 

the PEN America 2000 Poetry in 

Translation Award. Yara’s music-theater 

piece is directed by Virlana Tkach, with 

composer/cellist Paul Brantley and blues 

vocalist Meredith Smith. Designed by 

Watoku Ueno, video by Andrea 

Odezhynska, performed in English by 

Andrew Colteaux and Soomi Kim. The 

performance will take place in Lowell Hall 

Auditorium, 17 Kirkland St., at 8 p.m. For 


Research Institute at (617) 495-4053 or e- 

mail huri@fas.harvard.edu; website: 

http://www.huri.harvard.edu 

Monday, July 14 


Ukrainian Summer Institute invites all to a 

special guest lecture "Ukraine’s Place in the 

New Europe: Is There One?" by Federigo 

Argentieri of the department of political 

science, John Cabot University in Rome, 

Italy. The lecture will be given in William 

James Hall, Room 105, 33 Kirkland St., at 

7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. For 


Research Institute at (617) 495-4053, e- 

mail huri@fas.harvard.edu; or visit the 

website at http://www.huri.harvard.edu. 

Thursday, July 17 

PREVIEW OF EVENTS GUIDELINES 


Ukrainian Summer Institute invites the public 

to a special guest lecture by Vitaly 

Chernetsky, assistant professor of Slavic at 

Columbia University, titled "Contemporary 

Ukrainian Literature in the Context of 

Globalization." The lecture will be presented 

in William James Hall, Room 105, 33 

Kirkland St., at 7:30 p.m. Free and open to 

the public. For more information please contact 

the Ukrainian Research Institute at (617) 

495-4053; huri@fas.harvard.edu, or visit the 

website at http://www.huri.harvard.edu 

Preview of Events is a listing of Ukrainian community events open to the 

public. It is a service provided at minimal cost ($20 per listing) by The 

Ukrainian Weekly to the Ukrainian community. 

To have an event listed in Preview of Events please send information, in 

English, written in Preview format, i.e., in a brief paragraph that includes the 

date, place, type of event, sponsor, admission, full names of persons and/or 

organizations involved, and a phone number to be published for readers who 

may require additional information. 

Listings of no more than 100 words (written in Preview format) plus payment 

should be sent a week prior to desired date of publication to: Preview 

of Events, The Ukrainian Weekly, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, 

NJ 07054; fax, (973) 644-9510. 

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SAVE THE DATE! 

Ukrainian National Women’s League of America Branch 75 of Maplewood, N.J., 

is back with its annual November zabava, this year featuring 

A MASKED BALL 

See you on November 15 at the Ramada Hotel, East Hanover, N.J. 

PHONE (optional): ______________________________________________________ 

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