IN MEMORIAM: Oleksander Yemets, one of Ukraine's heroes of democracy

by Bohdan D. Shandor

I was deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic and untimely death of another of Ukraine's heroes of democracy, Oleksander Yemets.

I had the pleasure and honor of meeting Oleksander in the fall of 1991, when he and I were both organizers and participants in the First World Congress of Ukrainian Lawyers in Kyiv. One of the purposes of the congress was to introduce concepts of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

As soon as I met Oleksander, I knew he was different. His understanding of these principles was simply far beyond his years and Soviet experience. When I asked him about this, he responded simply: "I read a lot." I was thrilled to send him a copy of "A Miracle in Philadelphia," the story of the United States Constitution.

During the congress, I gave a lecture on foreign investment and what a future independent Ukraine needed to do in order to attract in particular, Western investment. After the presentation, he approached me and asked so many questions that we agreed to meet afterwards, which we did many times on my future visits to Kyiv.

I always smile when I think about the time I asked him what he thought about that lecture. He showed his boyish grin and replied, "The content was excellent but your Ukrainian is archival. It is like your language has been kept in a museum for 50 years." We both laughed, but he was, of course, correct; it had been, for reasons we both understood. We then spent many hours talking about the issue of languages, Russian, Ukrainian and all of the others that are spoken and what it meant for the future of Ukraine.

Having held many different positions in which he contributed so greatly, it is difficult to choose in which he excelled the most. I personally believe his most important contributions were in the area of ethnic matters, when he served as Ukraine's minister for nationalities and migration. He was so proud of the opening of Ukrainian-language schools that had been closed, the reconstruction of the oldest Jewish Temple in Kyiv that had been made into a puppet theater and the resettlement of Tatars back to their homeland in Crimea, to name but a few. For this, Ukraine should always be grateful.

We will miss you greatly, Oleksander, Vichnaya Pamiat!

Bohdan D. Shandor is an attorney and founding member and past president of the Ukrainian American Bar Association (UABA). He is currently managing director of Shandor & Co., an investment banking and financial services firm.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 11, 2001, No. 10, Vol. LXIX

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