2003: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

The Famine-Genocide's solemn 70th anniversary

This year marked the 70th anniversary of the Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933. Ukrainians showed their solidarity by attesting to the world that they will never forget the deaths of the 7 million to 10 million who perished at the hands of the Stalin regime in the Famine-Genocide. The Ukrainian community worldwide gathered together this fall to remember and honor victims at numerous commemerative events, conferences, exhibits, and services.

Observations of the 70th anniversary of the artificially created Famine occurred in Kyiv on November 22. Thousands of people gathered for a peacefull rally and commemorative march to Mykhailivskyi Square. Official celebrations were simple, consisting of a wreath-laying ceremony by government leaders at the Great Famine Memorial that stands before St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral and a requiem concert attended by hundreds of school-aged children - but nearly no government officials.

The most extensive and most widely attended memorial event occurred after the wreath-laying ceremony after government leaders had left. Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, and Patriarch Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church led the crowd in a prayer ceremony in honor of the victims.

Then, National Deputy Viktor Yushchenko, chairman of the Our Ukraine bloc, which organized the memorial service, told the gathering of his grandfather, who succumbed to starvation in 1933. Following Mr. Yushchenko's speech and the prayer service, famine survivors and other individuals were given the opportunity to speak.

The ceremony, which proceeded under the slogan "Light a Candle," continued and came to its climax when Myroslav Skoryk's "Requiem" began to play. Mr. Yushchenko led a group of his fellow politicians to the commemorative monument, at the foot of which the group placed votive candles in colorful candle holders. Mr. Yushchenko said that he hoped the practice would become an annual event.

In the afternoon, the Ministry of Culture and Art held a requiem concert performed by the Ukrainian Pop Symphony and the Pochaina Chorus of the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy at the Shevchenko Opera Theater, where Prime Minister Yanukovych and other government leaders had been expected. Instead, the hall was filled for the most part with school-age children who had been given free tickets and ordered to attend as part of a school assignment.

The 70th anniversary commemorations began the previous evening with the opening of an exhibition of 70 years of artwork and posters on the subject of the Great Famine featuring more than 100 objects. The exhibit included paintings and murals, with works by Edward Kozak and Mykhailo Dmytrenko, two well-known artists from the Ukrainian diaspora.

United States Ambassador John Herbst joined Canadian Ambassador Andrew Robinson at the opening. Mr. Robinson also attended the memorial service on Mykhailivskyi Square the next day.

The Ukrainian community in Victoria, Australia, partook in a tree-planting ceremony at Point Cook Coastal Reserve where hundreds of trees were planted to commemorate the millions who died in the Famine-Genocide. The ceremony was preceded by a church service conducted by Catholic and Orthodox clergy and words of condolence from speakers from Monash University, the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria, and the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations.

Hundreds of children, their parents and elderly members worked together planting the trees in somber silence. The event was intended to become an annual tradition at Point Cook Coastal Reserve, according to the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations.

An international conference at Columbia University featuring speakers from the United States, Ukraine and the United Kingdom marked the beginning of Famine Remembrance Week in New York City on November 10. It focused on three main topics: "the politics of acknowledgement" of the Famine, new archival evidence that has emerged since the fall of the Soviet Union, and the Famine in people's memory and the arts.

Opening remarks were delivered by Prof. Mark von Hagen. Panelists included: Ambassador Valeriy Kuchinsky, Ukraine's permanent representative to the United Nations; National Deputy Hennadii Udovenko; Dr. James Mace, who served as staff director of the U.S. Commission on the Ukraine Famine and is currently professor at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy; Dr. Margaret Siriol Colley, niece of the Welsh journalist Gareth Jones; Kazakstan's ambassador to the United Nations, Yerzhan. Kazykhanov; three scholars from Ukraine, Dr. Volodomyr S. Lozitskyi, Volodymyr P. Danylenko and Yurii Shapoval; and Dr. Leonard Leshuk, from Washington.

The conference was sponsored by the Ukrainian Studies Program and the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, Ukraine's Mission to the United Nations, the Shevchenko Scientific Society, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Academy of Arts and Sciences in the U.S.A.

The exhibition "Holodomor: The Great Man-Made Famine in Ukriane 1932-1933" was displayed on November 10-19 at the United Nations. The exhibit was organized by the Ukrainian Museum at the request of Ukraine's Permanent Mission to the U.N. More than 300 people attended the opening.

Shashi Tharoor, under-secretary-general for public information, opened the exhibit by saying that the word "Holodomor" has now become a part of the language of the United Nations.

Through photographs, documents and publications the exhibit examined the political and social climate of Ukraine in the decade preceeding the Famine-Genocide and the events that led to the genocide. It also addressed the aftermath of this tragedy, the meager attention of the world press to the Famine and the cover-up and the consistent denial of the Soviets as to its existence. The efforts of the Ukrainian community to expose the truth about the Famine were also acknowledged in the display.

The panels discussed the collectivization of individually owned lands, the forced seizure of grains, foods and personal posessions. It showed the purges of Ukraine's intelligentsia and clergy through mass arrests, deportations to Arctic labor camps and executions, as well as the deliberate distruction of centuries-old churches and cultural institutions.

Also, a panel was dedicated to discussing the perfidy of Walter Duranty, Moscow correspondent of The New York Times, who wrote articles denying the Famine in Ukraine in 1933.

Mr. Kuchinsky, permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, commented on the importance of the exhibit and the subsequent support and acknowledgement it has gained from the United Nations: "We are convinced that exposing violations of human rights, preserving historical records and restoring the dignity of victims by recognizing their suffering, will help the international community avoid similar catastrophes in the future." Also in attendance were representatives of the Ukrainian government.

Askold Lozynskyj, president of the Ukrainian World Congress participated by paraphrasing a moving excerpt fom Vasyl Barka's "The Yellow Prince," a groundbreaking literary work about the Famine.

The award-winning documentary film "Harvest of Despair," directed by Slavko Nowytski and produced by Mr. Nowytski and Yuriy Luhovy, was screened at the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium on Wednesday as part of "Famine Remembrance Week" in New York. Dr. Mace, former staff director of the U.S. Commission on the Ukraine Famine, introduced the film, which premiered in Toronto in 1984 and employs rare archival footage to depict the man-made famine that ravaged Ukraine.

A memorial concert was held on Friday evening in the Poseidon area of the U.N. Visitor's lobby, centering on a presentation of Ukrainian sacred music by the Ukrainan Chorus Dumka and concluding with a poignant rendering of Lysenko's solemn prayer "Vladyko, Neba i Zemli."

Famine remembrance week concluded with thousands gathering in the streets of New York City on Saturday, November 15, in honor of the 7 million to 10 million victims of the Famine-Genocide. Over 2,000 people began the 50 block "March of Remembrance" to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where a memorial service was offered for the 12th consecutive year in memory of the Famine's victims. Ukrainians of all ages, representing various waves of emigration from Ukraine as well as those born in the United States, participated in the observations. Some distributed flyers, while others held signs, informing the pedestrians of the man-made Famine. Ukrainian flags, draped with black ribbons, waved wildly in the wind. Most of the marchers were dressed in traditional Ukrainian embroidered blouses and shirts.

Marchers made a brief stop at Bryant Park, where a representative of the Office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York, Commissioner Brian G. Andersson of the Department of Records and Information Services, read the mayor's proclamation designating November 10-15 as "Famine Remembrance Week" in the city.

The march culminated at St. Patrick's Cathedral, where others filed in, packing the church to its 2,400-person capacity. Bishop Basil Losten of the Stamford Eparchy of the Ukrainian Catholic Church opened the solemn commemoration by welcoming everyone. Bishop Losten, Archbishop Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. and retired Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Michael Kuchmiak of England, took turns reciting the requiem service, while the Dumka Chorus sang the responses.

Afterward, various speakers addressed the somber audience. Michael Sawkiw, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, introduced each speaker. Special guests included members of both the Ukrainian and U.S. goverments such as: Ukraine's U.N. Ambassador Kuchinsky, Ukraine's Consul General in New York Serhiy Pohoreltzev, National Deputy Hennadii Udovenko, Ukraine's Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Volodymyr Yelchenko, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte.

A proclamation from the office of New York Gov. George Pataki, read by Orysia Woloszyn Dmytrenko, declared November 15 as "Ukrainian Famine Remembrance Day in the Empire State" in memory of "one of the most painful chapters in the history of Ukraine."

Archbishop Antony ended the requiem service on a solemn yet powerful note, underscoring that "If we permit ourselves the luxury of letting history be history, then we are doomed. If we force the memory of those millions who died out of our minds because it makes us - or perhaps someone else - uncomfortable, then we fail them." He left the following words in everyone's hearts and minds: "Let us never forget. Let us never forget. Let us never forget."

In Philadelphia, the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception hosted a beautiful solemn concert and panahkyda (memorial service) to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine. Close to 2,000 attended the commemoration. Students from Ukrainian Saturday school, members of the First Ukrainian Evangelical and Baptist Choir, the Ukrainian Composers Ensemble and the Ukrainian male choir Prometheus performed an array of readings, songs and hymns. The memorial prayer service was celebrated by Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka, Archbishop Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Archbishop Stephen Sulyk, Bishops Michael Kuchmiak and Walter Paska, and many Catholic and Orthodox clergy. Flag-bearers from the youth organizations Plast and SUM formed an honor guard.

In Chicago, the Ukrainian Genocide Famine Foundation organized a weekend's worth of programs to both remember those who perished during the Holodomor and to educate the public about the tragic events of 1932-1933. The commemorative events consisted of several programs. Approximately 300 Ukrainian Saturday school children gathered to listen to a lecture and screening of "Harvest of Despair." Following the screening, students were taken to the Ukrainian National Museum to view a new and permanent exhibit documenting the Famine-Genocide. The following day, an estimated 1,000 people congregated at St. Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Church for an ecumenical memorial service. A solemn procession made its way from the church to the Famine monument at the base of St. Andrew's cemetery, where approximately 40 Famine survivors were seated. The memorial services proceeded with a luncheon and drama presentation.

More than 600 people attended a three-day commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide on November 7-9 in Denver.

The commemoration began with the screening of the documentary "Harvest of Despair" at Regis University. The next day the venue changed to the University of Denver, where a workshop on the use of foods as a political weapon was held for secondary school history teachers. Later that evening a panel discussion was opened on campus to the general public. The third day, the commemoration culminated with a solemn high mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Ghost in dowtown Denver. In addition, a traveling exhibit of Ukrainian breads, books on the Famine, and Ukraininan embroidery and art was featured at each event.

The Denver chapter of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America raised $1,200 in donations and special events earlier in the year to finance the three-day commemoration. The events were planned by the Colorado Committee to Commemorate the Ukrainian Famine.

Experts were invited to come to Denver to discuss the Ukrainian Famine and to provide teachers with various information and materials. Panelists, speakers and special guests included Dr. Myron Kuropas (who prepared a curriculum guide especially for the event), Carol Helstosky, Cheryl Madden, Prof. Dan Clayton and Denver City Auditor Dennis Gallagher.

On the last day of the commemoration there was a service celebrated by the Rev. Petro Bohdanowycz, James Doran and Januarius Izzo. There were seven co-celebrants and servers at the altar - a symbolic reference to the 7 million to 10 million victims of the famine.

The Colorado Committee to Commemorate the Ukrainian Famine organized a food collection at the church entrance, the proceeds of which were delivered to the church's ministry to Denver's homeless.

Scores of other Ukrainian communities held their own commemorations of the solemn anniversary.

Also, an exhibit of books on the Ukrainian Famine was on display at Koebel Public Library, the main library of the Arapaho Library system in suburban Denver throughout the month of November.

Scholars from the U.S., Canada and Ukraine convened at the Shevchenko Scientific Society (NTSh) building on April 6 in order to mark the 70th anniversary of the "Holodomor" - the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide - with two roundtable discussions, offering analysis of this Ukrainian tragedy from several perspectives. The first roundtable dealt with archival materials pertaining to the Famine of 1932-1933, while the second examined the treatment of this subject in art and literature.

The program was opened by NTSh President Dr. Larissa Onyshkevych, who transferred the proceedings to Dr. Yaroslav Pelensky, director of the Institute of European Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and president of the Lypynsky Institute of European Research, who chaired the roundtables, introducing the speakers and their topics.

Dr. Taras Hunczak, professor of history at Rutgers University focused on the manner in which the Famine in Soviet Ukriane had galvanized and united those Ukrainians who lived in western Ukraine, beyond the reach of Soviet rulers, and thus were able to act on behalf of their starving brethern.

The next lecture by Dr. Stanislav Kulchytsky of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was titled, "Materials on the 'Holodomor' in the Archives of Ukraine and the USSR." Dr. Roman Serbyn, professor emeritus of history at the University of Quebec concluded the session by presenting information about the documents on the Famine he had researched at the International Red Cross in Geneva. The second roundtable began with a lecture by Dr. Daria Darewych, a professor at York University, and the president of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Canada, titled "The Theme of 'Holodomor' in Art." Dr. Darewych discussed the issue of underrepresentation of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 in the fine arts.

The lecture, "The 'Holodomor' as Presented in Drama," was then concluded by Dr. Onyshkevych.

Dr. Pelensky opined that studies of Ukraine's Famine-Genocide have only now begun in earnest and that they are facing three formidable problems: the existence of a literature of denial of the "Holodomor," reflecting an attitude that is prevalent in Russia and also among some scholars in the West; the lack of assignment of responsibility for these crimes; the fear of eyewitness survivors of the Famine, many of whom have been reluctant to tell their stories, even in the diaspora.

The Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at Stanford held a symposium, "Famine in Ukraine: 70 Years After - A Symposium Honoring Robert Conquest for his Contribution to the Study of the Famine." It was co-sponsored by the Hoover Institution at Stanford and included lectures by Amir Weiner, associate professor of history at Stanford University, and by Volodymyr. S. Lozytskyi, director of the Central State Archives of Public Orgnanizations of Ukraine. A reception followed the presentations where Nancy Kollmann, CREES director and professor of history honored Dr. Conquest for his 17 publications on Soviet history, politics and international affairs, including the classic "The Great Terror" (1968) and the acclaimed "Harvest of Sorrow" (1986). (See section on Scholarship.)

The Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) held a symposium titled "The Ukrainian Terror-Famine of 1932-1933: Revisiting the Issues and the Scholarship 20 Years after the HURI Famine project." Scholars from the United States, Italy, the Netherlands and France presented their latest research into the causes, extent and lasting impact of what the special commission on the Ukraine Famine, in its 1988 report to the U.S. Congress, called an "act of genocide and terror."

Organized by HURI Associate Director Dr. Lubomyr Hajda, the symposium pursued a twofold purpose announced by its subtitle: to discuss some of the new findings in Famine studies effected over the last 20 years since the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute launched its Famine studies project in 1982, and to map the course of future research.

Recognized specialists in East European history such as Terry Martin, John L. Loeb and Andrea Graziosi along with a younger generation of international academicians participated in the symposium.

The Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies co-sponsored a series of lectures by three Ukrainian scholars, Drs. Yuri Shapoval, Hennadii Boriak and Olexiy Haran at several scholarly and community events throughout Canada. Dr. Shapoval is affiliated with the Institute of Political and Ethnonational Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv. Dr. Boriak is director general of the State Committee of Archives of Ukraine. Dr. Haran is with the political science department and School for Policy Analysis at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy.

The first series of lectures took place at the University of Toronto co-sponsored by CIUS (Toronto Office) and Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine at the Center for Russian and East European Studies. The second event took place at the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in Edmonton and was co-sponsored by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Edmonton Branch. The final session was held in the Cathedral of St. Mary the Protectress in Winnipeg and was co-sponsored by the Metropolitan Illarion Center for Ukrainian Orthodox Studies.

A workshop on the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide for high school teachers was organized this year and held at Rider University in New Jersey. The program was sponsored by the Julius and Dorothy Koppleman Holocaust/Genocide Resource Center at the University. The keynote lecture was given by Dr. Taras Hunczak, professor of history and political science at Rutgers University. Participants of the workshop received a curriculum guide prepared by Dr. Myron Kuropas, an educator and historian, which was funded by the Ukrainian National Association.

New Jersey is one of the many states mandating "Holocaust and genocide" education on the elementary and high school levels. To date, this curriculum included numerous 19th and 20th century genocides but not the Famine-Genocide, which numerically was one of the largest. At the end of the program, Dr. Harvey Kornberg, who is also president of the Association of New Jersey Holocaust Organizations, pledged to introduce a resolution mandating the Holodomor as one of the genocides to be covered in the core curriculum. This pledge was met with a rousing ovation by the 100-plus students and citizens in attendance.

Resolutions, declarations

Important strides were made this year in gaining international acknowledgment and spreading public awareness about the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 through various resolutions and declarations encouraged by Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora. Efforts to build memorial complexes and commemorative monuments also made progress.

Various members of Ukraine's Parliament called on the Ukrainian government in February to build an extensive memorial complex in the center of Kyiv to the millions of victims of the Famine. The lawmakers also demanded that the government turn to the United Nations to officially acknowledge the Ukrainian Famine as genocide. The comments came at a public hearing held in the Verkhovna Rada as part of commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the Great Famine.

Another public hearing was held in Kyiv nine months later to review the status of a project to develop a memorial center dedicated to the Great Famine. The consensus was to discard the proposals, including the chosen site, and to start from scratch.

The national government and the city of Kyiv had developed a site in Navodnytskyi Park, located on the right bank of the Dnipro River below the highest of Kyiv's seven hills - which coincidentally (or not) lies beneath the long controversial Soviet-era monument to "the Motherland" - a stormy debate arose about whether the dedicated plot of land is a suitable site for the memorial. The plan outlined a complex that would encompass a research center, a conference center, a historical museum and a proper monument to honor the victims, as well as the tens of thousands of others repressed and displaced by the Soviet regime.

Participants expressed their dissatisfaction by responding in sum that the site didn't reflect the largesse of the tragedy and nor did the designs express the depth of the feeling or the soul of the tragedy. Speakers also commented that the site choice revealed how the government looked upon the event.

The campaign to build a memorial in Washington, dedicated to the victims of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 received a boost when letters written to Rep. Sander Levin, in support of such a project, were presented at a hearing before the National Capital Memorial Commission of the National Park Service. The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and Rep. Levin's office had received nearly 30 letters from various Ukrainian institutions and organizations. As a result of the extensive support expressed, the commission seemed to be responsive. The bill called for the monument to be unveiled in 2008, in time for the 75th anniversary of the Famine.

Representatives of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Koffi Anan, requesting that the United Nations acknowledge the Great Famine in Ukraine of 1932-1933 as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation. The letter stated: "The Churches of Ukraine raise up their prayers for the millions of innocent victims of this crime against humanity and want the memory to become an eternal warning for all nations throughout the world, to work together in their desire to preserve creation and value every single individual and prevent the dehumanization of humanity."

An attempt was made two weeks later by Vice Prime Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk to involve the Verkhovna Rada in this request during the first parliamentary hearing dedicated to the subject. He called on Ukraine's Parliament on May 14 to turn to the United Nations to have the Great Famine of 1932-1933 recognized internationally as genocide. At the special parliamentary session the Verkhovna Rada turnout was very poor. The few lawmakers who cared enough to attend the session listened to Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn, National Deputy Hennadii Udovenko and Vice Prime Minister Tabachnyk and Roman Krutsyk, the head of the Kyiv branch of the Memorial Society, explain the reasons behind the Man-Made Famine of 1932-1933 and the importance of international acknowledgment. Mr. Tabachnyk also reported on archival progress in Ukraine of the collection of historical documents, the compilation of an oral history project and construction of a comprehensive website dealing with the Famine of 1932-1933. In addition, Mr. Tabachnyk confirmed that plans for an extensive memorial complex were under development in Kyiv.

The next day, Ukraine's Parliament passed a resolution declaring the Great Famine of 1932-1933 "an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation." The resolution was formulated as an address to the Ukrainian people in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the artificially created famine. According to Mr. Udovenko, this document marked the first time that Ukraine discussed openly and condemned the politics of genocide.

In June, Ukraine declassified more than 1,000 files documenting the famine. In response to Ukraine's acknowledgment of the Famine, Russia's Ambassador to Ukraine, Viktor Chernomyrdin, said that Moscow did not have intentions of apologizing for the Stalin-era famine. Although Mr. Chernomyrdin acknowledged that Russia had assumed the Soviet Union's obligations as successor to the collapsed regime, he denied that those responsibilities included apologizing for the Famine-Genocide that occurred during the regime of Joseph Stalin.

In the United States, resolutions commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide were introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in July. The Senate version (S. Res. 202) was introduced by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.), co-chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Senate Resolution 202, that unequivocally calls the Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine a genocide has been signed by 27 co-sponsors representing 17 states.

The Embassy of Russia in the United States voiced its opposition to the resolution by contacting officials at the U.S. Department of State and in Congress in an effort to block the passage of S.R. 202.

The version before the House of Representatives (H. Con. Res. 254) was introduced by Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich), co-chair of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, and was referred to the House Committee on International Relations. It, too, affirmed the severity of the Famine. It attributed Joseph Stalin's motives to more than just a desire for collectivization and cited the report of the U.S. Commission on the Ukraine Famine which concluded it was genocide.

The third resolution introduced this year related to the 70th anniversary of the Great Famine of 1932-1933 was Resolution 356. It was introduced by Henry Hyde (R-Ill), with Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) and Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) as original co-sponsors.

The U.S. House of Representatives adopted the resolution "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the man-made famine that occurred in Ukraine in 1932-1933" by a vote of 382-0. In sum, the resolution acknowledged that many Western observers with first hand knowledge, such as New York Times correspondent Walter Duranty, deliberately falsified their reports to cover up evidence of the Famine, and those that actually did report the truth were penalized. It also stated that it wasn't until the collapse of the Soviet regime in 1991 that archives were made accessible documenting the premeditated nature of Stalin's Famine-Genocide.

The document confirmed that, to this day, the Famine remains insufficiently known in the United States and in the world. And finally, the resolution upholds that the millions of victims of this man-made famine should be remembered and honored and that the Verkhovna Rada should be encouraged to give official recognition and spread international awareness of this mass murder against the Ukrainian people, in order to re-establish Ukraine's national identity for the advancement of democracy.

The Australian Senate passed a similar motion condemning Stalin's action in bringing about an act of genocide by creating the Famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933, calling it one of the most heinous acts of genocide in history. The Senate motion also resolved "to seek to ensure that current and future generations are made aware of the monstrous evil that led to the Famine." Sen. Bill Heffernan, worked with Federal Minister Rod Kemp to move the formal motion. The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations worked in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine in Australia to seek support for the motion as well.

The Senate of Canada unanimously recognized the Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 and called for the fourth Saturday in November to be designated as a day of remembrance for the victims. The motion, which was originally moved by Sen. Raynell Andreychuk, also called for all Canadians, particularly historians, educators and parliamentarians, to include the true facts of the tragedy in the records of Canada and in future educational material.

The board of presidents of the Canadian Ethnocultural Council adopted a resolution supporting the latter resolution of the Senate of Canada.

A joint declaration was signed by the U.N. delegation of 30 states and the European Union marking the 70th anniversary of the Famine, describing it as "a national tragedy for the Ukrainian people" that "took 7 to 10 millions of innocent lives," but stops short of calling it a genocide. This was the first time, however, that the United Nations publicly condemned the Soviet totalitarian regime for the murder of millions of innocent victims. The document also underscored the importance of international public awareness and education concerning the Famine.

The head of the Association of Famine Researchers in Ukraine, Levko Lukianenko commented on the topic of public awareness of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide. He said that 70 years later the world has finally begun to understand the magnitude of the man-made disaster that destroyed up to 10 million Ukrainians. However, Mr. Lukianenko expressed his frustration that the Ukrainian nation remains badly informed of the Great Famine. He emphasized that the Ukrainian government hadn't offered any support for public awareness programs until five years ago. While institutions of higher learning had begun to gather a sufficient amount of documents and information, elementary and middle schools continued to have far too little available for their students.

Patriarch Filaret Denysenko, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said he was satisfied with the progress of public awareness world-wide and in Ukraine, and was particularly pleased with the array of commemorative events that had taken place.

An academic and memorial expedition "In the Footsteps of the Famine of 1933" initiated by the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, visited three southern regions: Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa, where large numbers of people died as a result of the Famine.The purpose of the expidition was to study archival data, to gather testimonies from witnesses of the Famine, to visit places where victims were buried, and to celebrate memorial services that involved various religious confessions. The participants met with students to talk about the events of the Famine and to encourage the younger generation to learn more about this genocide.

During the past year a new compilation of materials about Famine-Genocide edited by Dr. Wsevolod W. Isajiw was published. Titled "Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, 1932-1933: Western Archives, Testimonies and New Research," it presented an analysis of documents about the Famine found in Western and Russian archives including witness testimonies.

Also, an entire edition of Canadian American Slavic Studies, "Holodomor: The Ukrainian Genocide, 1932-1933," published by Charles Schlacks Jr., including eight articles, was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Famine-Genocide this past year.

Finally, an erroneous design for a postage stamp commemorating Ukraine's Great Famine of 1932 and 1933 was withdrawn as a result of concerted pressure from Ukrainian diaspora groups in the United States and Canada, led by the Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society (UPNS). Marka Ukrainy, Ukrposhta's printing house, canceled plans in late September to issue the stamp because it not only erroneously showed victims of an earlier famine in 1921, but also depicted victims who were Russian, not Ukrainian.

The stamp's introduction was originally planned to coincide with the Famine-Genocide commemoration. Postal officials had to scramble during October and early November to redesign and print a new stamp in time to meet a November 21, 2003, release date. Marka Ukrainy issued the series, which featured a traditional Ukrainian cross with the image of a starving child's face imprinted on its center. The dates 1932-1933 in red type and a few shafts of wheat are found on the left, and the word "Ukraina" is emblazoned on the right side.

Walter Duranty

In addition to organizing commemorative events for the 70th anniversary of the Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933, Ukrainians came together to launch a campaign seeking the revocation of the Pulitzer Prize awarded in 1932 to Walter Duranty of The New York Times.

Duranty was not only an infamous denier of the Famine-Genocide, but he also actively denigrated others who tried to report on the Communist crime against humanity. Duranty got the Pulitzer "for his series of dispatches on Russia, especially the working out of the Five-Year-Plan." It was that Five-Year-Plan for the Soviet economy that led to the genocidal famine that killed 7 million to 10 million in Ukraine. Later, Duranty denied there was a famine - although he told British diplomats that 10 million had died due to famine.

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) began a nationwide and international letter-writing campaign urging the Pulitzer Prize Board to revoke Duranty's Pulitzer. The action began in early February to coincide with Pulitzer board meetings, when members are in frequent contact with each other to discuss current prize candidates. UCCA also sent copies of the award-winning film "Harvest of Despair" to each member of the Pulitzer board and the publishers of The New York Times.

The Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Ukrainian World Congress initiated a postcard project led by Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk appealing to the Pulitzer Prize Committee and to the publishers of The New York Times. The cards were printed and distributed throughout the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Western Europe and Ukraine.

The Pulitzer Prize Board responded, after receiving thousands of letters and e-mails, by agreeing to conduct a review of the award given to Duranty.

The New York Times commissioned Dr. Mark von Hagen, a noted Columbia University professor of history to write an independent assessment of Duranty's reporting on the Soviet Union after the newspaper received a letter form the Pulitzer Board. Dr. von Hagen concluded in his report that the 1931 dispatches of Pulitzer Prize winner Walter Duranty showed "a serious lack of balance," and that Mr. Duranty's reporting from the Soviet Union could be characterized as "cynical in tone and apologist in purpose and effect in terms of justifying what the Stalinist regime was up to." As for Duranty's Pulitzer, he stated that "it should never have been awarded in the first place."

Four respected academics and experts on the Great Famine who reside in Ukraine - Dr. James Mace of the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy; Dr. Yurii Shapoval of the Institute of Political and Ethno-National Research; Dr. Stanislav Kulchytskyi, assistant director of the Institute of History of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences; and Arkadii Sydoruk, member of the board of directors of the Association of Famine Researchers - were of the opinion that Mr. Duranty had helped to cover up and perhaps deepen the effects of the Great Famine by failing to report on its existence.

The Illinois branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America organized a noontime demonstration in front of The New York Times office in downtown Chicago on November 18. The purpose of the gathering was to demand that The New York Times disown the Pulitzer Prize unjustly awarded to Walter Duranty and to encourage The Times' publisher to print an expose of Duranty's duplicity in promoting Stalin's agenda on the front pages of The Times, as well as The Times' complicity with Stalin.

More than 50 people participated and carried signs with messages such as: "New York Times Collaborated with Stalin," "New York Times Guilty of Covering Up Murder of 10,000,000 Ukrainians," and "New York Times: Lies Fit to Print." Leaflets detailing the charges against The New York Times were distributed to passers-by. Also, president of the UCCA's Illinois branch, Orest Baranyk, prepared a letter to The Times' publisher which he read to the demonstrators and observers and later passed on to a representative for delivery to The Times office.

That same day, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Toronto Branch organized a demonstration outside the office of The Globe and Mail, which distributes The New York Times, to demand that the newspaper return Walter Duranty's Prize. About 110 community activists participated in the action. Younger and older community members, newly arrived Ukrainian Canadians and those born in Canada, all gathered together and chanted slogans, including "New York Times: Do the Right Thing!"

After six months of "study and deliberation," Dr. von Hagen's report and an appeal from the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, the Pulitzer board still decided not to posthumously revoke Duranty's award. In explaining the decision, the board said "there was not clear and convincing evidence of deliberate deception, the relevant standard in this case."

Gareth Jones

As a protest against the lies that Duranty disseminated, and as an attempt to finally bestow the honor upon Gareth Jones that he deserves, his niece, Dr. Margaret Siriol Colley, and his great-nephew, Nigel Linsan Colley, wrote a letter to The Pulitzer Prize Committee to get Mr. Duranty's 1932 Pulitzer Prize revoked. In addition to revoking Duranty's Pulitzer Prize, Dr. Colley proposed that the prize be awarded posthumously to Jones, for his courage to report truthfully about the people's starvation in Ukraine. The Colleys also wrote to the publisher of The New York Times, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., requesting that he return Duranty's Prize in the name of Gareth Jones, and all those who sadly perished in the Holodomor of 1932-1933. Neither the Pulitzer Board nor The Times responded to the letters.

Dr. Colley participated in an international conference on the Famine-Genocide at Columbia University this fall as well. The theme of her presentation was the life of her uncle as described in her book titled "Gareth Jones: A Manchukuo Incident." She commented that it was "fitting that here at Columbia University, the home of excellence for American journalism, Gareth's ghost has come back to haunt those who stopped at nothing to silence his conscience."

Jones did not collapse under censorship. Meanwhile, journalists like Duranty gave the Famine the polite name of "food shortage" and referred to death by starvation as "widespread mortality from diseases due to malnutrition" (as Jones noted in his letter to the editor of The New York Times). He went against the grain and wrote several articles depicting the atrocities he saw in the Soviet Union, focusing on Ukraine.

An article disseminated by United Press International and written by Martin Sieff - titled "Gareth Jones: Hero of Ukraine" - commended Jones' efforts and discussed his fate following his truthful accounts of the Famine. The article cited information about the Pulitzer Prize Board's review of Duranty's Prize that was first reported by Andrew Nynka of The Weekly.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 11, 2004, No. 2, Vol. LXXII

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