2004: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Ukrainians in the U.S.: a rebound in activity

The year 2004 marked the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to the United States, and there was plenty of evidence in the form of community events which proved that after one and a quarter century Ukrainian Americans still actively take part in organized Ukrainian life in the United States and work hard to preserve their national and cultural identity.

Most recent - and the highlight of 2004 - was the Ukrainian American reaction to the Ukraine's presidential election. Events overseas re-ignited cultural and political feelings in many Americans and they showed their unity by actively writing letters to the U.S. government, protesting the rigged election and going abroad as election monitors.

Following the November 21 run-off election, Ukrainian American communities gathered in throngs to protest the fraud. On November 23 about 600 people clad in orange gathered outside of Ukraine's Consulate General in New York City to rally in support of Viktor Yushchenko. About 1,200 rallied at the Plaza next to Chicago's Dirksen Federal Center. On November 24 the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington saw an estimated 1,500 Ukrainian Americans demonstrating in front of its building. And, two days later, as President George W. Bush was on his way to lunch in Crawford, Texas, about 100 Texas Ukrainian Americans greeted him with Ukrainian and American flags and "Tak" (Yes) signs - the slogan of the Yushchenko campaign. There were countless other demonstrations nationwide, with many cities holding more than one gathering to support a free and fair election in Ukraine. (See Diaspora section for related information.)

In December, 130 entertainment industry professionals in Hollywood, led by actor Jack Palance gathered on a petition calling for a free and fair election in Ukraine.

On December 9, the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council (UACC) issued a statement to congratulate the people of Ukraine for their commitment to the legal principles they employed to resolve a potentially explosive situation. Also that day, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) wrote a letter calling on Ukrainian Americans to serve as international election observers, sponsor election observers or donate funds. In the end, thanks to the efforts of the UCCA and other organizations and contributors, 2,408 election observers traveled to Ukraine. They were part of the throng of 12,000 monitors active during the third round of the epresidential election on December 26.

However, Ukrainian American support for the Ukrainian people in their pursuit of fair elections didn't start in November. Back in July the UCCA had launched its voter education project, "The Power of One." Supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, the project's goal was to provide voters with information to allow them to make informed decisions when casting their ballots. The UCCA has conducted such a project in every Ukrainian election since Ukraine declared independence in 1991. Tamara Gallo-Olexy explained: "the overall aim of the project is to inform voters of election issues, and we plan on doing this by stimulating public debate at town hall meetings. In doing so we hope to provide the candidates or their representatives a chance to meet with the voters in order to discuss and debate important issues during the campaign."

On February 17 The Action Ukraine Coalition held a roundtable discussion on the problems and critical choices facing Ukraine in 2004 and how the United States and the Ukrainian American community should respond to them. The panelists were: Judge Bohdan Futey of the U.S. Federal Claims Court; former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine William G. Miller; Orest Deychakiwsky, staff advisor with the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; Nadia Diuk of the National Endowment for Democracy; and two former congressmen and members of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, Bob Schaffer of Colorado and Charles F. Dougherty of Pennsylvania.

On June 11-13, The Washington Group (TWG) held its 20th anniversary leadership conference themed "TWG at 20: Reflection, Renewal and Celebration" in Arlington, Va. TWG invited experts in the field, among them Taras Kuzio, Gene Fishel, Nadia Diuk, Marta Kolomayets and Orest Deychakiwsky, to assess the pre-election environment in Ukraine. At the time most believed that dirty election tactics would most likely result in the ruling elite retaining power. During the Ambassador's Forum at the Leadership Conference, former ambassadors of Ukraine and the United States stated that the October presidential election will play a pivotal role in determining whether the decline in bilateral relations between the United States and Ukraine would be reversed. The ambassadors concluded that if Ukraine succeeded in holding a democratic election in the fall, it would still need to demonstrate that its political-economic structure is compatible with NATO countries.

The strong support of Ukrainian Americans of their brethren in Ukraine was a testament to the connectedness they feel toward the country of their forefathers. This cultural identification has spanned generations and is largely due to the upbringing that children received growing up in Ukrainian American communities. This year many people were shaken by the decision to close two of the remaining seven Ukrainian Catholic schools in the Archeparchy of Philadelphia: St John the Baptist School in Newark, N.J., and St. John the Baptist School in Northhampton. It was a sad decision, but a necessary one, according to Metropolitan Stefan Soroka, who stated that the reasons for the closing were: smaller family size, migration of the faithful to suburbs, and decrease of financial sponsorship of Catholic education. Metropolitan Soroka stated that both parishes will endeavor to establish catechetical instruction for the children of the parish, as well as support Saturday Ukrainian school programs.

As members of the Ukrainian community in Newark mourned the closure of their school, a new community center in New Jersey began emerging. On April 25, hundreds of Ukrainians gathered to officially break ground for the construction of a project that will build a growing church and a cultural center in the heart of a new Ukrainian community in Morris County. The project was the brainchild of the parishioners who several years ago agreed that their small 14-pew church in Whippany could no longer accommodate the expanding Ukrainian community, which was said to have grown by 76 percent in the 1990s.

Also significant for the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the community at large was the explosion that occurred on the morning of September 10 in St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Colchester, Conn. The church was built in 1955 and served some 70 families. There was speculation that a propane tank might have caused the explosion. No injuries were reported, and the parish plans to rebuild the church with the help of donations from individuals and organizations.

On March 14, after congratulating Self Reliance (N.Y.) Federal Credit Union for its generous support of the St. George School, Bishop Basil Losten pledged to personally donate $100,000 to the St. George Ukrainian Catholic Schools Foundation. The bishop said he hoped that his donation would inspire others to join the foundation by contributing $1,000 or more to the cause.

Self-Reliance New York Federal Credit union itself reached a milestone it its history this year by surpassing $500 million in assets and reasserting its position as No. 1 in assets within the Ukrainian community. Bohdan Kekish, president and chief executive officer of Self Reliance New York, stated, "keeping in pace with our growth, we have been sharing our profits with the Ukrainian community."

Also noteworthy was the $70,000 grant awarded to the Ukrainian Institute of America (UIA) by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in June this year. The grant was the second of its kind for the institute, as in 2003 the UIA had received a matching funds grant of $270,000 from the National Park Service. UIA President Nazarewicz was thrilled that both grant-giving organizations had recognized the importance of preserving the institute's landmark building. He also commented that the awards brought the institute more recognition from the American community, which gives hope that more grants will follow.

On the cultural front, Ukrainian Americans celebrated the renovation of the Ukrainian Lemko Museum of Stamford, Conn., that was open to the public on September 12 for the Ukrainian Day Festival. The museum houses Ivan Honchak's model of a 162-year-old church from the Lemko village of Bortne and exhibits Lemko pysanky, reproductions of works by Lemko artist Nikifor Dronvniak, Lemko folk costumes and wood carvings, and photographs from historical congresses of Lemko organizations. The purpose of the museum, according to the museum's curator, Steven Howansky, is to preserve the Lemko tradition and culture.

On September 24-26 the 19th Congress of Ukrainians in America took place in Philadelphia. The congress commemorated noteworthy anniversaries and milestones in Ukrainian history and called upon Ukrainian Americans to continue to be active in Ukrainian communities, to continue the strong commitment to the preservation of ethnic nationalities and the building of a national-cultural infrastructure. It also identified the active issues that are before the Ukrainian community. During its Congress, UCCA presented five of its prestigious Shevchenko Freedom Awards to: Oscar-winning actor Jack Palance; Bishop Basil Losten of the Ukrainian Catholic Church; Rep. Curt Weldon the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus; Ukrainian National Association activist and author Dr. Myron B. Kuropas; and retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Nicholas Krawciw. According to a UCCA statement, the award is given to those who "have dedicated their time and effort to realize the prophetic aspirations of Taras Shevchenko and the goal of freedom for Ukraine."

The 19th Congress was notable also because of the return of the Ukrainian National Association, which had not participated in a UCCA congress since 1980, when the 13th Congress left the Ukrainian American community severely divided. UNA delegates attended the congress and UNA leaders were elected to several leadership positions within the UCCA. Most importantly, UNA President Stefan Kaczaraj assumed the position of first vice-president of the UCCA National Executive Board; the holder of that position also serves as the chairman of the UCCA National Council.

In addition to the election in Ukraine, Ukrainian Americans also faced an important election at home. Two groups - Ukrainian Americans for Bush headed by Myron and Lesia Kuropas and Ukrainian Americans for Kerry headed by Julian Kulas - were created in order to coordinate the campaigns among Ukrainians. Ukainian Americans could log onto each group's website to read about issues in the U.S. elections.

On March 24-25, UCCA and the Ukrainian National Information Service organized "Ukrainian Days in Washington" as part of a framework of programs in preparation for the U.S. presidential and congressional elections. The intent of Ukrainian Days was to promote the concerns of the Ukrainian American community as well as to establish contacts with community members' elected representatives in Washington. During the two days of meetings and briefings, the delegates had an opportunity to meet with various perspectives on the current U.S.-Ukraine relationship, as well as meet with members of Congress.

On July 3, some 1,500 Republican supporters gathered at St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Parma, Ohio, to hear Vice-President Dick Cheney speak. Republican consultant Andrew Futey, a member of the Ukrainians for Bush organization stated, "The vice-president's visit to Parma, Ohio, especially to our Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, shows the importance that we will play in this election."

On September 14 in Washington during the final panel of a two-day conference titled "Ukraine's Transition to a Stable Democracy," Sen. John McCain (Republican) and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke (Democrat) provided their assessment of the state of democracy in Ukraine from the U.S. perspective. Sen McCain stated that he fears the United States and Europe recently have not been fully aware of the critical role Ukraine plays. He added that, "While the U.S. needs to pursue an enhanced relationship with Ukraine, it is also imperative that we make clear to its leadership that close ties to the West and membership in our institutions bring certain obligations, and the most important of these is to move down the path of democracy." Mr. Holbrooke stated, that "Ukraine must decide its own destiny. You are obviously a part of Europe, but how you develop your foreign policy - whether it faces east, west, north, south or a bit of all of the above because of its geography, economy and history - is up to Ukraine."

On July 20, Ambassador Holbrooke, who was a foreign policy advisor to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kerry, met with Ukrainian Americans to discuss Ukraine's prospects for the future and the stance of a Kerry administration toward Ukraine. He also spoke about the alarming spread of HIV-AIDS in Ukraine, a subject not often addressed. Mr. Holbrooke reported that Ukraine has about 460,000 HIV-positive cases, about 1 percent of the population. The Global Business Coalition of HIV-AIDS, which Mr. Holbrooke heads, will be sending a team to Ukraine in the near future.

Sen. Kerry showed his support for Ukrainian Americans with a statement issued on the occasion of the Ukrainian Constitution Day and the 40th anniversary of the Taras Shevchenko monument on June 25. In the statement, Sen. Kerry wrote: "It is in the spirit of peace and freedom that I recognize the 40th anniversary of the Taras Shevchenko monument ... born into serfdom, he dedicated his life to Ukrainian sovereignty, and the commemoration of his statue is a fitting symbol of Ukraine's own independence.

During 2004 a national commemorative committee was formed by the UCCA to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the monument's dedication. On June 24 a manifestation took place near the Shevchenko monument. Forty years ago over 100,000 Ukrainian American participated in the unveiling of the monument to "The Great Kobzar" in Washington. The statue was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and erected thanks to the hard work and generosity of the Ukrainian American community.

On June 13 another monument was dedicated in the United States, this one to Ukrainian American Veterans. The dedication in Hamptonburgh, N.Y., was the result of the combined efforts of UAV posts in the Archeparchy of Stamford. The completed monument depicts the emblems of all branches of the U.S. armed forces and is dedicated to all veterans of Ukrainian descent who have served in those forces.

In 2004 the Ukrainian American Veterans also continued their campaign to obtain a federal charter, whose objective is to get equal status with other veterans service organizations. The effort has had some success, but it has not yet reached its ultimate goal. The bill H.R. 1615 (title: "To amend title 36, United States Code, to Grant a Federal charter to the Ukrainian American Veterans Inc.") was introduced on April 3, 2003, by Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.). It was referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims and currently has 20 co-sponsors.

In the realm of politics, Oksana Kurowycky-Komarnyckyj, a long-time Ukrainian community activist in the United States, ran for a seat in Arizona's House of Representatives. "Because of my heritage I know what freedom means and I know that we must always protect it," Ms. Kurowycky-Komarnyckyj said. Although she lost her race on November 2, she said it was an honor to run and that she will continue to pursue politics in the future.

Former Congressman Bob Schaffer of Coloado, who is of Ukrainian descent and was once a co-chairman of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, announced on March 12 his intention to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate. In a letter to The Ukrainian Weekly, Mr. Schaffer called the Ukrainian Faimine of 1932-33 a "naked act of genocide against Ukraine and its people." He has also advocated for permanently lifting the U.S. government's Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions against Ukraine. Mr. Schaffer lost his bid for the Senate in the Republican primary on August 10.

Also prominent in the news for Ukrainian Americans was Senate Resolution 202, which states that "the man-made Ukraine famine of 1932-1933 was an act of genocide as defined by the United Nations Genocide Convention." The resolution was introduced on July 28, 2003 by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.), co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission. When The Weekly last reported on the resolution it had 33 sponsors - 12 Republicans and 21 Democrats. One of the hold-ups to the resolution was strong opposition by the Bush administration. According to Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) the Bush administration "disagrees with the use of the term 'genocide' to describe the Stalinist policies in Ukraine." On September 1, while on a trip to Kyiv, Sen. Richard Lugar, stated, somewhat disingenously, that the S. Res. 202 had not moved from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee because it lacked sufficient support among committee members. In Fact, 10 of the committee's 19 members are co-sponsors of S. Res. 202.

The thousands of letters and postcards sent to Pulitzer Committee in an effort to cancel Walter Duranty's prize produced a tangible result: a larger disclaimer on The Walter Duranty plaque at the New York Times. The one-sentence footnote reads: "Other writers at the Times, and elsewhere, have discredited this coverage." Mr. Duranty was one of the first and most vocal deniers of the "Holodomor" - the Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 in Ukraine. In his commentary in May, Marko Suprun, called upon Ukrainian Americans to up the ante with this issue and laid out a series of new plans, including going to The New York Times shareholders' meetings and voicing concerns in person.

On November 13 the annual commemorative moleben service dedicated to victims of the Ukrainian Famine Genocide was held at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. Guest speakers at the event included: Archbishop Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; Michael Sawkiw Jr., president of the UCCA; Valeriy Kuchinsky, permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations; Rabbi David Lincoln, senior rabbi of the Park Avenue Synagogue; Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.); and Nigel Linsan Colley, the great-nephew of Gareth Jones. Other memorial commemorations included a community-wide divine liturgy, panakhyda and a traditional "holodnyi obid" at the St. Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cultural Center in Bloomington, Ill.

On September 10 the Kyiv Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International Program presented a public colloquium on human trafficking in Ukraine. The event featured three speakers: journalist Victor Malarek, Melanne Verveer and Amy Heyden. Ms. Verveer, chair of Vital Voices Global Partnership, provided a historical perspective of the problems associated with human trafficking, both for the victims and society. Ms. Heyden explained the activites of Winrock International, which has been involved in programs for prevention of human trafficking in Ukraine since 1998. According to Ms. Heyden women in Ukraine are especially vulnerable to the enticements of working overseas, thinking they will be able to improve the economic condition of their families. According to Mr. Malarek, the three major driving forces are poverty, greed and lust.

On September 24, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service detained an ailing 81-year-old Ukrainian American man, Mykola Wasylyk, and held him at a detention center in Florida. Mr. Wasylyk was accused by the U.S. Justice Department of participating in the persecution of Jewish civilians during World War II. Mr. Wasylyk and his family deny these accusations. Mr. Wasylyk's son, Roman, said the family's first priority is to get Mr. Wasylyk out of jail. The second priority is to see if Ukraine would accept Mr. Wasylyk.

In June this year the Associated Press reported that a federal immigration judge ordered that 80-year-old Jakiw Palij of Jackson Heights, N.Y. to be deported. The U.S. Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations alleges that Mr. Palij misrepresented his service as a guard at a labor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland and his membership in Nazi-led units that committed atrocities against civilians during World War II. Mr. Palij denies the accusations.

On December 17, the Justice Department announced that it had asked an immigration judge to deport John Demjanjuk, 84, who it alleges served as a guard at the Sobibor death camp, and the Majdanek and Flossenberg concentration camps during World War II. In April the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit had affirmed a lower court decision that revoked Mr. Demjanjuk's U.S. citizenship. On November 16 the Supreme Court denied the Demjanjuk's defense's petition for review and on December 14 the District Court lifted a stay it had imposed in 2002, thus clearing the way for the OSI to proceed with a deportation case. Mr. Demjanjuk's ordeal had begun back in 1977 when the Justice Department accused him of being "Ivan the Terrible," a guard at the Treblinka death camp. He was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity by an Israeli court, but the country's Supreme Court overturned the conviction based on evidence that someone else was the notorious "Ivan" and Mr. Demjanjuk's U.S. citizenship was restored. The U.S. later began a new case against him.

Then, at the end of the year, on December 29, the Department of Justice filed a complaint in federal court in Trenton, N.J., to revoke the U.S. citizenship of Michael Bojcun, 86, who the government alleges served for three years in the Ukrainian auxiliary police during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine. Mr. Bojcun's lawyer, Andrey Zielyk, told The New York Times the next day that he had not yet studied all the evidence in the case but emphasized, "I can only say that I'm sure he'll be completely vindicated." The Justice Department says Mr. Bojcun concealed his work during World War II when he applied for a visa to enter the United States and that his service with the auxiliary policy made him ineligible for U.S. citizenship.

The United Ukrainian American Relief Committee Inc. - the first Ukrainian humanitarian organization in the United States - marked its 60th year of service. The UUARC was formed at the second congress of the UCCA in 1944 in Philadelphia with the goal of uniting the assistance efforts of all Ukrainian organizations in the United States. The charitable endeavors of the UUARC are mainly humanitarian and extend aid to refugees, immigrants, orphans, the elderly, invalids, former dissidents, victims of natural and man-made disasters and, generally, to anyone in need.

Thanks to many letters to the Property Management Offices of Rockefeller Center, the landmark Christmas tree was left illuminated through January 7 in recognition of those who celebrate the Julian calendar Christmas. Also in New York this year the Empire State Building paid tribute to the 13th anniversary of Ukraine's independence by lighting the top 590 feet of its building blue and yellow.

And finally, this year more than 5,300 of the Diversity Visa Lottery registrants for 2005 came from Ukraine - making it the sixth largest participating country. A total of 5,361 registrants for 2005 come from Ukraine.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 16, 2005, No. 2, Vol. LXXIII

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