EDITORIAL: Remembering the Holodomor (11/19/06)

EDITORIAL

Remembering the Holodomor

We write these lines two days before Saturday, November 18, when the Ukrainian American community in the United States will hold its annual memorial observances to recall the 7 million to 10 million victims of the our nation's genocide. What we used to call the Great Famine (Velykyi Holod) of 1932-1933, we now refer to as either the Famine-Genocide or the Holodomor (a term that literally translates as "death by forced starvation"). That change in terminology was meant to underscore the premeditated, genocidal nature of the crime committed by Joseph Stalin and his henchmen against the Ukrainian nation, to leave no doubt that this was no "ordinary" famine that resulted from natural causes.

The centerpiece of our solemn commemorations in this country is the 15th annual memorial gathering at the landmark St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, where an ecumenical service will be led by Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic hierarchs, and government officials will deliver remarks on the 73rd anniversary of the Holodomor. Thus, the event is a coming together of Ukrainian Americans and their fellow Americans to recall one of history's darkest episodes - for any genocide is a tragedy for all of mankind.

That is why, when we pause to recall our Holodomor we must also remember that for several years now a genocide has been ongoing in Darfur. And that is why we must act in any way we can to stop this latest crime against humanity. What better way to memorialize our kinsmen than to act in their name to prevent the cruel deaths of others? (We recall, for example, that in 1985 the Ukrainian National Association contributed to Ethiopian famine relief efforts.)

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the victims of the Holodomor will be recalled on Sunday, November 25. As decreed by President Viktor Yushchenko, that date will be observed as a "Day of Memory for Victims of Famines and Political Repressions." While we understand that the victims of all the famines that struck Ukraine and all the political repressions directed against our people are worthy of our attention, we cannot help but wonder why a single date was chosen to remember them all. If the argument is that the Holodomor is of singular significance, then why recall it along with other tragedies that affected Ukraine and its people? Is the Holodomor not worthy of its own day of memory? If we want all the world to know about our genocide, why do Ukrainians in Ukraine shrink from commemorating it as the single most tragic event in Ukrainian history?

And, finally, we must ask: Would it not be more appropriate for all Ukrainians worldwide to mark a Day of Memory for Victims of the Holodomor on one and the same day? Surely, we would make a more powerful statement for all the world to see if we spoke in unison.

As millions of Ukrainians around the globe this month remember the millions of their kinsmen who suffered and died in the Holodomor, we pledge once again to never forget, knowing that remembrance is a step toward ensuring that the horrors of the past are not repeated. We do so hoping that perhaps next year, and on the 75th anniversary in 2008, and every year after that, all Ukrainians everywhere can light a candle in memory of those millions on one and the same day. Vichnaya Pamiat.

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