Miscellany
On the occasion of the 24th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence, President Petro Poroshenko awarded 14 foreign citizens for their contribution to strengthening the international authority of Ukraine, popularization of its historical heritage and modern achievements. Among them were two Ukrainian American women who were awarded the Order of Princess Olha, third degree: Ukrainian Congress Committee of America President Tamara Olexy and The Ukrainian Weekly Editor-in-Chief Roma Hadzewycz. The awards were announced in a presidential decree dated August 21. Ms. Olexy received her medal on September 26, 2015; Ms. Hadzewycz is still awaiting a presentation of this great honor.
A film crew from Istorychna Pravda, headed by Vakhtang Kipiani, visited our editorial offices on November 10, 2015, to see Svoboda’s and The Weekly’s historic issues from the years of the Holodomor, as well as historic materials related to that genocide that we have at our editorial offices. They also interviewed the editor-in-chief about the newspapers’ coverage of the Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933; the history of The Ukrainian Weekly, which was founded to tell the world the truth about what was happening in Ukraine; and the case of Holodomor denier Walter Duranty of The New York Times. The report aired on Ukrainian television on November 28 and was posted online at the time that Ukraine marked the annual Holodomor Remembrance Day. (The report is available on YouYube under the title “Фільм до дня пам’яті жертв Голодомору 1932-33 років.”)
In 2015 we noted that two of our long-time columnists had published books. Dr. Kuropas’s latest book, titled “Lesia and I, A Progress Report and a Ukrainian-American Love Story,” is part memoir and part autobiography and was written to mark the 50th wedding anniversary of Myron and Lesia (Waskiw) Kuropas. Ms. Tracz, on December 3 launched her new book, “First Star I See Tonight” (Mazepa Publications, Zhuravli Ltd, 2015) at McNally Robinson Booksellers of Winnipeg. The beautifully designed book is a collection of articles explaining the origins of Ukrainian Christmas traditions, their symbolism and their continuation around the world, especially in Ukraine, Canada and the United States. Many of the articles previously appeared in The Weekly in Ms. Tracz’s column.