Heavenly Hundred remembered in Washington

WASHINGTON – A large gathering of more than 100 people actively concerned about Ukrainian affairs came together at the Holodomor Memorial in Washington on a very cold Sunday afternoon, February 17, to honor the Heavenly Hundred who gave their lives five years ago in Kyiv in their pursuit of achieving a truly independent Ukraine. The commemorative event began with the crowd singing the song “Plyve Kacha” that was sung by the large gathering on Kyiv’s Maidan five years ago, expressing its farewell to the fallen heroes. In the hour that followed, the meaning and importance of what the Heavenly Hundred helped to achieve and Ukraine’s continuing fight for its independence in the post-Soviet era was discussed by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly, Inci Bowman of the International Committee for Crimea, Michael Sawkiw Jr. of the Ukrainian National Information Service, Ilona Doerfler of U.S.-Ukrainian Activists and George Sajewych of United Help Ukraine, who participated in the 2014 Kyiv Maidan protests and was seriously injured. In the photograph above, Mr. Sajewych is seen sharing his experience and thoughts about the meaning and importance of those events. The hourlong program, coordinated by Rodion Iwanczuk of United Help Ukraine, was concluded with a memorial service headed by Ukrainian Orthodox Bishop Daniel Zelinsky, joined by priests from Washington-area Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholic churches, and the singing of the Ukrainian and Ukrainian national anthems.