UNION TOWNSHIP, N.J. – On August 21, the Ukrainian community of Union Township, N.J., and surrounding areas commemorated the 25th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence with the reading of a proclamation and flag-raising ceremony outside the Municipal Building.
Unlike any other city or town in the United States, Union Township raises 30 Ukrainian flags in its town center and a banner reminding all passers-by that August 24 is Ukrainian Independence Day.
Inside Town Hall (from left) are: Union Township Committeewoman Michele S. Delisfort; Mayor Manuel Figueiredo; Consul General Igor Sybiga; Yuriy Symczyk, chairman, Ukrainian Independence Day Committee of Union Township; and Dr. Walter Zaryckyj, executive director, Center for U.S.-Ukrainian Relations.
The main speaker of this year’s event was Dr. Walter Zaryckyj, executive director of the Center for U.S.-Ukrainian Relations. Remarks were also made by Union Township Mayor Manuel Figueiredo, Committeewoman Michele Delisfort and the Consul General of Ukraine in New York, Igor Sybiga, who attended with his family and delivered words of inspiration while welcoming the many Ukrainian Americans in Town Hall.
A luncheon and celebratory program featuring the Iskra Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and the ensemble Udech followed at the Ukrainian Community Center in nearby Irvington, N.J. The Union Township Ukrainian Independence Day Committee thanked all of its sponsors and specifically its main sponsor, Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union.