LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (01/02/00)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

About Russia's latest victims

Dear Editor:

At the end of our millennium the world powers are silently witnessing Russia's annihilation of the Chechen nation. The brutal annihilation of Chechnya is not and should not be treated as an internal matter of Russia.

It is important to remember as The New York Times columnist William Safire pointed out, that Chechen people "have resisted Russian rule and fought against eradication of their culture for two centuries."

Chechens have their own language and culture and the Muslim religion. That is one of the reasons that Chechnya is not and should not be an integral part of Russia.

It is a habit of Russians to label as "bandits and killers" all those who dare to fight against cruel Russian oppression. But what label applies to the Russians who brutally killed about 20 million Ukrainians during the last 70 years of their rule there? During his conversation with Winston Churchill on August 16, 1942, Stalin himself admitted that during the organized and forced Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine 10 million Ukrainians died. (Churchill's memoirs, Vol. 4, p. 498.). At that time the borders were sealed and all help from abroad was refused.

It seems the Russians cannot live in peace with their neighbors. They have a "habit" of dominating and mercilessly oppressing them. Their history is full of countless examples of such behavior, connected with brutal torture as well as other atrocities. One can ask why there has not been a Nuremberg-type trial during which Russia's heinous crimes could have been exposed.

That might be the reason that Russia feels free to do with Chechnya whatever it pleases. Today the victim is Chechnya. Which country will be next?

Daria Kuzyk
Trenton, N.J.

NYU club founded to unite Ukrainians

Dear Editor:

The world of tomorrow is determined by how the world of today is educated and developed. Students need not only guidance, but also a feeling of belonging. Only if they understand themselves, can they lead the way of the future. The Ukrainian Culture Club at New York University was created both to reach out to those Ukrainian Americans who lack a strong cultural background and to foster the bond among all young Ukrainian Americans at NYU.

Recently, the club expanded its membership to different colleges and high schools, where Ukrainian culture seems to be ignored.

By holding periodical social events, such as a Taras Bulba night, students from around the tri-state area gather to create strong friendships that create greater appreciation of the Ukrainian culture. Not only do they realize who they really are, but they also gain something extremely valuable for every human being, and that is a sense of bonding.

Through this bond, students are intelligibly guided and helped in their journey through life. In addition, they are able to guide others who follow their own specific journey. That has been the goal of the Ukrainian Club at NYU, ever since it was reborn on November 27, 1997.

Ukrainian students in high schools and colleges who miss a Ukrainian environment and are interested in learning more about themselves, may contact the club via e-mail at ukrainian.club@nyu.edu.

Vlodjo Chaban
New York

The writer is founder and president of the Ukrainian Culture Club at New York University.

Of candidates and ignorance

Dear Editor:

Comparing the case of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez with that of the young defector Walter Polovchak on Fox News on December 12, Sen. John McCain referred to Mr. Polovchak as "the son of a Ukrainian Russian" [sic].

It is unfortunate that Sen. McCain, his superior IQ notwithstanding, seems able to differentiate between Ukrainians and Russians no better than Texas governor George W. Bush, his main rival for the Republican presidential nomination, between Slovaks and Slovenians.

Such ignorance does not bode well for U.S. foreign policy.

Walter R. Iwaskiw
Arlington, Va.

Christmastime gifts and The Weekly

Dear Editor:

This year at Christmas I decided to present my oldest grandchildren with subscriptions to The Ukrainian Weekly.

Both live away at the universities where they are studying - Nadia at Brown in Providence and Kolia at Penn in Philadelphia.

The Ukrainian Weekly is published in the English language, but it informs us about all aspects of our Ukrainian life in a respectful manner. Therefore, this is appropriate reading for them. At the same time their American friends can always take a look to see what is happening in the Ukrainian sphere and thus learn a bit about us.

I firmly believe that for university students The Ukrainian Weekly is a truly respectable and interesting newspaper - one of which we all can be proud.

I wish The Weekly staff continued success.

Khrystos Rodyvsia!

Olha Kuzmowycz
New York

Olha Kuzmowycz, a longtime journalist, is a member of the editorial staff of Svoboda.

The Ukrainian Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and commentaries on a variety of topics of concern to the Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian communities. Opinions expressed by columnists, commentators and letter-writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of either The Weekly editorial staff or its publisher, the Ukrainian National Association.

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