LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (04/17/05)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Time to move on in our community

Dear Editor:

In response to Dr. Roman Baranowskyj's letter on Plast and the UCCA (February 27), I would like to point out that we live in a democratic society and that Dr. Baranowskyj is entitled to express his personal opinions and feelings on issues which took place 25 years ago.

However, 25 years is a long time and many dominant issues of that period are non-issues now, or are fading into posterity. The fact is that the 13th Congress of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America is history, and in my opinion, dwelling on negatives and re-kindling old fires is not constructive or beneficial to the Ukrainian community.

I assume Dr. Baranowskyj realizes that the "binding" resolutions that he mentions can be changed. I also question how many of the 27 organizations there left the UCCA in 1980 are still "alive" and what is the number of their members?

I as a member (not "agitator") of a special Unification Committee created by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America several years ago, concur with Dr. Baranowskyj that "all attempts during the past years to settle the conflict have been unsuccessful." The foresight and wisdom of some of the organizational leaders attending exploratory meetings arranged by the UCCA somehow were not on the agenda, in spite of the fact that the UCCA was considering changes to achieve unity.

As a senior Plast member, I would like to see the wisdom of our current Plast leaders to unite for the benefit of our novatstvo (the youngest Plast members). Let's leave to them a legacy of unity. Let's not stand outside and criticize, but let's join and change for the benefit of all.

Now is the time to join our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and to emulate their extraordinary 17-day achievement: changing the course of Ukraine and demonstrating to the world the democratic capabilities of the Ukrainian people.

Now is the time for all Ukrainian organizations to join into one, powerful "umbrella organization" that will forcefully speak with one powerful voice for all Ukrainians in America.

Twenty-five years of bickering is enough!

Let's think "orange" and go forward.

"Razom nas bahato, nas ne podolaty!" "Tak!" (Together we are many, we cannot be defeated! Yes!)

Bohdan Mychajliw
Woodside, N.Y.

Address the issues more precisely

Dear Editor:

In regard to the trialogue between Prof. John-Paul Himka, Dr. Myron Kuropas and Dr. Bohdan Vitvitsky, the solution for once seems rather simpler than it might appear.

If Dr. Kuropas has sometimes written broadly about "Jewish interests," so have many Jews written broadly about Ukrainians. Yet both sides surely understand the wisdom of Wells' observation that every generalization is false, including this one. We would all do well to try to address issues more precisely.

While Dr. Kuropas often writes like a young hothead, it's absurd to call him anti-Semitic. Such slander merely numbs the mind, enflames the passions and makes rational dialogue all but impossible. Similarly, Dr. Kuropas' denigration of Andrey Slivka because he has not done work in the community is silly and based on irrelevancies. As his piece in the New Yorker showed, Mr. Slivka is an excellent journalist with a fine grasp of history.

There are compelling grievances on both sides. Let the debate take place in a spirit that aims for mutual enlightenment as its goal. For once let us honor Hagia Sophia as she begs to be honored.

I would further add a point I've made to Dr. Vitvitsky before - that any observation pitting "Ukrainian interests" against Jewish ones implicitly enters into the context of the hugely fraught, millennia-long conversation between Christians and Jews. The Ukrainian aspect of it is a small part of a much larger picture. Seeing that larger picture will broaden our perspective and provide insight as to why the issue continues to excite such intense feelings.

The historic relationship between Ukrainian Christians and Ukrainian Jews is well worth studying. As I understand it, many scholars both in the United States and in Ukraine are presently at work on the matter. The diaspora should keep on encouraging and supporting forums in community centers and churches. May we continue to learn from each other, for once in a spirit of sympathy, promising peace.

Askold Melnyczuk
Boston

Our ethnicity and our faith

Dear Editor:

In a recent article Taras Szmagala Jr. poses a question (Should we put our faith first?) that does not need an answer. There were always plenty of Catholic Rusyns (Ruthenians) and Orthodox Malorosy (Little Russians). They always put their faith first. And many still do.

It was Ukrainian Catholics and Ukrainian Orthodox who were scarce. As a matter of fact, only a few years back there was hardly anything that could be called Ukrainian. We were told over and over again that no such thing as Ukrainian exists. And it was pretty hard to argue otherwise. Ukrainians, unlike most other nationalities, had a hard time defending their ethnic identity. And those who did still call themselves Ukrainian Catholics or Ukrainian Orthodox. So forget what the Jesuits have thought you, Mr. Szmagala. The Jesuits were always very clever. Or at least they thought they were.

Be assured that there will be Ukrainian Catholics and Ukrainian Orthodox for a long time to come.

Ihor Lysyj
Austin, Texas

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