Ukrainian American community remembers the Famine-Genocide (11/26/06)

Ukrainian American community remembers the Famine-Genocide

by Matthew Dubas

NEW YORK - St. Patrick Cathedral's center section slowly filled to near capacity with an estimated 2,500 present, on Saturday afternoon, November 18 as the Ukrainian American community remembered the over 7 million victims of the Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933. Leaders of the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches, with respective clergy, concelebrated a memorial service on the occasion of the Holodomor's 73rd anniversary as members of the Dumka Choir of New York sang the responses.

Metropolitan Constantine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. said that the Ukrainian community must remind people that the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide did indeed happen in 1932-1933, despite the contrary writings of pro-Soviet propagandist journalists like Walter Duranty.

Referring to the innocent victims of the Famine, the metropolitan said, "We pray that their souls reside in a place of no more sorrow, no more pain and no more sickness. We pray that their memories be eternal and that we never forget."

Dr. Oleh Shamshur, ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, also attended the national observance of the Holodomor. He thanked all those who came to bow their heads for the deep tragedy of those who had been annihilated by Stalin's regime of terror. He emphasized that the Holodomor was an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people.

Ambassador Shamshur thanked the U.S. Congress and President George W. Bush for passing and signing into law HR 562, authorizing the government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the Holodomor.

Michael Sawkiw, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, thanked the Ukrainian community for its participation and read a statement that reminded the international community to work together to prevent such tragedies in the future. Mr. Sawkiw also thanked the U.S. Congress and President Bush for HR 562. Additionally, Mr. Sawkiw read a statement by President Bush on the 73rd anniversary of the Holodomor. (For full text, see page 3.)

Bishop Paul Chomnycky of the Ukrainian Catholic Church's Stamford Eparchy compared the systematic starvation of Ukrainians in 1932-1933 under Joseph Stalin to the biblical story of the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem under King Herod. Bishop Chomnycky said, "the whole world commemorates with the Ukrainian community today."

Oksana Hucul, 25, of New York, commenting on the low turnout of youth said, "This is an impressive gathering of Ukrainians, but on such an occasion, this is a typical representation of youth."

Lubomyr Ivasiv, 24, originally from Lviv, Ukraine, commented, "I came here to commemorate my relatives who were victims of the Holodomor. This observance connects us as a community, even if it is a tragic event."

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