DUFFERIN PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD COMMEMORATES THE HOLODOMOR GENOCIDE
During the week of November 19th 2012, the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) commemorated the 79th Holodomor Memorial Day, the Ukrainian Famine/ Genocide.
To honour and acknowledge this tragic event in history, DPCDSB set up a visual display in the main foyer to remember the Holodomor. Staff and visitors to the Catholic Education Centre had an opportunity to browse through the display which included a wide variety of images and information about the Holodomor genocide. In addition to the display, schools across DPCDSB commemorated the day by raising student awareness about Holodomor Memorial Day during morning announcements. Schools also participated in prayers for the victims of the Holodomor and all genocides. In addition, the Religion and the Canadian and World Studies departments were provided with a list of teaching materials and resources that could be integrated into classroom programs.
DPCDSB is committed to ensuring that the Holodomor genocide is remembered and taught within our schools. Through education, we can raise awareness to empower future generations to prevent this injustice from reoccurring. This is a significant part of history that should never be forgotten and we are committed to honouring the victims of the Holodomor.
Joanna Newton
Religious Education and Faith Formation Consultant with a focus on Equity and Inclusive Education
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
40 Matheson Boulevard West
Mississauga, ON L5R 1C5
(905) 890-0708 ext. 24465
joanna.newton@dpcdsb.org
Holodomor Awareness Event at the University of Western Ontario
In 1932-1933, an estimate of ten million people died in a man-made famine. Today, recognized as genocide, the Holodomor is a tragedy that will never be forgotten by Ukrainians anywhere. Ukrainians know the truth; now it is time to let everyone else know.
University students have long been known to be activists breaking barriers, thinking and acting outside of their comfort zone, all in the name of justice. On the 13th day of November of the year 2009, the University of Western Ontario’s Ukrainian Students’ Club held a Holodomor Awareness Day. With the donation of a Holodomor exhibit from the League of Ukrainian Canadians and generous sponsorship from Peter Kryworuk and Mykola Wasylko, the main atrium at the UWO Community Centre was employed as a spot to raise awareness. Information posters were displayed along with a documentary video. Thousands of students pass through the Community Centre each day, and the club caught the eye of each one of them. The executives of the club were available to answer any existing questions and let the public take fact leaflets with them to spread the word. To complement the display, Dr. Joan Clayton allowed the club to use her upcoming play “Perhaps English isn’t your first language” showing from December 9 to 12 at the Grand Theatre in London, as a more involving awareness tool. The play involves the time of the Holodomor as some of the setting.
Through various events we can raise awareness of others and, in addition, take the time to personally reflect on the past issues and how they shaped us to be the Ukrainians we are today, wherever we might live. We might be far from home, however, that places us in an advantageous position of fulfilling our task: Letting the world know the truth.
Ukrainian Students’ Club at the University of Western Ontario
Washington Remembers the Victims of the Holodomor
Toronto – The League of Ukrainian Canadians (LUC), the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women (LUCW) and the Ukrainian Youth Association (UYA) are planning to hold Holodomor Education Week
from Nov. 23 to Nov. 28, 2009 at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre on 85 Christie Street in Toronto.
The opening ceremonies will take place on Monday, Nov. 23 at 7pm. On 24-28 November, Holodomor Education Week will be open to the public from 10am to 9:30pm.
In April of this year, MPPs from all sides of the Legislature made history by supporting the first ever tri-sponsored Private Member’s Bill, Bill 147, in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. MPPs Dave Levac, Frank Klees and Cheri DiNovo, the three co-sponsors of Bill 147 called the Holodomor Memorial Day Act, will attend Holodomor Education Week and address the public at the opening ceremonies.
Holodomor Education Week will feature the newest films on the Holodomor; meetings with survivors; exhibits of Holodomor art, new publications, postal stamps and posters on the Holodomor; lectures, memoirs, prose and poetry readings on the Holodomor; and information kiosks representing a variety of organizations. The centerpiece of Holodomor Education Week will be a Canadian-made exhibit on the Ukrainian genocide – Holodomor: Genocide by Famine, produced by the League of Ukrainian Canadians.
In an effort to promote the concept of Holodomor Education Week among GTA elementary schools and high schools, the organizers believe that this Week will deliver the message to the public that recognition of the survivors, studying about and honouring those who perished in the Stalin-orchestrated genocide against Ukrainians, is the right and essential thing to do.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has appealed to the Ukrainian Canadian community to organize Holodomor Awareness Week in November of this year. LUC, LUCW and UYA have responded to the appeal with a plan for Holodomor Education Week. This Week is open to the public and free of charge. For more information, please contact Orest Steciw at 416-516-8223 or luc@lucorg.com.
League of Ukrainian Canadian Women
Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada
Present
Holodomor Education Week
November 23-28, 2009
Ukrainian Cultural Centre
83 Christie Street, Toronto
Opening Ceremonies:
Monday, 23 November 2009, 7:00 p.m., will include
• the presentation of awards to the co-sponsors of Bill 147 – the Holodomor Memorial Day Act in Ontario – MPP Dave Levac (Lib), MPP Frank Klees (PC),
MPP Cheri DiNovo (NDP)
• a video presentation by the distinguished Holodomor expert, Italian scholar Andrea Graziosi
The program from Tuesday, November 24 to Saturday, November 28 (10:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. each day) will include: • the newest films on the Holodomor • the exhibit Holodomor: Genocide by Famine
• meetings with survivors • exhibits of Holodomor art, new publications, postal stamps, posters • lectures, memoirs, prose and poetry readings on the Holodomor
As part of Holodomor Education Week, the exhibit Holodomor: Genocide by Famine will also be displayed at • Toronto City Hall (November 22-26) • the Scarborough Civic Centre (November 16-29) • Parliament Hill in Ottawa (November 24)
For further information, please contact the League of Ukrainian Canadians at 416-516-8223 or 647-831-2139 or luc@lucorg.com
Holodomor Education Week is supported by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Consulate General of Ukraine.
Annual Holodomor Education Week Help Make Holodomor Education Week a Success! A detailed schedule for this event can be found by clicking here.www.holodomoreducation.orgUkrainian Professional Teachers Association of Ontario re Holodomor Awareness Week
Kent State University hosts the exhibit "Holodomor: Genocide by Famine"
http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=113073&catid=3
The Holodomor recognized in Ontario, Bill 147, April 9, 2009.
THE HOLODOMOR MEMORIAL DAY ACT PASSES THIRD READING
All Parties Unanimously Support Legislation that
Commemorates Victims of the Man-Made Famine of Ukraine
NEWS April 9, 2009
Queen’s Park – Making history today, MPPs from all sides of the Legislature unanimously support the first tri-sponsored Private Member’s Bill of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Bill 147, the Holodomor Memorial Day Act passes third reading at Queen’s Park today.
The co-sponsors, lead by Dave Levac, Liberal MPP for Brant, along with Cheri DiNovo, NDP MPP for Parkdale-High Park, and Frank Klees, PC MPP for Newmarket-Aurora joined forces on February 18, 2009 to introduce Bill 147 which commemorates victims of the man-made famine of Ukraine.
The legislation provides for the declaration of Holodomor Memorial Day on the fourth Saturday in November in each year in the Province of Ontario.
The Holodomor is the name given to the man-made famine that occurred in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933, in which as many as 10 million Ukrainians perished as victims under Joseph Stalin’s regime to consolidate control over Ukraine, with 25,000 dying each day at the peak of the famine in 1933.
Ukraine has established the fourth Saturday in November in each year as the annual day to commemorate the victims of the Holodomor. When passed, this Bill will extend the annual commemoration of the victims of the Holodomor to Ontario.
QUOTES
“Today is an important day for Ukrainian-Canadians and especially, for family and friends who fell victim of the Holodomor,” said MPP Dave Levac Brant. “The remembrance of these horrors from the past requires our attention.”
“Finally Ukrainian Canadians will have the respect for all the victims of Stalin's genocide they've been praying for in this Province,” said Cheri DiNovo, MPP Parkdale-High Park.
“It is an honour for me as a Member of the Ontario PC Caucus to co-sponsor this Bill which is enacted into law today,” said Frank Klees, MPP Newmarket-Aurora. “Those who have advocated for many years to have the truth concerning the Holodomor publicly recognized can take heart knowing that their persistence has been rewarded.”
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Raphael Lemkin, the Jewish-Polish scholar who was the father of the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide and coined the term “genocide”, applied it to the destruction of the Ukrainian nation as follows: “This was not simply a case of mass murder. It was a case of genocide, of destruction, not of individuals only, but of a culture and a nation.”
“The passage of Bill 147 is a tribute to all those Ontarians, many of whom are no longer with us today, who struggled for decades to lay the foundation for the recognition of the Holodomor as genocide,” said Orest Steciw, Holodomor Projects Coordinator at the League of Ukrainian Canadians.
“Today, the Government of Ontario paid tribute to the millions of innocent victims of the Holodomor, condemned the heinous crimes of the Soviet Communist regime, and restored historical justice. We applaud your perseverance and resolve to ensure the passage of Bill 147 that proclaims the fourth Saturday of every November as a day of remembrance-Holodomor Memorial Day and that recognizes the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as an act of genocide,” said Chrystyna Bidiak, National President of the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women. “Learning the truth about all crimes against humanity is the only way we can ensure that criminals will no longer be emboldened by indifference and that such dark pages in history will never be allowed to happen again.”
“This is the first tri-sponsored bill to pass in the history of Ontario,” said Dave Levac, MPP Brant. “Through the creation of a Holodomor Memorial Day, we mend a wrong in world history and in defiance to tyranny and oppression, continue to preserve the culture, heritage and way of life of the Ukrainian people.”
CONTACTS:
Dave Levac, Liberal MPP Brant
(416) 325-6261
dlevac.mpp@liberal.ola.org Cheri DiNovo, NDP MPP Parkdale-High Park
(416) 325-0244
dinovoc-qp@ndp.on.ca Frank Klees, PC MPP Newmarket-Aurora
Please contact:
Monika Bujalska
(416) 268-9100
I M P O R T A N T N O T I C E
April 21, 2009
Ontario Recognizes the Holodomor
The Holodomor Memorial Day Act, Private Member’s Bill 147 recognizing the Holodomor as an act of genocide and providing for the declaration of Holodomor Memorial Day on the fourth Saturday in November in each year in the Province of Ontario, was passed by the Parliament of Ontario on Thursday, 9 April 2009.
The passage of the bill represented the culmination of an arduous process that started more than two years ago. Then Minister of Labour and current Speaker of Parliament, the Hon. Steve Peters, initiated the discussion of Holodomor awareness, which was followed by a long series of consultations with Members of the Provincial Parliament and the introduction of the first Holodomor Private Member’s Bill 61 by MPP Dave Levac on 17 April 2008. Bill 61 stalled in Committee and was re-introduced as the second Holodomor Private Member’s Bill 147 on 19 February 2009, this time as a tri-sponsored Private Member’s Bill. The co-sponsors, led by Dave Levac, Liberal MPP for Brant, along with Cheri Di Novo, NDP MPP for Parkdale-High Park, and Frank Klees, PC MPP for Newmarket-Aurora joined forces to introduce Bill 147, and MPPs from all sides of the Legislature made history by unanimously supporting the first tri-sponsored Private Member’s Bill of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. And so, on 9 April 2009, Bill 147 known as the Holodomor Memorial Day Act passed third reading at Queen’s Park and will soon become Ontario law.
In addition to Mr. Levac and Mr. Peters, the MPPs who supported Holodomor recognition from the beginning and spoke out about it were the Hon. Donna Cansfield, the Hon. Peter Fonseca, Laurel Broten, Khalil Ramal, Maria Van Bommel, Cheri Di Novo, Frank Klees, Ernie Hardeman and Gerry Martiniuk. We are grateful to them, and in particular to Mr. Levac, for their wisdom and leadership in moving the process forward to eventual Holodomor recognition. We would also like to thank Mr. Levac’s staff, in particular Susan Ho and Chris Yaccato, for their dedication to this project.
We would like to sincerely thank the Ukrainian World Congress; the Ukrainian Canadian Congress; the Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholic Churches in Canada; Ukrainian community leaders; the various Holodomor Committees, especially the London Holodomor Committee; members of the Parents’ Committee on the Holodomor; members of the League of Ukrainian Canadians /League of Ukrainian Canadian Women Joint Committees on the Holodomor, in particular their team leaders; and indeed all members of the Ukrainian Canadian community , who signed more than 8,100 hard-copy petitions and almost 4,600 on-line petitions, for their unwavering support in moving the process of Holodomor recognition forward. Copies of all signed petitions were sent to Mr. Levac’s office as further evidence of support.
Last but not least, we would like to thank all members of the League of Ukrainian Canadians (LUC) and League of Ukrainian Canadian Women (LUCW), Allan Rewak in particular, for their undying dedication to this project. LUC and LUCW initiated the process of Holodomor recognition in Ontario - both Bill 61 and Bill 147 - and invested much time and effort in coordinating the day-to-day consultations and negotiations. Special thanks go to the Presidents of LUC and LUCW, Oleh Romanyshyn and Chrystyna Bidiak.
The passage of Bill 147 and the recognition of the Holodomor as an act of genocide is a significant victory for the Ukrainian Canadian community and the Ukrainian people as a whole. It will make the next step easier by providing a basis on which Holodomor education in Ontario can eventually become a compulsory part of the high school history/social studies program, and Holodomor Education Week as part of the school curriculum. Most importantly, the passage of Bill 147 is a tribute to all those, many of whom are no longer with us today, who struggled for decades to lay the foundation for the recognition of the Holodomor as genocide, and for the education of future generations to be aware of all genocides as crimes against humanity and proactively prevent them from ever happening again.
Orest Steciw
Holodomor Projects Coordinator
League of Ukrainian Canadians
League of Ukrainian Canadian Women
Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine in Toronto, March 5, 2009
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Lead by MPP Dave Levac, along with MPP Frank Klees, MPP Cheri DiNovo and members of the Ukrainian Community in Toronto join together on a historic day in Queen's Park.
Ottawa, March 12 - March 14, 2009
Ucrainica Research Institute and League of Ukrainian Canadians will be the only two Ukrainian Canadian organizations participating in the Manning Networking Conference from March 12 to March 14, 2009 in Ottawa. Read More...
У Росії документи про Голодомор залишаються таємними
В інституті нагадали, що керівник Росархіву Володимир КОЗЛОВ зауважив, що в Росії є документи, датовані 1932-1933 роками, які доводять, що Голодомор 1930-х років не був спрямованою проти України акцією. Разом з тим, він заявив, що поки що Росархів не може їх опублікувати, оскільки вони засекречені.
В інституті зауважили, що у Росії заперечують Голодомор як геноцид українців, але дивують методи, якими це робиться. “Вони схожі до тих, яких дотримувався один із чеховських героїв: "Цього не може бути, тому що не може бути ніколи", йдеться у повідомленні.
Українська сторона не розуміє причини цієї надсекретності і зауважує, що граничні строки утаємничення, як правило, не перевищують 75 років. В інституті зазначили, що Україна неодноразово зверталася до Росії за документальною допомогою у розкритті цієї трагедії, і відзначають, що в Росії не опубліковано жодного збірника свідчень і жодного спеціального збірника документів.
УНІАН
http://www.bukinfo.cv.ua/index.php?mcmd=shownews&lid=742
Toronto – 01.25.2009 – Three leading members of the National Executive of the League of Ukrainian Canadians received prestigious awards from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Honourable Cross of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Awards were issued by His Excellency Dr. Ihor Ostash, Ukrainian Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada, on the 90th Anniversary of unification of Western and Eastern Ukrainian lands on January 22, 1918-1919. This event was held by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) – Toronto Branch.
Oleh Romanyshyn, President of the LUC, and Orest Steciw, LUC Holodomor Projects Coordinator received awards for raising awareness about the Holodomor as authors of the comprehensive exhibit on the Ukrainian Famine Genocide – “Holodomor: Genocide by Famine”.
Providence Commemorates Ukrainian Genocide
John McNeill, professor of Anthropoly, Providence College
www.prov.ca
Providence Commemorates Ukrainian Genocide
Monday, January 05, 2009
The Ukrainian famine genocide of 1932-1933 is an historical atrocity that is rarely remembered by most Canadians. Providence College and Seminary is joining with the League of Ukrainian Canadians to raise awareness about this significant event in Ukrainian history. A stunning and informative poster exhibit, designed to educate the public about the genocide, also referred to as Holodomor, is on display in the William Falk Library, located on the Otterburne campus.
The exhibit is up at the initiative of the League of Ukrainian Canadians. John McNeill is Professor of Intercultural Studies at Providence and has travelled extensively through Ukraine and Russia. He said, “The display is designed to encourage solidarity among Ukrainians, as Ukraine is continually redefining itself, and trying to differentiate from Russia.”
The exhibit details the history of this unknown genocide. During the reign of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, the government tried to eliminate Ukrainian private farms and bring them all together under collectivization. The food produced on these farms was under Stalin’s control and was not distributed fairly, resulting in death by starvation for millions of Ukrainian people. “Hunger is often a political issue more than an agricultural issue,” said McNeill.
According to the League of Ukrainian Canadians, the issues surrounding the Holodomor are issues for all of humanity, not just for Ukrainians. “Just as the Holocaust is not simply a ‘Jewish issue,’ but has universal implications, the famine genocide in Ukraine is more than a ‘Ukrainian issue.’ The Holocaust is an example of genocide perpetrated by a racist, fascist regime which had as its avowed purpose the annihilation of the Jewish people. The Ukrainian famine genocide is an example of genocide perpetrated by a communist regime which, while calling itself internationalist, was contaminated by Soviet chauvinism.” Ukrainian ethno-cultural self-assertion was a threat both to the primacy of Russian culture and to the centralization of all authority in the hands of Stalin. This tragedy still has an affect on Ukrainians, both in Ukraine and around the world.
The Holodomor exhibit will be on display on the south wall of the William Falk Library on the Providence campus from now until the end of January. All those interested are welcome to visit the display. |
The New York Times, ARTS, Jan.1, 2009
THE UKRAINIANMUSEUM, 222 East Sixth Street, East Village. Recently extended through Jan. 11, “Holodomor: Genocide by Famine,” an exhibition that examining the starvation of millions of Ukrainians during Stalin’s forced collectivization campaign in the early 1930s. Wednesdays through Sundays, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Wednesday. (212) 228-0110; ukrainianmuseum.org. Museum admission is $8, $6 for students and 65+, free for members and ages 12 and under.
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City of Edinburgh Council – 18 December 2008
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Motion by Councillor Stefan Tymkewycz
Holodomor, the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33
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To acknowledge both the national day of remembrance for the victims of the ‘Holodomor’ held on 22 November in Ukraine, and the National Holocaust Memorial Day which is held on 27 January to commemorate victims of the Holocaust and other genocides, Council is asked to note the events of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33, (known as the Holodomor), which took place 75 years ago.
There are various estimates as to how many people died as a result of the famine with even conservative estimates placing the number of victims in the millions. Furthermore, there is a strong body of opinion that considers the events of the Holodomor to be a deliberate policy of Stalin’s regime. Council is asked to note the above.
Council also acknowledges the long established Ukrainian community in Edinburgh with their own Church in Leith, a community centre in Royal Terrace and, more recently, the Ukrainian Consulate in Windsor Street, and recognises the mutual benefit to both Edinburgh and Kiev from the twinning arrangement with the Ukrainian Capital City, since 1989.
Council agrees that the Lord Provost should send a letter of condolence to the Ukrainian Consul General to Scotland in memory of the victims of the Holodomor.
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COUNCILLOR STEFAN TYMKEWYCZ
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10 December 2008
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Kateryna Yushchenko Visits Legislative Assembly of Ontario
28 November 2008 19:50
(Orest Kostruba, a member of the League of Ukrainian Canadians, presents an "Exhibit in a Box" to Kateryna Yushchenko)
November 27, 2008, Head of the Supervisory Board of the Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Foundation Kateryna Yushchenko visited the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, unveiling an exhibit dedicated to the the 75th anniversary of the Manmade Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine.
Preceding the unveiling ceremony, Mrs. Yushchenko met with speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Steve Peters. The parties broached the subject of recognizing Holodomor genocide against the Ukrainian people on the Ontario Province level. Also, they discussed the cooperation between Ukraine and Canada in the spheres of culture and education. Mrs. Yushchenko outlined the Ukraine 3000 Foundation’s major areas of activities, in part, in the spheres of culture and education, while Mr. Peters spoke about the Ontario government’s interaction with the big Ukrainian community.
After that, the unveiling ceremony of Holodomor: Genocide by Famine exhibition, prepared by the League of Ukrainian Canadians, took place. Among its participants were speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Steve Peters, member of the Assembly Dave Levac, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine in Canada Ihor Ostash, General Consul of Ukraine in Toronto Oleksandr Danyleyko, and Ukraine 3000 Foundation members.
Mrs. Yushchenko thanked the League of Ukrainian Canadians and other organizations for their great work on commemorating Holodomor victims. “I hope that the Legislative Assembly of Ontario recognizes Holodomor genocide, since the tragic leafs of Ukraine’s tragedy and, moreover, its lessons are important for the whole world. We are positive that if the global community had condemned the events of 1932-1933 in Ukraine, the world would avoid many succeeding genocides,” she said.
Mrs. Yushchenko expressed her hope that the topic of Ukrainian Holodomor would find its reflection in the Canadian schools syllabus, as an example of the true essence of totalitarianism.
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Dave Levac, author of the bill on recognizing Holodomor genocide against the Ukrainian people.
Mrs. Yushchenko toured the exhibition and talked to its organizers, presenting her a version of the exhibition. Earlier, Mrs. Kateryna passed to the Ukrainian Embassy in Canada a copy of the Executed by Hunger: the Unknown Genocide against Ukrainians exhibition, created by Ukraine 3000 Foundation, in the French language.
Holodomor: Genocide by Famineconsists of 101 posters in English, presenting historical documents, portraying the manmade character of the famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine. The government reports, eyewitness accounts, and other archival material detailing virtually every aspect of the tragedy. The exhibition is accompanied by a CD with its electronic version, the Harvest of Sorrow documentary on Holodomor (1984), and a video on the arrival of the International Torch to Canada and unveiling the Holodomor: Genocide by Famine exhibition at the Toronto City Hall April 18, 2008.
Mrs. Kateryna Yushchenko and Ukraine 3000 Foundation representatives are staying in Canada for a working visit, their major mission being the unveiling of the Mysteries of Ancient Ukraine: The Remarkable Trypilian Culture exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum. Earlier Mrs. Yushchenko met with members of Ukrainian community in Canada.
Hon., Edward Stelmach, Premier of Alberta, receives a gift "Exhibit in a Box"
November 24, 2008
L to R: Zenon Potichny (President Ukraine-Canada Chamber of Commerce), Hon., Edward Stelmach and Marie Stelmach, John Iwaniura (Vice-President, Ukraine-Canada Chamber of Commerce & President, Caravan Logistics Inc.)
Hon., Ihor Ostash, Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada receives a gift "Exhibit in a Box"
Ukrainian Embassy, Ottawa, Canada, November 16, 2008
From L to R: Volodymyr Paslavskyi (Executive Director, League of Ukrainian Canadians,) Hon., Ihor Ostash, Adriana Willson (League of Ukrainian Canadian Women-Ottawa).
Lviv National University of Ivan Franko
November 21, 2008
Within the commemoration of the Holodomor victims, on November 21 in the main hall of the Lviv University were exhibited informative panels in English from the exhibit in box called Holodomor: Genocide by Famine. In the exhibit, there is a detailed description and illustration the historical background and true reasons for dekulakization (the destruction of Ukrainian middle and higher class), as well as blacklisting of villages. The exhibit gives us undisputable reasons why the Holodomor of 1932-33 is an act of genocide.
On December 2, in the reading hall of the Scientific Library of the Lviv University, there opened the full exhibition “Holodomor: Genocide by Famine.” The University was honoured to be given the complete “Exhibit in a Box” Holodomor display, which consists of 101 laminated informative panels, supporting readable and searchable CDROM, a few documentaries on the topic and legislative documents concerning the recognition of Holodomor as an act of genocide, by Ukrainian and Canadian government. The project was produced by the League of Ukrainian Canadians in cooperation with the Kyiv Memorial Ukraine and it became possible for the University to receive it thanks to the efforts of Оrest Steciw, who is the international coordinator of the exhibition.
There were so many of those willing to attend the presentation, that even a spacious reading hall of the Scientific Library could not fit them all.
The introduction was made by Vasyl Kmet, the head of the Library. He remarked: “We highly appreciate the fact that in May 2008 the Canadian parliament adopted the Bill C-459 recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-33 as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation as well as the efforts of Ukrainian Diaspora that enabled this project to come out. Hopefully, the project will be step towards revealing the horrible truth about the Soviet totalitarian regime actions and spreading it around the world. The exhibit in a box is a valuable item in our Library and it will be stored in the Rare Book department. ”
Within the presentation Harvest of Despair film was shown (it was also included in the box), created back in 1984, but unfortunately little heard of among common Ukrainians. As early as then, Ukrainians in Canada could openly claim an estimated 10 million killed as the result of Holodomor of 1932-33. Now we may say it was one of the first steps to recognize the Holodomor as an act of genocide. The film is based on the statements of survivors, with information about repressions against Ukrainian intellectuals, suppression if Christianity and the burning of churches.
According to Vasyl Kmet, the tradition of organizing presentations in the Scientific Library was started in February and by now, few dozens of them were organized. “The presentations are usually organized with the publishers and authors that cooperate with our University. This is for the first time that an international project has been launched. It is a start point for next projects that are due be launched with the help of students of the Faculties of International Relations and Foreign Languages. Those will enable us to study important monuments to the history of Ukraine in the world.”
By Solomiya Kratsylo
Senior Student at Lviv National University
Holodomor Education Week
Toronto - November 17-20, 2008
 50 Universities Across the World
The boxes ready to be shipped to Universities around the world,
prepared by Ukrainian Youth Association, "Sokoly Dancing Group,"
Ukrainian Cultural Centre "Dnipro," Oshawa, Ontario
November 2, 2008Let’s Build 1000 Holodomor Monuments
New Project for the World
From Zsuzsanna (Ignatieff): Holodomor Education Week
Published by Zsuzsanna on 26 November 2008
Last week we attended the opening ceremonies of the Holodomor Education Week at the Ukrainian Cultural Center. The moving and solemn evening started with the members of the Prolisok choir dressed in their beautiful embroidered costumes walking slowly, carrying bread and candles, into the darkened hall. They sung beautifully.
When we were called for a minute silence to remember the 10 million innocent victims of the 1932-33 Ukrainian Famine, called Holodomor and now recognised as an act of genocide, the silence was broken by muffled sobs of survivors and relatives who lost loved ones.
One of the survivors, Nicolas Latyshko, a poet and writer, spoke of the need to forgive but never forget what has happened.
I recommend everyone to go and see the exhibit so Holodomor will never be forgotten.
(Michael Ignatieff, MP and his wife Szuzsanna visited the openning ceremony of Holodomor Education Week at Ukrainian Cultural Centre, Toronto).
Taken from http://www.michaelignatieff.ca/blog/2308_rss
Toronto– November 17, 2008 – The League of Ukrainian Canadians and League of Ukrainian Canadian Women have kicked off the Toronto phase of the international Holodomor education campaign under the name – Let’s Build 1000 Holodomor Monuments.
Let’s Build 1000 Holodomor Monuments project aims at distributing to all major libraries, universities, museums and other galleries around the world the newest and the largest exhibit on the Ukrainian Famine Genocide – Holodomor: Genocide by Famine, the unknown European genocide of the XX century. Holodomor: Genocide by Famine consists of 101 English language posters, searchable CD ROM and is made for easy set up and viewing by the public.
To mark the successful launch of the Toronto phase of Let’s build 1000 Holodomor Monuments project, MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj and his family fund, “Dopomoha Ukraini” donated $125,000 to Ucrainica Research Institute to produce 50 "Exhibits in a Box." That have been distributed to 50 Universities across the world.
“We think it is especially appropriate to kick off this phase at the opening ceremonies of the Holodomor Education Week, which is part of the Holodomor Awareness Initiative called for by the International Holodomor Committee and Ukrainian Canadian Congress because it helps us connect with educators and youth”, said Oleh Romanyshyn, President of the League of Ukrainian Canadians.
According to Steve Ostafichuk, Project Coordinator of this campaign, “The 1000 Holodomor Monuments represent a unique opportunity to learn, educate and come together as a united community in honouring all of the innocent people who perished in the Holodomor.”
Toronto City Hall, April 18 2008
Opening of the exhibit, Genocide by Famine
MPP Newmarket-Aurora. “Those who have advocated for many years to have the truth concerning the |
