Lemko Culture Celebrated at 6-th "Vatra" in USA
The Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (OOL) in the USA. conducted its festival, called the “ Lemkivska Vatra ,” for the sixth year in a row, from June 23-26, at the Ukrainian-American Youth Association, Inc. (CYM) resort in Ellenville, NY.
While the weather in greater New York was rainy, the sun shined at the CYM resort, and hundreds of guests at the festival had the opportunity to watch a beautiful concert and to hear songs from the Carpathian mountains of the Lemko region.
At the official opening of the Vatra , Mr. Vasyl Harhaj – the “ starosta ,” or host – welcomed all the guests and invited on stage the president of OOL, Mr. Zenon Halkowycz; the president of the Lemko Research Foundation, Mr. Steven Howansky; the honored head of the Lemko Research Foundation, Mr. Myron Mycio; guest speaker Ms. Catherine Mycio; and the former president of OOL, Mr. Julian Kotlar, as well as other representatives of OOL's branches.
In his welcome speech, Mr. Halkowycz underlined the importance of conducting the Vatra every year, stating in Ukrainian, “It brings people together and unites them. Such Lemko festivals take place every year in Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia and Canada – everywhere around the world, where fate dispersed the Lemkos from their never-forgotten homeland.” On the very same day, for example, the Vatra in Svidnyk, Slovakia was taking place, Mr. Halkowycz informed the audience.
Mr. Howansky, then, wished the guests a happy festival, reminding everyone that the organization by the diaspora of events like the Vatra is a tradition that dates back to the emigration of Lemkos to the United States before World War II. In the Lemko museum in Stamford, CT, there is a picture of emigrants from the Lemko village named Vysloka Velykoho celebrating on a farm in Pennsylvania on August 6, 1939, Mr. Howansky stated.
Next, Mr. Kotlar and various members of OOL, including Ivan Zavada, Ivan Wasiczko and Andriy Kaszczak, were invited on stage to light the traditional festival bonfire. During the lighting, performers from the musical groups “ Cherverta Khvyla ,” “ Pid Oblachkom ,” and “ Metelytsya ,” sang the traditional Lemko song, “ Hory Nashi Karpaty ” (Our Carpathian Mountains.) Thus, the concert program – which was led by mistress and master of ceremony, Anna Pregner and Stepan Sheryliv – began with the sound of Lemko music floating across the festival field and tears of nostalgia in the eyes of many who remembered their homeland.
The concert program included professionals and amateurs, singers and dancers, novice and seasoned, such as the dance groups “ Mria ” from Passaic, NJ, “ Iskra ” from Whippany, NJ, and “ Barvinok ” from Astoria, NY; young performers like the sisters Lidia and Gabriella Oros, Inna Sydorak, and Vika Holybieva; the ensembles “Vidlunnya ” and “ Cheres ”; the singer Hryts Bobula from Lviv, Ukraine; a ballet group under the direction of Natalia Lemishka; and the comedian Peter Wysocki.
Throughout the day, the scent of roasted pig – already an annual tradition at the Vatra – wafted through the air, as guests had the opportunity to eat a piece, along with other plentiful Ukrainian dishes, like pierogies, kielbasa with sauerkraut, and hot borscht.
Then, from the evening until the early morning, guests were invited to enjoy themselves at two dances: one outside with the musical group “ Halychany ,” and one inside a hall with the musical groups “ Budem Razom ” and “ Cherverta Khvyla .”
On Sunday, June 25, the festival continued, beginning at 10am with a Mass in the Lemko chapel recently built in the memory of the victims of “ Akcja ‘Wisla' ” and blessed in the name of St. Archangel Michael. Father Bohdan Danylo, rector of the seminary in the name of St. Basil the Great in Stamford, CT, conducted Mass, during which the choir “ Akollada ” from Philadelphia, PA sang.
Afterwards, the concert program resumed as well, with musical and dance performances.
Ms. Catherine Mycio also gave her keynote speech, “Ruins of Ukrainian Zakerzonnya ,” which provided the audience, particularly those who were born in the U.S., with much historical information.
The Vatra eventually came to an end with various musical groups singing the traditional Lemko song, “ Oy Vershe Miy, Vershe ,” and with the festival organizers thanking everyone who volunteered their time, performed and attended.
And, as each year, a sign above the CYM resort's gate that reads, “See you next year,” invited the festival guests who were returning to their homes to come back for the 7 th Annual Lemkivska Vatra , which is already planned for June 23-24, 2007.
Article written by Diana Howansky
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The Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (OOL) in the USA. conducted its festival, called the “ Lemkivska Vatra ,” for the sixth year in a row, from June 23-26, at the Ukrainian-American Youth Association, Inc. (CYM) resort in Ellenville, NY.
While the weather in greater New York was rainy, the sun shined at the CYM resort, and hundreds of guests at the festival had the opportunity to watch a beautiful concert and to hear songs from the Carpathian mountains of the Lemko region.
At the official opening of the Vatra , Mr. Vasyl Harhaj – the “ starosta ,” or host – welcomed all the guests and invited on stage the president of OOL, Mr. Zenon Halkowycz; the president of the Lemko Research Foundation, Mr. Steven Howansky; the honored head of the Lemko Research Foundation, Mr. Myron Mycio; guest speaker Ms. Catherine Mycio; and the former president of OOL, Mr. Julian Kotlar, as well as other representatives of OOL's branches.
In his welcome speech, Mr. Halkowycz underlined the importance of conducting the Vatra every year, stating in Ukrainian, “It brings people together and unites them. Such Lemko festivals take place every year in Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia and Canada – everywhere around the world, where fate dispersed the Lemkos from their never-forgotten homeland.” On the very same day, for example, the Vatra in Svidnyk, Slovakia was taking place, Mr. Halkowycz informed the audience.
Mr. Howansky, then, wished the guests a happy festival, reminding everyone that the organization by the diaspora of events like the Vatra is a tradition that dates back to the emigration of Lemkos to the United States before World War II. In the Lemko museum in Stamford, CT, there is a picture of emigrants from the Lemko village named Vysloka Velykoho celebrating on a farm in Pennsylvania on August 6, 1939, Mr. Howansky stated.
Next, Mr. Kotlar and various members of OOL, including Ivan Zavada, Ivan Wasiczko and Andriy Kaszczak, were invited on stage to light the traditional festival bonfire. During the lighting, performers from the musical groups “ Cherverta Khvyla ,” “ Pid Oblachkom ,” and “ Metelytsya ,” sang the traditional Lemko song, “ Hory Nashi Karpaty ” (Our Carpathian Mountains.) Thus, the concert program – which was led by mistress and master of ceremony, Anna Pregner and Stepan Sheryliv – began with the sound of Lemko music floating across the festival field and tears of nostalgia in the eyes of many who remembered their homeland.
The concert program included professionals and amateurs, singers and dancers, novice and seasoned, such as the dance groups “ Mria ” from Passaic, NJ, “ Iskra ” from Whippany, NJ, and “ Barvinok ” from Astoria, NY; young performers like the sisters Lidia and Gabriella Oros, Inna Sydorak, and Vika Holybieva; the ensembles “Vidlunnya ” and “ Cheres ”; the singer Hryts Bobula from Lviv, Ukraine; a ballet group under the direction of Natalia Lemishka; and the comedian Peter Wysocki.
Throughout the day, the scent of roasted pig – already an annual tradition at the Vatra – wafted through the air, as guests had the opportunity to eat a piece, along with other plentiful Ukrainian dishes, like pierogies, kielbasa with sauerkraut, and hot borscht.
Then, from the evening until the early morning, guests were invited to enjoy themselves at two dances: one outside with the musical group “ Halychany ,” and one inside a hall with the musical groups “ Budem Razom ” and “ Cherverta Khvyla .”
On Sunday, June 25, the festival continued, beginning at 10am with a Mass in the Lemko chapel recently built in the memory of the victims of “ Akcja ‘Wisla' ” and blessed in the name of St. Archangel Michael. Father Bohdan Danylo, rector of the seminary in the name of St. Basil the Great in Stamford, CT, conducted Mass, during which the choir “ Akollada ” from Philadelphia, PA sang.
Afterwards, the concert program resumed as well, with musical and dance performances.
Ms. Catherine Mycio also gave her keynote speech, “Ruins of Ukrainian Zakerzonnya ,” which provided the audience, particularly those who were born in the U.S., with much historical information.
The Vatra eventually came to an end with various musical groups singing the traditional Lemko song, “ Oy Vershe Miy, Vershe ,” and with the festival organizers thanking everyone who volunteered their time, performed and attended.
And, as each year, a sign above the CYM resort's gate that reads, “See you next year,” invited the festival guests who were returning to their homes to come back for the 7 th Annual Lemkivska Vatra , which is already planned for June 23-24, 2007.
Article written by Diana Howansky
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Fourth annual Lemko Vatra in U.S. shows off culture of Lemkivschyna
ELLENVILLE, N.Y. - Only one member of the Ukrainian Canadian quartet Metelytsya has Lemko roots, but that did not stop the group from singing Lemko folk songs with the rest of the performers. "Native Lemko land, green Carpathian mountains, no matter where a Lemko is, he has to remember you," Metelytsya and the other performers sang together during the finale of the fourth annual Lemko Vatra, a cultural festival that took place on June 25-27 at the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM) resort in Ellenville, N.Y.
Perhaps the Metelytsya singers could not fully feel the meaning of the song's lyrics, which describe the pain of being forced from one's homeland, as the Lemkos were during and after World War II. But the singers - Anastasia Baczynskyj, Oksana Nahirna, Anita Tuz and Katherine Tuz - still expressed an attachment to Lemko songs and music, chiming in one after another after one of their sets.
"We started singing Lemko songs right away. It was the stuff that brought us together and worked the best. It got us excited that it was working," said one member of the group, which has been singing a cappella together since October 2002.
"They're catchy. They catch a person's ear. The words have a lot of meaning. A lot of variety - from happy, fun songs to songs about leaving your country," a second added.
"They also attract people, even non-Lemko. It's something different," another said.
Fostering such appreciation of Lemko culture among both Lemko Americans and the greater Ukrainian American community is the goal of the Vatra, which, this year, featured two days of performances, Lemko memorabilia for sale and the groundbreaking of a commemorative chapel.
Coordinated by the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivschyna (known by its Ukrainian acronym as OOL), the fourth annual Lemko Vatra included a range of musical performers from Ukraine (Anytchka, Roman Cymbala), Canada (Karpaty trio, Pid Oblachkom ensemble, Metelytsya) and the United States (Vidlunia ensemble, Lviviany ensemble, Oros sister duet, Pawlyshyn sister duet, and Maky dance group.)
Anytchka, as the Lviv singer Anna Tcheberentchyk is known, performed for the first time at the U.S. Vatra, after appearing in past Lemko festivals in Poland, Canada and Ukraine. Ms. Tcheberentchyk's family, originally from the Lemko village of Owczary, was relocated to the Ukrainian SSR as part of the Polish-Soviet agreement to exchange Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1944-1946. (A lecture on the topic of the 1944-1946 deportations was presented at this year's Vatra by editor and journalist Osip Roshka.)
Ms. Tcheberentchyk, who sings Lemko folk songs in a contemporary style, said she remembers her grandmother's stories of relocation and remains influenced by her roots.
"Every Lemko song is close to me," Ms. Tcheberentchyk said in Ukrainian. "The history is interesting because it deals with my roots. To explain the feeling is difficult, unless you've lived it. For someone to tell you to take 25 pounds on your back, and, 'go!'"
The ensemble Pid Oblachkom, meanwhile, noted that the Vatra in Ellenville had led to the creation of their group. After attending an earlier Vatra, the members of the ensemble - Iwona Kowal, Ola Polanski, Hala Cechowska, Beata Bazylewicz - decided to begin performing together and adopted their name from the Lemko writer Seman Madzelan's piece about love, they said.
"The program was wonderful this year. Even on Labor Day weekend, they don't have a program like this," Vasyl Harhaj, the OOL organizational head of the Vatra, said in Ukrainian. Dressed in traditional Lemko costume - a blue, decorated vest (known as a "liabyk" or "drushliak") and white embroidered pants (known as "kholosni") - Mr. Harhaj served as the festival's "starosta," or village elder, hosting the event.
"[The Vatra] is for everyone to gather here. To not forget about us - that Lemkos were, are and will be," said Mr. Harhaj, who was relocated from his native Lemko village of Komancza to northern Poland during Akcja Wisla, the 1947 campaign to resettle and force assimilation upon the Ukrainian minority in Poland.
Members of the younger Lemko generation, Lena Howansky and Andriy Khomyk, also wished to keep the Lemko spirit alive, but by designing and selling T-shirts with humorous Lemko themes. One T-shirt, for example, depicted a bottle of "kropka," an ether drink that was popular in the Lemko region and read "Absolut Lemko," while another depicted a rabbit in Lemko folk costume saying, "Hug me, I'm Lemko."
"I wanted to produce something fun and positive, and to instill Lemko pride, which is what the shirts are all about. You literally wear them on your chest and show that you're Lemko," Ms. Howansky said. "I also wanted to advertise our Vatra, by making a nice souvenir that people could take away. The Vatra in Ellenville is in its beginning stages and has a lot of potential, so, when people wear the T-shirts, they'll help to spread the word to Lemkos and other Ukrainians about it. My idea was that the T-shirts would help carry the Lemko spirit beyond just the three days of the Vatra."
An additional way in which the OOL is trying to preserve Lemko culture and history is through the building of a chapel at the SUM resort to commemorate the victims of Akcja Wisla. Sunday liturgy at the Vatra took place at the site where the chapel will stand and where the ground has already been broken, followed by a special blessing for the future structure. The chapel, which architect Teodor Bodnar said would take four to six weeks to build, will be created in the wooden, vertical style of traditional Lemko churches.
OOL President Zenon Halkowycz, while expressing pride in the Vatra, also noted disappointment that more people from the greater Ukrainian community did not attend the Lemko festival, particularly to celebrate the new chapel plans.
"It's fun to be Lemko. You party. You're with your own people. And you feel kinship. The festival will continue because it's part of our mission statement to perpetuate Lemko culture," Mr. Halkowycz said. "I was very much disappointed, however, that we didn't see the people who have asked the Lemko people to support them. Whenever there's a demonstration, we're told, 'This is your national responsibility.' We were hoping to see some of these Ukrainian patriots come and party with the Lemkos and support a noble cause - the building of the chapel to commemorate Akcja Wisla."
Close to 1,000 people attended the Vatra, Mr. Halkowycz said. Many stated generally positive opinions about the festival, which also included a soccer game, pig roast and Saturday night dance, or zabava.
"It's very nice. I hope they will not change this Lemko festival to a Ukrainian festival," said Helena Ksenycz, who traveled from Mississauga, Ontario, to the Vatra and whose family was originally from the Lemko village of Binczarowa before being relocated through Akcja Wisla. "I would like to see here more Lemko traditions, because it's my Lemko tradition from childhood," she added.
Although incomparable to the Lemko Vatra held annually in the mountains of the Lemko region in the village of Zdynia, the Vatra in Ellenville is improving, said Walter Maksimovich, who operates the website www.lemko.org .
"It's a good gathering point for me to meet other people face to face," Mr. Maksimovich said, "I feel that a great injustice was done to our people. Even though we're not well organized, we don't have access to media, we're doing the best we can."
Praise also came from non-Lemkos, such as Atanazy Steforak of Lehighton, Pa. - a Hutsul.
"I have to congratulate the Lemkos," said Mr. Steforak, who came to the Vatra with his Lemko wife. "They keep together better than the Boykos or the Hutsuls."
And, therefore, although the words of the poignant, last song performed by Metelytsya and the rest of the performers at the Vatra say, "It will never be, as it once was for me," events such as the Lemko Vatra inspire hope that Lemko culture will be passed on.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information about the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivschyna readers may contact Mr. Halkowycz at (201) 692-1471 .
For more information about the Lemko Vatra performance, contact Mr. Harhaj at (973) 772-3344
Source: The Ukrainian Weekly, July 25, 2004, No. 30, Vol. LXXII; Article written by Diana Howansky
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ELLENVILLE, N.Y. - Only one member of the Ukrainian Canadian quartet Metelytsya has Lemko roots, but that did not stop the group from singing Lemko folk songs with the rest of the performers. "Native Lemko land, green Carpathian mountains, no matter where a Lemko is, he has to remember you," Metelytsya and the other performers sang together during the finale of the fourth annual Lemko Vatra, a cultural festival that took place on June 25-27 at the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM) resort in Ellenville, N.Y.
Perhaps the Metelytsya singers could not fully feel the meaning of the song's lyrics, which describe the pain of being forced from one's homeland, as the Lemkos were during and after World War II. But the singers - Anastasia Baczynskyj, Oksana Nahirna, Anita Tuz and Katherine Tuz - still expressed an attachment to Lemko songs and music, chiming in one after another after one of their sets.
"We started singing Lemko songs right away. It was the stuff that brought us together and worked the best. It got us excited that it was working," said one member of the group, which has been singing a cappella together since October 2002.
"They're catchy. They catch a person's ear. The words have a lot of meaning. A lot of variety - from happy, fun songs to songs about leaving your country," a second added.
"They also attract people, even non-Lemko. It's something different," another said.
Fostering such appreciation of Lemko culture among both Lemko Americans and the greater Ukrainian American community is the goal of the Vatra, which, this year, featured two days of performances, Lemko memorabilia for sale and the groundbreaking of a commemorative chapel.
Coordinated by the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivschyna (known by its Ukrainian acronym as OOL), the fourth annual Lemko Vatra included a range of musical performers from Ukraine (Anytchka, Roman Cymbala), Canada (Karpaty trio, Pid Oblachkom ensemble, Metelytsya) and the United States (Vidlunia ensemble, Lviviany ensemble, Oros sister duet, Pawlyshyn sister duet, and Maky dance group.)
Anytchka, as the Lviv singer Anna Tcheberentchyk is known, performed for the first time at the U.S. Vatra, after appearing in past Lemko festivals in Poland, Canada and Ukraine. Ms. Tcheberentchyk's family, originally from the Lemko village of Owczary, was relocated to the Ukrainian SSR as part of the Polish-Soviet agreement to exchange Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1944-1946. (A lecture on the topic of the 1944-1946 deportations was presented at this year's Vatra by editor and journalist Osip Roshka.)
Ms. Tcheberentchyk, who sings Lemko folk songs in a contemporary style, said she remembers her grandmother's stories of relocation and remains influenced by her roots.
"Every Lemko song is close to me," Ms. Tcheberentchyk said in Ukrainian. "The history is interesting because it deals with my roots. To explain the feeling is difficult, unless you've lived it. For someone to tell you to take 25 pounds on your back, and, 'go!'"
The ensemble Pid Oblachkom, meanwhile, noted that the Vatra in Ellenville had led to the creation of their group. After attending an earlier Vatra, the members of the ensemble - Iwona Kowal, Ola Polanski, Hala Cechowska, Beata Bazylewicz - decided to begin performing together and adopted their name from the Lemko writer Seman Madzelan's piece about love, they said.
"The program was wonderful this year. Even on Labor Day weekend, they don't have a program like this," Vasyl Harhaj, the OOL organizational head of the Vatra, said in Ukrainian. Dressed in traditional Lemko costume - a blue, decorated vest (known as a "liabyk" or "drushliak") and white embroidered pants (known as "kholosni") - Mr. Harhaj served as the festival's "starosta," or village elder, hosting the event.
"[The Vatra] is for everyone to gather here. To not forget about us - that Lemkos were, are and will be," said Mr. Harhaj, who was relocated from his native Lemko village of Komancza to northern Poland during Akcja Wisla, the 1947 campaign to resettle and force assimilation upon the Ukrainian minority in Poland.
Members of the younger Lemko generation, Lena Howansky and Andriy Khomyk, also wished to keep the Lemko spirit alive, but by designing and selling T-shirts with humorous Lemko themes. One T-shirt, for example, depicted a bottle of "kropka," an ether drink that was popular in the Lemko region and read "Absolut Lemko," while another depicted a rabbit in Lemko folk costume saying, "Hug me, I'm Lemko."
"I wanted to produce something fun and positive, and to instill Lemko pride, which is what the shirts are all about. You literally wear them on your chest and show that you're Lemko," Ms. Howansky said. "I also wanted to advertise our Vatra, by making a nice souvenir that people could take away. The Vatra in Ellenville is in its beginning stages and has a lot of potential, so, when people wear the T-shirts, they'll help to spread the word to Lemkos and other Ukrainians about it. My idea was that the T-shirts would help carry the Lemko spirit beyond just the three days of the Vatra."
An additional way in which the OOL is trying to preserve Lemko culture and history is through the building of a chapel at the SUM resort to commemorate the victims of Akcja Wisla. Sunday liturgy at the Vatra took place at the site where the chapel will stand and where the ground has already been broken, followed by a special blessing for the future structure. The chapel, which architect Teodor Bodnar said would take four to six weeks to build, will be created in the wooden, vertical style of traditional Lemko churches.
OOL President Zenon Halkowycz, while expressing pride in the Vatra, also noted disappointment that more people from the greater Ukrainian community did not attend the Lemko festival, particularly to celebrate the new chapel plans.
"It's fun to be Lemko. You party. You're with your own people. And you feel kinship. The festival will continue because it's part of our mission statement to perpetuate Lemko culture," Mr. Halkowycz said. "I was very much disappointed, however, that we didn't see the people who have asked the Lemko people to support them. Whenever there's a demonstration, we're told, 'This is your national responsibility.' We were hoping to see some of these Ukrainian patriots come and party with the Lemkos and support a noble cause - the building of the chapel to commemorate Akcja Wisla."
Close to 1,000 people attended the Vatra, Mr. Halkowycz said. Many stated generally positive opinions about the festival, which also included a soccer game, pig roast and Saturday night dance, or zabava.
"It's very nice. I hope they will not change this Lemko festival to a Ukrainian festival," said Helena Ksenycz, who traveled from Mississauga, Ontario, to the Vatra and whose family was originally from the Lemko village of Binczarowa before being relocated through Akcja Wisla. "I would like to see here more Lemko traditions, because it's my Lemko tradition from childhood," she added.
Although incomparable to the Lemko Vatra held annually in the mountains of the Lemko region in the village of Zdynia, the Vatra in Ellenville is improving, said Walter Maksimovich, who operates the website www.lemko.org .
"It's a good gathering point for me to meet other people face to face," Mr. Maksimovich said, "I feel that a great injustice was done to our people. Even though we're not well organized, we don't have access to media, we're doing the best we can."
Praise also came from non-Lemkos, such as Atanazy Steforak of Lehighton, Pa. - a Hutsul.
"I have to congratulate the Lemkos," said Mr. Steforak, who came to the Vatra with his Lemko wife. "They keep together better than the Boykos or the Hutsuls."
And, therefore, although the words of the poignant, last song performed by Metelytsya and the rest of the performers at the Vatra say, "It will never be, as it once was for me," events such as the Lemko Vatra inspire hope that Lemko culture will be passed on.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information about the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivschyna readers may contact Mr. Halkowycz at (201) 692-1471 .
For more information about the Lemko Vatra performance, contact Mr. Harhaj at (973) 772-3344
Source: The Ukrainian Weekly, July 25, 2004, No. 30, Vol. LXXII; Article written by Diana Howansky
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President of ODLWU Z. Halkowycz meets with SFULO President V. Ropeckyi in Lviv
While visiting Lviv in May on a
private matter, I telephoned Mr. Volodymyr Ropeckyi and Mr. Olexander Venhrynovych to extend my respects, and requested a meeting with both gentlemen. I suggested we meet for an exchange of views about where the Lemko movement is heading, as well as current issues. The meeting took place on May 13, 2008. I was invited to the offices of the " Vseukraiinske Tovarystvo Lemkivshchyna " (VUTL). Present at the meeting were O. Venhrynovych, president of the VUTL, Mrs. Agnesa Ropeckyi and two members of the newly-created SFULO Executive Board, with Mr. Ropeckyi chairing the meeting. Our discussion was frank; both sides expressed their strong opinions on many topics, especially the issue of Rusynstvo , which is creeping into our Lemko organizations and is being promoted by Mr. Ropeckyi and Venhrynovych. After a short assessment of the meeting, I made the suggestion that we need to meet with all the SFULO member organizations to discuss the new proposed by-laws for SFULO, as well as the resolution of the issue at hand, which is Rusynstvo . I made the following offer: the World Congress of Ukrainians (CKY) will hold its convention in Kyiv during August 20 to 22, 2008 and, since all the SFULO member countries will be present at CKY, the board of SFULO should convene a Lemko executive board meeting in Kyiv to discuss our issues. Mr. Olexander Venhrunovych and Mr. Ropeckyi agreed that this venue would be the best way to bring both sides to the table. I suggested that they contact Professor Ivan Shcherba (former President of SFULO) for help in organizing this Lemko conference, since Prof. Shcherba has experience in organizing this type of meeting. He organized a similar meeting for all Lemko representatives at the last CKY convention in 2003.
We parted as friends and, to seal our agreement, took an official photo of the participants
Zane Halkowycz , President of ODLWU, Inc
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While visiting Lviv in May on a
private matter, I telephoned Mr. Volodymyr Ropeckyi and Mr. Olexander Venhrynovych to extend my respects, and requested a meeting with both gentlemen. I suggested we meet for an exchange of views about where the Lemko movement is heading, as well as current issues. The meeting took place on May 13, 2008. I was invited to the offices of the " Vseukraiinske Tovarystvo Lemkivshchyna " (VUTL). Present at the meeting were O. Venhrynovych, president of the VUTL, Mrs. Agnesa Ropeckyi and two members of the newly-created SFULO Executive Board, with Mr. Ropeckyi chairing the meeting. Our discussion was frank; both sides expressed their strong opinions on many topics, especially the issue of Rusynstvo , which is creeping into our Lemko organizations and is being promoted by Mr. Ropeckyi and Venhrynovych. After a short assessment of the meeting, I made the suggestion that we need to meet with all the SFULO member organizations to discuss the new proposed by-laws for SFULO, as well as the resolution of the issue at hand, which is Rusynstvo . I made the following offer: the World Congress of Ukrainians (CKY) will hold its convention in Kyiv during August 20 to 22, 2008 and, since all the SFULO member countries will be present at CKY, the board of SFULO should convene a Lemko executive board meeting in Kyiv to discuss our issues. Mr. Olexander Venhrunovych and Mr. Ropeckyi agreed that this venue would be the best way to bring both sides to the table. I suggested that they contact Professor Ivan Shcherba (former President of SFULO) for help in organizing this Lemko conference, since Prof. Shcherba has experience in organizing this type of meeting. He organized a similar meeting for all Lemko representatives at the last CKY convention in 2003. We parted as friends and, to seal our agreement, took an official photo of the participants
Zane Halkowycz , President of ODLWU, Inc
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Special Year for Lemko-Ukrainian Organization's Annual Festival
On the picture: Three generations of Lemkynia:
Melan ia Lozyniak (in front), Diana Howansky, Mary Howansky, Lena Howansky (in back).
2008
Since the beginning of 2007, in cities throughout the tri-state area, the Organization for the Defense of Lemko-Western Ukraine (known by its acronym OOL) has hosted a series of public events to commemorate the 60 th anniversary of Akcja “Wisla,” the 1947 forced relocation of the Ukrainian minority within Poland. This series culminated in OOL's annual festival, named the “ Lemkivska Vatra ,” on the weekend of June 29-July 1 at the Ukrainian Youth Association resort in Ellenville, NY.
Andrii Olefirov, a representative of the Consulate General of Ukraine in NYC who attended the festival, praised and encouraged OOL's continuing activity. He also expressed optimism regarding the future of Polish-Ukrainian relations, noting that the joint hosting of the World Cup soccer championships in 2010 by the two countries symbolized a positive shift. It is important to remember the past, but also to look towards the future, the consul said.
The keynote speaker at the festival, Dmytro Trojanovsky, also remarked on recent positive events between Poland and Ukraine. After outlining the difficult history of Ukrainians in post-WWII Poland, Trojanovsky noted the joint agreement on April 27 by presidents Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine and Lech Kaczynski of Poland to remember the victims of Akcja “Wisla” and to pursue a strategic partnership between their two countries.
Like in past years, the Lemkivska Vatra featured a cultural program with musicians and performers presenting traditional regional Lemko songs and dances. Such performers included the singers “Pid Oblachkom,” the musical group “Cheres UFO,” the dance ensemble “Obryi,” the sisters Oros duet, and others.
One of the hundreds of festival attendees, Dorothy Doloszycki of Little Falls, NJ, said she had recently visited the Lemko region for the first time. Her father was forcibly relocated from this territory in 1947, but had never returned.
“Oh my God, it was gorgeous. The mountains. The fields are all green,” Doloszycki said. “Honestly, it does make culture more important to me. If I have kids, they're definitely going to go back and see it.”
For more information about the Organization for the Defense of Lemko-Western Ukraine, please contact Zenon Halkowycz, OOL president, at halkowycz.z@mellon.com.
Article written by Diana Howansky
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Ukrainian President opens festival in Poland
President Victor Yushchenko and First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko on Saturday attended a ceremony to open the 25th festival Lemkiwska Watra (Lemko Bonfire) in the Polish city of Gdynia .
“I am very happy to be firing this twenty-fifth bonfire together with you,” he said in a speech to the Lemkos from Poland , Ukraine , Croatia , Serbia , Canada , the United States of America and many other countries.
Yushchenko praised Ukraine 's partnership with Poland , saying both countries “restore historical justice, remembering the victims of the Communist terror.”
“Today we are honoring the victims of many severe challenges. One of them is Operation Wisla,” he said. “In our joint statement with President Lech Kaczynski of Poland, Operation Wisla has been condemned as totalitarian crime for the first time.”
Yushchenko's speech also focused on developments in Ukraine . He described early parliamentary elections on September 30 as an “important step to build a modern European state.”
The president called on the Ukrainian diaspora to preserve unity, assuring the Ukrainians living abroad his government will spare no effort to protect their cultural, educational and national rights and needs. Then he honored several Lemko leaders with state awards.
Yushchenko also attended a ceremony to consecrate the Bells of Peace to mark the 60th anniversary of Operation Wisla and pray for its victims.
President Victor Yushchenko and First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko on Saturday attended a ceremony to open the 25th festival Lemkiwska Watra (Lemko Bonfire) in the Polish city of Gdynia .
“I am very happy to be firing this twenty-fifth bonfire together with you,” he said in a speech to the Lemkos from Poland , Ukraine , Croatia , Serbia , Canada , the United States of America and many other countries.
Yushchenko praised Ukraine 's partnership with Poland , saying both countries “restore historical justice, remembering the victims of the Communist terror.”
“Today we are honoring the victims of many severe challenges. One of them is Operation Wisla,” he said. “In our joint statement with President Lech Kaczynski of Poland, Operation Wisla has been condemned as totalitarian crime for the first time.”
Yushchenko's speech also focused on developments in Ukraine . He described early parliamentary elections on September 30 as an “important step to build a modern European state.”
The president called on the Ukrainian diaspora to preserve unity, assuring the Ukrainians living abroad his government will spare no effort to protect their cultural, educational and national rights and needs. Then he honored several Lemko leaders with state awards.
Yushchenko also attended a ceremony to consecrate the Bells of Peace to mark the 60th anniversary of Operation Wisla and pray for its victims.
Source: Official Website of President of Ukraine, July 21, 2007
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President Victor Yushchenko and First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko on Saturday attended a ceremony to open the 25th festival Lemkiwska Watra (Lemko Bonfire) in the Polish city of Gdynia .
“I am very happy to be firing this twenty-fifth bonfire together with you,” he said in a speech to the Lemkos from Poland , Ukraine , Croatia , Serbia , Canada , the United States of America and many other countries.
Yushchenko praised Ukraine 's partnership with Poland , saying both countries “restore historical justice, remembering the victims of the Communist terror.”
“Today we are honoring the victims of many severe challenges. One of them is Operation Wisla,” he said. “In our joint statement with President Lech Kaczynski of Poland, Operation Wisla has been condemned as totalitarian crime for the first time.”
Yushchenko's speech also focused on developments in Ukraine . He described early parliamentary elections on September 30 as an “important step to build a modern European state.”
The president called on the Ukrainian diaspora to preserve unity, assuring the Ukrainians living abroad his government will spare no effort to protect their cultural, educational and national rights and needs. Then he honored several Lemko leaders with state awards.
Yushchenko also attended a ceremony to consecrate the Bells of Peace to mark the 60th anniversary of Operation Wisla and pray for its victims.
President Victor Yushchenko and First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko on Saturday attended a ceremony to open the 25th festival Lemkiwska Watra (Lemko Bonfire) in the Polish city of Gdynia .
“I am very happy to be firing this twenty-fifth bonfire together with you,” he said in a speech to the Lemkos from Poland , Ukraine , Croatia , Serbia , Canada , the United States of America and many other countries.
Yushchenko praised Ukraine 's partnership with Poland , saying both countries “restore historical justice, remembering the victims of the Communist terror.”
“Today we are honoring the victims of many severe challenges. One of them is Operation Wisla,” he said. “In our joint statement with President Lech Kaczynski of Poland, Operation Wisla has been condemned as totalitarian crime for the first time.”
Yushchenko's speech also focused on developments in Ukraine . He described early parliamentary elections on September 30 as an “important step to build a modern European state.”
The president called on the Ukrainian diaspora to preserve unity, assuring the Ukrainians living abroad his government will spare no effort to protect their cultural, educational and national rights and needs. Then he honored several Lemko leaders with state awards.
Yushchenko also attended a ceremony to consecrate the Bells of Peace to mark the 60th anniversary of Operation Wisla and pray for its victims.
Source: Official Website of President of Ukraine, July 21, 2007
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Newly-constructed Lemko Chapel Blessed during 5-th Annual Lemko Vatra
June 24-26, 2005 at the resort of the Ukrainian Youth Organization, Inc. (CYM) in Ellenville, NY. Each year, this Vatra blazes with bright rays amid a constellation of others around the world -- in Lemkivshchyna, Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia and Canada – where fate has dispersed Lemkos from their never-forgotten homeland.
The Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (known by the acronym OOL) conducted this festival in order to show participants at least a small portion of original Lemko culture and traditions.
At the official opening of the Vatra, the “ starosta” (or traditional “village elder”) Vasyl Harhaj welcomed all those present, and invited on stage such leaders of the Ukrainian-Lemko community as: Ivan Fil, representative of SFULO (World Federation of Ukrainian Lemkos); Natalia Kravchuk, deputy editor of the newspaper “ Nashe Slovo ;” Bohdan Harhaj, head of CYM; Steven Howansky, head of the Lemko Research Foundation; Stefan Zhuravsky, head of the Committee for the Building of the Lemko Chapel; and Zenon Halkowycz, head of OOL.
Leading the traditional ritual of lighting the Vatra bonfire were Halkowycz, Howansky, as well as OOL branch representatives Ivan Zavada, Stefan Kosciolek, and Michael Khalupa, while a choir of singers from the U.S.A., Canada and Ukraine, under the direction of Alla Kutsewycz, performed the Lemko hymn, “ Hory Nashi Karpaty .”
In his welcome speech, Halkowycz underlined both the importance of conducting the annual Lemko Vatra and the historical meaning of the 5 th Vatra, saying, “On this Sunday will take place the blessing of the Lemko chapel dedicated to the memory of victims of “ Akcja ‘Wisla ' – victims whom we should not forget.” (Akcja “Wisla,” a campaign conducted by the Polish government in 1947, forcibly resettled approximately 150,000 Ukrainians from southeastern Poland.)
Sunday, June 26, 2005 will go into the annals of OOL and CYM, as well as into the history of the whole Ukrainian diaspora in the U.S.A., as the day on which Archbishop Antoniy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Bishop Basil Losten of the Ukrainian Catholic Church blessed the newly-built St. Michael the Archangel chapel, constructed at the CYM resort in Lemko style as a memorial to the victims of Akcja “Wisla.”
On a beautiful Sunday morning, the heads of OOL and CYM, carrying flags, met near the entrance of the Ellenville resort and, together with the spiritual leaders of both rites of the Ukrainian Church, walked to the field where the new chapel now and forevermore stands.
Bishop Losten delivered a speech dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, who is the patron saint of CYM and the city of Kyiv, before he and Archbishop Antoniy endorsed a statement blessing the chapel. This was followed by a mass, conducted by Bishop Losten and, at his side, Fathers Ivan Bura, Ihor Mydziak, Bohdan Danylo, Yaroslav Kostyk, Volodymyr Piso and Bohdan Kudleychuk. Sitting with Archbishop Antoniy in places of honor before the chapel were Fathers Yuriy Bazylevskiy and Daniel Zelenskiy. The choir “ Akollada ” from Philadelphia, PA sang during the mass. Afterwards, Archibishop Antoniy also delivered a spiritual speech, and the church hymn, “ Bozhe Velykiy Yedyniy ” concluded the blessing ceremony.
The annual “Lemko Vatra” in the U.S.A. blazed for the fifth year in a row from June 24-26, 2005 at the resort of the Ukrainian Youth Organization, Inc. (CYM) in Ellenville, NY. Each year, this Vatra blazes with bright rays amid a constellation of others around the world -- in Lemkivshchyna, Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia and Canada – where fate has dispersed Lemkos from their never-forgotten homeland.
The Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (known by the acronym OOL) conducted this festival in order to show participants at least a small portion of original Lemko culture and traditions.
At the official opening of the Vatra, the “ starosta” (or traditional “village elder”) Vasyl Harhaj welcomed all those present, and invited on stage such leaders of the Ukrainian-Lemko community as: Ivan Fil, representative of SFULO (World Federation of Ukrainian Lemkos); Natalia Kravchuk, deputy editor of the newspaper “ Nashe Slovo ;” Bohdan Harhaj, head of CYM; Steven Howansky, head of the Lemko Research Foundation; Stefan Zhuravsky, head of the Committee for the Building of the Lemko Chapel; and Zenon Halkowycz, head of OOL.
Leading the traditional ritual of lighting the Vatra bonfire were Halkowycz, Howansky, as well as OOL branch representatives Ivan Zavada, Stefan Kosciolek, and Michael Khalupa, while a choir of singers from the U.S.A., Canada and Ukraine, under the direction of Alla Kutsewycz, performed the Lemko hymn, “ Hory Nashi Karpaty .”
In his welcome speech, Halkowycz underlined both the importance of conducting the annual Lemko Vatra and the historical meaning of the 5 th Vatra, saying, “On this Sunday will take place the blessing of the Lemko chapel dedicated to the memory of victims of “ Akcja ‘Wisla ' – victims whom we should not forget.” (Akcja “Wisla,” a campaign conducted by the Polish government in 1947, forcibly resettled approximately 150,000 Ukrainians from southeastern Poland.)
Sunday, June 26, 2005 will go into the annals of OOL and CYM, as well as into the history of the whole Ukrainian diaspora in the U.S.A., as the day on which Archbishop Antoniy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Bishop Basil Losten of the Ukrainian Catholic Church blessed the newly-built St. Michael the Archangel chapel, constructed at the CYM resort in Lemko style as a memorial to the victims of Akcja “Wisla.”
On a beautiful Sunday morning, the heads of OOL and CYM, carrying flags, met near the entrance of the Ellenville resort and, together with the spiritual leaders of both rites of the Ukrainian Church, walked to the field where the new chapel now and forevermore stands.
Bishop Losten delivered a speech dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, who is the patron saint of CYM and the city of Kyiv, before he and Archbishop Antoniy endorsed a statement blessing the chapel. This was followed by a mass, conducted by Bishop Losten and, at his side, Fathers Ivan Bura, Ihor Mydziak, Bohdan Danylo, Yaroslav Kostyk, Volodymyr Piso and Bohdan Kudleychuk. Sitting with Archbishop Antoniy in places of honor before the chapel were Fathers Yuriy Bazylevskiy and Daniel Zelenskiy. The choir “ Akollada ” from Philadelphia, PA sang during the mass. Afterwards, Archibishop Antoniy also delivered a spiritual speech, and the church hymn, “ Bozhe Velykiy Yedyniy ” concluded the blessing ceremony.
Throughout the Vatra, the sizeable Ukrainian-Lemko community from the United States, Canada, Ukraine, Poland and other corners of the world, was also treated to a concert program, led by mistress and master of ceremonies Anna Pregner and Stepan Sheryliv. A stream of Lemko songs flowed. There were tears of nostalgia in the eyes of those born in verdant Lemkivshchyna, flashes of joy on the faces of festival guests, and shouts of “bravo” accompanying the performances of artists – professional and amateur, singers and dancers, grey-haired and young – all, who, with sincere hearts and souls, responded to the invitation of the festival organizers. And there were a lot of artists. Although it is not possible to name them all in a short article, a heartfelt bow of thanks goes out to all those who made the annual Vatra so rich with cultural performances.
Lviv-born artist Anna Cheberenchyk, known as “Anitchka,” (whose parents from the village of Owczar in Lemkivshchyna were relocated to Soviet Ukraine in the WWII period) began her performance with the song, “ Tam na Lemkovyni .” Now residing in California, she came to brighten the hearts of viewers at the Lemko Vatra in the U.S.A. for a second year in a row. The quartet “ Metelytsya ”; dance group “ Mria ” from Passaic, NJ; the sisters Lida and Gabriella Oros; Roman Tsymbala; “ Hurt Suzir'ya ”; and Vika from Ternopil, Ukraine also performed. And, from Saturday evening to early hours of the morning, participants danced to the music of the bands “ Halychany ” and the quartet “ Karpaty .”
The program on Sunday continued in the large hall of CYM's main building, where Vatra participants listened with interest to the keynote speech of Nashe Slovo deputy editor Natalia Kravchuk, titled, “The Situation of Ukrainians in Poland from Resettlement until Today.” (Following this speech, a short welcome was also given to the Ukrainian Vice-Minister of Agroculture, Ivan Denko, whose father was from the Lemko village of Brunary.)
As has become a Lemko Vatra tradition, following the concert program, all participants of the festival also had the opportunity to taste a piece of roast pig. And for those who preferred other Ukrainian dishes, there was no lack of pierogies, kielbasa with cabbage and hot borshcht.
At the end of the Vatra, all of the musicians together performed the Lemko song, “ Oy vershe miy, vershe ,” and, as thanks for their participation, received a 5 th Annual Lemko Vatra T-shirt as a souvenir from the Vatra organizing committee. Following words of thanks for all of the organizers of the festival, the administration of the CYM resort, volunteers and participants, the festival came to a close. “ Do pobachennya za rik ” [Goodbye until next year], read the sign above the CYM resort exit, inviting all for the next, 6 th Annual Lemko Vatra, which is planned for June 23-25, 2006.
Throughout the Vatra, the sizeable Ukrainian-Lemko community from the United States, Canada, Ukraine, Poland and other corners of the world, was also treated to a concert program, led by mistress and master of ceremonies Anna Pregner and Stepan Sheryliv. A stream of Lemko songs flowed. There were tears of nostalgia in the eyes of those born in verdant Lemkivshchyna, flashes of joy on the faces of festival guests, and shouts of “bravo” accompanying the performances of artists – professional and amateur, singers and dancers, grey-haired and young – all, who, with sincere hearts and souls, responded to the invitation of the festival organizers. And there were a lot of artists. Although it is not possible to name them all in a short article, a heartfelt bow of thanks goes out to all those who made the annual Vatra so rich with cultural performances.
Lviv-born artist Anna Cheberenchyk, known as “Anitchka,” (whose parents from the village of Owczar in Lemkivshchyna were relocated to Soviet Ukraine in the WWII period) began her performance with the song, “ Tam na Lemkovyni .” Now residing in California, she came to brighten the hearts of viewers at the Lemko Vatra in the U.S.A. for a second year in a row. The quartet “ Metelytsya ”; dance group “ Mria ” from Passaic, NJ; the sisters Lida and Gabriella Oros; Roman Tsymbala; “ Hurt Suzir'ya ”; and Vika from Ternopil, Ukraine also performed. And, from Saturday evening to early hours of the morning, participants danced to the music of the bands “ Halychany ” and the quartet “ Karpaty .”
The program on Sunday continued in the large hall of CYM's main building, where Vatra participants listened with interest to the keynote speech of Nashe Slovo deputy editor Natalia Kravchuk, titled, “The Situation of Ukrainians in Poland from Resettlement until Today.” (Following this speech, a short welcome was also given to the Ukrainian Vice-Minister of Agroculture, Ivan Denko, whose father was from the Lemko village of Brunary.)
As has become a Lemko Vatra tradition, following the concert program, all participants of the festival also had the opportunity to taste a piece of roast pig. And for those who preferred other Ukrainian dishes, there was no lack of pierogies, kielbasa with cabbage and hot borshcht.
At the end of the Vatra, all of the musicians together performed the Lemko song, “ Oy vershe miy, vershe ,” and, as thanks for their participation, received a 5 th Annual Lemko Vatra T-shirt as a souvenir from the Vatra organizing committee. Following words of thanks for all of the organizers of the festival, the administration of the CYM resort, volunteers and participants, the festival came to a close. “ Do pobachennya za rik ” [Goodbye until next year], read the sign above the CYM resort exit, inviting all for the next, 6 th Annual Lemko Vatra, which is planned for June 23-25, 2006.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information about the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivschyna readers may contact Mr. Halkowycz at (201) 692-1471 . For more information about the Lemko Vatra performance, contact Mr. Harhaj at (973) 772-3344
Source: The Ukrainian Weekly, July 24, 2005, No. 30, Vol. LXXIII; Article written by Steven Howansky and Andriy Khomyk
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June 24-26, 2005 at the resort of the Ukrainian Youth Organization, Inc. (CYM) in Ellenville, NY. Each year, this Vatra blazes with bright rays amid a constellation of others around the world -- in Lemkivshchyna, Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia and Canada – where fate has dispersed Lemkos from their never-forgotten homeland. The Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (known by the acronym OOL) conducted this festival in order to show participants at least a small portion of original Lemko culture and traditions.
At the official opening of the Vatra, the “ starosta” (or traditional “village elder”) Vasyl Harhaj welcomed all those present, and invited on stage such leaders of the Ukrainian-Lemko community as: Ivan Fil, representative of SFULO (World Federation of Ukrainian Lemkos); Natalia Kravchuk, deputy editor of the newspaper “ Nashe Slovo ;” Bohdan Harhaj, head of CYM; Steven Howansky, head of the Lemko Research Foundation; Stefan Zhuravsky, head of the Committee for the Building of the Lemko Chapel; and Zenon Halkowycz, head of OOL.
Leading the traditional ritual of lighting the Vatra bonfire were Halkowycz, Howansky, as well as OOL branch representatives Ivan Zavada, Stefan Kosciolek, and Michael Khalupa, while a choir of singers from the U.S.A., Canada and Ukraine, under the direction of Alla Kutsewycz, performed the Lemko hymn, “ Hory Nashi Karpaty .”
In his welcome speech, Halkowycz underlined both the importance of conducting the annual Lemko Vatra and the historical meaning of the 5 th Vatra, saying, “On this Sunday will take place the blessing of the Lemko chapel dedicated to the memory of victims of “ Akcja ‘Wisla ' – victims whom we should not forget.” (Akcja “Wisla,” a campaign conducted by the Polish government in 1947, forcibly resettled approximately 150,000 Ukrainians from southeastern Poland.)
Sunday, June 26, 2005 will go into the annals of OOL and CYM, as well as into the history of the whole Ukrainian diaspora in the U.S.A., as the day on which Archbishop Antoniy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Bishop Basil Losten of the Ukrainian Catholic Church blessed the newly-built St. Michael the Archangel chapel, constructed at the CYM resort in Lemko style as a memorial to the victims of Akcja “Wisla.”
On a beautiful Sunday morning, the heads of OOL and CYM, carrying flags, met near the entrance of the Ellenville resort and, together with the spiritual leaders of both rites of the Ukrainian Church, walked to the field where the new chapel now and forevermore stands.
Bishop Losten delivered a speech dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, who is the patron saint of CYM and the city of Kyiv, before he and Archbishop Antoniy endorsed a statement blessing the chapel. This was followed by a mass, conducted by Bishop Losten and, at his side, Fathers Ivan Bura, Ihor Mydziak, Bohdan Danylo, Yaroslav Kostyk, Volodymyr Piso and Bohdan Kudleychuk. Sitting with Archbishop Antoniy in places of honor before the chapel were Fathers Yuriy Bazylevskiy and Daniel Zelenskiy. The choir “ Akollada ” from Philadelphia, PA sang during the mass. Afterwards, Archibishop Antoniy also delivered a spiritual speech, and the church hymn, “ Bozhe Velykiy Yedyniy ” concluded the blessing ceremony.
The annual “Lemko Vatra” in the U.S.A. blazed for the fifth year in a row from June 24-26, 2005 at the resort of the Ukrainian Youth Organization, Inc. (CYM) in Ellenville, NY. Each year, this Vatra blazes with bright rays amid a constellation of others around the world -- in Lemkivshchyna, Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia and Canada – where fate has dispersed Lemkos from their never-forgotten homeland.
The Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (known by the acronym OOL) conducted this festival in order to show participants at least a small portion of original Lemko culture and traditions.
At the official opening of the Vatra, the “ starosta” (or traditional “village elder”) Vasyl Harhaj welcomed all those present, and invited on stage such leaders of the Ukrainian-Lemko community as: Ivan Fil, representative of SFULO (World Federation of Ukrainian Lemkos); Natalia Kravchuk, deputy editor of the newspaper “ Nashe Slovo ;” Bohdan Harhaj, head of CYM; Steven Howansky, head of the Lemko Research Foundation; Stefan Zhuravsky, head of the Committee for the Building of the Lemko Chapel; and Zenon Halkowycz, head of OOL.
Leading the traditional ritual of lighting the Vatra bonfire were Halkowycz, Howansky, as well as OOL branch representatives Ivan Zavada, Stefan Kosciolek, and Michael Khalupa, while a choir of singers from the U.S.A., Canada and Ukraine, under the direction of Alla Kutsewycz, performed the Lemko hymn, “ Hory Nashi Karpaty .”
In his welcome speech, Halkowycz underlined both the importance of conducting the annual Lemko Vatra and the historical meaning of the 5 th Vatra, saying, “On this Sunday will take place the blessing of the Lemko chapel dedicated to the memory of victims of “ Akcja ‘Wisla ' – victims whom we should not forget.” (Akcja “Wisla,” a campaign conducted by the Polish government in 1947, forcibly resettled approximately 150,000 Ukrainians from southeastern Poland.)
Sunday, June 26, 2005 will go into the annals of OOL and CYM, as well as into the history of the whole Ukrainian diaspora in the U.S.A., as the day on which Archbishop Antoniy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Bishop Basil Losten of the Ukrainian Catholic Church blessed the newly-built St. Michael the Archangel chapel, constructed at the CYM resort in Lemko style as a memorial to the victims of Akcja “Wisla.”
On a beautiful Sunday morning, the heads of OOL and CYM, carrying flags, met near the entrance of the Ellenville resort and, together with the spiritual leaders of both rites of the Ukrainian Church, walked to the field where the new chapel now and forevermore stands.
Bishop Losten delivered a speech dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, who is the patron saint of CYM and the city of Kyiv, before he and Archbishop Antoniy endorsed a statement blessing the chapel. This was followed by a mass, conducted by Bishop Losten and, at his side, Fathers Ivan Bura, Ihor Mydziak, Bohdan Danylo, Yaroslav Kostyk, Volodymyr Piso and Bohdan Kudleychuk. Sitting with Archbishop Antoniy in places of honor before the chapel were Fathers Yuriy Bazylevskiy and Daniel Zelenskiy. The choir “ Akollada ” from Philadelphia, PA sang during the mass. Afterwards, Archibishop Antoniy also delivered a spiritual speech, and the church hymn, “ Bozhe Velykiy Yedyniy ” concluded the blessing ceremony.
Throughout the Vatra, the sizeable Ukrainian-Lemko community from the United States, Canada, Ukraine, Poland and other corners of the world, was also treated to a concert program, led by mistress and master of ceremonies Anna Pregner and Stepan Sheryliv. A stream of Lemko songs flowed. There were tears of nostalgia in the eyes of those born in verdant Lemkivshchyna, flashes of joy on the faces of festival guests, and shouts of “bravo” accompanying the performances of artists – professional and amateur, singers and dancers, grey-haired and young – all, who, with sincere hearts and souls, responded to the invitation of the festival organizers. And there were a lot of artists. Although it is not possible to name them all in a short article, a heartfelt bow of thanks goes out to all those who made the annual Vatra so rich with cultural performances.
Lviv-born artist Anna Cheberenchyk, known as “Anitchka,” (whose parents from the village of Owczar in Lemkivshchyna were relocated to Soviet Ukraine in the WWII period) began her performance with the song, “ Tam na Lemkovyni .” Now residing in California, she came to brighten the hearts of viewers at the Lemko Vatra in the U.S.A. for a second year in a row. The quartet “ Metelytsya ”; dance group “ Mria ” from Passaic, NJ; the sisters Lida and Gabriella Oros; Roman Tsymbala; “ Hurt Suzir'ya ”; and Vika from Ternopil, Ukraine also performed. And, from Saturday evening to early hours of the morning, participants danced to the music of the bands “ Halychany ” and the quartet “ Karpaty .”
The program on Sunday continued in the large hall of CYM's main building, where Vatra participants listened with interest to the keynote speech of Nashe Slovo deputy editor Natalia Kravchuk, titled, “The Situation of Ukrainians in Poland from Resettlement until Today.” (Following this speech, a short welcome was also given to the Ukrainian Vice-Minister of Agroculture, Ivan Denko, whose father was from the Lemko village of Brunary.)
As has become a Lemko Vatra tradition, following the concert program, all participants of the festival also had the opportunity to taste a piece of roast pig. And for those who preferred other Ukrainian dishes, there was no lack of pierogies, kielbasa with cabbage and hot borshcht.
At the end of the Vatra, all of the musicians together performed the Lemko song, “ Oy vershe miy, vershe ,” and, as thanks for their participation, received a 5 th Annual Lemko Vatra T-shirt as a souvenir from the Vatra organizing committee. Following words of thanks for all of the organizers of the festival, the administration of the CYM resort, volunteers and participants, the festival came to a close. “ Do pobachennya za rik ” [Goodbye until next year], read the sign above the CYM resort exit, inviting all for the next, 6 th Annual Lemko Vatra, which is planned for June 23-25, 2006.
Throughout the Vatra, the sizeable Ukrainian-Lemko community from the United States, Canada, Ukraine, Poland and other corners of the world, was also treated to a concert program, led by mistress and master of ceremonies Anna Pregner and Stepan Sheryliv. A stream of Lemko songs flowed. There were tears of nostalgia in the eyes of those born in verdant Lemkivshchyna, flashes of joy on the faces of festival guests, and shouts of “bravo” accompanying the performances of artists – professional and amateur, singers and dancers, grey-haired and young – all, who, with sincere hearts and souls, responded to the invitation of the festival organizers. And there were a lot of artists. Although it is not possible to name them all in a short article, a heartfelt bow of thanks goes out to all those who made the annual Vatra so rich with cultural performances.
Lviv-born artist Anna Cheberenchyk, known as “Anitchka,” (whose parents from the village of Owczar in Lemkivshchyna were relocated to Soviet Ukraine in the WWII period) began her performance with the song, “ Tam na Lemkovyni .” Now residing in California, she came to brighten the hearts of viewers at the Lemko Vatra in the U.S.A. for a second year in a row. The quartet “ Metelytsya ”; dance group “ Mria ” from Passaic, NJ; the sisters Lida and Gabriella Oros; Roman Tsymbala; “ Hurt Suzir'ya ”; and Vika from Ternopil, Ukraine also performed. And, from Saturday evening to early hours of the morning, participants danced to the music of the bands “ Halychany ” and the quartet “ Karpaty .”
The program on Sunday continued in the large hall of CYM's main building, where Vatra participants listened with interest to the keynote speech of Nashe Slovo deputy editor Natalia Kravchuk, titled, “The Situation of Ukrainians in Poland from Resettlement until Today.” (Following this speech, a short welcome was also given to the Ukrainian Vice-Minister of Agroculture, Ivan Denko, whose father was from the Lemko village of Brunary.)
As has become a Lemko Vatra tradition, following the concert program, all participants of the festival also had the opportunity to taste a piece of roast pig. And for those who preferred other Ukrainian dishes, there was no lack of pierogies, kielbasa with cabbage and hot borshcht.
At the end of the Vatra, all of the musicians together performed the Lemko song, “ Oy vershe miy, vershe ,” and, as thanks for their participation, received a 5 th Annual Lemko Vatra T-shirt as a souvenir from the Vatra organizing committee. Following words of thanks for all of the organizers of the festival, the administration of the CYM resort, volunteers and participants, the festival came to a close. “ Do pobachennya za rik ” [Goodbye until next year], read the sign above the CYM resort exit, inviting all for the next, 6 th Annual Lemko Vatra, which is planned for June 23-25, 2006.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information about the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivschyna readers may contact Mr. Halkowycz at (201) 692-1471 . For more information about the Lemko Vatra performance, contact Mr. Harhaj at (973) 772-3344
Source: The Ukrainian Weekly, July 24, 2005, No. 30, Vol. LXXIII; Article written by Steven Howansky and Andriy Khomyk
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What is the OOL?
CLIFTON, N.J. - What is the Organization for the Defense of Lemko Western Ukraine Inc., (known by its Ukrainian acronym as OOL)? We are an organization of Ukrainian Lemkos who came to America in the early 1900s and settled in Western Pennsylvania and the tri-state area. The organization was formally created by a congress of Lemko immigrants in 1936 in Philadelphia in response to a need to unite, and to help each other publish a newspaper by Lemko editors for the Lemko readership.
As time passed, the organization grew and expanded and the by-laws were changed to meet the times. The current by-laws state that the organization's responsibilities are: to organize Lemko Ukrainians in their respective communities, to conduct cultural and educational work among them, and to foster Ukrainian culture, language, music, embroidery, religious, secular and national traditions.
Most importantly, the organization and its members are obliged to give moral and material support to the Lemkos living in Ukraine, Poland (Lemko lands) and wherever else Lemkos reside and are in need of help.
The national executive sponsors various traditional Lemko activities and programs for its members and the public at large. The national executive and its branches have over the last 50 years donated and organized financial help for our brothers and sisters living in the traditional Lemko lands, as well as helped those Lemkos who were forcibly resettled beyond the borders of traditional Lemko lands starting in 1944 and ending with the infamous " Akcja ‘Wisla '" in 1947.
Also of great note is the continuous publication of our magazine Lemkivschyna , which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and the tireless effort the organization puts forward in maintaining the Lemko museum in Stamford, CT.
In 1997, a group of young Lemko members discussed the commemoration of victims of the 1947 Akcja “Wisla” and an idea emerged to build a chapel in honor of their memory. The project was started with modest donations, and eventually the national executive decided to assist these young members in their efforts.
When a request was made to form a national committee, the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM) came forward and, together with OOL, the project became reality. Stefan Zurawsky was elected chairman, Bohdan Harhai from SUM and Zenko Halkowycz from OOL became vice-presidents, and the committee chose Teodor Bodnar as its architect. During the 2003 Vatra at the SUM Oselia in Ellenville, NY, a parcel of land was consecrated for the chapel that will be dedicated to the memory of the victims of Akcja “Wisla” in the name of Archangel Muchjila.
The national board of OOL and SUM announced that the tentative dedication and consecration of the Lemko chapel will take place during the IV Lemko Vatra at the SUM Oselia on June 25-27. The committee projects the actual blessing for noon time on June 27.
The organization is in the process of raising funds; as always, Ukrainian credit unions were the first to generously respond. The New York Self Reliance Federal Credit Union, Yonkers CYMA Federal Credit Union and Clifton-Passaic Federal Credit Union, as well as 1st Security Savings Bank of Chicago were the first to graciously donate to this cause. A traditional bell tower will be erected along with the chapel if funds permit.
The chapel will be opened to all Catholic and Orthodox church-goers. Its educational emphasis will be on display during SUM summer camps, when campers will have an opportunity to learn about Lemkos, their culture and traditions. Traditional wedding ceremonies will be performed in the chapel, and Sunday liturgies will be celebrated for summer campers, their parents and guests.
Source: The Ukrainian Weekly, June 13, 2004, No. 24, Vol. LXXII; Article written by Zenko Halkowycz
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CLIFTON, N.J. - What is the Organization for the Defense of Lemko Western Ukraine Inc., (known by its Ukrainian acronym as OOL)? We are an organization of Ukrainian Lemkos who came to America in the early 1900s and settled in Western Pennsylvania and the tri-state area. The organization was formally created by a congress of Lemko immigrants in 1936 in Philadelphia in response to a need to unite, and to help each other publish a newspaper by Lemko editors for the Lemko readership.
As time passed, the organization grew and expanded and the by-laws were changed to meet the times. The current by-laws state that the organization's responsibilities are: to organize Lemko Ukrainians in their respective communities, to conduct cultural and educational work among them, and to foster Ukrainian culture, language, music, embroidery, religious, secular and national traditions.
Most importantly, the organization and its members are obliged to give moral and material support to the Lemkos living in Ukraine, Poland (Lemko lands) and wherever else Lemkos reside and are in need of help.
The national executive sponsors various traditional Lemko activities and programs for its members and the public at large. The national executive and its branches have over the last 50 years donated and organized financial help for our brothers and sisters living in the traditional Lemko lands, as well as helped those Lemkos who were forcibly resettled beyond the borders of traditional Lemko lands starting in 1944 and ending with the infamous " Akcja ‘Wisla '" in 1947.
Also of great note is the continuous publication of our magazine Lemkivschyna , which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and the tireless effort the organization puts forward in maintaining the Lemko museum in Stamford, CT.
In 1997, a group of young Lemko members discussed the commemoration of victims of the 1947 Akcja “Wisla” and an idea emerged to build a chapel in honor of their memory. The project was started with modest donations, and eventually the national executive decided to assist these young members in their efforts.
When a request was made to form a national committee, the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM) came forward and, together with OOL, the project became reality. Stefan Zurawsky was elected chairman, Bohdan Harhai from SUM and Zenko Halkowycz from OOL became vice-presidents, and the committee chose Teodor Bodnar as its architect. During the 2003 Vatra at the SUM Oselia in Ellenville, NY, a parcel of land was consecrated for the chapel that will be dedicated to the memory of the victims of Akcja “Wisla” in the name of Archangel Muchjila.
The national board of OOL and SUM announced that the tentative dedication and consecration of the Lemko chapel will take place during the IV Lemko Vatra at the SUM Oselia on June 25-27. The committee projects the actual blessing for noon time on June 27.
The organization is in the process of raising funds; as always, Ukrainian credit unions were the first to generously respond. The New York Self Reliance Federal Credit Union, Yonkers CYMA Federal Credit Union and Clifton-Passaic Federal Credit Union, as well as 1st Security Savings Bank of Chicago were the first to graciously donate to this cause. A traditional bell tower will be erected along with the chapel if funds permit.
The chapel will be opened to all Catholic and Orthodox church-goers. Its educational emphasis will be on display during SUM summer camps, when campers will have an opportunity to learn about Lemkos, their culture and traditions. Traditional wedding ceremonies will be performed in the chapel, and Sunday liturgies will be celebrated for summer campers, their parents and guests.
Source: The Ukrainian Weekly, June 13, 2004, No. 24, Vol. LXXII; Article written by Zenko Halkowycz
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Etnic lemko wins precedent case over nationalized property
Last week Poland's Supreme Administrative Court passed a precedent verdict in a case over property confiscated by the state in 1949 from Maria Hladyk, an ethnic Lemko who was compulsorily resettled in 1947 from her village in Beskid Niski (a region in southeastern Poland ). In 1999, Maria Hladyk's grandson, Stefan Hladyk, applied to the Polish authorities with a request to repel the 50-year-old decision by which some 11 hectares of land (including 7.55 hectares of forest) was confiscated from his grandmother. The Agriculture Ministry satisfied his request. In last week's decision, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected an appeal by Poland 's State Forests, a state-run agency that manages the country's forested areas and which had owned Maria Hladyk's wooded plot for the past 50 years. The court simultaneously confirmed Stefan Hladyk's ownership right to the plot. This precedent verdict by the Supreme Administrative Court actually admits that the nationalization of Lemko properties 50 years ago was illegal. The verdict paves the way for other Lemkos (or their heirs) to regain what was confiscated from them by the communist authorities. According to PAP, Polish courts are currently going over some 200 lawsuits by Lemkos seeking to have their properties in Beskid Niski returned to them. [Ed. note: Some historical background to the case. In a bid to deprive the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) - which fought the Polish communist government in 1944-47 - of support among Ukrainians inhabiting their ethnic territories in southeastern Poland , the Polish authorities decided in 1947 on a mass resettlement of Ukrainians to the so-called Recovered Lands (Ziemie Odzyskane) - the former territories of the Third Reich incorporated into post-World War II Poland. The Polish army performed the drastic and violent Operation Vistula, which resettled some 150,000 people. The operation, according to the General Staff, contributed to "the final solution of the Ukrainian problem" in Poland . The resettled people included some 30,000 Lemkos, an ethnic community with a vaguely defined ethnic identity: some Lemkos considered themselves to be Ukrainians, while some believed they were a group different from Ukrainians. Incidentally, support for the UPA among Poland 's pre-1947 Lemko community was much weaker than among Polish Ukrainians. The dispersion of Lemkos following the 1947 resettlement immensely accelerated the process of their assimilation. The Polish authorities did not give Lemkos the right to develop their ethnic identity in 1956, when Poland 's Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians, and Jews were allowed to set up their own ethnic organizations to pursue some educational, cultural, and social activities. Some Lemko activists joined the Ukrainian movement but many others chose Polishness to avoid being identified with Ukrainians. In 1949, the Polish government passed a decree on the nationalization of properties remaining after the resettlement of the Ukrainians and Lemkos. Following the decree, local authorities passed appropriation decisions with regard to resettled owners' land plots and belongings remaining on their administrative territories.]
(Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Poland , Belarus , and Ukraine Report; Vol. 3, No. 38, 9 October 2001)
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Last week Poland's Supreme Administrative Court passed a precedent verdict in a case over property confiscated by the state in 1949 from Maria Hladyk, an ethnic Lemko who was compulsorily resettled in 1947 from her village in Beskid Niski (a region in southeastern Poland ). In 1999, Maria Hladyk's grandson, Stefan Hladyk, applied to the Polish authorities with a request to repel the 50-year-old decision by which some 11 hectares of land (including 7.55 hectares of forest) was confiscated from his grandmother. The Agriculture Ministry satisfied his request. In last week's decision, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected an appeal by Poland 's State Forests, a state-run agency that manages the country's forested areas and which had owned Maria Hladyk's wooded plot for the past 50 years. The court simultaneously confirmed Stefan Hladyk's ownership right to the plot. This precedent verdict by the Supreme Administrative Court actually admits that the nationalization of Lemko properties 50 years ago was illegal. The verdict paves the way for other Lemkos (or their heirs) to regain what was confiscated from them by the communist authorities. According to PAP, Polish courts are currently going over some 200 lawsuits by Lemkos seeking to have their properties in Beskid Niski returned to them. [Ed. note: Some historical background to the case. In a bid to deprive the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) - which fought the Polish communist government in 1944-47 - of support among Ukrainians inhabiting their ethnic territories in southeastern Poland , the Polish authorities decided in 1947 on a mass resettlement of Ukrainians to the so-called Recovered Lands (Ziemie Odzyskane) - the former territories of the Third Reich incorporated into post-World War II Poland. The Polish army performed the drastic and violent Operation Vistula, which resettled some 150,000 people. The operation, according to the General Staff, contributed to "the final solution of the Ukrainian problem" in Poland . The resettled people included some 30,000 Lemkos, an ethnic community with a vaguely defined ethnic identity: some Lemkos considered themselves to be Ukrainians, while some believed they were a group different from Ukrainians. Incidentally, support for the UPA among Poland 's pre-1947 Lemko community was much weaker than among Polish Ukrainians. The dispersion of Lemkos following the 1947 resettlement immensely accelerated the process of their assimilation. The Polish authorities did not give Lemkos the right to develop their ethnic identity in 1956, when Poland 's Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians, and Jews were allowed to set up their own ethnic organizations to pursue some educational, cultural, and social activities. Some Lemko activists joined the Ukrainian movement but many others chose Polishness to avoid being identified with Ukrainians. In 1949, the Polish government passed a decree on the nationalization of properties remaining after the resettlement of the Ukrainians and Lemkos. Following the decree, local authorities passed appropriation decisions with regard to resettled owners' land plots and belongings remaining on their administrative territories.]
(Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Poland , Belarus , and Ukraine Report; Vol. 3, No. 38, 9 October 2001)
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28th National Convention of the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna
On November 7, 2009, the National Home in Passaic, NJ was decorated festively. It was here that the 28th National Convention of the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (OOL) was being held. A greeting of the Convention delegates took place on the stage, adored with a coat-of-arms bearing a trident and oak leaves, which are symbols of the might, strength, and invincibility of the Lemkos. A portrait of the distinguished Ukrainian poet Bohdan-Ihor Antonych sat the on the Presidium's table, set with a snow-white tablecloth, and a bouquet of live flowers stood nearby, given that the annual meeting of OOL was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of this great son of Lemkivshchyna.
The president of the National Council of OOL, Zenon Halkowycz, commenced the Convention. He greeted the delegates and guests, and suggested a moment of silence to honor the memory of Julian Kotliar, a former head of the National Council, as well as other members of OOL who recently passed away. The honor of leading the Convention then fell to the Presidium, made up of Maria Duplak (president of the Presidium), Zenon Voitovych (vice president), and Bohdan Kikta (secretary). Members were, additionally, selected for OOL's verification, resolution, and nominating committees.
The work of the Convention proceeded fruitfully and constructively, adhering to all of the organization’s rules and statute norms. The president of the National Council, as well as his vice president and the heads of all of the branches, presented their reports. Through the speeches that were made, a clear picture of the organization’s large-scale activity and concrete work appeared. The delegates were united by a sincere interest in everything that was discussed, with the greatest interest focusing on the report of Mr. Halkowycz. As President of the National Council, Mr. Halkowycz, in full detail, informed those present about the state of affairs within each branch, about the achievements of OOL during the previous period of time, and about the possibilities for developing the organization in the future. Mr. Halkowycz’s report was then supplemented by the reports of his deputies and the heads of the branches.
The delegates asked questions of each of the speakers and discussed each of the reports. They suggested concrete proposals to improve work, and made suggestions about economic and organizational issues, including: the renovation of the roof of the chapel in Ellenville, NY, which has begun to leak; the dissemination of holiday cards; preparations for Christmas caroling (because this event is the main source of revenue for the organization’s relief fund); attracting new Ukrainian immigrants to the organization; the active work of the Ukrainian Lemko museum in Stamford, CT; how to increase the participation of Lemkos in the organization of Christmas Eve dinners; the publication of English-language materials regarding the history and culture of the Lemko region’s achievements; changes and additions to statutes; the search for costs to finance the magazine “Lemkivshchyna”; as well as many real current problems that required urgent attention.
The question of publishing OOL’s periodical, the magazine “Lemkivshchyna,” received particular attention. For 30 years, the magazine has inhabited a unique place in the lives of Ukrainian Lemkos, whose fate has forced them to become immigrants and to search in foreign worlds for a better future for themselves and their families. Within this magazine, it is always possible to find diverse information including current affairs, art topics, memoirs, the bulletin of SFULO (International Federation of Ukrainian Lemko Organizations), organizational news, and reviews. Thanks to the tireless work of Maria Duplak, the magazine is popular around the world. Readers, not only from the United States but also from Ukraine, are constantly sending correspondence. The magazine is also read with pleasure in Lemko schools in Ukraine and Poland. With regard to OOL’s periodicals, the president of the Women's Association for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine, Chrystia Vereshchak, remarked that the quarterly publication of “Lemkivshchyna” and the publishing projects of the Lemko Research Foundation represent pearls of work and deserve great recognition.
The delegates also enthusiastically welcomed the creation of an OOL website devoted to Lemkivshchyna and Lemkos. The development of this website was possible thanks to the efforts of a group of OOL members under the direction of Steven Howansky and his like-minded colleagues. The members of the website committee included: Andriy Khomyk, Diana and Lena Howansky, Zenon Halkowycz, and Maria Duplak. The website includes information about the history and culture, towns and villages, and famous as well as regular people who made Lemkivshchyna known around the world. This archive of national memory, which is available through the webpage: http://www.lemko-ool.com/, is accessible always and to everyone. The delegates also spoke about the need to conduct research among their native people, so that Lemkos can share the yellowing, historical pictures from their grandmothers' keepsake boxes, so that a chronicle of their lives remains available to their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and future generations for years to come.
The so-called question of “self-identification” was specifically raised for discussion. The deputies confirmed their stand against the efforts of certain pro-Russian separatists to divide the Lemkos as a separate nation of Rusyns in order to attack the unity of Ukraine, and maintained that the name “Rusyn” is tied to Lemkos in the same way that it is to every other Ukrainian. “We are, first and foremost, Ukrainians, and then Lemkos,” the delegates stated in solidarity concerning their readiness to rebuff the separatist movement in the Zakarpattia region and with regard to all matters relating to the defense of Lemkos and Lemkivshchyna.
Later, the delegates voted on the members of their National Council. The following people were elected to the National Council of OOL for the next term: President: Zenon Halkowycz; First Vice President and Museum Administrator: Steven Howansky; Second Vice President: Ivan Fil; Secretary: Thomas Piz; Treasurer: Stefan Kosciolek; Review Board: Maria Duplak – external relations; Vasyl Harhaj – organizational issues; Ivan Zavada – humanitarian issues; Andriy Khomyk – cultural-educational issues, Diana Howansky – press; Peter Vyslotskiy – economic issues; Control Committee: Stefan Kapitula – head; Paul Hyra and Bohdan Kikta – members of the committee; Court of Colleagues: Peter Rusynko – head; Stefan Maliniak and Ivan Wasiczko – members of the committee.
The approval of the XXVIII National Convention's resolutions was, next, proposed to the delegates. A variety of the main principles of the Convention participants' political activity are aimed at the following resolutions:
1. “During the 62nd year following the deportation operations and the completion of Akcja “Wisla”, the National Convention demands from the government of Poland:
-The complete rehabilitation of the Ukrainian people of Lemkivshchyna and all of the Zakerzonnya region who were the victims of the inhumane policies of the authorities of 1944-1947;
-The return of the Ukrainians' churches and other communal properties (such as Ukrainian National Homes) in Lemkivshchyna and other Ukrainian lands;
-The teaching of Ukrainian languages in those Polish schools where there is an appropriate number of children of Ukrainian descent.
2. The National Convention appeals to the President and Supreme Council of Ukraine to defend the rights of the Ukrainian minority in Poland and to define the status of those deported from the Ukrainian lands of Poland from 1944-1947.
3. The participants of the National Convention of OOL once again underline that Lemkivshchyna is the furthest western Ukrainian ethnic territory and that Lemkos are an inseparable part of the Great Ukrainian Nation, and, therefore, condemn Lemko separatism and political Rusification as harmful to them and the entire Ukrainian nation, as well as do not wish for anyone to count them among a separate nation of Lemkos, Rusyns, or Carpatho-Rusyns, and categorically deny the right of political speculators of Rusification to speak in their name in international forums.
Among the internal-organizational directions of activity that were noted as OOL's ongoing priorities were: assistance to Ukrainian churches, civic organizations, school, and individual native people who require it; the publication of English-language historical literature about Lemkivshchyna; the continuous renewal and renovation of the website; the reestablishment and strengthening of declining branches of OOL; assisting the publication of the magazine “Lemkivshchyna”; and supporting the development of the Ukrainian Lemko Museum in Stamford. In a separate point in the resolutions, the delegates also made the decision to protest the vilification of good Ukrainian names (such as heroes and the authorities of the Ukrainian State) in the speeches and books of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, as well as other Polish institutions.
Finally, the Convention approached its conclusion. The participants had much to be proud of, and OOL's activity as a member of the World Congress of Ukrainians and the Congress of Ukrainians in America has earned the organization an honored place in the civic life of the diaspora. At the XXVIII National Convention, representatives from numerous diaspora organizations acknowledged these achievements and the importance of OOL's work in their speeches and letters of welcome, including: Consul General Serhiy Pohoreltsev, Consulate General of Ukraine in New York; Stefan Hladyk, President of the Union of Lemkos; Tamara Gallo-Olexy, President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA); Kvitka Semanyshyn, Vice President of the Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics; Michael Koziupa, President of the Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine; and Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka, Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
At the end of the Convention, the newly-elected president thanked all of those present for their active cooperation and wished everyone productive cooperation in the next term. Finally, an inspired rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem concluded the Convention.
In the evening, in honor of the XXVIII National Convention, the participants and guests gathered as a large Lemko family for a banquet in the festively decorated hall of the second floor in the Ukrainian National Home in Passaic, NJ. Adding to the solemnity of the affair was the attendance of highly-esteemed guests, including the Most Reverend Paul Patrick Chomnycky, O.S.B.M., Father Andriy Dudkevych (St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Passaic, NJ); Father Oleh Zhovnirovych (Holy Ascension Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Clifton, NJ); Tamara Gallo-Olexy (UCCA); Genia Blaha (Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM)); Maria Liber (Women's Association for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine); Ivan Burtyk (Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine); and Bohdan Harhaj (President of Foundation "Volya").
The Most Revered Bishop Paul Chomnycky blessed those present, commencing the celebration. The president of OOL Branch #3, Vasyl Harhaj, introduced the guests and Mrs. Halyna Semeniak led the concert program. The evening, full of cultural-recreational performances, produced memories of the homeland. A speech about the uncompromising fight of the Ukrainian national hero Stepan Bandera for the freedom and independence of Ukraine, read by Mr. Ivan Burtyk, awoke feelings of the need to continue serving the Ukrainian nation. Contributing to this feeling was a literary-musical composition, which members of CYM prepared in honor of the 100th anniversary of Bandera's birth and the 50th anniversary of the day of his assassination. Additionally, the Pavlyshyn sisters performed and, together with all those present, inspiringly sang the Lemko national songs “Hory Nashi, Hory” and “Vershe Miy, Vershe,” as well as other songs filled with love to the native homeland. In her speech, Vira Pavlyshyn also spoke about the poet B.-I. Antonych and his unique ability to paint the beauty of the Lemko land, mountains, and valleys in his poems.
In between dances, representatives from government and civic organizations and institutions continued to deliver short words of welcome, speeches, and acknowledgement. Thus, late in the evening, the guests departed the celebration with wishes for prosperity, hopes of attracting new generations to Lemko issues, and sincere blessings and good will, inspired by an energy of continuing to work to return Ukraine to its deserved place in Europe and the world.
Written in original Ukrainian by Nadia Burmaka Translated into English by Diana Reilly
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On November 7, 2009, the National Home in Passaic, NJ was decorated festively. It was here that the 28th National Convention of the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (OOL) was being held. A greeting of the Convention delegates took place on the stage, adored with a coat-of-arms bearing a trident and oak leaves, which are symbols of the might, strength, and invincibility of the Lemkos. A portrait of the distinguished Ukrainian poet Bohdan-Ihor Antonych sat the on the Presidium's table, set with a snow-white tablecloth, and a bouquet of live flowers stood nearby, given that the annual meeting of OOL was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of this great son of Lemkivshchyna.
The president of the National Council of OOL, Zenon Halkowycz, commenced the Convention. He greeted the delegates and guests, and suggested a moment of silence to honor the memory of Julian Kotliar, a former head of the National Council, as well as other members of OOL who recently passed away. The honor of leading the Convention then fell to the Presidium, made up of Maria Duplak (president of the Presidium), Zenon Voitovych (vice president), and Bohdan Kikta (secretary). Members were, additionally, selected for OOL's verification, resolution, and nominating committees.
The work of the Convention proceeded fruitfully and constructively, adhering to all of the organization’s rules and statute norms. The president of the National Council, as well as his vice president and the heads of all of the branches, presented their reports. Through the speeches that were made, a clear picture of the organization’s large-scale activity and concrete work appeared. The delegates were united by a sincere interest in everything that was discussed, with the greatest interest focusing on the report of Mr. Halkowycz. As President of the National Council, Mr. Halkowycz, in full detail, informed those present about the state of affairs within each branch, about the achievements of OOL during the previous period of time, and about the possibilities for developing the organization in the future. Mr. Halkowycz’s report was then supplemented by the reports of his deputies and the heads of the branches.
The delegates asked questions of each of the speakers and discussed each of the reports. They suggested concrete proposals to improve work, and made suggestions about economic and organizational issues, including: the renovation of the roof of the chapel in Ellenville, NY, which has begun to leak; the dissemination of holiday cards; preparations for Christmas caroling (because this event is the main source of revenue for the organization’s relief fund); attracting new Ukrainian immigrants to the organization; the active work of the Ukrainian Lemko museum in Stamford, CT; how to increase the participation of Lemkos in the organization of Christmas Eve dinners; the publication of English-language materials regarding the history and culture of the Lemko region’s achievements; changes and additions to statutes; the search for costs to finance the magazine “Lemkivshchyna”; as well as many real current problems that required urgent attention.
The question of publishing OOL’s periodical, the magazine “Lemkivshchyna,” received particular attention. For 30 years, the magazine has inhabited a unique place in the lives of Ukrainian Lemkos, whose fate has forced them to become immigrants and to search in foreign worlds for a better future for themselves and their families. Within this magazine, it is always possible to find diverse information including current affairs, art topics, memoirs, the bulletin of SFULO (International Federation of Ukrainian Lemko Organizations), organizational news, and reviews. Thanks to the tireless work of Maria Duplak, the magazine is popular around the world. Readers, not only from the United States but also from Ukraine, are constantly sending correspondence. The magazine is also read with pleasure in Lemko schools in Ukraine and Poland. With regard to OOL’s periodicals, the president of the Women's Association for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine, Chrystia Vereshchak, remarked that the quarterly publication of “Lemkivshchyna” and the publishing projects of the Lemko Research Foundation represent pearls of work and deserve great recognition.
The delegates also enthusiastically welcomed the creation of an OOL website devoted to Lemkivshchyna and Lemkos. The development of this website was possible thanks to the efforts of a group of OOL members under the direction of Steven Howansky and his like-minded colleagues. The members of the website committee included: Andriy Khomyk, Diana and Lena Howansky, Zenon Halkowycz, and Maria Duplak. The website includes information about the history and culture, towns and villages, and famous as well as regular people who made Lemkivshchyna known around the world. This archive of national memory, which is available through the webpage: http://www.lemko-ool.com/, is accessible always and to everyone. The delegates also spoke about the need to conduct research among their native people, so that Lemkos can share the yellowing, historical pictures from their grandmothers' keepsake boxes, so that a chronicle of their lives remains available to their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and future generations for years to come.
The so-called question of “self-identification” was specifically raised for discussion. The deputies confirmed their stand against the efforts of certain pro-Russian separatists to divide the Lemkos as a separate nation of Rusyns in order to attack the unity of Ukraine, and maintained that the name “Rusyn” is tied to Lemkos in the same way that it is to every other Ukrainian. “We are, first and foremost, Ukrainians, and then Lemkos,” the delegates stated in solidarity concerning their readiness to rebuff the separatist movement in the Zakarpattia region and with regard to all matters relating to the defense of Lemkos and Lemkivshchyna.
Later, the delegates voted on the members of their National Council. The following people were elected to the National Council of OOL for the next term: President: Zenon Halkowycz; First Vice President and Museum Administrator: Steven Howansky; Second Vice President: Ivan Fil; Secretary: Thomas Piz; Treasurer: Stefan Kosciolek; Review Board: Maria Duplak – external relations; Vasyl Harhaj – organizational issues; Ivan Zavada – humanitarian issues; Andriy Khomyk – cultural-educational issues, Diana Howansky – press; Peter Vyslotskiy – economic issues; Control Committee: Stefan Kapitula – head; Paul Hyra and Bohdan Kikta – members of the committee; Court of Colleagues: Peter Rusynko – head; Stefan Maliniak and Ivan Wasiczko – members of the committee.
The approval of the XXVIII National Convention's resolutions was, next, proposed to the delegates. A variety of the main principles of the Convention participants' political activity are aimed at the following resolutions:
1. “During the 62nd year following the deportation operations and the completion of Akcja “Wisla”, the National Convention demands from the government of Poland:
-The complete rehabilitation of the Ukrainian people of Lemkivshchyna and all of the Zakerzonnya region who were the victims of the inhumane policies of the authorities of 1944-1947;
-The return of the Ukrainians' churches and other communal properties (such as Ukrainian National Homes) in Lemkivshchyna and other Ukrainian lands;
-The teaching of Ukrainian languages in those Polish schools where there is an appropriate number of children of Ukrainian descent.
2. The National Convention appeals to the President and Supreme Council of Ukraine to defend the rights of the Ukrainian minority in Poland and to define the status of those deported from the Ukrainian lands of Poland from 1944-1947.
3. The participants of the National Convention of OOL once again underline that Lemkivshchyna is the furthest western Ukrainian ethnic territory and that Lemkos are an inseparable part of the Great Ukrainian Nation, and, therefore, condemn Lemko separatism and political Rusification as harmful to them and the entire Ukrainian nation, as well as do not wish for anyone to count them among a separate nation of Lemkos, Rusyns, or Carpatho-Rusyns, and categorically deny the right of political speculators of Rusification to speak in their name in international forums.
Among the internal-organizational directions of activity that were noted as OOL's ongoing priorities were: assistance to Ukrainian churches, civic organizations, school, and individual native people who require it; the publication of English-language historical literature about Lemkivshchyna; the continuous renewal and renovation of the website; the reestablishment and strengthening of declining branches of OOL; assisting the publication of the magazine “Lemkivshchyna”; and supporting the development of the Ukrainian Lemko Museum in Stamford. In a separate point in the resolutions, the delegates also made the decision to protest the vilification of good Ukrainian names (such as heroes and the authorities of the Ukrainian State) in the speeches and books of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, as well as other Polish institutions.
Finally, the Convention approached its conclusion. The participants had much to be proud of, and OOL's activity as a member of the World Congress of Ukrainians and the Congress of Ukrainians in America has earned the organization an honored place in the civic life of the diaspora. At the XXVIII National Convention, representatives from numerous diaspora organizations acknowledged these achievements and the importance of OOL's work in their speeches and letters of welcome, including: Consul General Serhiy Pohoreltsev, Consulate General of Ukraine in New York; Stefan Hladyk, President of the Union of Lemkos; Tamara Gallo-Olexy, President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA); Kvitka Semanyshyn, Vice President of the Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics; Michael Koziupa, President of the Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine; and Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka, Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
At the end of the Convention, the newly-elected president thanked all of those present for their active cooperation and wished everyone productive cooperation in the next term. Finally, an inspired rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem concluded the Convention.
In the evening, in honor of the XXVIII National Convention, the participants and guests gathered as a large Lemko family for a banquet in the festively decorated hall of the second floor in the Ukrainian National Home in Passaic, NJ. Adding to the solemnity of the affair was the attendance of highly-esteemed guests, including the Most Reverend Paul Patrick Chomnycky, O.S.B.M., Father Andriy Dudkevych (St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Passaic, NJ); Father Oleh Zhovnirovych (Holy Ascension Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Clifton, NJ); Tamara Gallo-Olexy (UCCA); Genia Blaha (Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM)); Maria Liber (Women's Association for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine); Ivan Burtyk (Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine); and Bohdan Harhaj (President of Foundation "Volya").
The Most Revered Bishop Paul Chomnycky blessed those present, commencing the celebration. The president of OOL Branch #3, Vasyl Harhaj, introduced the guests and Mrs. Halyna Semeniak led the concert program. The evening, full of cultural-recreational performances, produced memories of the homeland. A speech about the uncompromising fight of the Ukrainian national hero Stepan Bandera for the freedom and independence of Ukraine, read by Mr. Ivan Burtyk, awoke feelings of the need to continue serving the Ukrainian nation. Contributing to this feeling was a literary-musical composition, which members of CYM prepared in honor of the 100th anniversary of Bandera's birth and the 50th anniversary of the day of his assassination. Additionally, the Pavlyshyn sisters performed and, together with all those present, inspiringly sang the Lemko national songs “Hory Nashi, Hory” and “Vershe Miy, Vershe,” as well as other songs filled with love to the native homeland. In her speech, Vira Pavlyshyn also spoke about the poet B.-I. Antonych and his unique ability to paint the beauty of the Lemko land, mountains, and valleys in his poems.
In between dances, representatives from government and civic organizations and institutions continued to deliver short words of welcome, speeches, and acknowledgement. Thus, late in the evening, the guests departed the celebration with wishes for prosperity, hopes of attracting new generations to Lemko issues, and sincere blessings and good will, inspired by an energy of continuing to work to return Ukraine to its deserved place in Europe and the world.
Written in original Ukrainian by Nadia Burmaka Translated into English by Diana Reilly
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8th Annual Lemko Vatra in USA
On the photo: “Starosta”- Vasyl Harhaj (first from left) opens 8th Lemko Vatra; on his right is head of OOL, Zenon Halkowycz; next head of LRF, Steven Howansky; head of Chapel Building Committee, Stefan Zhurawski; head of 1st branch of OOL, Ivan Zavada; head of 4th branch of OOL, John Wasichko; and head of 11th branch of OOL, John Suchowacky.
The bonfire at the traditional “Lemko Vatra in the U.S.A.” festival burned for the eighth year in a row, from July 4-6, 2008 at the resort of the Ukrainian Youth Organization, Inc. (CYM) in Ellenville, NY. Each year, this bonfire blazes amid a constellation of other Lemko Vatras around the world – in Zdynia on Lemkivshchyna, Monasteryska in Ukraine, Svidnyk in Slovakia, Serbia and Canada – where fate has dispersed Lemkos from their never-forgotten homeland.
This year, the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (known by the acronym OOL) conducted this festival together with Ukrainian American Youth Association to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the 1932-33 famine in Ukraine and the 70th anniversary of the tragic death of the Ukrainian military commander Eugene Konovalets.
Early on Friday, July 4, guests started to arrive to the picturesque CYM resort in Ellenville, where they had a chance to listen in the late afternoon to the music of the ensemble “Cheres” and to the “Suzirya” soloist Luba Shchypchyk, among other artists. In the evening, guests danced to the music of the band “Hrim”.
Throughout the day on Saturday, the scent of roasting pig – already an annual tradition at the Vatra – wafted through the air, as guests had the opportunity to eat a piece, along with other plentiful Ukrainian dishes, such as pyrohy, kovbasa with sauerkraut, and hot borshch.
At 5pm, the festival “starosta,” (traditional village elder) Vasyl Harhaj welcomed all those present and officially opened the 8th Lemko Vatra. In his welcoming speech, he indicated that the Lemko “Vatra” is a Ukrainian festival of Lemko culture, which is evidence of the fact that Lemkos continue to preserve their traditions and culture, and which is an indication that historical memories and ethnic feeling still exist.
Next, he invited on stage such leaders of the Ukrainian-Lemko community as: Zenon Halkowycz, head of OOL in the USA; Steven Howansky, head of the Lemko Research Foundation in America; Stefan Zhuravsky, head of the Committee for the Building of the Lemko Chapel; and Bohdan Harhaj, head of Ukrainian American Youth Association, each of whom took turns welcoming the hundreds of participants who came to the festival. Mr. Harhaj also invited on stage the heads of the OOL Branches and thanked them for helping to organize this event.
Additionally, Mr. Harhaj greeted other leaders of the Ukrainian community who were present, such as: Most Rev. Bishop John Bura of Philadelphia, PA; Ivan Burtyk, member of the New Jersey State Board of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America; Michael Koziupa, head of the Four Freedoms of Ukraine (ODFFU); Valentyna Torakhivska, head of the 7-th Branch of ODFFU; Volodymyr Waskiv, member of the National Board of the Second Division of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army; Zenon Wojtowycz, the keynote speaker and Second Vice President of the National Board of OOL; and Peter Kosciolek, director of the CYM campgrounds.
To conclude the opening ceremony, the traditional ritual of lighting the festival bonfire was conducted by OOL members Zenon Halkowycz, Petro Gres, Bohdan Kikta, John Zawada and John Wasiczko. The ensemble “Promin,” under the direction of Ms. Wolanska, sang the Lemko hymn, “Hory Nashi Karpaty,” and the sound of Lemko music floated across the festival field.
The concert program then began, led by the Mistress and Master of Ceremonies, Halyna Semenyak and Mykhaylo Huchko. The ensemble “Promin” opened with a performance of several Lemko folk songs, followed by performances of Ukrainian and Lemko music by such artists as Lilia Ostapenko, the sisters Uliana and Natalia Malhivsky along with Bohdan Bykhvak, the duet “Bandurna Rozmova,” singer Vika Hordieva, the duet “Udech,” and others. The folk dance ensemble “Obrij,” which also performed many ethnic traditional dances, created particular excitement among viewers. Additionally, local humorist Petro Wyslocky entertained the audience with his original jokes.
From the evening until the early morning, guests were then invited to enjoy themselves at dances inside the main hall with the musical group “Halychany,” as well as downstairs in the bar with the group “Udech.”
The next day, July 6, Sunday’s program began with a Liturgy in front of the Lemko-style St. Michael the Archangel chapel. Members of OOL, CYM and other organizations gathered and held flags, while the Most Rev. Bishop John Bura of Philadelphia – accompanied by Fathers Andriy Dudkevych of St. Nick’s Ukrainian Catholic Church of Passaic, NJ and Philip Weiner of St. Michael the Archangel’s Ukrainian Catholic Church of Yonkers, NY – conducted the Mass and Panakhyda to commemorate the 1932-33 Famine and 1938 death of Eugene Konovalets. The choir of St. Nick’s Ukrainian Catholic Church sang during the Liturgy.
Afterwards, ODFFU head Michael Koziupa delivered a commemorative speech and members of the Ukrainian community placed flowers on monuments in memory of Eugene Konovalets and others.
The Vatra program then resumed at 2pm on the outside stage, where Vatra participants listened to the keynote speech of OOL Second Vice-President, mgr. Zenon Wojtowycz, titled, “Holodomor and Akcja “Wisła” – Genocides of our Nation.”
Sunday’s concert also continued with performances by the ensemble “Mriya,” the choir of Nick’s Church, singer Tanya Chorniy, and others.
Finally, on behalf of the organizers, Vasyl Harhaj thanked: the performing artists for entertaining the audience for three days; the members of OOL and CYM for their efforts in making the event successful; all the volunteers for preparing the food and tending the kitchen and food stands (particularly Nick Kulyk and Petro Lukashyn for roasting the pig); and all of the participants who attended the event.
Like every good festival, the 8th Lemko Vatra eventually came to an end, as Mr. Harhaj finally officially closed it by saying: “Have a safe trip home, and see you at the 9th Lemko Vatra.”. All are invited for the 9th Annual Lemko Vatra, which is planned around for the early summer of 2009.
Stefan Howansky, Head of OOL Branch#2 in Yonkers, NY
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On the photo: “Starosta”- Vasyl Harhaj (first from left) opens 8th Lemko Vatra; on his right is head of OOL, Zenon Halkowycz; next head of LRF, Steven Howansky; head of Chapel Building Committee, Stefan Zhurawski; head of 1st branch of OOL, Ivan Zavada; head of 4th branch of OOL, John Wasichko; and head of 11th branch of OOL, John Suchowacky.
The bonfire at the traditional “Lemko Vatra in the U.S.A.” festival burned for the eighth year in a row, from July 4-6, 2008 at the resort of the Ukrainian Youth Organization, Inc. (CYM) in Ellenville, NY. Each year, this bonfire blazes amid a constellation of other Lemko Vatras around the world – in Zdynia on Lemkivshchyna, Monasteryska in Ukraine, Svidnyk in Slovakia, Serbia and Canada – where fate has dispersed Lemkos from their never-forgotten homeland.
This year, the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (known by the acronym OOL) conducted this festival together with Ukrainian American Youth Association to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the 1932-33 famine in Ukraine and the 70th anniversary of the tragic death of the Ukrainian military commander Eugene Konovalets.
Early on Friday, July 4, guests started to arrive to the picturesque CYM resort in Ellenville, where they had a chance to listen in the late afternoon to the music of the ensemble “Cheres” and to the “Suzirya” soloist Luba Shchypchyk, among other artists. In the evening, guests danced to the music of the band “Hrim”.
Throughout the day on Saturday, the scent of roasting pig – already an annual tradition at the Vatra – wafted through the air, as guests had the opportunity to eat a piece, along with other plentiful Ukrainian dishes, such as pyrohy, kovbasa with sauerkraut, and hot borshch.
At 5pm, the festival “starosta,” (traditional village elder) Vasyl Harhaj welcomed all those present and officially opened the 8th Lemko Vatra. In his welcoming speech, he indicated that the Lemko “Vatra” is a Ukrainian festival of Lemko culture, which is evidence of the fact that Lemkos continue to preserve their traditions and culture, and which is an indication that historical memories and ethnic feeling still exist.
Next, he invited on stage such leaders of the Ukrainian-Lemko community as: Zenon Halkowycz, head of OOL in the USA; Steven Howansky, head of the Lemko Research Foundation in America; Stefan Zhuravsky, head of the Committee for the Building of the Lemko Chapel; and Bohdan Harhaj, head of Ukrainian American Youth Association, each of whom took turns welcoming the hundreds of participants who came to the festival. Mr. Harhaj also invited on stage the heads of the OOL Branches and thanked them for helping to organize this event.
Additionally, Mr. Harhaj greeted other leaders of the Ukrainian community who were present, such as: Most Rev. Bishop John Bura of Philadelphia, PA; Ivan Burtyk, member of the New Jersey State Board of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America; Michael Koziupa, head of the Four Freedoms of Ukraine (ODFFU); Valentyna Torakhivska, head of the 7-th Branch of ODFFU; Volodymyr Waskiv, member of the National Board of the Second Division of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army; Zenon Wojtowycz, the keynote speaker and Second Vice President of the National Board of OOL; and Peter Kosciolek, director of the CYM campgrounds.
To conclude the opening ceremony, the traditional ritual of lighting the festival bonfire was conducted by OOL members Zenon Halkowycz, Petro Gres, Bohdan Kikta, John Zawada and John Wasiczko. The ensemble “Promin,” under the direction of Ms. Wolanska, sang the Lemko hymn, “Hory Nashi Karpaty,” and the sound of Lemko music floated across the festival field.
The concert program then began, led by the Mistress and Master of Ceremonies, Halyna Semenyak and Mykhaylo Huchko. The ensemble “Promin” opened with a performance of several Lemko folk songs, followed by performances of Ukrainian and Lemko music by such artists as Lilia Ostapenko, the sisters Uliana and Natalia Malhivsky along with Bohdan Bykhvak, the duet “Bandurna Rozmova,” singer Vika Hordieva, the duet “Udech,” and others. The folk dance ensemble “Obrij,” which also performed many ethnic traditional dances, created particular excitement among viewers. Additionally, local humorist Petro Wyslocky entertained the audience with his original jokes.
From the evening until the early morning, guests were then invited to enjoy themselves at dances inside the main hall with the musical group “Halychany,” as well as downstairs in the bar with the group “Udech.”
The next day, July 6, Sunday’s program began with a Liturgy in front of the Lemko-style St. Michael the Archangel chapel. Members of OOL, CYM and other organizations gathered and held flags, while the Most Rev. Bishop John Bura of Philadelphia – accompanied by Fathers Andriy Dudkevych of St. Nick’s Ukrainian Catholic Church of Passaic, NJ and Philip Weiner of St. Michael the Archangel’s Ukrainian Catholic Church of Yonkers, NY – conducted the Mass and Panakhyda to commemorate the 1932-33 Famine and 1938 death of Eugene Konovalets. The choir of St. Nick’s Ukrainian Catholic Church sang during the Liturgy.
Afterwards, ODFFU head Michael Koziupa delivered a commemorative speech and members of the Ukrainian community placed flowers on monuments in memory of Eugene Konovalets and others.
The Vatra program then resumed at 2pm on the outside stage, where Vatra participants listened to the keynote speech of OOL Second Vice-President, mgr. Zenon Wojtowycz, titled, “Holodomor and Akcja “Wisła” – Genocides of our Nation.”
Sunday’s concert also continued with performances by the ensemble “Mriya,” the choir of Nick’s Church, singer Tanya Chorniy, and others.
Finally, on behalf of the organizers, Vasyl Harhaj thanked: the performing artists for entertaining the audience for three days; the members of OOL and CYM for their efforts in making the event successful; all the volunteers for preparing the food and tending the kitchen and food stands (particularly Nick Kulyk and Petro Lukashyn for roasting the pig); and all of the participants who attended the event.
Like every good festival, the 8th Lemko Vatra eventually came to an end, as Mr. Harhaj finally officially closed it by saying: “Have a safe trip home, and see you at the 9th Lemko Vatra.”. All are invited for the 9th Annual Lemko Vatra, which is planned around for the early summer of 2009.
Stefan Howansky, Head of OOL Branch#2 in Yonkers, NY
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PAST OOL EVENTS
• Pysanka Workshop
• National Convention of OOL Results in Election of New President
• XIII Lemko Vatra festival in the USA
• 28th National Convention of the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna
• 8th Annual Lemko Vatra in USA
• President of ODLWU Z. Halkowycz meets with SFULO President V. Ropeckyi in Lviv
• Special Year for Lemko-Ukrainian Organization's Annual Festival
• Ukrainian President opens festival in Poland
• Lemko Culture Celebrated at 6-th "Vatra" in USA
• Newly-constructed Lemko Chapel Blessed during 5-th Annual Lemko Vatra
• What is the OOL?
• Fourth annual Lemko Vatra in U.S. shows off culture of Lemkivschyna
• Etnic lemko wins precedent case over nationalized property
• National Convention of OOL Results in Election of New President
• XIII Lemko Vatra festival in the USA
• 28th National Convention of the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna
• 8th Annual Lemko Vatra in USA
• President of ODLWU Z. Halkowycz meets with SFULO President V. Ropeckyi in Lviv
• Special Year for Lemko-Ukrainian Organization's Annual Festival
• Ukrainian President opens festival in Poland
• Lemko Culture Celebrated at 6-th "Vatra" in USA
• Newly-constructed Lemko Chapel Blessed during 5-th Annual Lemko Vatra
• What is the OOL?
• Fourth annual Lemko Vatra in U.S. shows off culture of Lemkivschyna
• Etnic lemko wins precedent case over nationalized property
XIII Lemko “Vatra” festival in the U.S.AOn the Photo: Pavlo Lopata reading a Lemko poem.
Photo by Julie Wislocki.
Lemko Vatra festivals now take place in many countries and on several continents. That unquenchable fire that Lemkos carry in their hearts also draws others to these events. Lemko songs are celebrated at festivals throughout the world. People return to these sources of Lemko culture in order to drink in the spirit of the Lemkos’ ancestral home in the mountains, which is transported to Vatra festivals in Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Canada, and the United States. On the weekend of July 27-28th, the Vatra – meaning “bonfire” – was lit in Ellenville, NY, USA, for the thirteenth time.
Together with Vasyl Harhaj, the master of ceremonies, Canadian participants Pavlo Lopata and Andrew Rotko greeted the festival guests and presented the newly-published book “The Second Ukrainian-Polish War,” written by Volodymyr Viatrovych and translated into Polish by Eugeniusz Misilo. The President of the Organization for the Defense of Lemko-Western Ukraine (OOL), Zenko Halkowycz, warmly welcomed all those present and a member of the Presidium of the World Federation of Ukrainian Lemko Unions (SFULO), Andriy Khomyk, read greetings from the President of SFULO, renowned Ukrainian singer Sofiya Fedyna, in which she stressed that “the Lemko Vatra in the United States is not only a festival that unites Lemkos, but a festival that unites all concerned Ukrainians.”
In honor and memory of one of OOL’s recently deceased leaders, Steven Howansky, who was not in attendance at the festival for the first time in its history, his children Diana Howansky Reilly and Mark Howansky and close friend Andriy Khomyk lit the ceremonial festival bonfire.
The songs then began. . . .
The Vatra in the United States cannot compete with the dozens and dozens of professional artists at Lemko festivals in Ukraine and Poland, but the concert in Ellenville, NY gets better and more colorful every year. The now-familiar, charming mistress of ceremonies, Halyna Semeniak, introduced such acts as:
The choir "Accolade" from Philadelphia, the dance group "Babarosyn" from New York, and the trio "Gerdan" from Washington, DC, which pleasantly surprised the audience for the first time last year with excellent musical arrangements and interesting sounds from rare instruments;
Performers Alla Kutsevich and Andrew Turchin, Sophia Naida, the duet sisters Nadia and Natalia Pavlyshyn, and Natalka Kikta with her a capella renditions of such painfully familiar Lemko songs, once sung by her grandfather, as "Chyje zh to polechko " and "Hore dolom khodzhu";
Local comedian Peter Wyslocki.
This year's Vatra had its own surprise – the family band "Roots," whose three girls and two boys on instruments ranging from violin to tambourine fascinated spectators. Their simple and rhythmic melodies and powerful voices carried over the mountains of Ellenville, allowing listeners to imagine momentarily that they were in the middle of the Lemko region. Loud and from the heart – this is exactly how Lemkos sing at home. This kind of music can still sometimes be heard in the Lemko region, such as at the annual Vatra in the village of Zdynia, Poland, where talented performers similarly tear the hearts of the audience out, flying them into the sky, as guests cease to be just spectators and burst alongside into song and dance.
Beyond the stage at the Vatra in Ellenville, NY, the organizers offered roasted pig, as well as borscht, pierogies, and other Ukrainian food. The organizers feared that the roasted pig, now an annual tradition, would not be available when their usual vendor could not supply it, but OOL member Michael Khomyk saved the day by finding another at the last minute.
Festival goers met old friends and welcomed new ones, remembering the past and planning for the future. Young and old guests twirled around at that Saturday evening’s dance. Some people sat at tables talking, while others sang in small groups near their tents, as usual at the Vatra.
The gorgeous weather on Saturday, however, turned into a huge downpour on Sunday – which, for the superstitious, was no wonder given that it was the thirteenth Vatra in the United States.
The festival organizers promised that there would be other Vatra festivals, though, and that there would be many of them – as long as Lemkos continue to exist and to feel the strong need for them.
Written in Ukrainian by Andriy Khomyk in August 2013
Translated by Diana Howansky Reilly
National Convention of OOL Results in Election of New PresidentThe Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna conducted its 29th national convention on October 26, 2013 at the Ukrainian Youth Center in Yonkers, NY, resulting in the election of a new President and National Board.
OOL National Board President Zenon Halkowycz commenced the convention by greeting the delegates and guests, which numbered close to 50. He then suggested a moment of silence to honor all the members of OOL who passed away in the four years since the last convention.
Responsibility for moderating the convention as Presidium chairman was granted to Vasyl Harhaj, assisted by Andryj Khomyk as Presidium vice-chairman and Oksana Kykta as secretary. Members were, then selected for the convention’s verification, resolution, and nominating committees.
The next portion of the meeting consisted of status reports on the organization’s work, presented by existing National Board members, including the President, Secretary, Treasurer, External Affairs Officer, Editor as well as Administrator of “Lemkivshchyna” magazine, Curator of the Lemko Museum, Organizational Affairs Officer, Press Officer, Domestic Affairs Officer, and Cultural Affairs Officer. During the discussion of the reports, members touched upon a variety of issues, such as the financing of “Lemkivshchyna” magazine, a Lemko Museum cataloguing project, and needed repairs to the chapel at Oselia “CYM” in Ellenville, NY that OOL helped pay to build.
After a short break for lunch, OOL webmaster Andrij Khomyk led a multi-media presentation of the organization’s website, walking the noticeably impressed delegates through the various webpages and explaining all his recent additions. He also stressed that full potential of the website has not been realized and welcomed more information to post, such as member profiles, historical pictures, and current events.
Elections of the OOL’s National Board then took place, resulting in the selection of:
Executive:
First Vice President – Vasyl Harhaj
Second Vice President – Toma Pyz
Secretary – To be determined
Treasurer – Stefan Kosciolek
Officers:
External Affairs Officer – Marie Duplak
Editor of “Lemkivshchyna” magazine – Marie Duplak
Administrator of “Lemkivshchyna” magazine – Oksana Kykta
Organizational Affairs Officer – Vasyl Harhaj
Supporting Officer – Mykhaylo Chomyk
Press Officer – Diana Howansky Reilly
Cultural Affairs Officer – Andriy Khomyk
Internal Affairs Officer – Petro Wyslocky
Curator of the Ukrainian Lemko Museum – Lena Howansky
Members At-Large:
Wolodymyr Blazejowsky, Mykola Duplak, Hania Harhaj, Petro Kosciolek, Petro Lukachyn, Teodor Pyz, Stefan Pszybylo, John Suchowacky, Julie Wislocki, Ivan Zavada,
Auditing Committee:
Stefan Kapitula (chairman), Pavlo Hyra, Bohdan Kytka
Arbitration Committee:
Petro Rusynko (chairman), Stefan Malyniak, Vasyl Panchak
Presidents Emeritus:
Ivan Hvozda, Myron Mycio, Marie Duplak, Zenon Halkowycz
The following resolutions were drafted at the convention and later ratified:
1. OOL continues to condemn the Soviet-Polish population exchange from 1944-1946 and the completion of Akcja “Wisła” in 1947, and calls on the current government of Poland to provide proper compensation to the people of the Lemko region as well as to the greater Ukrainian minority who were victims of these resettlement campaigns, including the return of former churches and other properties.
2. OOL appeals to the government of Ukraine to support the rights of the Ukrainian minority in Poland and to define the status of Lemkos as well as members of other Ukrainian ethnographic lands within Poland who were deported from Poland to the current territory of Ukraine during the Soviet-Polish population exchange from 1944-1946.
3. OOL appeals to the government of the United States to denounce the actions of the Polish communist government from 1944-1947 related to the Soviet-Polish population exchange and Akcja “Wisła”.
4. OOL reaffirms that it considers the Lemko region to be among the Ukrainian ethnographic territories within Poland and Lemkos to be part of the greater Ukrainian nation and, thus, will continue its goals of organizing all Lemko Ukrainians in their communities and fostering the greater Ukrainian culture, language, music, and traditions.
As the convention approached its conclusion, the participants had much to be proud of. With the election of a new board, OOL showed its ability to work constructively and democratically, adhering to all of the organization’s rules and statute norms. The review of the extensive work to date combined by the proposed new ideas created an energized, positive atmosphere amongst the delegates.
Closing the convention, the newly-elected President, Mark Howansky, thanked the group for its support and stated that he would strive to sincerely listen to and incorporate the ideas of every member, old and new, stressing the need for all Lemkos to work together moving forward.
Finally, an inspired rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem concluded the Convention.
A banquet followed the convention, during which the keynote speaker, Anna Wojtowych, spoke about the forced resettlement of the Ukrainian minority in Poland in 1947, known as “Akcja Wisła,” noting that people continued to discuss this topic because it remained a painful one in their hearts. Providing entertainment at the banquet was Natalka Kykta, who performed a number of Lemko songs.
Father Kiril Angelov of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Yonkers led a prayer for all those in attendance, while representatives of various Ukrainian-American organizations wished OOL success in its future work, including Yurij Mykytyn from the Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM), Natalia Kaczurak from the Women’s Association of the Organization for Defense of Four Freedoms of Ukraine (WADFFU), Stefan Kaczurak from the Organization for Defense of Four Freedoms for Ukraine (ODFFU), and Andrew Horbachevsky from the SUMA (Yonkers) Federal Credit Union. Letters of best wishes were also received from Metropolitan Stefan Soroka, Bishop John Bura, Bishop Paul Patrick Chomnycky OSBM, and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA).
Outgoing OOL President Zenon Halkowycz, who held the post for the past 14 years, thanked the members of the organization for their long-time partnership, as well as expressed appreciation to the both the SUMA (Yonkers) Federal Credit Union and the Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union in Jersey City, NJ for the monetary gifts they donated to OOL that evening.
Following the banquet was a dance, hosted by the Yonkers branch of OOL, where guests celebrated to the music of the band “Vox Ethnika.”
Press Officer – Diana Howansky Reilly
Pysanka WorkshopOn Sunday, April 12th, the downstairs hall of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Yonkers, NY was filled with the pleasant scent of burning candles and heated beeswax, as over 30 workshop participants diligently practiced their Lemko “pysanka” (Easter egg) decorating skills. The sold-out class was organized for the first time by Branch #2 of The Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (OOL) and was taught by new member Basia Barna Andrusko. Basia now resides in Yardley, PA but grew up in Yonkers, where she mastered and earned herself a local reputation in the art of pysanka “writing.” In this class, she demonstrated the distinctive Lemko “drop pull” technique, whereby a pin-head is used to place a drop of wax on the egg and quickly pull the wax to the side, creating a tail shape. The numerous dots with tails are then arranged into various designs. The workshop participants came from as far away as Passaic, NJ and Monroe, CT and were a diverse group – young/old, Ukrainian/non, male/female, pysanka veterans/novices. And, in just a few short hours, everyone had gotten the hang of the technique and was creating wonderful Easter eggs. In fact, most participants left the workshop with “pysanka-making kits,” including beeswax, a wax warmer, and a pin-head stylus, so that they could make more pysanky at home! Special acknowledgement is due to Father Kiril Angelov, who made the church hall available; volunteers Lesia Kozicky and Marika Shmatalocha, who assisted Basia: Andryj Khomyk, who designed the informational flyer; and OOL officers Mark Howansky, Steven Kapitula, and Teresa Kapitula, who helped organize the event and donated the coffee and pastries. For more information on upcoming Lemko cultural events, please visit www.lemko-ool.com.
To see more pictures from this event - go to our Photo-Album
Press Officer – Diana Howansky Reilly
