28 July 11, 1999

THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 11, 19998 No. 28

Following are comments of partici-pants of the first Joint Conferences ofUkrainian American Organizations heldjust outside Washington on June 23-27.The interviews were conducted duringand after the conferences by RomaHadzewycz.

Andrew Iwach, M.D., San Francisco:“It was absolutely phenomenal; itabsolutely has to happen again. It parallelswhat we’ve been trying to do out in SanFrancisco for the last five years. We –that’s Justyn Makarewycz, Adria Wochokand I, who are the organizing committeefor our upcoming professionals’ confer-ence [held biennially] in San Francisco –are going to have to work to meet thestandard set by this conference. OurUkrainian Professional and BusinessGroup of Northern California, which actu-ally has membership on the entire WestCoast, was created as an umbrella organi-zation that is open to everyone. But it hasa posture that is more in line with what isexpected in American business, ofAmerican professionals.

What strikes me is that the basic ele-ments of what they put together here inWashington were right on the mark. Thelocation was right – if you’re going tobring together a group of differentUkrainian organizations, do it where youcan have some impact. Washington is theright place. The time is right – differentorganizations are maturing and the leader-ship is more receptive to interactingamong each other. The people are right –the diaspora now comprises professionalsin various fields and with diverse specialinterests.

We now have a powerful unified voicewhen we go to Washington. The numberof elected officials present, the responseof the White House and the StateDepartment would not have occurred hadany of our organizations acted individual-ly. If the diaspora wants to maintain avibrant future now that Ukraine is free,this is how we can help both Ukraine andthe diaspora.

Alexander Gudziak, dentist and cred-it union activist, Syracuse, N.Y.: It is

very good that the younger generation istaking over the leadership of the diaspora.This is the first time that 25-plus organiza-tions converged in the nation’s capital –mostly the generations born here, profes-sionals in good positions in industry, busi-ness and the professions.

We always asked: Where are our chil-dren? We see them here. They care aboutand love our community. At the UMANAand credit union conferences, which Iattended, the presence of youth wasimmediately obvious. These are the chil-dren of my peers.

George Bohatiuk, M.D., Wilmington,Del.: It was an excellent idea to hold thisconference to bring Ukrainians in theUnited States into the new millennium. Itunderscores the necessity for Ukrainiansto network continuously in addressing andresolving a multitude of issues that face uson a daily basis. That’s key. Unless we dothat, we will never be an effective force inworld politics.

Julian Kulas, lawyer, banker,Chicago: This conference was a very pos-itive thing, an opportunity to meet withother professionals, but more importantly,an opportunity to present ourselves in ourcapital, to show our broad shoulders andthat we are a viable community. There isnothing better than getting a large groupof people together to recognize Congressfor assistance they have provided. Ourbank, 1st Security Federal Savings, spon-sored the Congressional Reception and Iconsider this money well-spent. I thinkconferences like this should be held per-haps every three years.

Wasyl Kolodchin, radio journalist,community and credit union activist,Detroit: It is very good that such a con-ference was held, and it should be count-ed as a success. It was necessary becausesome kind of change was needed. Manyof our older community members aredying; a pessimism was overcoming ourcommunity. But this conference – espe-cially for those who were there and thosewho will read about it – gave them a bitof courage and confidence that not every-

Joint Conferences

Participants offer their assessments

Two years ago, on July 16, the current prime minister ofUkraine, Valerii Pustovoitenko, was confirmed in his positionby the Verkhovna Rada.

Our Kyiv Press Bureau reported in 1997 that Mr.Pustovoitenko, then the acting minister of the Cabinet of Ministers, was narrowly con-firmed as independent Ukraine’s sixth prime minister by a contentious Verkhovna Radain a vote of 226 for, 91 against, 26 abstentions and 11 national deputies not voting.

The 50-year-old former chairman of the Dnipropetrovsk City Council and itsExecutive Committee drew support largely from centrist and left-centrist factions inUkraine’s Parliament. The Communist and Rukh factions refused to endorse Mr.Pustovoitenko’s candidacy.

The 226 national deputies who confirmed the new head of government two daysbefore adjourning for the summer constituted the constitutional majority plus one of theVerkhovna Rada votes required for such approval.

President Leonid Kuchma, who attended the confirmation hearing and vote with theentire Cabinet of Ministers, hailed Mr. Pustovoitenko’s election as a “positive move,”noting that the vote split the Verkhovna Rada into “those who support the governmentand those who do not.”

In his 20-minute address to the morning session of Parliament, Mr. Pustovoitenko saidthat, if confirmed as prime minister, he would focus on forming a “professional” govern-ment, repaying back wages and restructuring Ukraine’s oil and gas industry. He said thepriorities of his government would be to reform the tax system, develop the agro-industri-al complex, continue privatization and develop small- and mid-sized industries.

Now, two years later, on July 6, the Pustovoitenko government survived the thirdattempt in a year by the Parliament to oust the government. Opponents, led by theCommunist majority in the Verkhovna Rada, noted the poor state of Ukraine’s economyand the government’s dismal record on the payment of wage and pension arrears.

Source: “Parliament confirms Pustovoitenko as PM,” by Khristina Lew, Kyiv Press Bureau,The Ukrainian Weekly, July 20, 1997 (Vol. LXV, No. 29).

July

161997

Turning the pages back...

The guest editorial below is excerpted from opening remarks delivered by Orest S.Deychakiwsky, president of The Washington Group, at the TWG conference “At theThreshold,” held on June 26 during the Joint Conferences of Ukrainian AmericanOrganizations.

A one-day conference cannot possibly explore all aspects of the Ukrainian realityin depth, including U.S.-Ukrainian relations, or even, for that matter, the UkrainianAmerican community’s role. What this conference attempts to do, however, is to pro-vide you with five “slices” of the Ukrainian reality: to examine five specific subjectswithin the overall political, strategic, humanitarian, economic and technical environ-ment in Ukraine, with a focus on the U.S.-Ukrainian relationship. These are: “U.S.-Ukrainian Military to Military Cooperation,” “Ukraine’s Role in International SpacePrograms,” “Ukraine on the Eve of Presidential Elections,” “U.S.-Ukraine BusinessCooperation” and “Trafficking of Women from Ukraine.”

As the title of our conference suggests, Ukraine most certainly stands “At theThreshold.” What does that mean? Ukraine, like the entire world stands the thresholdof a new millennium – a millennium that will be filled with incredible possibilities,especially with the continuing rapid advancement of knowledge is such areas as sci-ence, health, communications. The potential is astounding. And the fact of the matteris that it is the advanced democracies of the West, with their open political and eco-nomic systems, that are leading the world in these advancements. Will Ukraine bepositioned to become an integral part of the West, or will it be fated to remain on theperiphery of Europe? This remains to be seen.

Unfortunately, Ukraine’s political leadership does not appear to have made thefundamental decision to make thoroughgoing reforms conducive to joining the West.Its enlightened foreign policy leadership has certainly moved Ukrainian foreign poli-cy in the direction of the West. Ukraine’s foreign policy, in my view, is a success.Ukraine enjoys good relations with its neighbors, works cooperatively with Euro-Atlantic institutions, and plays a constructive role in fostering security and coopera-tion in Europe – and the importance of this cannot be underestimated. Ukraine’s for-eign policy has been commendable and far-reaching, especially given the internaland external political constraints under which it operates.

But a Western-oriented foreign policy is simply not enough when Ukraine’s inter-nal situation remains ambivalent. Yes, there have been positive changes: Ukraine hascreated basic pluralism and ethnic tolerance. It serves as a stark contrast to Bosnia orKosovo. However, many expectations of the West, of the diaspora and, most impor-tantly, of Ukrainians themselves have gone unfulfilled. The socio-economic, psycho-logical legacy of Soviet imperialism and Communism weighs heavier than many ofus thought. Changes will take time, but will not come until Ukraine decisively moveson a reformist path and cleans up government.

Despite the rhetoric of its leadership and the progress that has occurred in somerespects, Ukraine has yet to make the fundamental decision to go in the direction ofthe open, democratic, prosperous and progressive West. Alas, much of what tran-spires on the ground in Ukraine – the corruption, inadequate rule of law, stiflingbureaucracy, over-regulation – belies the rhetoric and serves to neutralize the positivechanges that have taken place with Ukraine’s independence and since Ukraine’s inde-pendence.

Ukraine can’t wait much longer to make some fundamental choices. October’spresidential election provides the Ukrainian people with at least a partial opportunityto make these choices. Strong reformist candidates with a realistic chance to winhave not emerged. The choice is between tepid, skeptical reformers who have donelittle to arrest Ukraine’s plummeting economy or launch real reforms, and those whowould attempt to turn back the clock – back to a murky semi-Soviet Slavic unionwith a semi-closed, irrational economic system and an authoritarian political systemthat will bring nothing but continued misery for the long-suffering Ukrainian people.

In short, Ukraine stands at the threshold between further political and economicreforms that would bring it closer to its Western neighbors, and backsliding into polit-ical stagnation and economic decline. I do not believe that it can continue to muddlealong, as it has been doing for the last few years, without incurring rising costs,including in such critical areas as health and education, which have a profoundimpact on Ukraine’s future.

So, what is to be done? How can we help?Ukraine’s straddling the fence has not made it easy for the West, for the United

States, and, indeed, for the Ukrainian American community. It has been downrightfrustrating at times. Perhaps the easiest course of action would be to throw up ourhands in despair and write off Ukraine, and some already appear to be moving in thatdirection. But it would not be the right course of action.

Thankfully, the United States has not abandoned Ukraine, recognizing its strategicimportance, and neither has the community, despite the disillusionment of many of uswith certain aspects of the Ukrainian reality. I would contend that, as a communityand as individuals, we need to do what we can to encourage Ukraine to make theright choices as it stands at the threshold. And we need to continue to encourage theWest, and, first and foremost, the United States, to not only remain engaged, but tostrengthen that engagement. We need to continue to support Ukraine as well throughwell-thought-out assistance programs, especially those designed to strengthenUkrainian civil society.

And, I might add, supporting Ukraine also includes constructively criticizing thegovernment of Ukraine where necessary, say, for instance, when the government vio-lates press freedoms. The two – support and constructive criticism – are not mutuallyexclusive.

During this conference, you will meet people or find out about what is being doneto encourage Ukraine to make the right choices. You will hear some concerns aboutUkraine’s reality and its direction. But you will also definitely hear about some of thethings Ukraine is doing right – things that are indications of Ukraine’s ability to,indeed, cross the threshold in the direction of positive change.

Many people, including Ukrainian Americans, indeed, many of you gathered here

“At the Threshold”THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY

(Continued on page 9)


THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 11, 1999 9No. 28

Dear Editor:The Joint Conferences of Ukrainian

American Organizations, which was heldJune 23-27 in and around Washingtonhas come to a close. The success of thisevent can be measured both by the over-whelmingly large and unexpected partici-pation and by the unanimous calls for itsrepetition.

As a result of tireless work by manypeople within each participating organi-zation, each conference presented fasci-nating and unique sessions that farexceeded the expectations of the regis-trants. Many well-earned kudos go to thepresidents of each of the organizations,and to their hard-working volunteers.

It is especially important to recognizethe outstanding efforts of those peoplewho worked for the benefit of the entireJoint Conferences, beyond the require-ments of their own particular organiza-tions. Their massive work, mostly behindthe scenes, deserves full recognition andour sincerest gratitude.

Unfortunately, it is impossible tothank every single person who has madea valuable contribution to the JointConferences by name. But of those who

shouldered much more than their share ofthe planning, organization and imple-mentation needed to realize the JointConferences, Ulana Baczynsky of thearchitects, and Nusia and Steve Kerda ofthe credit union association clearly standout. In addition, Dr. Maria Hrycelak, Dr.and Mrs. Bohdan Iwanetz, Drs. Georgeand Sophie Hrycelak, Dr. ZirkaKalynych and Phil Michel of theUkrainian Medical Association, andZwen Goy of the Ukrainian Institute ofAmerica also carried the yeoman’s shareof the logistics work of the conference.

I also want to thank Roman Stelmach,Maria Lischak, Wawa Baczynskyj andLuba Shara for expending much extraeffort on our behalf, and especially to thankTalia Taran-Lisowsky, UMANA’s adminis-trative secretary, for her invaluable dedica-tion to this project.

Finally, to all the people who attendedthe Joint Conferences, and to all those whoexpressed their appreciation for the vision,work and time that went into the making ofthis event, we all sincerely appreciate yourattendance and your warm support of thishistoric event.

Roman A. Goy, M.D.Baltimore

The writer was coordinator of the JointConferences of Ukrainian AmericanOrganizations.

Joint Conferences:thanks to volunteers

Dear Editor: While it is true that the publisher of

“The Russian Chronicles: A ThousandYears that Changed the World” listed twoindividuals, Prof. Lunt and Prof. OmeljanPritsak of the Harvard Ukrainian ResearchInstitute, in the “Special Acknowledgment”and did not specifically include the insti-tute, the fact that they were identified asprofessors at “Harvard Ukrainian Institute,Cambridge, United States of America”invariably conveys in the minds of theuninitiated and less knowledgeable readersan aura of authority generally associatedwith learned institutions – in this case, theHarvard Ukrainian Research Institute.Thus, there is the appearance of legitimi-macy of Russian claims to Ukrainian histo-ry, at least indirectly, by virtue of the asso-ciation of said professors with the institute.

Although I believe Robert De Lossa’sclaims (“ ‘Skewed history’ and Harvard,”June 13) that HURI and the aforementionedprofessors had no control over the book’scontent or final product, the damage hasbeen done. The professors owe theUkrainian American community an expla-nation of their role, if any, in this book –

especially since the professors were theonly ones honored by the special acknowl-edgment. As individuals, they may do asthey please. However, as scholars, theyought to be aware of the time-honored andwidely known and respected requirementby universities and other academic institu-tions that faculty clearly identify their viewsas personal opinions and guard againstimplied, even inadvertent, association oftheir views with the position of their institu-tions, especially on controversial issues.

I support Mr. De Lossa’s recommenda-tion that Ukrainian Americans buy HURI’spublications for themselves and for locallibraries. Yet, this will not resolve the issueat hand, because, most likely, very few – ifany – of the hundreds, perhaps thousands,of the readers of “The Russian Chronicles”will read, much less purchase, these publi-cations. Therefore, it is incumbent uponHURI to clarify this matter with the pub-lisher of “The Russian Chronicles” and todemand immediate retraction of its namefrom the special acknowledgment, lest itsname lends inadvertent and unintendedsupport to false claims to Ukraine’s history.

Z. Lew Melnyk, Ph.D.Cincinnati

The writer is professor emeritus offinance at the University of Cincinnati.

Harvard must clarifyissue of “Chronicles”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

During the Soviet-inspired anti-Ukrainian defamation campaign of the1930s and 1940s, it was The UkrainianWeekly that consistently defended theUkrainian community. It was not an easytask, especially after Great Britain allieditself with the Soviets against Hitler.Reacting to growing condemnation byAmerica’s left of Ukrainian pounding ofStalin and the Bolsheviks, The Weeklyresponded on July 18, 1941.

“We fail to see the point,” the UNAnewspaper declared. “The fact that Stalin isfighting Hitler does not change our opinionof him in the least. We still think he isFreedom and Democracy’s Public EnemyNo. 1 – with Hitler, of course, a close sec-ond. We gave Pal Joey precedence herebecause his Reds have been far longer inpower than the Nazis, their brutalities havebeen more cruel and on a far greater scale,their persecution of the Church much worse... So long as Moscow continues to thusbrutally enslave and despoil our kinsmen intheir native land, Ukraine, so long as itblocks their centuries-old movement toestablish a free and independent and demo-cratic Ukraine, so long will we and all othertrue friends of freedom and democracykeep up our fight against it.”

Louis Adamic, a Slovak American liber-al, took umbrage with the above editorialand cited it in its entirety in his book “TwoWay Passage.” Repeating Bolshevik allega-tions regarding the “Nazi” character ofOrganization for the Rebirth of Ukraine(ODVU), Ukrainian Hetman Organization(UHO) and the Ukrainian NationalAssociation (UNA), Mr. Adamic labeledthe passage a “tragedy,” a statement that hebelieved was issued “not from a balancedheart and mind, but from the compulsionrife among people, wherever they may be,who feel insecure.” Offering no further doc-umentation, he wrote that “there are about5,000 ‘Ukrainians in America’ who areactive in the Ukrainian cause in a pro-Naziway.” These few may have influenced otherUkrainian Americans to become “anti-Russian and to that extent, pro-Hitler.”

The Ukrainian Weekly responded onOctober 20, 1940. “We have long had awarm spot in our heart for Mr. LouisAdamic,” the UNA organ editorialized,especially for “his manifest sincerity andhonesty, ... his keen insight into immigrantproblems, his painstaking research andlabors, and his power of expression.”Observing sadly that in his treatment ofUkrainians, Mr. Adamic was “singularlylacking in all of these qualities,” TheWeekly rebutted his allegations point bypoint.

It now appears that giving Mr. Adamicthe benefit of the doubt was laudable butmisplaced. In their book “Venona:Decoding Soviet Espionage in America,”John Early Haynes and Harvey Klehr listLouis Adamic who, although not identifiedin the Venona cables, was, nevertheless, aU.S. resident involved in covert relation-ships with Soviet intelligence agencies.

Another evil chapter in the defamationhistory of Ukrainian Americans was thehearings of the House Un-AmericanActivities Committee (HUAC) onSeptember 27, 1939. Appearing beforeHUAC was Emil Revyuk, an assistant edi-tor of Svoboda. Led by one J.B. Matthews,the questioning revolved around the activi-ties of ODVU, UHO and the UNA in theU.S. It is important to emphasize here thatMr. Matthews’ interrogation of Mr. Revyukwas not only tendentious but grossly unethi-cal. The witness, who had no attorney to

advise him, was led throughout his testimo-ny while HUAC members sat by idly. Mr.Matthews attempted to substitute the term“totalitarian” for “authoritarian” when theOrganization of Ukrainian Nationalists wasdiscussed. He also insisted that the OUNheadquarters were located in Berlin (nottrue) and that Luka Myshuha, the Svobodaeditor, was denied a visa to Englandbecause he was a “political agitator” (also afabrication). Mr. Matthews attempted toinsert German words for Ukrainian wordsinto the testimony: “fuehrer” for “vozhd,”“der Tag” for “the day,” and “heil” for“slava” in his references to mistranslationsof Ukrainian articles and documents. Anaccount of this can be found in my book“The Ukrainian Americans: Roots andAspirations.”

Who was this HUAC investigator, J.B.Matthews? In his book “The Cause ThatFailed: Communism in American PoliticalLife,” Prof. Guenter Lewy identifies Mr.Matthews as “a Methodist clergymanknown for his leftist views, secretary of thepacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation, andknown as an ardent fellow traveler.”“Strongly attracted to the (Communist)Party,” Dr. Lewy writes, Mr. Matthews andACLU director Roger Baldwin “participat-ed in so many Communist fronts that theycame to known as the ‘united front twins.’ ”

Another HUAC investigator was John C.Metcalfe, who traveled around the countryspeaking to various groups about the Nazimenace in America and the role played byODVU, UHO and the UNA. Learning thathe would be addressing the MinneapolisJunior Chamber of Commerce on January10, 1940, ODVU President AlexanderGranovsky asked for a meeting. Mr.Metcalfe agreed. Dr. Granovsky arrivedwith a reporter to publicly challenge theHUAC regarding ODVU. Given the kind ofslander that was being bandied aboutregarding ODVU and the UNA, Dr.Granovsky’s confrontation was an act ofgreat courage. Although he was a tenuredprofessor at the University of Minnesota,challenging the HUAC at that time was nota career-enhancing move.

Was Mr. Metcalfe a Communist or a fel-low traveler? I have not been able to findany definitive information either way, but Isuspect that if nothing else he was, as Leninwould describe him, “a useful fool.”

In addition to “Venona” and “The Causethat Failed” we are being treated to otherstudies of the insidious influence of Sovietspies who infiltrated the United States dur-ing the 1930s and 1940s. Worthy of men-tion are “The Heyday of AmericanCommunism” by Harvey Klehr, “TheSoviet World of American Communism”by Harvey Klehr, John Earl Haynes andKyrill M. Anderson, and “The Secret Worldof American Communism,” by HarveyKlehr, John Early Haynes and FridrikhIgorevich Firsov. All provide valuableinformation suggesting that Sen. JosephMcCarthy was not all that wrong regardingSoviet infiltration of our government.

Unfortunately, none of the above booksregarding Soviet espionage and disinforma-tion tactics in the U.S. mentions the role ofthose ethnic Americans, especiallyUkrainian Americans, who confronted, chal-lenged and rebutted the slander being perpe-trated and were called “Nazis” for their trou-bles. That story needs to be told before wecan even begin to say the story of what real-ly happened, and why, is complete.

FFaacceess aanndd PPllaacceessby Myron B. Kuropas

Myron Kuropas’ e-mail address is:[email protected]

Venona and more

today, are contributing to positive changes in Ukraine – whether through your professionalactivity, participation in Ukrainian American organizations that actively support Ukraine,contributing assistance to projects dealing with Ukraine, supporting your Washington-based Ukrainian American offices, or other ways. I hope that those of you who areinvolved will remain involved, and those of you who aren’t, will become so. We – and the“we” here could mean the United States, the Ukrainian American community or we asindividuals – need to be involved with Ukraine for the long term.

After all, we, and the generations that came before us, were in for the long-term beforeindependence, even when that independence seemed like a distant and, at times, quixoticdream. We went through the period of high hopes, and occasionally unrealistic expecta-tions, but now we see the reality and, for good reason: we don’t always like everything wesee. We know that freedom (and I’ll define freedom here as a true democracy and marketeconomy) and independence are not the same. To keep Ukraine independent, it needs to begenuinely free, and that will take patience, time, persistence and, above all, commitment,first and foremost by the political leadership and people of Ukraine themselves. But we,too, have to be in there for the long haul – and ultimately, this is what this conference, andthe entire Joint Conferences exercise taking place this week, is all about.

(Continued from page 8)“At the Threshold”


by Adrian BaranetskySpecial to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – More than 100health care specialists from the U.S.,Canada and Ukraine met under the auspicesof the Ukrainian Medical Association ofNorth America (UMANA) during the firstJoint Conferences of Ukrainian AmericanOrganizations in metropolitan Washingtonon June 23-27.

The UMANA, established in 1950, is thelargest Ukrainian medical organization out-side of Ukraine, uniting health care profes-sionals in 18 chapters throughout NorthAmerica in its mission of serving theUkrainian community.

The UMANA provided much of theleadership to make the Joint Conferencessuch a defining event, fostering closer fel-lowship among the disparate organizationsthat make up the Ukrainian American com-munity.

For its part of the conference, theUMANA presented a scientific programthat was split into two full-day sessions: ascientific conference and the FirstInternational Conference on Health Care inUkraine. On the third day, the UMANAheld its biennial organizational meeting andelections.

The UMANA’s 35th Biennial ScientificConvention held on Thursday, June 24, wastitled “Advances In Medicine.” The pro-gram was accredited by the nationalAccreditation Council for MedicalEducation for Category 1 CME credittoward the AMA Physician’s RecognitionAward.

UMANA President Maria Hrycelak,M.D., opened this session. Zirka Kalynych,M.D., chair of the UMANA ScientificProgram Committee, moderated all of thescientific presentations. The programreflected the depth and scientific intellectualdiversity of the Ukrainian medical commu-nity; it featured UMANA members, manyof whom have academic appointments inU.S. medical teaching institutions.

Speakers and their talks included OrestBoyko, M.D., Ph.D., - “Advances inMedical Imaging”; Victor Hrehorovich,

M.D., “Health Care Trends: HMOs and TheGovernment”; Vassyl Lonchyna, M.D.,“Minimally Invasive Coronary BypassSurgery”; Mark D. Bej, M.D., “Frontiers inSeizure Diagnosis and Treatment”; MartaLopatynsky, M.D., “Laser VisionCorrection and Glaucoma Surgery” andAndrew Iwach, M.D., “Future Role ofComputers and the Internet in Medicine.”

Dr. Iwach also spoke on “Ukrainiansand Glaucoma: Should you Worry?” Apotentially blinding disease of the eyes,glaucoma can be readily treated if diag-nosed early enough. Dr. Iwach noted that,with the increased recent immigrationfrom Ukraine, American physicians haveseen a higher incidence of certain typesof glaucoma endemic to Ukrainians thathave not previously been described in themedical literature. It is paramount for theNorth American clinician to be aware of

this condition in Ukrainians and to treat itin a timely fashion.

During the midday, the biennialUMANA awards luncheon was held withRoman Goy, M.D., M.B.A., UMANA pres-ident-elect and Joint Conferences coordina-tor, conferring individual UMANAAchievement Awards on Dr. MariaHrycelak, outgoing UMANA president, andLarissa Iwanetz, UMANA executiveadministrator. Dr. Goy, Dr. Hrycelak andMrs. Iwanetz, along with others, selflesslydedicated countless hours of planning overthe past two years to make the JointConferences a reality.

The keynote speaker at the luncheonwas the president of the Lviv MedicalAssociation (LMA), Yuriy Hawryluk,M.D., Ph.D., who summarized the achieve-ments and programs of the LMA since itwas reincarnated in 1989. Dr. Hawrylukinvited physicians to attend the eighth con-gress of the World Federation of UkrainianMedical Associations (WFUMA) that willbe held in Lviv on August 16-20, 2000.(For information: WFUMA, PO Box 3605,Grosse Pointe, MI 48236; website,http://www.lma.org.ua.)

Health care in Ukraine On Saturday, the UMANA held its First

International Conference on Health Care inUkraine, featuring American, Canadian andUkrainian experts currently involved inhealth care reform or medical assistance inUkraine.

The first speaker was Myroslaw Kohut,Ph.D., a Canadian international health careconsultant who advises the Ukrainian gov-ernment in its health care reform efforts. Histalk on the “State of the Health CareSystem” succinctly outlined the health caresituation in Ukraine. Dr. Kohut reported onUkraine’s shrinking demographic base, withmortality exceeding the birth rate. Sinceindependence, the population of Ukrainehas dropped from 52 million inhabitants to49.5 million, and by 2002 Ukraine’s popula-tion will drop to only 48 million. Currentlythe average life expectancy in Ukrainestands at 62.3 years for men and 73.2 forwomen, approximately nine years behindWestern nations, according to official fig-ures.

Meanwhile, government health careexpenditures fell by 1997 to 43 percent of

its 1992 level. There has been a lack of ade-quate resources and of leadership commit-ment with a turnover of six ministers ofhealth since 1991, along with a loss of cen-tral control over the quality of medical careprovided to the populace.

At present, health care reforms appear tobe declarative, “on paper,” with only minorstructural changes in the Ukrainian healthcare delivery system, Dr. Kohut said.

Danylo Hryhorczuk, M.D., M.P.H.,director of the Great Lakes Center forOccupational and Environmental Safety andHealth of the University of Illinois, moder-ated the first panel discussion, ”PrincipalUkrainian Public Health Challenges.”

Jaroslav I. Dutkewych, Ph.D., Ukrainecountry director, U.S. Peace Corps,recounted the current difficulties in raisinghealth awareness in Ukraine via publichealth education programs.

Daniel A. Hoffman, Ph.D., associatedean for public health at the GeorgeWashington University School of PublicHealth, reviewed the last 10 years of WorldHealth Organization (WHO) data of healthstatus indicators in Ukraine, focusing onmajor causes of morbidity and mortality. Dr.Hoffman emphasized that all health careindices are plummeting and considerablylowering the average life expectancy ofUkraine’s citizens and further deteriorationof its public health.

Ivan M. Solonenko, M.D., Ph.D., direc-tor of the School of Health Administrationin Kyiv, provided an insider’s account of themajor health care problems in Ukraine. Heemphasized that 80 percent of the Ukrainiangovernment’s health care budget is currentlytaken up by hospitals and institutes (as com-pared to 40-50 percent average in developedcountries). Also, only 20-25 percent of allphysicians in Ukraine work in primaryhealth care (50-70 percent average in devel-oped countries) while most (80 percent) areinvolved in administration or teaching andresearch. The average length of stay for allhospital beds is 16 days (eight-12 days aver-age in developed countries). Due in greatpart to Western influence, Ukrainian gov-ernment budget allocations are being divert-ed from hospitals and institutes towardsdirect patient care which more closelyapproximates international models.

The next panel discussion, “Health

UMANA discusses advances in medicine, health care in Ukraine

Joint Conferences of Ukrainian American Organizations

A question from the audience during a panel discussion on public health challenges in Ukraine, held as part of the First International Conference on Health Care in Ukraine.


Following is the text of Vice-PresidentAl Gore’s message to the participants inthe Joint Conferences of UkrainianAmerican Organizations. The messagewas read at the banquet on June 26 andreleased to the press on July 1.

It is a deep and distinct honor toreceive the Friend of Ukraine Awardfrom the Joint Conferences of UkrainianAmerican Organizations. Since I amunable to accept this award in person, Iwanted to express my thanks to you andconvey my thoughts about the impor-tance of U.S.-Ukraine relations in thismessage.

America has long been redefined byour mix of cultures and nationalities. Thisweek’s gathering of Ukrainian Americanorganizations in Washington – the first ofits kind – demonstrates the strength andvitality of Ukrainian Americans in oursociety.

It also calls attention to the importanceof the U.S.-Ukraine relationship. Formore than six years, President Clinton andI have worked hard to support Ukraine’sindependence, to facilitate its integrationinto the Western community of nations,and to promote economic and democratic

reforms there. An important tool in build-ing this relationship has been the U.S.-Ukraine Binational Commission, which Ihave been privileged to co-chair withPresident Kuchma. Through the commis-sion, we have forged lasting government-to-government ties and have launchedjoint programs designed to make a differ-ence in the daily lives of the peoples ofboth our countries. Later this summer,when President Kuchma and I chair thenext meeting of the commission, we willhave a chance to review our accomplish-ments and to set new goals.

Your gathering this evening demon-strates not just your strength and unity,but also your potential to help Ukraine inits market-democratic transition. I inviteyou – the leaders of the UkrainianAmerican community – to join with us toassist Ukraine in this transition. Thisinvestment of time and effort will payhandsome dividends in the society wecan help to build.

I look forward to continuing my workwith Ukraine in partnership with you.Thank you once again for your verythoughtful award.

Sincerely,Al Gore

Gore greets Joint Conferences

Roma Hadzewycz


by Olena W. SterchoSpecial to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – The UkrainianAmerican Bar Association (UABA), one ofthe sponsors of the recent Joint Conferencesof Ukrainian American Organizations, heldits annual meeting on June 25, as a confer-ence event. The daylong session consideredorganizational matters, topics of pure pro-fessional interest, and law-relatedUkrainian-American subjects.

A topic of the afternoon session, “CBS”‘60 Minutes’ Litigation and Beyond,” drewa standing-room only crowd. After a view-ing of the television program segment, thefour attorneys who represented the com-plainants against CBS offered their perspec-tive on the lengthy litigation: ArthurBelendiuk of Smithwick & Belendiuk, out-going UABA President BohdannaPochoday, outside legal advisor and FCClitigator William H. Crispin, and Askold S.Lozynskyj, president of both the UkrainianCongress Committee of America and theUkrainian World Congress.

Observing that the Ukrainian Americancommunity is structurally unprepared toproactively counter similar attacks, Mr.Belendiuk recommended three steps: theformation of a political action committee(PAC), creation of a stronger political voicethrough greater representation inWashington and better public relations.

Mr. Crispin, a recipient of an award fromthe Joint Conferences for his service in thecase, commented from the non-Ukrainianperspective. He underscored that, in negoti-ating with CBS, three divides between theparties were observable: commercial(CBS’s profit motive); freedom of speech

(CBS’s perception that the FirstAmendment serves as an absolute shield);and cultural (CBS’s almost complete igno-rance of Ukrainian history and of diasporacommunity life).

Mr. Crispin emphasized that the thirddivide was the most difficult to bridge andstrongly urged Ukrainian Americans to tryby telling their story often.

In addition, Ms. Pochoday outlined thelegal aspects of the case, while Mr.Lozynskyj discussed the settlement. [Formore detail on the viewpoints of these com-mentators, please see the May 23 issue ofThe Ukrainian Weekly.]

The UABA’s morning session beganwith organizational matters, including intro-ductory remarks by Ms. Pochoday, andfinancial reports by Bohdan Ozaruk, treas-urer, and Andre Michniak, co-chair of theUABA Scholarship Fund, Inc. PeterPiddoubny offered the recommendations ofthe By-Laws Committee for revising theorganization’s by-laws. The morning con-cluded with two sessions: Ms. Pochodayoffered pointers for building a successfullaw practice, while Mr. Piddoubnyaddressed the topic “Civil Forfeitures andGovernment Seizures.”

Also in the afternoon, a panel was heldon the “Progress of Judicial and LegalReform in Ukraine.” Ukraine’s ambassa-dor to the United States, Anton Buteiko,highlighted his view of a functionalUkrainian judicial system, focusing par-ticularly on the Constitutional Court,U.S. Court of Federal Claims JudgeBohdan A. Futey outlined the continuingneed for judicial reform culminating inthe establishment of an independent judi-

ciary. Also, Stephen B. Nix, outside legalcounsel to the Ukraine ParliamentaryCommittee on Law Policy and LegalReform, discussed legislative reform,while Mr. Lozynskyj spoke about thecommercial law project.

Presentations concluded with Mr.Michniak’s talk about the differencesbetween how current U.S. immigration lawshave treated Pavlo Lazarenko and membersof the Galicia Division.

The meeting concluded with the electionof the following slate of new officers: presi-dent – Mr. Piddoubny; vice-president – Mr.

Michniak; treasurer – Hilary A. Kinal; sec-retary – Mark O. Liss. Elected to the boardof governors were: Vera O. Kachnykewych,Tanya K. Karpiak, Markian B. Silecky,Andrew E. Steckiw, Andrew A. Pidgirsky,Jurij D. Fedorak, Borys J. Lewyckyj andVoldymyr Bazarko.

The UABA is a national bar associationof attorneys admitted to the bar of any stateand U.S. law students. It welcomes mem-bers of Ukrainian descent and those withinterest in Ukrainian matters. For furtherinformation, please call 1-800- UABA-LAW.

UABA focuses on CBS litigation, immigration law and other issues

by Yaro BihunSpecial to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – The WashingtonGroup’s annual Leadership Conference,which this year was part of the JointConferences of Ukrainian AmericanOrganizations, looked at Ukraine as itstands on the threshold of the new millenni-um, facing numerous political, economic,military and social challenges.

As the country’s largest UkrainianAmerican professionals’ association, with amembership exceeding 400, TheWashington Group (TWG) has been spon-soring annual conferences in Washington

dealing with U.S.-Ukrainian and Ukrainiandiaspora issues over the past 15 years.

The year’s conference on June 26, whichattracted a record turnout of more than 300participants, focused on five areas:Ukraine’s military cooperation with theUnited States, its role in international spaceprograms, the upcoming presidential elec-tions in Ukraine, U.S.-Ukraine businesscooperation and the problem of traffickingof women from Ukraine.

Military cooperationIn the first conference session, dealing

with U.S.-Ukrainian cooperation, Col.

Askold D. Mosijczuk of the U.S. ArmyMedical Corps traced the history of U.S.-Ukrainian military medical cooperation andpresented an overview of the close to adozen specific areas of U.S. cooperation inhelping Ukraine cope with many of its mili-tary medical problems.

Yurij Holowinsky, a major in the U.S.Air Force Reserve who has worked with theUkrainian military on nuclear disarmament,focused on Ukraine’s participation in theCooperative Threat Reduction Program.Among the problems Ukraine is encounter-ing now, he said, is how to safely store thehighly toxic liquid fuel from the SS-19smissiles it dismantled.

Ukraine’s defense attaché in Washington,Col. Olexander Galaka, stressed that moreattention needs to be paid to the educationand training of commissioned and non-commissioned officers in Ukraine and tochanging the mindset of some officers fromthe old Soviet way of looking at the UnitedStates, which is now Ukraine’s strategicpartner.

Ihor O.E. Kotlarchuk, a retired U.S.Army Reserve colonel who now works atthe Department of Justice, reported on someof the legal projects he has worked on withthe Ukrainian military, including the publi-cation of a new Code of Military Conduct.

Ukraine in spaceThree of the five TWG Leadership

Conference panel discussions were organ-ized jointly with other Ukrainian Americanorganizations. Of these, “Ukraine’s Role inInternational Space Programs,” was co-organized with the Ukrainian EngineersSociety of America.

Chaired by Theodor Kostiuk, a chief sci-entist for exploration programs at the

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, thepanel included Angela Phillips Diaz, direc-tor of the NASA Human Space FlightExternal Relations Office; Yaroslav Yatskiv,director of the National Space Agency ofUkraine; Michael Yarymovych, president ofthe International Academy of Aeronautics;and Roald Sagdeev, director of theMaryland University East-West SpaceScience Center.

Ms. Diaz gave an overview of U.S.-Ukraine cooperation in the area of humanspace flight, while Dr. Yatskiv reported onsome of his agency’s many space-relatedprojects. Ukraine has a good team and goodplans, he said, but the main obstacleremains a lack of funds.

Dr. Yarymovych focused on the com-mercialization of space in the area oftelecommunications. The successful launchof the Ukrainian Zenit rocket from the inter-national SeaLaunch project platform in thePacific Ocean bodes well for Ukraine’sfuture in this field, where the secret to suc-cess is “reliability,” he said.

Dr. Sagdeev suggested that what theUkrainian scientific community needs is aboost in morale, which, he said, could beachieved with a program of popularizingand honoring the many truly greatUkrainian scientists of the past.

Presidential elections in UkraineThe panel discussing the situation in

Ukraine on the eve of the presidential elec-tions there, featured two prominent com-mentators on Ukraine: the former U.S.ambassador to Ukraine, William GreeneMiller, who is now writing a book aboutUkraine as a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson

The Washington Group considers Ukraine “At the Threshold”


Andre Michniak speaks on U.S. immigration laws and their effect on the Lazarenkocase and the Galicia Division. On the right is the outgoing president of the

Ukrainian American Bar Association, Bohdanna Pochoday.

During the panel presentation on trafficking of women, Walter Zalisko of theJersey City Police Department shows an example of one of the many waysunsuspecting women from Ukraine are being victimized in various criminal

sex-exploitation schemes. (Continued on page 19)

Yaro Bihun

Roma Hadzewycz


by Metodij BoretskySpecial to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – During the JointConferences of Ukrainian AmericanOrganizations held here, the UkrainianEngineers Society of America held a con-ference titled “U.S.-Ukraine Science andTechnology Cooperation: Status andOpportunities.”

The program of the conference onJune 25 included opening remarks by Dr.Lev Dobrjanskyj, president of theUkrainian Engineers Society of America,and a keynote address by Anton D.Buteiko, ambassador of Ukraine to theUnited States.

During the morning session, devotedto “Space Science and Technology,” dis-cussion included such topics as currentstatus, developments and future opportu-nities in space science research, spacetechnology and commercial space pro-grams. Presentations were made by rep-resentatives from NASA, the aerospaceindustry, and Ukraine’s diplomatic andspace community. Dr. Vitalij Garber,chairman of Garber InternationalAssociates, spoke about changes in infor-mation technology from aerospace todefense and the revolution in internation-al relations.

Prof. Roald Sagdeev, director of theEast-West Space Science Center and pro-fessor of physics at the University ofMaryland, spoke about SilkSAT, a spacecommunications mission opportunity;while Academician Yaroslav Yatskiv,director of the Main AstronomicalObservatory of the National Academy ofSciences of Ukraine, spoke about spacescience research programs, collaborationand opportunities in Ukraine.

Dr. Michael Yarymovych, president of

the International Academy ofAstronautics, was the moderator of themorning session.

During the afternoon session presenta-tions on the topic “Research Technologyand Infrastructure” included discussionof U.S.-Ukraine cooperation in basic andapplied research and development ofinfrastructure related to energy, environ-ment and communications. Dr. MartaCehelsky of the National ScienceFoundation in Washington spoke aboutresearch cooperation. Dr. GeorgeGamota, president of Science andTechnology Management Associates andassociate director of the InternationalTechnology Research Institute of LoyolaCollege in Baltimore, spoke aboutresearch and development and incubatorprograms in Ukraine.

Dr. Walter Stottman, sector leader forwater and sanitation at the Europe andCentral Asia Region of the World Bankspoke about World Bank programs inUkraine. Dr. Victor Los, deputy directorof the institute for magnetism at theNational Academy of Sciences Ukraineand professor at the Taras ShevchenkoKyiv State University, spoke about envi-ronmental and resource management pro-grams between Ukraine and theEnvironmental Research Institute ofMichigan.

Dr. Yaroslav Voitko, Ukraine’s traderepresentative to the United States mod-erated the panel.

A joint panel with The WashingtonGroup was held the next day on the topic“Ukraine’s Role in International SpacePrograms: The International SpaceStation, Research, and Human SpaceFlight Programs” (see article on page11).

by Steve and Nusia KerdaSpecial to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – The UkrainianNational Credit Union Association(UNCUA), a league comprising 22 mem-ber-credit unions in the United States, heldits annual meeting in Arlington, Va., onJune 24-26.

The Ukrainian Washington FederalCredit Union (FCU) was the host creditunion for this assembly. In total 112 creditunion officials, managers, employees andspouses attended portions of the confer-ence and annual meeting.

The UNCUA meeting took place inconjunction with meetings and confer-ences held at the same time and locationby 12 other Ukrainian organizations com-prising doctors, lawyers, engineers, librar-ians, architects, veterans, and other busi-ness and professional organizations.

As a result, hundreds of people regis-tered and participated in some portions ofthe conference, either at joint sessions orspecific sessions covering topics such asthe growing role of financial institutionsand the renewal of the credit union move-ment in Ukraine.

The idea for joint conferences was firstbroached by credit union activists twoyears ago at the UNCUA annual meetingin Parma, Ohio. Tamara Denysenko, CEOof the Rochester Ukrainian FCU, pro-posed that the next annual meeting of theUNCUA be held in conjunction with theannual Leadership Conference held byThe Washington Group (TWG). In themeantime, representatives of the

Ukrainian Medical Association of NorthAmerica and the Ukrainian American BarAssociation had discussed holding a jointconference.

Later the UMANA, UABA andUNCUA met to initiate plans for a jointmeeting of these three organizations alongwith TWG.

As time went on and more plans weremade, other organizations joined into whatwas dubbed the Joint Conferences ofUkrainian American Organizations.

On Friday, June 24, participants of theUNCUA conference were able to meetand talk with Norman E. D’Amours,chairman of the National Credit UnionAdministration and the NCUA board. TheNCUA is the federal regulatory and super-visory body for all federal credit unionsand those state-chartered credit unionsthat have federal insurance protection.

Mr. D’Amours spoke for over an hourto the assembled on the direction in whichNCUA is moving as far as regulations,Y2K compliance, future growth and sup-port for small credit unions, service-shar-ing among credit unions, executive- orleadership-sharing between larger andsmaller credit unions, and credit-union-to-credit-union mentorship.

The assembled then heard about thestatus of the Loan Protection/Life ShareTrust shared by member-credit unions forcredit unions members. The trust is a freeservice to all their members provided bycredit unions. It protects member loans upto $10,000 in the event of a member’ssudden death or impairment. The trustalso provides for a benefit of up to $2,000

or $3,000 to the member upon his/herdeath – the final figure depending on theage when the member joined the creditunion and the amount of share savingsthat the individual had in his/her accountat various points during his/her lifetime.

The afternoon sessions covered thecredit union movement in the diaspora,and the presenter was presented byBohdan Leshchyshen of Toronto, presi-dent of the World Council of Ukrainian

Cooperatives. Additionally, presentationswere made by Lucy Ito, Petro Kozynetsand Ivan Ivasiuk on the status of creditunion revival in Ukraine and the status ofthe National Association of Credit Unionsin Ukraine (the league in Ukraine).

The Friday sessions were chaired byStephen Kerda, president of the UkrainianWashington FCU.

Saturday’s sessions were devoted to the

Credit union league holds annual meeting, discusses services

Engineers confer on cooperation in technology, space programs


Seen during the panel on “Ukraine’s Role in International Space Programs” are Dr. Roald Sagdeev, Dr. Yaroslav Yatskiv and Dr. Michael Yarymovych.

Angela Phillips Diaz of NASA is interviewed by George Sajewych of the TV pro-gram “Window on America.” On the left is Dr. Theodor Kostiuk, one of the chief

organizers of the engineers’ program during the joint conferences.

Tamara Denysenko (center), newly elected chair of the UNCUA board, with hercolleague from the Rochester Ukrainian Federal Credit Union, Lesia Telega

(right), and Halyna Keller of the Ukrainian Selfreliance FCU of Philadelphia.


Roman Stelmach

Roma Hadzewycz


by Tamara StadnychenkoSpecial to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – The UkrainianNational Women’s League of Americaprogram at the Joint Conferences ofUkrainian American Organizations washeld on June 25, and was moderated byUNWLA Recording Secretary BarbaraBachynsky.

During the session “All the things youwanted to know about the UNWLA,”Honorary President Anna Krawczuk pre-sented an overview of the organization’shistory, stressing that one of its greateststrengths lay in the diversity of its mem-bership. Newly elected UNWLAPresident Iryna Kurowyckyj outlined hervision of UNWLA goals and programsas the organization approaches the 75thanniversary of its founding.

Vice-President Oxana Farion high-lighted the benefits of UNWLA member-ship and emphasized the importance ofrecruiting members-at-large amongyoung, mobile women with busy sched-ules who are interested in maintainingcontact with the Ukrainian community.

Hanya Krill of Brama-Gateway con-cluded the session with an entertainingoverview of the history of the Internet,focusing on its potential as an organiza-tional tool for recruitment of members,communication among members andenhancement of the UNWLA’s image.

During the session on women’s health,Dr. Susan C. Stewart, associate medicaldirector of J.P. Morgan Inc., explainedhow American women are experiencingthe benefits of a progressively betterhealth care system that is becoming moreattuned to gender-specific health issues.Dr. Stewart also addressed issues relatedto menopause and concluded her presen-tation by emphasizing lifestyle choices

by Jurij DobczanskySpecial to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – The third annualgathering of the renewed UkrainianLibrary Association of America on June25 was successful in attracting a coregroup of dedicated members. Although itcoincided with the American LibraryAssociation’s convention in New Orleans,and closely followed by both the SlavicLibrarians’ Forum and the Ukrainian con-ference in Urbana, the conference drewparticipants from St. Paul, Detroit, Boston,Stamford and Greenwich, Conn., Chicago,Ottawa, New York, metropolitanWashington and even a guest from Lviv.Four distinguished speakers providedinsights into Ukrainian librarianship inNorth America and in Ukraine.

Aletta Waterhouse, Ukrainian programcoordinator, Congressional ResearchService Parliamentary DevelopmentProgram, outlined key elements of theprogram of library and information assis-tance to the Verkhovna Rada. Two of themajor problems she cited were the lack ofcooperation among the libraries andresearch centers serving the Rada as theyvie for scarce resources, and the pervasivereluctance of Rada administrators.Setbacks notwithstanding, there were a lotof positive accomplishments. Citing thevalue of personal contacts, Ms.Waterhouse closed by encouragingAmerican librarians to continue workingwith library institutions in Ukraine.

Describing his presentation of a techni-

cal paper on digital scanning at the recentCrimea ’99 conference in Ukraine as ahumbling experience, Lynn E. Brooksdescribed his Ukrainian colleagues ascommitted and dedicated. Although theyare well-informed about the latest tech-nologies, Ukrainian librarians do not havethe financial means to implement them.Mr. Brooks provided vignettes of hisrecent trip to Ukraine. He received a cita-tion of appreciation from the VerkhovnaRada for his technology assistance duringthe four years of assistance by the FrostTask Force. Ironically, the citation waspresented outside the Rada due toChairman Oleksander Tkachenko’s banpreventing U.S. citizens from entering theParliament buildings – a reaction to theU.S.-led intervention in the Kosovo crisis.

Areta Halibey, a volunteer librarian atChicago’s Ukrainian National Museum,underscored the vital need to provide publicaccess to the printed and manuscript collec-tions of Ukrainian museums. While visualdisplays of Ukrainian artifacts in museumsare very attractive, she believes they aloneare not an effective means of creatinginformed public opinion and greater under-standing. Much memoir literature remainsunpublished. Valuable published worksremain uncatalogued. Records of commu-nity organizations and national levelresources, such as the files on the Ukrainianpavilion at the 1933 World’s Fair, remainobscured. This will change only as a resultof better allocation of our communityresources, she underlined.

The Rev. Dr. Andrew Onuferko, assis-

tant director for administration, theMetropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute,St. Paul University in Ottawa, provided avaluable service by initiating a well-docu-mented survey of nine Ukrainian theologi-cal libraries in the U.S. and Canada. Healso noted the important personal archivesand special collections that are held inlarger academic institutions but were notincluded in the ongoing survey. The Rev.Onuferko said librarians must recognizeand be recognized for their key supportiverole in a variety of Ukrainian endeavorssuch as Ukrainian studies, religious andhistorical research, political and culturalactivities.

Many practical issues were raised indiscussions. With the exception of VeraSkop, who was elected vice-president,members of the current board agreed toserve an additional term: JurijDobczansky, president; Ms. Halibey,membership secretary; Theodore Caryk,treasurer; and Adriana Pilecky-Dekajlo,member of the board. SvitlanaAndrushkiw, Lubow Wolynetz and HalynaMyroniuk will continue to serve on theauditing committee.

The ULAA’s main function at this stageof development is effective communica-tion and networking. Revisions of theassociation’s constitution and by-laws areunder way and membership has beenopened to institutions as well as individu-als. The ULAA invites all professional andvolunteer librarians as well as authors,reviewers, book dealers, curators, comput-er specialists, archivists and others to

become members. Write to: ULAA, 11509Orebaugh Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20902;or email: [email protected].

The Rev. John Terlecky and Mrs.Wolynetz of the Ukrainian CulturalResearch Center, Diocese of Stamford,have initiated plans for the next ULAAconference to be held next June inStamford, Conn.

Full texts of the presentations and pho-tographs from the ULAA’s conference willbe available on the ULAA webpage(http://www.brama.com/ulaa).

that promote good health.In stark contrast to Dr. Stewart’s pres-

entation on women’s health care in thiscountry was the dismal and sometimesoverwhelmingly depressing report pre-sented by Dr. Zoreslava Shkiryak-Nyzhnyk of Kyiv on the status ofwomen’s health in Ukraine. Citing bleakstatistics on infant mortality, teenagemorbidity, abortion, miscarriage andbirth defects, and on the alarmingincrease in sexually transmitted dis-eases, Dr. Nyzhnyk stressed the need foreconomic stability and for radicalchanges in government policy on healthcare.

Alexandra Isaievych-Mason, a benefi-ciary of the UNWLA’s extensive scholar-ship program, discussed the problems of

Ukrainian women seeking work in theU.S. On behalf of the UNWLA, she iscurrently preparing a background paperon this issue for the U.S. Department ofLabor.

Economist Harriet Harper of theWomen’s Bureau of the U.S. LaborDepartment spoke on the complexity oflegal and bureaucratic structures that playa role in preventing women from Ukrainefrom obtaining legitimate work in theUnited States. She also addressed theproblem of trafficking of women, statingthat the current administration is takingactive steps to combat the problemthrough international cooperation in lawenforcement and educational programstargeting potential victims.

The final session of the UNWLA’s

program dealt with bio-engineering.Advocating biotechnology as a positiveadvancement that will benefit humanityin food production and in combating dis-eases was Dr. L. Val Giddens, vice-presi-dent for food and agriculture with theBiotechnology Industry Organization.

A rebuttal was presented by biologistTamara E. Raven, vice-president of theNational Council of Women, who con-tended that research in the area was nei-ther precise nor predictable and whoreferred to bio-engineering as a form ofbiological pollution that threatens theenvironment and could lead to unfore-seen consequences.

The session ended with a lively dis-cussion on the moral and ethical implica-tions of bio-technological research.

Librarians cover developments in North America and Ukraine

UNWLA session offers panels on organization’s work, current topics


Jurij Dobczansky addresses the ULAA.

Barbara Bachynsky (left), moderator, and Hanya Krill, speaking about uses ofthe Internet, during the UNWLA’s session. Iryna Kurowyckyj, UNWLA president.

Roma Hadzewycz

Irene JarosewichRoma Hadzewycz



A huge banner reading “Synergy” announces the Joint Conferences of Ukrainian American Organizations at the Hyatt Regency.

Three generations of the Gudziak and Kohutiak families at the conference gala:Dr. Alexander and Yaroslawa Gudziak, Dr. Vsevolod and Lida Kohutiak, GeorgeKohutiak, and Dr. Marko and Roma (nee Kohutiak) Gudziak with their children,

Kateryna, Gregory and Zachary.

Natalia Zarudna (center), of the Embassy of Ukraine reports on the Ukrainiangovernment’s actions regarding the trafficking of women issue. Listening areAnita Botti, who chairs the White House Interagency Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls; and Walter Zalisko of the Jersey City Police Department.

Dr. Anatol Lysyj of Minneapolis questions one of the panels of the TWG confer-ence. Waiting for their turn at the microphone are: (from left) Dr. Lubomyr

Romankiw, Peter Hrycak and Julian Kulas.

Photographed while visiting the vendors’ area are: (from left) Atanas Kobryn,Orest Deychakiwsky, Olena Boyko, Lt. Com. Serhii Nechyporenko (assistant

naval attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine) and Orysia Bilan.

Key players in the Ukrainian American community’s case against CBS seen above-before the awards luncheon: (from left) attorney Gary Smithwick, petitioner

Alexander Serafyn, and attorneys Arthur Belendiuk and William H. Crispin.

Photos on these pages by Yaro Bihun, Roma Hadzewycz, Irene Jarosewich.


by Roma HadzewyczARLINGTON, Va. – The culmination of

the Joint Conferences of UkrainianAmerican Organizations – and a partialanswer to the question “Where do we gofrom here?” – came on the mega-confer-ence’s last day, Sunday, June 27, in a seriesof three panels discussing financial, politi-cal and organizational aspects of UkrainianAmerican community life.

The community’s financial institutions“The Growing Role of Ukrainian

American Financial Institutions” featuredrepresentatives of fraternal societies, banksand credit unions on a panel chaired byBohdan Kekish, president and CEO of SelfReliance New York Federal Credit Union.

Ulana Diachuk, president of theUkrainian National Association, providedan overview of Ukrainian fraternal organi-zations, including the UNA, ProvidenceAssociation of Ukrainian Catholics inAmerica, Ukrainian Fraternal Associationand Ukrainian National Aid Association ofAmerica. All are tax-exempt and are organ-ized for the mutual benefit of members,have a lodge (branch) system and represen-tative government. Together these four fra-ternals have assets of more than $106 mil-lion (UNA, $75 million; Providence, $13.2million, UFA, $12.25 million; UNAAA, $6million).

The fraternals subsidize publications,offer scholarships to members and provideother benefits to members and the commu-

nity at large; two of them subsidize resorts.Mrs. Diachuk explained that fraternals nowfind themselves in competition with theone-stop shopping financial services offeredby banks and others. She also underlinedthat fraternals are realizing that they mustmerge in order to cut down on expenses.

Julian Kulas, president of 1st SecurityFederal Savings Bank, which boasts $342million in assets, explained that the focus ofhis bank – which he said is “the onlyUkrainian bank in American and possibly inthe Western world” – has always been toprovide the most efficient services and com-

petitive bank products. “We do pay taxes, but we help the com-

munity through our Heritage Foundation,”Mr. Kulas explained. Before its transforma-tion in October of 1997 into a shareholders’

Final day devoted to financial, political and organizational themes


Roman Stelmach, Ihor Laszok and Dr. Walter Baranetsky at the State Department reception.

Hennadii Nadolenko (left), second secretary (press and cultural issues) at the Embassy of Ukraine, with journalist Yaro Bihun.

Pikkardiiska Tertsiia performs during the Sunday brunch.

Nadia Diuk of the National Endowment for Democracy with TWG President Orest Deychakiwsky before the start of the panel on Ukraine’s elections.

Charles Dougherty encourages political activism during a panel presentation that also included Michael Sawkiw Jr. of UNIS, Thomas Albert of the Democratic National Committee and Robert George of the Republican National Committee.


exists to date, the group found the JointConferences program inspiring enough toenthusiastically support the formation ofa Society for Ukrainian Architecture.Membership would be open to anyoneinterested in architecture in Ukraine, aswell as in design work in the diaspora.Current plans are to not limit the group todesign professionals.

Objectives of this organization will beto: deepen the Western world’s apprecia-tion for architecture in Ukraine; show-case diaspora work; educate architects inUkraine to Western means and methods

of construction; develop an internexchange program; publish a directory ofdesign professionals; and create opportu-nities for the design community to gatherregionally.

The date of June 2-4, 2000, is slatedfor the next national meeting of designprofessionals, which is planned forChicago. An autumn 2000 design tour ofUkraine is a project under considerationby the group. Local activities are alsoforeseen for the fall of 1999. For moreinformation e-mail [email protected],and/or read the Weekly for updates.

by Ulana BaczynskyjSpecial to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – The plan to forma new professional society began to coa-lesce on June 26 when 23 architects andrelated professionals gathered here with-in the framework of the JointConferences.

They came from Austria, Canada,Ukraine and throughout the UnitedStates to brainstorm with their col-leagues. They attended a series of inter-esting seminars that covered topics rang-

ing from universal design issues to theunique challenges facing a diasporaarchitect working within the Ukrainiancommunity.

Anatole Senkevitch presented thehistorical perspectives on church archi-tecture, while Oleh Kruhly concentratedon the effect of cultural predispositionon contexturalism. Walter Daschkoaptly wove together the discussion ofthe two topics. Jurij Sawicky took theunexpected twist of discussing kitsch indesign.

Several project presentations gave theaudience the opportunity to compare theconstruction process in Ukraine withtheir own experiences here. Highlightingthis segment were Ireneus Harasymiak’scase history report on King Richard’scastle in Kyiv and Roman Shwed’s time-ly update of the state of construction inUkraine. Oleh Cherniahivsky and WalterBoykowych discussed their experiencesof working and studying in Ukraine. Aspecial treat was a video of the Myskodacha featured in Architectural Digest(December 1998) provided by RomanShwed, the project architect.

Ivan Bereznicki, Laryssa Kurylas andZenon Mazurkewych, among others,took advantage of the special opportunityoffered by the conference to share someof their work in an architectural exhibit.An open session prepared by Mr.Bereznicki gave a practical insight on theexperience of working with an architecton a project. A design clinic was offeredto all conference attendees.

Although no formal organization

by Stephen M. Wichar Sr. Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – When the JointConferences of Ukrainian AmericanOrganizations announced their program inall the Ukrainian news media, theUkrainian American Veterans seized theopportunity to enhance their politicalposition in order to secure federal legisla-tion pertaining to the UAV’s attainment ofa national charter.

By securing such a document, the UAVwould succeed in having many veterans’benefits extended to all veterans ofUkrainian ancestry who fought in the U.S.armed forces.

Convening a national executive boardmeeting of the UAV during the “Synergy”convocation had its advantages. Veteranswho participated in the congressionalreception on June 24, were able to meetand talk with political figures who werethe principal speakers at the event, thuslobbying for a national charter.

Other matters of significance duringthe executive session held on June 26,was the establishment of new posts, suchas those recently founded in Yonkers,N.Y., and Northport, Fla. Steps were alsotaken by UAV officials to reactivate Post29 in Washington, but these were tem-porarily shelved because the existingleadership was engaged in the Kosovoconflict.

Stephen Wichar, the UAV’s public rela-tions and publicity officer, arranged a tourof the White House and Capitol via Rep.David Bonior (D-Mich.) for the Michigandelegation. A private meeting was alsoheld in Mr. Bonior’s Minority Whipoffice, where the Michigan congressmanpromised to give the national charter hisimmediate and personal attention.


Ukrainian American Veterans board meets to plan strategy

Architects take first steps toward establishing an organization


formal annual meeting and reorganization-al meeting of the executive board. Reportscovered the status of UNCUA and its sub-sidiary, the Cooperative Agency, the insur-ance side of the UNCUA based inChicago. Presentations were made also bythe president of the association, DmytroHryhorczuk, and the outgoing chairman ofthe board, Vsevolod Salenko.

Ms. Denysenko was elected chairmanof the board of UNCUA by the assembleddelegates. The board of directors compris-es one representative from each member-credit union. The following delegateswere elected to the presidium of theboard: Ihor Laszok, vice-president;Bohdan Watral, vice-president for externalaffairs; Ihor Rudko, secretary; RozaliaHolowka, treasurer; Bohdan Kekish, LewFutala, Valentine Olijnyk and Lubomyr

Lepeckyj, members. Mr. Hryhorczuk wasre-appointed president of the association.

The UNCUA is presently preparing forits semi-annual meeting and managers’conference. The semi-annual meeting is tobe held in conjunction with the anniver-sary celebrations of the UkrainianSelfreliance Hartford (Conn.) FCU duringthe September 30 - October 3 time frame.The managers’ conference is scheduledfor the fall in Detroit, to be jointly facilli-tated by the Ukrainian Future CreditUnion and Ukrainian SelfrelianceMichigan Federal Credit Union.

The next annual meeting of theUNCUA will be hosted by the UkrainianSelfreliance FCU in Philadelphia duringthe weekend beginning June 30, 2000.The annual meeting will be held in con-junction with the Ukrainian DiasporaOlympiad 2000 scheduled to be held atthe Tryzub Ukrainian American SportsCenter in Horsham, Pa., during the sameweekend.

(Continued from page 12)Credit union...

Ukrainian American Veterans at their informational display during the Joint Conferences’ gala on Saturday evening: (from left)Myroslaw Malaniak, Atanas Kobryn, Bohdan Samokyszyn, Mathew Koziak, Steven Szewczuk (UAV national commander),

Harold Bochonko and Michael Demchuk.During lunch at the Congressional

Dining Hall, Mr. Wichar met with Rep.Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who stated thathe would support the UAV’s drive for anational charter.

The UAV also arranged to have aninformational display booth during theJoint Conferences’ Saturday evening gala,the cocktail hour, banquet and ball. The

attractive stand featured interesting hand-outs, a display of post and national flags,and a veteran on duty at all times toanswer queries from visitors.

Steven Szewczuk, national commanderof UAV, stated that he was pleased withthe goals achieved by national executiveboard members during the JointConferences. “I believe this project was

long overdue,” Mr. Szewczuk stated, “andcertainly more interaction is neededbetween the professionals and non-profes-sionals alike.”

“Perhaps the leaders can assureUkrainians everywhere that this alliancewill bring about some new goals and acton common-ground issues that are impor-tant to all,” he added.

Roma Hadzewycz

How to reach

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efficient way to assist Ukraine. More criticalselection of effective equipment and techni-cal aid needs is essential, rather than dump-ing of costly medical equipment or near-expiration medications that end up in theback rooms of hospital directors’offices.

Better information access and gather-ing for good public health data on whichto base health care policy changes areneeded. The provision of current medicalinformation via various media, includingtextbooks, journals, video, telemedicineand the Internet to Ukrainian health careproviders is essential. The maintenanceof data banks on the countless ongoingprograms would go a long way towardcoordinating and maximizing limitedhumanitarian aid efforts.

In conclusion, the panelists agreed thatthe Ukrainian health care system must radi-cally change its outlook and proactivelyevolve rather than rely on the band-aidapproach of receiving Western experts andequipment that cannot be successfully inte-grated or employed in Ukraine. Most of thehuman and technical resources needed to

provide medical care to Ukraine are alreadyin place, but Ukraine has to undergo a com-plete metamorphosis by resetting prioritiesand rebuilding its current health care systembased on international models of reform.Ukraine must realize that the wheel neednot be reinvented in setting new local stan-dards on the provision of health care, but itdoes need to open itself to reform.

Assembly of UMANA DelegatesThe 28th Assembly of UMANA dele-

gates, consisting of an organizational meet-ing and elections, was held to propelUMANA into the next millennium.Myroslaw Kolenskyj, D.D.S., presided overthis section.

First, however, Dr. Hrycelak presentedthe 1999 UMANA Lifetime AchievementAward to Mykola Deychakiwsky ofBrecksville, Ohio, retired surgeon and civicactivist, for his many years of contributionto the community.

A new UMANA executive committeewas elected for 1999-2001 consisting of:

President Roman Goy, M.D., M.B.A.,Baltimore; President-Elect IhorVoyevidka, M.D., Reno, Nev.; Vice-President Bohdan Iwanetz, M.D., Lansing,Ill.; Secretary Andrew Browar, D.D.S.,Hinsdale, Ill.; Treasurer Andrew Iwach,M.D., San Francisco; Chapter PresidentRepresentative, Ihor Zachary, M.D.,Middleburg Heights, Ohio; and UMANAFoundation President George Hrycelak,M.D., Elmwood Park, Ill.

Following the general assembly, the newexecutive board met to outline a schedule ofmeetings and program goals for the nexttwo years.

In the immediate future, the UMANA isplanning to commemorate its 50th anniver-sary next year with formal celebrationsplanned in Chicago and New York City, andwith an UMANA family outing in theCaribbean during the winter. For furtherinformation contact: UMANA, 2247 W.Chicago Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60622; tele-phone, 1-888-RX-UMANA; fax, 1-888-558-6262; website, http://www.umana.org;e-mail, [email protected].

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Care Assistance to Ukraine,” focused onWestern humanitarian assistance and wasmoderated by Dr. Dutkewych who con-centrated on the activities of the PeaceCorps in Ukraine from 1993 to 1999,emphasizing its grassroots approach tofieldwork and introducing Western meth-ods of health education to empower thepublic in preventing disease.

Bernice Bennett, senior program officer,American International Health Alliance,outlined the AIHA Health PartnershipProgram and announced the formation offive additional new partnerships betweenU.S. health care institutions and their coun-terparts in Ukraine, including Donetsk-Pittsburgh, Kharkiv-LaCrosse, Wis., Kyiv-Philadelphia, Lviv-Cleveland and Odesa-Boulder, Colo. These new programs aregeared to foster more efficient and effectivehealth care delivery in Ukraine.

Orest Kozicky, M.D., co-founder of theSUM Emergency Medical Relief Fund,then spoke on the “mom and pop”approach used by the Ukrainian AmericanYouth Association (SUM), which has tar-geted small but highly successful individualstart-up projects, providing Western med-ical techniques and equipment at select hos-pitals in Ukraine.

Afterwards, Alexander Kuzma, J.D.,project coordinator for the Children ofChornobyl Relief Fund, emphasized theneed for the diaspora to develop a muchmore aggressive health care strategy with amuch bigger financial commitment than thecommunity has yet made, and with morecreative coalition-building with Americanhospitals, corporate donors and non-Ukrainian organizations.

Wladimir Werteleckyj, M.D., of theUkrainian American Birth Defects Projectfinished the session by commenting on thatprogram, which is modeled on the U.S.March of Dimes program, and its introduc-tion of a birth defect surveillance system inUkraine.

A separate presentation was made by aU.S. Agency for International Development(USAID) representative, Paul M. Holmes,who spoke on “U.S.-Based Efforts inUkraine.” Unexpectedly for his audience,Mr. Holmes emphasized the unique roleand dedication that Ukrainian Americansbring to humanitarian efforts to Ukraine.

Dr. Kohut moderated the final panel dis-cussion on “Directions for Future MedicalAssistance to Ukraine.”

In this panel, Dr. Hryhorczuk spoke onthe potential of building the capacity ofUkrainian health institutes through researchand training partnerships. One such exam-ple is the National Institutes of Health’sFogarty International Center-funded pro-gram at the University of Illinois School ofPublic Health in environmental and occu-pational health, which is based in Ukraine.

Zenon Matkiwsky, D.O., co-founder andpresident of the Children of ChornobylRelief Fund, emphasized that community-based efforts are the future for real changein Ukraine’s health care. Dr. Matkiwskyspoke on the necessity of providing techni-cal and material medical aid directly to pro-gressive primary care physicians, therebycompletely bypassing the apparatchiks whohave gotten Ukrainian health care into itscurrent dismal state.

The above panelists plus Dr. Dutkewych,Daniel A. Hoffman, Ph.D., and Ivan M.Solonenko, M.D., Ph.D., then summarizedtheir positions. There appeared to be a gen-eral consensus that public health projects,including the control and prevention of epi-demiological conditions, including infec-tious diseases such as HIV, diphtheria, TB,and drug use, are arguably the most cost


(Continued from page 10)UMANA discusses...


institution, the bank gave capital of $2.5million to the foundation; shareholders latervoted another $2.5 million in stocks to thefoundation.

Mr. Kulas noted that new legislation pro-vides that fraternals can create thrift institu-tions. “Perhaps the only way to save our fra-ternals is for them to unite and create a bankfrom which they could support their frater-nal activity,” he suggested.

Bohdan Watral, vice-chair for externalaffairs of the Ukrainian National CreditUnion Association, stated that the UNCUAtoday encompasses 22 credit unions, 75,000family members, over $1 billion in assetsand a combined reserve of $200 million. Healso pointed to the rebirth of the creditunion movement in Ukraine, where approx-imately 300 such institutions now exist.

He concluded by exhorting the audience:“Visit your Ukrainian credit union,Ukrainian fraternal, Ukrainian bank – we allare committed to preserving our heritageand helping our community to prosper.”

Tamara Denysenko, general managerand CEO of the Rochester UkrainianFederal Credit Union and the newly electedchair of the UNCUA board of directors,noted that credit unions have a commonbond: “They fill a special niche in our com-munity.” They offer share accounts withhigher dividends, savings and investmentopportunities, retirement accounts, bankcards, credit cards and low-cost loans; someare exploring home and Internet banking.

Sponsored by Self Reliance associations,Churches, fraternals and others, creditunions have helped the community buildchurches, seniors centers and communitycenters, and they have helped home buyers.“They are now the main conduit for thefourth wave’s (new immigrants fromUkraine) integration into the Ukrainiancommunity,” Ms. Denysenko added.

Political empowermentRepresentatives of the two major

American political parties and a former

congressman from Philadelphia were thespeakers on a panel discussing “PoliticalEmpowerment of the Ukrainian AmericanCommunity” that was chaired by MichaelSawkiw Jr., director of the UkrainianNational Information Service inWashington.

Thomas Albert, director of EthnicOutreach for the Democratic NationalCommittee, informed his audience thatthere are two ways in which ethnicAmericans can become involved in theDemocratic Party: Leadership Councils thatencompass various ethnic groups andEthnic Coordinating Councils that are set upin states and key ethnic cities during elec-tion years.

Robert George, director of coalitions forthe Republican National Committee,explained that his position deals with busi-ness, policy and ethnic groups. He notedthat the Republican Party has a HeritageCouncil, as well as task forces that it uses togauge concerns of ethnic groups and “tofind out how we can address those con-cerns.” He added that party representativesattend conferences such as this, and try toreach ethnic communities in various otherways, including via the ethnic media.

Charles Dougherty, who represented thePhiladelphia area in the House ofRepresentatives in 1979-1983, and wasfounder and chairman of the Ad HocCommittee on the Baltic States andUkraine, focused his remarks on “the why,where and how of your participation in theAmerican political process, which is vital tothe freedom of Ukraine.”

He then posed a series of questions to hisaudience: “Why is there a requirement forcertification on aid to Ukraine, but not toRussia? Why is most-favored-nation tradestatus given permanently to China, but notto Ukraine? Why do Ukrainians have totravel to Warsaw for immigration visas?Why is the Russian spelling of Ukrainiannames used? Why is NATO expansion pro-moted for Lithuania, but not for Ukraine?”

The answer: “We do not yet have thepolitical presence in the U.S. Congress tooffset the Russian mindset of theRussophiles in the U.S. State Department.”

That is why, the former representative fromPennsylvania said, “Individually and collec-tively, we must gather together and becomeactive in the political system.”

Mr. Dougherty concluded by stating thatUkrainian organizations should run voterregistration drives every year and invitecongressmen every year to come to someevent and, “if they don’t come, support theiropponent in the next election.”

He continued: “individuals, if they careabout Ukraine, are obligated to get person-ally involved in campaigns” and shouldinvite the candidates to speak, help raisemoney, go door-to-door, go to town meet-ings. If candidates are not aware ofUkrainian issues, he advised, “take this asan opportunity to educate them.” In addi-tion, “everyone should have a personal rela-tionship with his/her congressman” –should write to congressmen and travel toWashington to meet with them.

“Think about this: Will our grandchil-dren’s grandchildren live in a world whereUkraine is free, independent, democratic,secure and prosperous, or in a world where‘the’ Ukraine is a junior partner in a greatermother Russia? What we do will determinethat,” he stated.

Direction for our organizationsThe finale to the Joint Conferences of

Ukrainian American Organizations was anopen panel discussion headlined “FindingDirection for Our Organizations.”

Dr. Roman Goy, coordinator of the JointConferences, served as moderator for thissession, inviting representatives of anycommunity organizations to join the panelat the front of the hall. He began by statingthat the goal of this particular session was“to provide a framework for some sort offollow-through” to the Joint Conferences.He then set the stage for further discussionby noting that not all is fine within theUkrainian American community and thattoo often community members are faultedfor the decline of Ukrainian Americanorganizations. In contrast, he recalled,“When IBM was in crisis, they didn’t blamethe public, the consumers. They blamedthemselves and fired the board.”

Dr. Goy cited some of the problems thatplague the community as a whole, such aslack of cooperation among organizations,due in part to the fact that the umbrellaorganizations do not unite everyone andthus anyone outside the umbrella is left outof the loop. In addition, the umbrella organ-izations are perceived to be politicized,which further hinders cooperation, he said.

He concluded with a suggestion: “to cre-ate a council of leaders, a network of equalsto meet once a year, or as often as needed,in a forum that would not be politically con-

trolled” in order to benefit like the JointConferences from synergy.

Participants in the discussion who repre-sented diverse community organizationswere: Zenia Chernyk, Ukrainian Federationof America; Orest Deychakiwsky, TheWashington Group; Ulana Diachuk,Ukrainian National Association; LarissaFontana, Ukrainian American CommunityNetwork; Ihor Gawdiak, UkrainianAmerican Coordinating Council; NusiaKerda, Ukrainian National Credit UnionAssociation; Iryna Kurowyckyj, UkrainianNational Women’s League of America;Askold Lozynskyj, Ukrainian CongressCommittee of America; Walter Nazarewicz,Ukrainian Institute of America; BohdannaPochoday, Ukrainian American BarAssociation; and Lubomyr Romankiw,Plast Ukrainian Youth Organization.

All had an opportunity to react to Dr.Goy’s opening statement and to presenttheir own ideas. The overwhelming majori-ty of the leaders agreed that the proposal fora council of leaders of Ukrainian organiza-tions should be put into effect. Mr.Deychakiwsky underlined that a conferenceof presidents should “serve as a consultativemechanism to achieve consensus on activityand should not be seen as a threat to any-body.”

Mr. Gawdiak pointed out that theUkrainian American community is “diverse,but has elements of unity.” He agreed that“we need a council of presidents to meetinformally, once in a while, to confer andset direction for our community.” Mrs.Kurowyckyj noted that “we need a coalitionof our organizations to work together, and Ibelieve this conference has given us theopportunity to do this.”

Mrs. Diachuk observed that, “we mustspeak with each other more, look each otherin the eye and work jointly to solve ourproblems.” Her comments were echoed byDr. Romankiw, who added, “we have toseize the moment to aid Ukraine because, atthis point, Ukraine can go either in thedirection of Russia or the West.”

The only leader to express reservationsabout the idea of a “council of presidents”was UCCA President Lozynskyj who,while outlining an agenda for communityactivity, stated that there “should be a line ofcommunication, not a structure – we do notneed yet another community organization.”

At the conclusion of the discussion, Dr.Goy offered the good offices of theUMANA to coordinate the first meeting ofcommunity leaders. “But we need the com-munity to call us and let us know who youare,” he said to the organizations’ represen-tatives and, by extension, to the entire com-munity. Interested organizations may call 1-888-RX-UMANA (toll-free).


by Michael BociurkiwSpecial to The Ukrainian Weekly

ARLINGTON, Va. – Quietly, on thesidelines of the Ukrainian mega-con-ference in metropolitan Washington,several journalists of Ukrainiandescent gathered to discuss the forma-tion of a professional Ukrainian jour-nalists’ association.

Though nothing formal was enact-ed, a consensus emerged to pressahead with plans for an inauguralmeeting later this year, probably in theNortheast region of the United States.

Journalists of Ukrainian descent –or those who cover Ukraine or have aninterest in Ukrainian issues – have hadno effective means by which to com-municate, network, seek peer support,or just meet on a regular basis.

The purpose of the fall gathering willbe to discuss some of the goals andobjectives of the proposed group. Whilegeared to bona fide journalists – bothfull-time and freelance – some of thegroup’s future activities might alsoappeal to academics, government offi-cials, information officers and publicrelations professionals. Editors and writ-ers from “new media” organizationsmight also find the activities of interest.

Some directions this group will con-

sider taking include: professionaldevelopment, for example, seminarsand lectures on journalism-relatedissues and developments in Ukraineand Eastern Europe; informationexchange via an interactive websiteand newsletter; networking, usingknowledge, contacts and experience insuch areas as story ideas; peer supportand assistance; job search and careercounseling; and social events.

During informal discussions inWashington, several journalistsemphasized a desire to launch projectsinvolving journalists and news organi-zations in Ukraine. There was a desireto create opportunities to assist col-leagues in Ukraine, where journalistsare often threatened or censored, aswell as to help elevate the standards ofjournalism in Ukraine.

To date, a core group of well over adozen professional journalists fromprint and broadcast media haveexpressed interest in the formation ofthis new group.

Interested individuals should con-tact: Michael Bociurkiw, PMB 162,16625 Redmond Way, Suite M,Redmond, WA 98052; telephone,(425) 985-7894 or 739-0167; voicemail/fax, (416) 352-5068; e-mail,[email protected]

(Continued from page 15)Final day devoted...

Seen during the panel on the role of financial institutions are: (from left) Ulana Diachuk, Bohdan Kekish and Dmytro Hryhorczuk.

Journalists meet informally

Roma Hadzewycz

International Center for Scholars, andSherman W. Garnett, a senior associate atthe Carnegie Endowment for InternationalPeace who two years ago authored “AKeystone in the Arch: Ukraine in the NewPolitical Geography of Central and EasternEurope.”

Presenting the U.S. government view-point was John E. Tedstrom, director ofRussian, Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs atthe National Security Council. The panel’smoderator was Nadia M. Diuk, regionaldirector for Central and Eastern Europe andthe new independent states at the NationalEndowment for Democracy.

Ambassador Miller, who had justreturned from a visit to Ukraine, said that,as the front-runner, incumbent PresidentLeonid Kuchma has all of the necessaryelements to win the election. “But the dis-content must not be underestimated,” headded, noting that the numerous economicproblems, a lack of reform and corruptionscandals could dissipate his popularity.Ambassador Miller surprised some in theaudience by saying that the democrats willnot vote for Mr. Kuchma, and, in a runoff,some of them would opt for the socialistcandidate, Oleksander Moroz, whoseintegrity is widely respected.

Dr. Garnett said Ukraine is still being runby oligarchic elites, and major decisions aremade behind closed doors. He said Ukraine“belongs” to neither East nor West. It is akey country, wedged between importantneighbors, and it will always be an issue forEurope whether or not it is considered to bewithin its borders.

The NSC’s Mr. Tedstrom commendedUkraine on its “European choice.” But hepointed out that this policy has yet to beresolved at the grassroots level.

He said the Ukrainian government nowfaces two important short-term challengesif it is to retain Western support: it mustmaintain its macro-economic stability andensure that the presidential election is con-ducted in a free and fair manner.

Asked about the seemingly insurmount-able problems Ukrainians have in trying toobtain a visa to visit the United States, Mr.Tedstrom said that changes are being made.“We’ve heard your message and have takensteps to fix the problem,” he said, withoutgetting into specifics.

U.S.-Ukraine business cooperationThe U.S.-Ukraine business cooperation

panel was organized jointly with theUkrainian American Bar Association, andUABA President Bohdanna Pochoday wasthe moderator.

The chief of the Trade and EconomicMission at the Ukrainian Embassy,Yaroslav Voitko, said that Ukraine’s foreigninvestment needs are “immense,” requiringan estimated $40 billion over the next fewyears.

Of the thousand U.S. companies doingbusiness in Ukraine, less than 1 percenthave problems, and these, Dr. Voitko said,have received “too much attention” in theUnited States.

Volodymyr Chornodolsky of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council focused hisremarks on recent positive developments inUkraine, including the privatization of 50percent of Ukraine’s grain silos, some taxreforms, the acceptance of Westernaccounting standards and auditing methods,and new investments by some large U.S.firms.

Dr. Bohdan Budzan, the director generalof the International Management Institutein Kyiv, underscored the importance ofbusiness education in building a strongereconomy in Ukraine. More attention should


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be paid to manpower development andtraining in trying to accelerate economicgrowth and reform, he said.

Markian Silecky, whose law firm assistsWestern businesses in Ukraine, said that,for the near future, Ukraine, unfortunately,will remain a “paper-pushing, seal-and-stamp society.” What takes a regulatoryoffice in the United States 24 hours toaccomplish, he said, takes five to six weeksin Ukraine. To succeed, he said, a business-man must always expect the unexpectedand have a high degree of dedication andperseverance.

The fourth panelist, Kyiv attorneyDanylo Kourdelchouk, described his firm’sefforts to obtain reparations for Ukrainianswho did forced labor for German firms dur-ing World War II.

Trafficking in womenThe most riveting session of the confer-

ence “Trafficking of Women fromUkraine,” came at the very end. It wasorganized jointly with theWashington/Baltimore Chapter of theUkrainian National Women’s League ofAmerica (UNWLA).

The issue was addressed by IreneKurowyckyj, newly elected president of theUNWLA; Hanya Krill of LaStrada-Ukraineand Brama Gateway; Anita Botti, whoheads the President’s Interagency TaskForce dealing with that issue; NataliaZarudna of the Embassy of Ukraine; andWalter Zalisko of the Jersey City PoliceDepartment. Xenia Jowyk of the UNWLAWashington/Baltimore chapter was themoderator.

The first panelist, Mrs. Kurowyckyj pre-sented some of the facts and figures regard-ing this “modern form of slavery” and sex-ual exploitation in Western Europe, theMiddle East and North America. The rootcause is economic, she said, citing the factthat more than 70 percent of the unem-ployed in Ukraine are women.

Ms. Krill recalled receiving an advertise-ment request at the Brama website seekingpretty Ukrainian women to do “secretarialwork” in Bahrain. And one could hear a pindrop in the hall when Ms. Krill closed herpresentation by reading an article by ayoung woman from Donetsk, named Nadia,describing in detail how she was lured by ajob offer in Germany and forced into a lifeof prostitution.

Ms. Botti pointed out that the traffickingproblem is worldwide; and it is dividedequally between forced labor and sexual

exploitation. At its source it is an economicproblem, she said. “Unless the economy isdealt with, you will not solve the issue,” shestressed.

Ms. Zarudna enumerated some of thesteps taken by the Ukrainian government intrying to stem the tide of trafficking, includ-ing the passage of a law against it and coop-eration with other governments and organi-zations internationally. She said thatUkrainian Americans could help by lobby-ing for, among other things, the passage ofanti-trafficking laws in the United States,providing legitimate employment opportu-

nities for these women, and the establish-ment of hotlines and shelters, where thesevictims could find assistance and refuge.

Mr. Zalisko, a Jersey City detective,recounted his undercover experiences ininvestigating the trafficking and sexualexploitation problem in New Jersey, wherehe visited numerous “go-go” bars featuringmany women from Ukraine, Russia andother East European countries illegallybrought to the United States and forced intoprostitution. He, too, stressed that there is aneed for shelters for these women, who nowhave nowhere to turn for help.

John E. Tedstrom of the National Security Council gets a chance to answer a few questions about the visa policy at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv during a TWG conference panel on the political situation in Ukraine.


Yaro Bihun


thing has been lost, that we exist and willcontinue to exist.

Another big success is that nearly 70percent of the participants were youngpeople, and this is a very big plus becausethese young people are professionals.They met with each other, and they sawthere were many of them and that this agreat power. This is very positive for ourentire society in the United States and inthe diaspora as a whole.

And I would say that the following isthe most important: that the conferencetook place, that it attracted many peopleand that there were so many young peo-ple. Even though they attended their vari-ous conferences, among them will be sev-eral leaders who will take the reins of thecommunity, who will fund activities. Itwill be community work of a differenttype than we are used to.

What the conference lacked, for me,was a solid panel at which we could dis-cuss the present state of the Ukrainiancommunity in the U.S. and the diaspora,and look into the future. The last sessionof the conference was very ad hoc, notwell-organized; also, it should have beenheld in the middle of the conference sothat young people could have been there[many had left by Sunday afternoon].

But, all in all, this was a job well done– congratulations to the organizers. Thesecond conference will be even better.

Eugene Stakhiv, Ph.D., engineer,Fairfax Station, Va.: The conferencewas a terrific idea. There is great value in

having such interaction – in getting all ofthe Ukrainian professional communitytalking and meeting at the same time. TheWashington Group, especially, tried tobring together all the salient points at itsconference.

During our own [engineers’] sessionwe had high-level people and were ableto see the full range of activity, the ice-berg below the surface, as regards cooper-ation between the U.S. and Ukraine inscience and technology. We were able toget a broad overview of the many initia-tives under way. For example, Dr. GeorgeGamota spoke about business incubatorprograms that take good science and tech-nology and convert them into good busi-ness. I learned a lot.

Theodor Kostiuk, Ph.D., astrophysi-cist, Seabrook, Md.: The UkrainianEngineers Society meeting was unique. Itwas not a technical meeting, but focusedon science and technology that addressescooperation between the United Statesand Ukraine. It also looked at technologyas a whole and noted how rapid changesin recent years have altered the waysthings are done in society, diplomacy,business. At the engineers’ session therewas an examination of the possibilitiesfor cooperation between Ukraine and theU.S., as well as the international commu-nity.

The conference was extremely suc-cessful, highly attended and an opportuni-ty to really learn what the Ukrainian com-munity does as a whole. I learned a lotabout activity that is not publicized.

Angela Phillips Diaz, director, HumanSpace Flight and Research Division,

NASA, Washington: Through the Gore-Kuchma Commission summits we identi-fied the opportunities for [bilateral] cooper-ation, building on the expertise of Ukraine.At this conference of Ukrainian profession-als I wanted to underline how much wevalue the partnership between NASA andthe National Space Agency of Ukraine, toemphasize that Ukrainians bring significantexpertise to the space community and thatit is a privilege to work with them. We lookto future cooperation.

Yaroslav Yatskiv, director, MainAstronomical Observatory, NationalAcademy of Sciences of Ukraine: It isextraordinarily symbolic to hold a confer-ence on this level. Here we had a NASAofficial, Ukrainian professionals from theU.S. and representatives of Ukraine allcome together. Ten years ago we couldnot even have imagined this. It was adream. Here we could inform our col-leagues that we have great scientific andindustrial potential, that we can be con-sidered a serious partner.

I believe this conference was veryneeded by Ukrainian professionals sincethey should understand their role haschanged. They serve as a bridge betweenUkraine’s potential and industry and busi-ness of the U.S. for the benefit ofUkraine. And this has been practicallyaccomplished at this conference.

Martha Bohachevsky-Chomiak, his-torian, Washington: Like the “UkrainianWoman in Two Worlds” conference[organized in 1982 by the UkrainianNational Women’s League of America],this conference also was a shocker in thatno one expected that so many peoplewould show up – and so many young

people showed up here. That merely shows that we have to

change the style of our organizationalwork and put greater emphasis on ourspecialized organizations that function –not on the basis of an ideology or a pro-gram – but on the basis of specific activi-ties and interest groups. And these peoplewill find the time and will be able to worktogether because of communality on par-ticular projects.

This conference also shows you haveto let people do their own thing. It isn’tnecessary to establish directives and poli-cy from on high. We have a developedcivil society; people know how to func-tion in groups – you have to let themfunction in groups. And, the consensusthat emerged at the last session [of theconference] on the need for the presi-dents of the various organizations to meetwas really worth the efforts of the confer-ence.

It shows that this generation is a newgeneration of people whose organization-al styles evolved into something different;if we try to put them into organizationsthat evolved with styles irrelevant tothem, we will not have vibrant organiza-tions in our community.

Adrian Baranetsky, M.D., ShortHills, N.J.: The Joint Conferences were acommunal epiphany – the self-realizationthat together we can do it: we can inte-grate with the mainstream while main-taining our Ukrainian identity and institu-tions into the future. The conference’stheme, “Synergy,” reflected the collabora-tion of our professional and civic cadres,uniting their expertise for the good of thewhole community.

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28 July 11, 1999