Chernobyl disaster remembered

Twenty-nine years ago on April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl (or “Chornobyl”) nuclear power plant in Ukraine, officially known at the time as Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, exploded and covered most of the territories of Ukraine, Belarus and the southwest part of Russia with massive deadly radiation. The puppet government of the Ukrainian SSR had control over neither Chernobyl nor any other nuclear power plants in Ukraine. The Kremlin in Moscow had full control of everything. If there would have been a way to control radiation from “escaping” outside of the Soviet Union (like it was pretty effectively done with news about the life of Soviet citizens), the world would have been unaware of this disaster. Unfortunately for Soviet Russia, high levels of radiation were discovered in Sweden and eventually also in other countries, and Moscow had to admit that there was an explosion and radiation was leaking.

    The actual number of victims of the disaster will never be known, because the official report stated that only a handful of responders were killed, and the number of individuals who died from radiation-caused illnesses was never reported. Many cause-of-deaths were listed as other than radiation.

    The nuclear disaster forced hundreds of thousands of people of this Kyivan Polissia region to leave their homes and villages.

    North Port branch 56 of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, known as “Soyuz Ukrayinok” (union of Ukrainian ladies), headed by Ann-Marie Susla of Englewood, organized and presented a Chernobyl exhibit last Sunday as part of the Earth Day program at Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey. The exhibit was set up by UNWLA members Neonilia Lechman and professor Vira Bodnaruk, both of Venice, with their husbands, Wolodymyr Lechman and Dr. Bohdan Bodnaruk, providing much-needed assistance. Many UNWLA members and guests came to the exhibit and assisted Neonilia and Vira, including Ann-Marie and John Susla, Areta and George Baranowskyj, Vira Hrabetz, Tania Silecky, Slawa Maluk, Lesia Popel, Christyna Bodnar-Sheldon, Lidia and Eugene Mychalowych, Ina Kolesnichenko, Bohdanna Bilowchtchuk and Iwanna Holowaty.

    This Sunday, immediately following the divine liturgy (Mass), there will be “Panakhyda” (special prayer service for the dead) celebrated for the repose of souls of all victims of the Chernobyl disaster. The service is sponsored by the Coordinating Committee of Ukrainian American clubs and organizations of North Port and vicinity, headed by Roma Harasymiak-Guran of Venice. Representatives of local organizations, including Cpl. Roman

G. Lazor Post 40 of the Ukrainian American Veterans, Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida and others, will hold lighted candles during the service.
                                                                            • • •
    The Chornobyl Songs Project Concert will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday in New York City at the Ukrainian Museum at 222 E. Sixth St. The ensemble “Hilka” and ethnomusicologist/ singer Maria Sovevytsky (of Bard College) will feature the polyphonic village singing styles of Ukraine’s Chernobyl region. The Yara Arts Group and Veveritse Brass Band will join the performance.

    The featured Chernobyl songs are part of the about-tobe released CD by Smithsonian Folkways, “Chornobyl Songs Project: Living Culture from a Lost World by Ensemble Hilka.”

    Atanas Kobryn covers the Ukrainian community for the North Port Sun. He can be emailed at atanask@aol.com.

Our Neighbors — The Ukrainians

by Atanas Kobryn

 

New leadership at ‘Oseredok’

    St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Religious and Cultural Center, known to Ukrainians as the “Oseredok” (center), the cultural, nonpolitical and nondenominational center of the Southwest Florida Ukrainian American community, held its annual membership meeting last month, 40 years after the first organizational meeting of 12 Ukrainian American families on Jan. 14, 1975, at the home of the late Vasyl and Tetyana Chubaty in North Port.

    The meeting was chaired by past president of the Oseredok, Roman Shramenko, who also presented a brief but very detailed history of the center, from the aforementioned first meeting through the growth of the community, construction of the building, blessing of the building by both Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox clergy who had relayed the blessings of two metropolitans, Mstyslav Skrypnyk of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Myroslav Lubachivsky of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and development of various activities and programs that both united and still serve the Southwest Florida Ukrainian American community, including many Canadian Ukrainians who either settled here or visit the area regularly.

    Shramenko especially acknowledged the important role in the first several years of the organizational and construction activities of the late Canadian Federal Senator Paul Yuzyk, who visited this area every summer with his wife Maria, and the first president of the Oseredok, the late Volodymyr Riznyk and his wife Paulina. Yuzyk and Riznyk were natives of Canada and the United States, respectively, yet they were very active in the Ukrainian Canadian and Ukrainian American churches and organizations all their lives, and their contribution to the organizing of the Oseredok and establishing it as the center of the community were immeasurable.

    Following the mandated reports of officers and committee chairs, election of new Oseredok leadership for the year 2015-2016 took place. Elected were: professor Victor Lisnyczyj, president; Daria Tomashosky, vice president; Dr. Bohdan Bodnaruk, secretary; Mykola Kompanijec, treasurer; Klara Szpiczka, Membership Committee chair; professor Vira Bodnaruk and Halyna Lisnyczyj, Cultural Affairs Committee co-chairs; Maria Nikitin, Social Services; Eugene Tomashosky, property manager; and three members-at-large, Anna Macilienski, Orysia Swystun and Vladimir Szpiczka. Auditing Committee members are Mykola Weremijenko, Odarka Horbachevsky and Victor Kaplij.
                                                • • •
    Ukrainian Christians in Ukraine and many Ukrainian Americans and Ukrainian Canadians, including our Southwest Florida community, celebrated last Sunday “Velykden” (greatest day, as Ukrainians refer to Easter). In preparation for the holiday, there were traditional blessings of festive food baskets last Saturday afternoon at both North Port Ukrainian churches. Special services and a solemn divine liturgy containing resurrection canons and prayers appropriate for Easter took place last Sunday. After the church services, there were communal Easter dinners in the church halls for parishioners and guests who preferred not to have Easter dinner at their homes.

    My lovely and loving wife Katrusia, confined to a wheelchair, nevertheless decided to prepare both a food basket for the blessing (which I was happy to take to the church to be blessed last Saturday), and almost a full Easter dinner, which we enjoyed last Sunday at home with our visiting oldest son, Alexander Zenon Kobryn of Lakeland. Katrusia and I appreciate the generosity and friendliness of the local chapter of “Soyuz Ukrayinok” for a gift of Easter goodies, including “babka,” before the holidays.

    In Ukraine, both Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are legal national holidays, and Easter Tuesday is also a holiday, with religious services only.

    Atanas Kobryn covers the Ukrainian community for the North Port Sun. He can be emailed at atanask@aol.com. 

Our Neighbors — The Ukrainians

by Atanas Kobryn

Ukrainian American Club scholarship winner named

The annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon sponsored by the Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida, headed by Daria Tomashosky of North Port, held March 31 at Heron Creek Golf & Country Club was a resounding success. After welcoming and greeting members and guests, introducing several important guests, and conducting a brief business meeting, Daria asked the Very Rev. John Fatenko, pastor of Southwest Florida Ukrainian Orthodox faithful and the de facto Ukrainian American Club’s chaplain, to provide the invocation, then turned the meeting over to professor Victor Lisnyczyj, chairman of the Scholarship Committee. Over 70 members and guests then enjoyed a delicious buffet luncheon provided by Heron Creek’s catering service, with cake and coffee for dessert.

    Lisnyczyj introduced all members of the Scholarship Committee — Lidia Bilous, Ihor W. Hron, Christyna Sheldon, Katherine Steciuk and Eugene Tomashosky, then presented a slide show of all past scholarship recipients. Letters from the three scholarship recipients were read by Katherine Steciuk (2011 recipient Francesca Tebano), Ihor W. Hron (2012 recipient Kayley M. Taylor) and Lidia Bilous (2014 recipient Shaye W. McKee).

    The most important segment of the gathering, the presentation of this year’s Scholarship Award, followed. Lisnyczyj introduced the 2015 award recipient, Port Charlotte High School graduating senior Valerie Segebre, and her parents, and presented her with a $1,000 scholarship. After reading her winning essay, Valerie spoke briefly, expressing her appreciation for the award. The affair concluded with photographs of Valerie with her family and with the Scholarship Awards Committee.
                                                 • • •
    The April monthly membership meeting of North Port’s Cpl. Roman G. Lazor Post 40 of the Ukrainian American Veterans at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Religious and Cultural Center (known as the “Oseredok”) last Friday was chaired by Post Commander Col. Roman Rondiak, USA (Ret.). After the traditional formalities (salute and Pledge of Allegiance, invocation and moment of silence for departed comrades), post finance officer Oleh Sawkiw presented his report, which was approved after a brief discussion. The minutes of the previous meeting, distributed via mail and email, were also approved.

    Members then discussed the plans for activities during the next three months, including the post’s participation in the Chernobyl disaster commemoration, Venice Memorial Garden’s Memorial Day program on May 22, “Panakhyda” (brief prayer service) May 26 for the repose of souls of all departed veterans, and the community Memorial Day observance at North Port’s Veterans Park on May 25, as well as May and June monthly membership meetings. The next meeting will be held at 3 p.m. May 1 at the Oseredok.
                                                 • • •
    Ukrainian Christians in Ukraine and many Ukrainians, Ukrainian Americans and Ukrainian Canadians outside of Ukraine, including our community in Southwest Florida, will celebrate this Sunday the “Greatest Day,” or “Velykden,” as Ukrainians refer to the Easter holiday.

    The celebration on Sunday will be preceded by a series of Passion services today through Saturday. The blessing of traditional Ukrainian Easter food baskets containing babkas and paskas (special Ukrainian Easter breads), sausage, ham, cheese, butter, eggs and “pysanky” (artistically hand-decorated Easter eggs) and horseradish will be held Friday afternoon at both Ukrainian churches in North Port. 

 Atanas Kobryn  covers the Ukrainian community for the North Port Sun. He can be emailed at atanask@aol.com.

Our Neighbors — The Ukrainians

 by Atanas Kobryn

Ukrainian American Club meeting and other activities

     The Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida, headed by Daria Tomashosky of North Port, will hold its monthly membership meeting tonight and Scholarship Awards Luncheon March 31. The meeting will take place at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Religious and Cultural Center (known as the “Oseredok”), 4100 S. Biscayne Drive, starting at 6 p.m. The Scholarship Luncheon will take place at noon March 31 at Heron Creek Golf & Country Club, off Sumter Boulevard.

    Tonight’s membership meeting will feature an interesting guest speaker, Halya Klymuk, a Southwest Florida resident, educator and community activist who traveled extensively, including to Ukraine during the past several years. What she’s witnessed in that country has been turbulent and tragic, but also full of heroism and dedication to the ideals of freedom and democracy. She participated in “Euromaidan,” the Ukrainian “Revolution of Dignity” (Nov. 23, 2013-Feb. 22, 2014), which resulted in over 100 deaths caused by Russian sharpshooters and local thugs of former president Yanukovych, who eventually fled to Russia. She also visited the Ukrainian military units who are fighting local terrorists and special units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, whose presence in Ukraine Russian president Putin continues to deny.

    Ms. Klymuk’s presentation will be preceded by the business meeting, with reports of officers and committee chairs, and will follow the traditional coffee and homebaked pastry reception. All are invited to attend the meeting, Ms. Klymuk’s presentation and reception.

    The traditional Scholarship Awards Luncheon, under the auspices of the club’s Scholarship Committee chaired by professor Victor Lisnychyj of North Port, will include the introduction of this year’s scholarship recipient, a graduating senior of North Port or Port Charlotte high schools, and the presentation of the $1,000 scholarship award. The tasty Heron Creek Golf & Country Club buffet luncheon is $25 per person. Tickets must be ordered in advance.
                                                             • • •
    St. Andrew’s is sponsoring another popular event, the Pre-Easter Bazaar and food fest, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. There will be a Ukrainian arts and craft exhibit, demonstration of “writing” Ukrainian Easter eggs known as “pysanky” (from the word “pysaty,” to write), a bake sale including Easter “babka,” and many other items for purchase. Ukrainian food will be available to eat on site or for takeout. To preorder ring kielbasa, babka and “varenyky” (pierogies), call 941-786-5256 or 941-539-1490.

    A special feature at this year’s bazaar will be Ukrainian dancers from St. Petersburg at 2 p.m. There is ample free parking. All are welcome.
                                                              • • •
    The monthly meeting of Cpl. Roman G. Lazor Post 40 of the Ukrainian American Veterans will take place at 3 p.m. April 3 at the Oseredok. Finance officer Oleh Sawkiw is reminding all members who have not yet submitted their membership dues of $30 that this meeting will be the last chance to do it. Our share of UAV national dues must be submitted to UAV headquarters by April 15.

    Atanas Kobryn covers the Ukrainian community for the North Port Sun. He can be emailed at atanask@aol.com.

Our Neighbors — The Ukrainians

by Atanas Kobryn

Pre-Easter bazaars and other activities

    The Southwest Florida Ukrainian American community will be busy during the second half of this month with some very popular and interesting activities, in addition to strictly religious services and prayers appropriate for the Holy Lent, known to Ukrainians as “Velykyi Pist” (great fast).

    On Friday, from 9 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., the very popular Pre-Easter Bazaar at the Ukrainian Catholic Parish of St. Mary’s will be held. It will take place in the Parish Center located next to the church at 1078 N. Biscayne Drive at the corner of West Price Boulevard in North Port. Traditional Ukrainian American dinners, which include a selection of varenyky (pierogis), holubtsi (cabbage rolls), sausage and other delicacies, will be served from noon until closing. Coffee and pastries will be available all day. Takeout will be available also, but the kitchen management would appreciate advance ordering for larger orders. In addition to food items, there will be many items available for purchase, including the world-renowned “pysanky” (Ukrainian hand-decorated Easter eggs) and other gift items. Iwanna Holowaty and Oksana Lew, both of Venice, are co-chairs of the Bazaar Committee. For more information, call 941-423-2427.

    On March 28, between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., there will be another, just as popular Pre-Easter Bazaar at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Religious and Cultural Center (known as the “Oseredok”), at 4100 S. Biscayne Drive in North Port. There will also be all kinds of items available for purchase, including baked goods such as babkas, pysanky, house articles, books and other gift items. Traditional Ukrainian food will also be available to eat on-site, or for takeout. For more information, contact Gene Tomashosky at 941-786-5256 or St. Andrew’s at 941-426-9745.

    On March 31, the traditional annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon, sponsored by the Scholarship Committee of the Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida, headed by Daria Tomashosky of North Port, will be held at noon at Heron Creek Golf & Country Club. Tickets, at $25 per person, should be ordered in advance by mailing a check payable to the Ukrainian American Club to Nancy Wosny, Club Treasurer, 6167 Otis Road, North Port, FL 34287. Tickets will not be available at the door.

    The Scholarship Committee, headed by professor Victor Lisnyczyj of North Port, solicited applications for scholarships from North Port High School seniors, and for the first time, from seniors at Port Charlotte High. Only one $1,000 scholarship will be awarded at the luncheon.
                                                      • • •
    The monthly membership meeting of the Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida will be at 6 p.m. March 25 at the Oseredok. Several important issues will be discussed, and President Daria is asking all members to attend. Nonmembers are always welcome to attend and to socialize at the end of the meeting over a cup of coffee and delicious home-baked pastry.

    Atanas Kobryn covers the Ukrainian community for the North Port Sun. He can be emailed at atanask@aol.com.

Our Neighbors — The Ukrainians

by Atanas Kobryn

‘Free Nadiya Savchenko Day’

      In addition to celebrating International Women’s Day, Ukrainian women’s organizations in Ukraine and throughout the world, including the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America called for all to observe March 8 as “Free Nadiya Savchenko Day” by holding rallies and fasting. The North Port Ukrainian American community also held special “Molebens” (prayers) at the conclusion of last Sunday’s liturgies in both Ukrainian churches here, St. Andrew’s and St. Mary’s.

    Ukrainian military paratrooper and pilot Nadiya Savchenko was captured in 2014 by the Russian-supported terrorists in Eastern Ukraine and clandestinely transferred across the border to Russia. Russian authorities charged her with involvement in the death of two Russian journalists during the anti-terrorist action in the Donbas region. Later, she was additionally charged with illegally crossing the Ukrainian-Russian border. While in jail, Nadiya declared, over two months ago, a hunger strike protesting her illegal detention, and her health is now in very poor condition as a result of it.

    During the last Ukrainian parliamentary elections in November, she was elected a member of “Verkhovna Rada,” Ukraine’s parliament, as No. 1 on the “Batkivshchyna” (fatherland) party list, and in December she was included in Ukraine’s quota for representatives in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Thus, Putin’s Russian authorities are holding illegally a member of another country’s parliament and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe, in violation of Geneva Conventions and all international laws and treaties.

    Nadiya Savchenko was the only female soldier serving with the Ukrainian peacekeeping troops in Iraq.
                                                                    • • •
    The monthly membership meeting of Cpl. Roman G. Lazor Post 40 of the Ukrainian American Veterans took place Friday at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Religious and Cultural Center (known as the “Oseredok”). The meeting was chaired by Post Commander Col. Roman Rondiak, USA (Ret.).

    After listening to and approving the reports of officers and committee chairs, members discussed at length the post’s traditional participation in the Memorial Day program at Venice Memorial Gardens on May 22 and North Port’s community observance of Memorial Day on May 25. Yours truly was appointed coordinator of our post’s participation on Memorial Day with Post 254 of the American Legion to ensure that the official program and other publications adequately and properly reflect Post 40’s role.

    The next membership meeting will be at 3 p.m. April 3 at the Oseredok. Members are being asked to come at 1:30 p.m. to prepare Memorial Day ribbons.
                                                                     • • •
    The North Port and Southwest Florida Ukrainian-American community commemorated and honored the memory of Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861), Ukraine’s national hero, artist, poet and revolutionary. The festive assembly, sponsored by the Coordinating Committee of Ukrainian American Clubs and Organizations, headed by Roma Garran of Venice, was held Saturday at the Oseredok.
                                                                     • • •
    Other important community events coming up: March 16, annual membership meeting of the Oseredok; March 20, Pre-Easter Bazaar at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church; March 28, Pre-Easter Bazaar at St. Andrew’s; and March 31, Scholarship Awards Luncheon of the Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida at Heron Creek Golf & Country Club.

    Atanas Kobryn covers the Ukrainian community for the North Port Sun. He can be emailed at atanask@aol. com. 

Our Neighbors — The Ukrainians

by Atanas Kobryn

Commemorating Taras Shevchenko

     While the month of February is traditionally dedicated to Ukrainian heroines, March is dedicated to the commemoration of “the greatest Ukrainian” — artist, poet and revolutionary Taras Shevchenko (March 9, 1814-March 10, 1861). As a gifted youngster whose drawing and painting talent was discovered by his master Engelhart (Shevchenko was born a serf), he was encouraged to continue his formal education in art and became one of the best portrait painters of his era. However, he is better known for his poems and his political activities, which led to a 10-year sentence that he had to serve in the army in what is now Kazakhstan. His sentence was personally endorsed by the Czar, who added a personal note: “with prohibition to paint and write.”

    Shevchenko’s poems, some historic and patriotic, others romantic and sentimental, became popular very early. He was considered the conscience of the Ukrainian nation and was often referred to as “Bat’ko Taras” (Father Taras) even though he was very young (he died at the age of 47). A collection of his poems, “Kobzar,” became one of the most popular books and was treated on par with the Bible. Many of his poems became popular songs, sung to this day throughout Ukraine and Ukrainian communities throughout the world. Many schools, including the Ukrainian National University in Kyiv, bear his name, as do many streets and plazas throughout Ukraine. There is also a Taras Shevchenko Place not far from the Cooper Union in New York City.

    Shevchenko’s monuments are in just about every city and town throughout Ukraine and in many foreign capitals and cities, including Washington, D.C.; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Paris, France; Moscow, Russia; Warsaw, Poland; Winnipeg, Canada; and many others.

    The North Port and Southwest Florida Ukrainian American community will commemorate Taras Shevchenko this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Religious and Cultural Center (known as “the Oseredok”) in North Port. All are welcome. The event is sponsored by the Coordinating Committee of Ukrainian American Clubs and Organizations headed by Roma Guran of Venice. The program will include songs by the United Choir under the direction of Lubow Dobrowolska-Ingram of Venice.
                                                                                        • • •
    The monthly membership meeting of the Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida, headed by Daria Tomashosky of North Port and held Feb. 25 at the Oseredok, was dedicated to honoring the “Nebesna Sotnya” (Heavenly Hundred), the over 100 demonstrators killed in Kyiv by former President Yanukovych’s thugs and Russian Special Forces sharpshooters during the “Revolution of Dignity” (Nov. 23, 2013-Feb. 22, 2014).

    The business portion of the meeting included reports of officers and committee chairs. Professor Victor Lisnyczyj of North Port, chair of the club’s Scholarship Committee reported on the work of the committee, and responses to the published scholarship application on the club’s website (www. ukrainianamericanclub. com). He also announced that the traditional Scholarship Awards Luncheon at Heron Creek Golf & Country Club will take place at noon March 31, and not as previously announced.
                                                                                           • • •
    The monthly membership meeting of Cpl. Roman G. Lazor Post 40 of the Ukrainian American Veterans will be held at 3 p.m. Friday at the Oseredok.

    Atanas Kobryn covers the Ukrainian community for the North Port Sun. He can be emailed at atanask@aol.com. 

Our Neighbors — The Ukrainians

by Atanas Kobryn