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holodomor, usa

Binghamton makes a day for genocide

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May 21 will be known as Ukrainian Genocide Remembrance Day in the City of Binghamton, NY, declared by Mayor Matt T. Ryan today at City Hall. The announcement was made at a commencement ceremony awaiting the Holodomor Remembrance Flame, but it was held up in Yonkers (which has a Ukrainian Heritage Festival June 13-15). Binghamton (the 9th greenest city in the US) already has Ukrainian Independence day on August 24, and has over a century of Ukrainian history.

Here’s a video from NBC-34:

UPDATE: I noticed that the article used awaiting the Flame was first titled ‘Genocide remembrance ceremony planned’, but now ‘Genocide’ has been removed.

canada, holodomor, news

Saskatchewan first in Canada to recognize the Holodomor as genocide!

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On May 7th after passing second and third readings, the province of Saskatchewan became the first province in Canada to officially recognize the Holodomor as genocide! Bill 40 was sent for assent after being introduced by Deputy Premier and Education Minister Ken Krawetz a day earlier:

“Many survivors of this tragic time in history and their descendents live in Saskatchewan and have contributed greatly to our province’s cultural, economic, political and educational life,” Krawetz said. “This Act will ensure that on the fourth Saturday in November each year, Holodomor will be remembered and recognized.”

The bill came after awareness of the events of 1932-33 were raised with the Holodomor Remembrance Flame.  The 4th Saturday in November will be known as the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day. Check out some pictures and videos from this history making event.

usa, video

Ukrainian siblings separated by Nazis to reconnect after 66 years

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From CBS3’s news wire:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) A Philadelphia woman separated from her family by the Nazis is preparing for a reunion with a brother she hasn’t seen in 66 years.

Irene Famulak was 17 when the Nazis invaded the Ukrainian Catholic family’s home in 1942. Famulak was sent to be a cook in Germany and never saw another family member again. But that’s about to change.

The Red Cross says the 83-year-old’s youngest brother Sevelud has turned up in Germany trying to trace his sister.

Irene Famulak’s daughter says the family will now plan a reunion.

Video coverage is available here, here, here and here, as well as a slideshow.

Interestingly enough as this article was re-published across various news sources, only the Associated Press maintained in their article that the family was Ukrainian Catholic. Why would so many news sources leave this fact out?

Out of the 11 million Hitler killed, six million were Jews but the rest are commonly forgotten as ‘the others’; Christians (Protestant and Catholic), Hungarians, Czechoslovakians, Ukrainians, Russians, Dutch, French and even Germans. Ukraine lost up to 7 million people during the War (roughly 17% of its population), following a plan to re-populate Ukraine with the Aryan Race (although not the first time this type of event has happened).

holodomor, usa

Holodomor Flame tours East Coast

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Last weekend, the Holodomor Remembrance Flame made its way to Chicago (pictures here) after receiving little media attention from the West Coast. Unfortunately there was no mention in the Chicago media, such as the Times or the Tribune, despite the large population of Ukrainians there.

During the week the Flame made its way to Parma, Ohio where it received some media attention (video here).

Off to Pittsburgh next where I couldn’t find any reports on its passage there. The day after that on Thursday it headed to Buffalo where a local news station covered it (even calling it a genocide!). The Flame was presented there by a Holodomor survivor, Mrs. Dranka. Last night the flame was in Rochester, no reports have popped up yet.

Today the Flame heads to Connecticut where it is receiving a very good amount of press anticipating its arrival. UPDATE: A newspaper article covering the event.

UPDATE #2: Pictures from the Holodomor Torch and Walk Against Genocide in Battery Park NY May 27 2008

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Flame blackout in west coast USA

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After making its last Canadian stop in Vernon BC, the Holodomor Remembrance Flame entered the US with little media fanfare. No coverage from its first stop last Sunday in Seattle, although an editorial appeared in the Seattle Times promoting the event even if some of the information wasn’t accurate (no mention of Holodomor, stated the famine was for political purposes rather then ethnic cleansing, and the estimate of deaths off by about 5 million).

No love in San Francisco either as the San Francisco Chronicle being the second largest circulated paper on the west coast provided no coverage the next day. As the Flame rolled into Los Angeles mid-week, it was very disappointing to see no coverage in the LA Times, the largest circulated paper on the west coast. At least they printed Jonah Goldberg’s (author of the great book Liberal Facism) column defending the genocide accusation. Cyber Cossack printed a brilliant letter to the editor of the ‘Times, asking where was the media that day and breaking down the paper into what they deemed more important to cover (Britney Spears was next door applying for custody of her children).

It wasn’t until Thursday that the first press coverage began in the Mid-west. The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News reported on the Flame coming through Salt Lake City, Utah (although Deseret News re-published their article’s title downplaying ‘famine, genocide’ to the more neutral ‘tragedy’, sound familiar?).

Things are looking better for the Flame as it heads to the east coast though, there is some coverage in anticipation of the Flame in Chicago (it came this weekend), Parma, Ohio on Tuesday, Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Hartford on Saturday.