After spending a week in lovely NYC (and a hefty 6 hour delay in Newark International), I’ve returned with some pictures of Ukrainian town:
Also here’s a quick map of the area if you are planning to visit. More to come soon!
View Ukrainian New York City guide in a larger map
If you’re heading to New York this summer (like I am this week), I’ve highlighted some noteable Ukrainian areas in and around the state to see in your travels:
Ukrainian Museum
222 East 6th Street
New York, NY 10003-8201, United States
(212) 228-0110The Ukrainian Museum is the largest museum in the U.S. committed to acquiring, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting articles of artistic or historic significance to the rich cultural heritage of Ukrainians. It was founded in 1976 by the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA). Each year, the Museum organizes several exhibitions, publishes accompanying bilingual catalogues, and conducts a wide range of public programming, frequently in collaboration with other museums, educational institutions, and cultural centers.
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The Museum’s archives boast more than 30,000 items — photographs, documents, the personal correspondence of noted individuals, playbills, posters, flyers, and the like, all documenting the life, history, and cultural legacy of the Ukrainian people. The history of Ukrainian immigration to the United States, which dates back well over 100 years, is chronicled in the Museum’s rich collection of archival photographs.
One of the latest exhibitions being showcased is Ukraine–Sweden: At the Crossroads of History (17th-18th Centuries). The exhibition explores a pivotal period of European history through the prism of the alliance between Sweden, then a preeminent European power, and Ukraine whose Cossack leaders (Hetmans) were striving to establish an independent state.
Veselka Restaurant
144 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003-8305, United States
(212) 228-9682Veselka is a 24-hour restaurant in New York City’s East Village. It was established in 1954 by post-World War II Ukrainian refugees Wolodymyr and Olha Darmochawal and is one of the last of the many Slavic restaurants that once proliferated the neighborhood.
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As we mentioned last weekend, the Stalin bust went up Virginia but at least some good people there are up in arms:
A bust of dictator Joseph Stalin has been placed at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford despite public protest over its presence.
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Residents and leaders in Bedford have spoken out against installing the Stalin piece at the memorial.
Annie Pollard, a Bedford County supervisor who has volunteered at the memorial, said Wednesday it has been a source of controversy in Bedford and she feels its presence is “a slap in the face to all these other people we honor and remember.â€
“I just don’t think it belongs on the hill with them,†Pollard. “To me, he (Stalin) is just a murderer. I just can’t see how he fits in with the memorial. They are people we want to remember. He’s someone I’d rather forget.â€
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“It’s a disgrace and a dishonor to the veterans,†Morrison said of the Stalin bust.
Morrison said he respects the importance of remembering history but the memorial’s sole purpose is to honor the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of D-Day veterans.“It’s not a history museum, it’s not a wax museum,†said Morrison.
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The plaque that accompanies the Stalin bust reads: “In memory of the tens of millions who died under Stalin’s rule and in tribute to all whose valor, fidelity, and sacrifice denied him and his successors victory in the cold war.â€
And from Pilot Online:
Some veterans say the bust of Stalin tarnishes the memorial and threatens its ability to raise money, even as it is struggling to stay afloat financially. The memorial’s overseers are trying to persuade the National Park Service to take control of the site.
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Stalin is credited by historians with helping to start World War II by signing a peace pact with Hitler and Germany. When Hitler later betrayed him, launching an attack against the Soviet Union, Stalin joined the Allies. Before and after the war, Stalin was known for his purge of political enemies and innocent civilians alike.
Update: Locals are lodging formal complaints against the bust
As was first mentioned last November, a private donor is donating a bust of Stalin for a D-Day memorial tomorrow in Bedford, Virginia. As the office is open today it is not too late to contact the office and let them know your thoughts.
A few worth while responses have been posted in the same publication that broke the story on ‘Irvington students ditch communist theme’. In the article, a student who’s grandparents survived the Holodomor appealed to his classmates not to use a communist-themed t-shirt and they agreed to scrap the idea. Some very positive feedback resulted:
Can you imagine this happening with swastikas? I doubt it. That is because our educational system has done an excellent job in teaching about the horrors of Nazism. It has, however, failed to teach about the atrocities suffered under communist regimes.
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There are currently two bills in the Legislature that would amend the New York State Education Law to include other genocides: Bill S3356 in the Senate and Bill A6690 in the Assembly. Unfortunately, Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck, chair of the Education Committee in the Senate, is blocking their passage. The incident in Irvington is a glaring example of precisely why the passage of these bills is so important. Our government representatives and our school officials need to be held accountable in making sure that our children learn about the true nature of communism. Contact your representatives at www.nysenate.gov and www.assembly.state.ny.us and urge them to support passage of these bills.
Oksana Kulynych, committee chair of Educators for the Study of the Ukrainian Genocide-Holodomor.
The principal of Irvington High School is to be commended for not allowing students to use a pro-communist slogan and picture of a hammer and sickle for their Color Wars competition. In all likelihood the students had no intention of offending anyone and cannot be blamed. However, simply telling the students to change the theme is completely insufficient. It is our educational system that must be held accountable for teaching about the reality of communism.
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I call upon the Board of Regents, superintendents of school districts as well as our government officials to ensure that our students learn about the devastating role communism has played in the lives of so many people. It is only through education that we can work to erase the indifference that allowed the atrocities of communism, such as the Ukrainian Genocide-Holodomor of 1932-1933, to occur.
Very good stuff!