Victoria Chumenko, CUPP 2019 Coordinator and Intern to Borys J Wrzesnewskyj, MP for
Etobicoke Centre, ON.

Traditionally each year Vyshyvanka Day unites Canadian parliamentarians, Senators, diplomats, Ukrainian community representatives and all the friends of Ukraine throughout the world in wearing authentic embroidered Vyshyvanka shirts. This year Interns of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program (CUPP) joined this initiative to celebrate and preserve Ukraine ancestral traditions and to pay homage to its vibrant heritage. Interns were also honored to share their Vyshyvanka Day’s celebration with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, leader of the Conservative Party Andrew Scheer, leader of the NDP Jagmeet Singh, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada Andriy Shevchenko, members of parliament, as well as members of the Canada Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group and members of the Ukrainian community (UCC and UNF).

The same day the interns of the 2019 CUPP organized a Prayer for Peace in Ukraine and throughout the world, as well as a parliamentary reception, usually held in the Macdonald Building but because of the extensive renovations on Parliament Hill, held in the Services Building of Parliament. This annual event, organized by CUPP Interns since 2014, is known as Ukrainian Day on Parliament Hill and attracts a large number of MPs and senators.

This year the special guest of Ukrainian Day on Parliament Hill was Mustafa Dzhemilev, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for the Affairs of Crimean Tatars, and former Chairman of the Mejlis (assembly) of the Crimean Tatars. Other notable guests were Akhtem Chyihoz, Deputy of the Head of the Mejlis (Assembly) of the Crimean Tatar People, Nariman Ustaiev, advisor to Dzhemilev and Chyihoz and former head of state service on Crimean affairs, as well as members of parliament, representatives of the Estonian, Croatian and Ukrainian Embassies, Canadian leader of the Crimean Tatar National Movement and members of the Ukrainian Canadian community and media press.

The evening program was masterfully chaired by CUPP Interns Maryna Larina and Maksym Dvorovyi. Greetings were delivered by members of the Canada Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group, MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj and MP Linda Duncan. Dzhemilev delivered the keynote address to mark the 75th anniversary of the forced deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Government. Additional remarks were delivered by Anatoliy Shatkovskyy, the President of the Ukrainian National Federation’s Ottawa-Gatineau Branch, Yuri Kushnir, President of the CUPP Alumni Association, and Dr. Antin Kushnir, Director of the Anna Mazurenko Children’s Health Centre in Lviv, a CUPP-sponsored project.

Earlier that day, CUPP interns Pavlo Bryliak and Mykola Antoniuk organized inter-faith Prayer for Peace in Ukraine and throughout the world at the Peacekeeping Monument, nearby Parliament Hill. Imam Ali Masjid, Reverend Elina Salonen (Lutheran Church of Canada), Reverend James Scheer (Catholic Church), Father Petro Tsenov (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada) participated in the prayer. The choir of the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of Ottawa accompanied the prayer service.

CUPP was established in 1991 by Toronto jurist Ihor Bardyn, as an internship program for Ukrainian university students in Canada’s Parliament. It is intended to give the Ukrainian students an opportunity to observe and understand the Westminster model of government and to interact with students from Canada, the USA, France, Israel, the Philippines, Poland and other countries. The program strives to prepare Ukraine’s future leaders in the art of the operation of a parliamentary democracy.

Over the last 29 years, more than 1,000 young Ukrainians have had a life-changing experience at the House of Commons and afterwards have moved on to become change-makers in Ukraine.

The post CUPP interns celebrate Vyshyvanka Day, organize prayer for peace appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Gord Yakimow, BC Ukrainian Cultural Festival Society.

Kvitka of Surrey took top honours in the two main competition categories in this year’s BC Ukrainian Cultural Festival: the Previt (Welcome Dance – the most culturally relevant and spiritually sensitive of all Ukrainian dance performances), and the Hopak (National Dance of Ukraine). The Hopak award was shared with Veselka of Victoria.

Of the sixteen trophies available at the annual Festival, Kvitka took home five. In doing so, the 71-member troupe, which toured and performed in Ukraine in the summer of 2018, re-established itself as the premier Ukrainian Dance company in the province … in that it also scored the highest marks in both top categories at Festival 2018.

A crowd of close to 1500 attendees took in the annual event held at the Heritage Park Educational and Cultural Centre in Mission on May 4.

They purchased works of arts and crafts and the latest in Ukrainian embroidered fashion-wear from some of the many vendors, dined on tasty Ukrainian fare, and watched the best Ukrainian dance performances available in the province in the complex’s Clarke Theatre.

Dressed in a wide variety of colourful costumes from all regions of Ukraine, three hundred dancers from all areas of the province, and from Seattle in the US, had their performances scored by Toronto-based adjudicator Vincent Rees. A former dancer, instructor, and choreographer, the highly-respected adjudicator also runs CobbleStone Freeway, a travel company which arranges dance tours to Ukraine.

“We were fortunate to have convinced Rees to come to our event this year,” said Darka Morin-Konik, the President of the Festival. “He is much-sought-after and a very busy man.”

The annual event is held on the first Saturday in May in Mission. Festival #25 will take place on May 2, 2020. Information is available on the BC Ukrainian Cultural Festival website: www.bcucf.ca.

The post Kvitka of Surrey Cements Status as Top Troupe in B.C. at Ukrainian Festival appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

We are seeking an experienced Law Clerk / Paralegal to join our team to provide overall support in our immigration consulting firm.

Responsibilities:

• Preparing submission pack
• Drafting legal documents
• Responding to client enquiries
• Monitoring deadlines
• Tracking and monitoring ongoing cases and submitted applications
• Updating company’s social media accounts
• Performing various administrative duties

Qualifications:

• 1 – 2 years’ experience working in a law firm or legal department

• Bachelor’s Degree / Paralegal Certificate/ Law Clerks Certificate
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English (additional Ukrainian or Russian preferred)
• High computer proficiency including Adobe and Microsoft Office suite
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with clients
• Ability to work collaboratively and multi-task
• Detail oriented, highly organized with a proactive approach to work.

Please submit a cover letter along with your resume.

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $20.00 to $25.00 /hour

Language: Ukrainian, Russian (Preferred)

Marek Szajna, CEO, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
info@esteemimmigration.com

The post Seeking an experienced Law Clerk / Paralegal appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Marco Levytsky, Western Bureau Chief.

Since his inauguration two weeks ago, Ukraine’s new President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has wasted no time in setting out his agenda. His inaugural speech received positive comments from most pundits.

“He set the right priorities for the short term: early elections, the abolition of parliamentary immunity, new electoral law, and a new law on illicit enrichment. These issues must be on the immediate agenda to go through the Rada,” Anders Åslund, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council told Melinda Haring, Editor of the Council’s Ukraine Alert blog.

“Zelenskyy left the gate galloping. He well knows that his extraordinarily large mandate has an expiration date – possibly even less than 100 days – and that he must deliver some key accomplishments while voter approval is still high. It’s a politically savvy move to go for the maximum while the election halo is still above him,” noted Michael Bociurkiw, international affairs expert and former spokesman to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine in that same blog.

Indeed, when Zelenskyy failed to get his electoral reform through parliament he called early elections, set for July 21, instead of October 27 as originally scheduled. The constitutional legitimacy of this call is questionable as the governing coalition had just fallen apart and under law the Rada needed 30 days to form a new one, during which period an election could not be called. However, deputies were in no mood to challenge this call, owing to his landslide victory in the presidential elections. And indeed. Zelenskyy’s new party “Servant of the People” named after the popular TV show which propelled him into power is also headed for a landslide victory. It is running at about 40% in opinion polls, but since only about four to five parties are likely to cross the 5% minimum threshold, that 40% may quite likely turn into a majority in the proportional vote. And while independents tend to dominate the single-mandate districts, they have historically joined whichever party is in power, so Zelenskyy is quite likely to attain an outright majority for his own party– something that has never happened before in the history of independent Ukraine. And herein lies the problem.

Voters still don’t know exactly where Zelenskyy stands on the issues. He avoided interviews during his campaign, in fact he avoided traditional campaigning altogether, relying almost totally on presenting the fictional character he portrayed in his television show as his real-life persona. Nevertheless, he was handed a blank cheque by Ukraine’s voters and is quite likely to be handed yet another blank cheque in the Rada elections. That’s a huge concentration of power for one individual.

Aside from his inaugural speech, Zelenskyy has also received kudos for deftly finessing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer of Russian citizenship to Ukrainians by his own offer of Ukrainian citizenship not only to Russians seeking freedom, but to all Ukrainians abroad who may wish to help the country develop into a prosperous and stable democracy. Ukrainians understand that Russian citizenship means “the right to be arrested for peaceful protests,” and “the right not to have free and competitive elections,” Zelenskyy wrote in a backhanded Facebook slap to Putin on April 27. “It’s the right to basically forget all rights and freedoms,” he added. “Ukraine’s difference, in particular, is in the fact that we, Ukrainians, have freedom of speech in our country, free media and Internet.”

But actions speak louder than words and some of his appointments have raised concerns. Topping this list is Zelenskyy’s choice for his chief of staff – Andriy Bohdan, the personal lawyer for oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky. This immediately raised questions about Zelenskyy’s ties with Kolomoisky who runs the television channel that broadcasts Zelenskyy’s show, financed Zelenskyy’s campaign and is accused of defrauding Privatbank of C$7.3 billion before its nationalization in 2016. Kolomoisky, who spent the last three years in self-imposed exile in Switzerland and Israel, returned to Ukraine just before Zelenskyy’s inauguration.

What’s more, critics says Bohdan’s appointment was not just politically suspect but also illegal, as he had held government posts under the Kremlin-backed president Viktor Yanukovych ousted during the Revolution of Dignity. Those who served under Yanukovych are now banned by law from taking certain top positions.

“Zelenskyy violated the law,” said MP Yehor Sobolev, one of the authors of the legislation. The president “puts himself above the law and shows the whole country his true attitude to the rule of law,” added Tetyana Kozachenko, who was also behind the legislation.

Another suspect appointment is that of Dmytro Razumkov, whom Zelenskyy chose to head his parliamentary bloc. Razumkov too is a former member of Yanukovych’s Party of Regions.

In calling for early elections, Zelenskyy takes his cue from French President Emmanuel Macron, who used the momentum of his 66 – 34% victory over far-right extremist Marine Le Pen in the second round of that country’s 2017 presidential election to gain an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections just a little over a month later. Like Zelenskyy, Macron was relatively unknown at the time, and like Zelenskyy he was the youngest person to assume the presidency of his country. In fact, both are the same age right now – 41.

But Macron’s honeymoon with French voters has ended very abruptly. Around 70% of French voters now disapprove of his performance and his policies have sparked a populist revolt called the yellow vests movement. The protests have involved demonstrations and the blocking of roads and fuel depots, some of which developed into major riots described as the most violent since those of May 1968.

Aside from the personal similarities between Zelenskyy and Macron, there are also some very notable political similarities between Ukraine and France. For one thing, both are presidential republics, in contrast to the rest of Europe where parliamentary systems, whether they fall under republics or constitutional monarchies, prevail. For another, both countries have a proud revolutionary tradition. Should Zelenskyy fail to live up to expectations, the citizens of Ukraine may yet initiate a third Maidan.

We hope not and we wish the president all the best. But Zelenskyy himself must be aware of the old adage that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It will be up to him to prove that he really is the servant of the people and not the servant of oligarch Kolomoisky.

The post Can Ukraine afford to give Zelenskiy another blank cheque? appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Volodymyr Kish.

As usual, I am confused about what is going on in Ukraine. I pride myself on the fact that I take the time to do the research and maintain contacts with people who have the expertise and judgment to formulate knowledgeable opinions on the state of Ukrainian affairs. I try to not look upon the situation there through any kind of emotional or biased lens, but to be as objective and fact-based as possible. I force myself to analyze the events, not as a “patriot”, but as a journalist. I must tell you that all this is an extremely difficult task, since I am undoubtedly a proud Ukrainian who carries a lot of its difficult history in my heart and soul. Being objective takes real effort.

The events of the past month in the land of my ancestors have evoked a strange mixture of dissonance and puzzlement. Ukraine continues to be an enigma, not only to Putin, but to the diaspora as well, myself included.

Take the situation with the recently formed united, canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). A dream for centuries, it finally became a reality several months ago when the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople finally granted an official Tomos that united the various competing Orthodox churches in Ukraine under one roof. The Kyiv Patriarchate, the Autocephalous Orthodox and many of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate joined together under a new primate, Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The plan was that Filaret, the aging, former head of the now dissolved Kyivan Patriarchate and a primary architect of the creation of the new church, was to retire into an ‘honorary” role, with the dynamic, young Epiphanius boldly leading the OCU on the road to a bright, new future.

Well, it seems that over the past few weeks, that road has developed a few major potholes. Patriarch Filaret has either had second thoughts or has fallen victim to a bit of mortal vanity. Through some not so subtle statements and bewildering actions, he has sought to imply that the Kiev Patriarchate was not dissolved and that he, and not Metropolitan Epiphanius is the real primate of the new church, with Epiphanius serving in a supporting junior role responsible only for foreign church relations.

This is most curious. Filaret was a stalwart moral and religious leader in Ukraine over the past several decades, resolutely combating the Moscow Patriarchate’s imperialistic attempts at dominating religious affairs in the country. Together with President Poroshenko, he played a key role in the creation of the new unified church. Now that it is a fait accompli, why is he suddenly sowing seeds of discord and disunity? Why is he putting his own commendable historical legacy at risk? At the age of 90, having accomplished as much as he did, he should be enjoying his “emeritus” status and writing his memoirs, rather than undermining what he worked so hard to accomplish in the first place.

The other area of significant confusion for me, have been the actions of Volodymyr Zelenskyy the newly elected President of Ukraine. I have tried to keep an open mind on Zelenskyy, especially in the face of the considerable polarization that his election has caused, not only in Ukraine but in the diaspora. Is he truly the anti-corruption, reform champion that he claims to be, or just a front-man tool for some of the oligarchic elite, or even worse, the Trojan horse for another Putin inspired conspiracy to destroy Ukraine and hand control of it back to the Russians. It is hard to find a Ukrainian that is not firmly convinced that he falls into one of these simplistic categories. Sadly his actions in the first few weeks of his Presidency, have done little to clarify who is the real Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Though he staunchly insists he is his own man and not an oligarchic plant, many of his early appointments have been prominent functionaries from within oligarch Igor Kolomoisky’s empire. Further, he has allowed Kolomoisky to return to Ukraine from self-imposed exile and has not publicly distanced himself from the “advice” to him that Kolomoisky has been freely spouting in the mass media. Although he has appointed some NGO reformist activists, he has also appointed people that once served in disgraced President Yanukovich’s regime. Although he insists that Russia must return Crimea and leave the occupied areas of the Donbas, he proclaims his readiness to “negotiate” with President Putin and even hold a referendum on the negotiations and future relations with Russia. Although he has made significant efforts to speak Ukrainian, and defends Ukrainian as a state language, his close advisors have been floating trial balloons about amending and diluting the recently legislated language law. His public statements on his government’s priorities and programs have been progressive and commendable, but there have been few details about how he hopes to implement them.

Does all this reflect the fact that he may be an idealist who lacks practical political experience and expertise, or is this a sign that there may be a darker side to his persona with an ulterior agenda. Right now, I must admit, I really don’t know. However, I am pretty sure that before this year is out, we will know definitively one way or another.

The post The View From Here: What’s going on in Ukraine? appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

NP-UN Western Bureau.

The Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada, Edmonton Eparchy, celebrated its 75th anniversary with a Prayer Service (Moleben) and a banquet at St. Josaphat’s Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and its parish hall in Edmonton, May 26.

In her presentation, Lena Sloboda, UCWLC National Past President, Honorary Life Member and author of UCWLC: Builders of Home, Faith and Community, referred to her book in tracing the history of the organization, founded in 1944.

But, as Sloboda pointed out, the history, really originates with the first Ukrainian settlement in the Canadian prairies beginning in 1891, and with the development of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada.

The book sheds light on the importance of Ukrainian settlement in Western Canada during this important historical period; in particular, it addresses the crucial role played by Ukrainian pioneer women in the Ukrainian community and the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

“Ukrainian pioneer women were of paramount importance in the development of their family homes in the severe conditions that characterized the early settlement of the prairie wilderness of Western Canada,” she said.

“Ukrainian pioneer women came to Canada with their husbands, small children, and little else. There are many stories of supreme suffering, yet these women, in this difficult setting, took upon themselves not only the responsibility of their home life, but also the role of being the leaders in their community’s religious and cultural life.

“These women, through their robust efforts, determination, and participation in the life of their church, parish, and community, laid the foundation for the subsequent emergence of the UCWLC as a national organization in 1944, an organization now affiliated with many other well-known national and international organizations,” Sloboda added.

As early as 1943, the Ukrainian Catholic women in Alberta saw the need to centralize the Ukrainian Catholic women’s groups. They proceeded to create a separate provincial organization under the title of “Ukrainian Catholic Women of Alberta,” with branches throughout Alberta. This was the first Ukrainian Catholic women’s provincial organization in Alberta, and the first in Canada.

Although the UCWLC was formed in 1944, the Ukrainian Catholic Women of Alberta continued working on the provincial level until December, 1945.

“The book documents the powerful legacy of Ukrainian pioneer women. These women were the strength and force in preserving their heritage, traditions, culture, and Christian values. Their fundamental legacy is the retention of our heritage today.

“And it is this legacy of our great heritage that continues to be developed by our organization, the UCWLC, and, in a broader sense, in our Canadian society. I would like to add: by preserving our own identity, our own language, and our own traditions, we have added something of value, of strength, and colour to the evolving cultural mosaic of Canada,” Sloboda said.

The book also describes the founding and developing of the UCWLC Eparchial Museum of the Edmonton Eparchy as one of the League’s most prominent accomplishments and provides the reader with an overview of the history and activities of the UCWLC from 1945 to 2010, including documentation on the Edmonton Eparchial Executive, the 22 active UCWLC branches across Alberta, the history of formerly vibrant UCWLC branches, and the history and accomplishments of the UCWLC at the national level.

It further illustrates how the history of the UCWLC is one that cannot be separated from the development of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

The Most Rev. David Motiuk, Eparch of Edmonton, in his “Greetings” for the book, notes that the story of the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada focuses on the title, “Builders of Home, Faith and Community,” and that the interconnectedness of these three dimensions (home, faith and community) gave strength and courage to a pioneering people who had very few tangible possession when they arrived in Canada, but still managed not only to survive but flourish in the harsh years and decades that followed. These same ingredients of “home, faith and community” again offer a recipe for success of the UCWLC and for our children’s children.

The keynote address was delivered by Iryna Laschuk, Chancellor of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton, who noted that the mission of the UCWLC is its ongoing commitment to the mission of the Church, the nurturing of our cultural heritage, providing the resources that help its members to realize their own true vocation and to live an authentic Christian life as contributing members to the Church and society.”

“The term ‘nurturing’ is very fitting. Nurture is the gift we give to our church, to our families, our work, our communities. Nurturing embodies an aspect of care, encouragement, growth and development that encompasses everything a mother, daughter, wife embodies. We see the full person, the full need, and the full future. This is our strength,” she said.

Laschuk was appointed Chancellor of the Eparchy on January 1 of this year after previously working as the Director of Finance, overseeing the assets and expenditures of the Eparchy on behalf of Bishop David.

The chancellor’s role is defined in canon law. “Appointed by the Bishop, the chancellor collects, arranges and is a keeper of the church archives. The person need not be a cleric, but must be of good character and above reproach.“

“What does my being appointed chancellor mean for UCWLC members and for the women of our church? It means times are changing. It means that we must take another leap of faith, the way the women did 75 years ago. But which way do we leap?

“Pope Francis (in an address to the General Assembly) referred to the dignity and role of women. He said that this is ‘not just a question of style, the feminine genius reflected in the Church, which is woman.’ Nor is it simply a matter of giving women a greater role in the Church, although this is important. Rather, he said, ‘it’s a question of integrating the woman as the figure of the Church into our thinking. And also, of thinking of the Church with the categories of a woman’.

“The window is open; and soon the door – where women will step in and take on greater roles within the church hierarchy. We must be ready. We must be available to share our time, talents and treasures for the church. Let us be ready through education and spiritual growth in our faith.”

In closing, she drew attention to the 25-year Pastoral Plan that Bishop David set in motion seven years ago and the three pillars: To Know God, To Serve God, To Love God.

“It is clear that the members of the UCWLC have a strong faith and love God; prayer and spreading the teachings of Christ demonstrates this unceasing love. To serve God – “Service” is every UCWLC members’ middle name; and it is the way we serve – with joy and generosity that is a gift to our churches, the Eparchy and community. To know God – we know God in our hearts, and this is where we can learn more. This is my challenge to you – let us make this pillar the strongest of all. Let us know God better. Let this be our door to a more enlightened future; let us take this step to learn, to grow and develop more fully so that we can be prepared for the years to come. Our church needs our gifts now, more than ever,” Laschuk stated.

Greetings were delivered by Bishop David and Mary Ann Phillips, UCWLC Eparchial President.

Teresa Makowecki, President of the Holy Trinity Branch in Vegreville, served as Master of Ceremonies, Rev. Janko Herbut, UCWLC Spiritual Advisor, led the Opening Prayer, while Very Rev. Fr. Stephen Wojcichowsky, Vicar General led the closing one.

Entertainment was provided by the Trinity Youth Choir from Vegreville.

The post Edmonton Eparchy UCWLC celebrate 75 years appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Daniel Bartchouk for NP-UN.

Nearly 30 years after it gained its independence from the decrepit USSR, Ukraine has launched a place branding campaign in an effort to change its global image and rid itself of the associative connotations from the former Soviet Union.

The nation is trying to present itself as a hub for investment and tourism, and as a place of opportunity rather than one of “corruption, war and revolution”, as it is still perceived in many areas of the world.

Place branding involves engineering associative meaning derived from marketing, advertisement and identification of a country’s ideal. Therefore, the place branding strategies vary from destination to destination, and depend on geographic location and state of development.

Kyiv-based design studio Banda has used Ukraine’s national colours to express its national identity and coupled this with rectangular templates to communicate different messages. The core message is “Ukraine Now”. Roll out of the brand will include promotional and informational products, liveries on buses and planes, as well as travel bags and stickers, with the primary goal of challenging misconceptions about the country.

A major aspect of place brand identity, and arguably the place branding goal is global recognition. This sometimes embodies an iconic landmark or monument that identifies the city or country visually. This is Rio’s Christ the Redeemer, Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Sydney’s Opera House, New York’s Statue of Liberty. Not only are these for touristic appeal but for the maintenance of global recognition in eyes of foreigners and international industry. In Ukraine’s case, can the country be recognized by the beautiful cathedrals and buildings of Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa? What reason can the average world tourist have to visit Ukraine?

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is a beautiful monastery and medieval cave system. The city’s Independence Square (Maidan), and the Golden Gate (replica of an 11th century structure) provide a base upon which to start Ukraine’s branding campaign, aimed at the dichotomous relationship between the modern Slavic culture and the presence of medieval remnants. The campaign does not establish any of these aspects of Ukraine as a potential landmark or tourist destination, but rather focuses on economic potential and investment opportunity.

The objective in place branding is to reconfigure a natural set of ideals in a destination to a desired effect. This is implemented by utilizing cultural regeneration programs, advertisement, marketing campaigns, and development projects in economic, industrial, and recreational sectors of the country. This would stimulate the local economies and allow for a positive feedback loop of development-growth in necessary areas.

Culture now has the potential to be capitalized and is no longer just an aspect of place identity. The place branding method is further complicated at the fact that place branding is advertising a potential experience, something not existent yet—unlike a physical product.

Subjective emotional attachment to a place can be influenced by popular culture and societal factors—films, television, and internet trends. Representation of events may influence global perception (Chernobyl, HBO 2019), and reinforce pre-existing tropes while eroding the emerging modern ones.

The reputation of a destination needs to be managed/maintained and posed to evolve. Since Ukraine has had a difficult time establishing a global brand identity, stereotypes from the region misrepresent the true potential of the country.

Ukraine needs a method of informing the average, misinformed global tourist of stereotypes and misrepresentations. The country also needs an accurate, streamlined vision about what the country stands for and what it can be.

Ukraine Now’s place branding campaign has remained a little vague, with little to no updates since its introduction.

A more narrow plan would be a good place to start (just “IT-Sector” is very broad), so that citizens and future generations can have a basis of which to start in their own process of influencing how the rest of the world sees their country. Stickers and tote bags are not enough — a full-fledged, public, reimagining and intricate consideration of Ukraine’s historical and contemporary aspects would be a good start.

Instead of telling the world how it should see Ukraine, give people a reason to come see the country for themselves.

The place branding campaign lies on the forefront of redefining the global image of a destination. Social media has helped tremendously in ways the marketing boards may not even fully understand yet, and certain places have taken on a brand of their own.

The one thing that Ukrainians should be aware of is that unless a proactive approach is taken by the country, things will remain the same. The future of place branding lies, to a large extent, not in what a destination is — but what it can be.

The post Rebranding Ukraine appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

NP-UN Western Bureau.

Over 51,000 people attended the Second Annual UFest Edmonton Ukrainian Festival, held at that city’s Borden Park, May 25-26.

“Despite a bit of a wetter start on Friday, attendance was up significantly on Saturday resulting in a great overall attendance figure. More media attention and building on the great attendance we had in year one really helped build this year’s crowd,” explained Daria Luciw, Chair of the Edmonton Ukrainian Festivals Society.

“We are very pleased with this year’s UFest. We intend to present UFest annually and the turn out along with the great support of volunteers is helping us develop a superb foundation for the event. There are still many ideas for how to grow UFest and clearly the Ukrainian community as well as the broader Edmonton community have a desire to see our festival succeed and they support us by coming out in great numbers. We cannot say enough about the 200+ volunteers who signed up to work shifts from 4 to 16 hours over the 2 days, and many worked even more as they helped with set up and clean up. We had a waiting list of performers and vendors, and very positive commentary from all involved. We are always looking to adjust and change as needed but so far it seems we have a winning formula,” she added.

A new feature of this year’s UFest was the Kozak Kids Zone where a variety of sport, craft and fun activities were organized for the two days and the patient volunteers were kept busy the entire time.

“We noticed the number of families who had attended the first year and anticipated this would be the same again and wanted to ensure the kids had some variety in activities,” said Luciw.

“We changed our site layout this year to accommodate a larger vendor village. We had 20 vendor tents and a waiting list of others who were hoping to also have a spot. The response to this component has been positive and our committee worked hard to meet the needs of the various retailers. In addition, we had 16 community organizations who booked space in our community tent and that too was oversubscribed with more groups wanting to join us than we could accommodate. Both of these areas will be a regular part of UFest,” she added.

The UFest After Dark Zabava proved to be so successful the first year, that organizers added a band for Friday evening, made this area larger and doubled the licensed capacity to 1,000 people.

Another new feature was the photo booth where festival goers could don a wreath and have their photo taken as a keepsake.

Other features included a Vendor Village, Food Fair, Kava Kafe, Workshops and a Community Pavilion.

Special Guests this year were the Desna Ukrainian Dancers from Toronto.

“Desna has a long history in Toronto and our audience was very appreciative to see this group which has not had much opportunity to come out west. They looked after their own arrangements because being here was important to them and they were great! We have been approached by many groups regionally, nationally and internationally but are not in a position yet to pay some of the fees which were quoted to us. We think it is important to support our local groups first and foremost and were pleased to provide some nominal honouraria for all performers this year. Once we can ensure we can support our local performers, we will continue to expand and look for other opportunities to bring new artists to Edmonton,” said Luciw.

More than 30 Ukrainian entertainers took part at this year’s festival, including live bands, local choirs, tsymbaly soloists, buskers and cultural dancers.

Among them: Bands: Accordion Society, Chaika Ensemble, Diamonds Band, Euphoria Band, Marango Pie, Mashyna, Millenia, Polka Ramblers, Steppe, Trembita, UB; Zabava U Koli; Choirs: Ukrainian Male Chorus, Verkhovyna Choir, Viter; Tsymbaly Soloists: Alicia Slusarchuk, Mitchell Palahniuk; Dancers: Ardrossan Yatran, Cheremosh School, Cheremosh, Dunai Dancers, Edmonton School Of Ukrainian Dance, Hopakers, Koperoush, Shumka, Shumka School Of Dance, St. Albert Ukrainian Dancers, St. Basil’s Ukrainian Dancers, St. Paul Desna Dancers, Studia Shumka, Veeteretz, Veselka, Viter, Vohon, Volya School Of Dance and Volya.

MCs included: Olesia Markevych & Andriy Hladyshevsky; Mara Palahniuk & Annalise Chwok; Mykola Bilash; Adrian Warchola & Marissa Karpiak; Steven Chwok & Jackie Rae Greening.

Workshop instructors included: Borys Tarasenko, Kozak Platter Colouring Book; Elizabeth Holinaty, Weaving Demonstration and Lecture; Lyrissa Sheptak, Pysanky Writing; Joyce Sirski Howell, Ukrainian Bread Braiding; Myroslava Oksentiuk, Vytynanka (paper cutting) and Irene Topolnitsky, Wheat Weaving.

The post Over 51,000 attend this year’s UFest appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch is proud to present a four-day JURIED
PYSANKA EXHIBITION at St. Vladimir Institute, 620 Spadina Ave., Toronto, from June 13-16, 2019, celebrating both the traditional pysanka and the evolution of pysanka artistry.
Within the Ukrainian community, pysankarstvo (the art of writing Easter eggs) is typically a seasonal tradition, but within the broader arts community, it has evolved into a fine art form, allowing for exponential creativity on a unique three-dimensional canvas — the egg!

Our Pysanka Exhibition, the first of its kind for the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch, is an opportunity for pysanka artists to showcase their innovation and creativity, and will expose the public to many new pysanka artists and styles. As Canadians of Ukrainian descent, the Museum is very proud to see a folk art rooted in our heritage evolve into an art form with such diverse creative and technical possibilities.

On display are 46 works from 24 North American artists. The entries in this collection represent several techniques and media: traditional wax-resist method, acid-etched, raised-wax, carved, painted, washed, and mixed technique. Artistic styles vary from traditional folk motifs to fairy tales and biblical themes; designs rooted in ancient Trypillian civilization or inspired by African and Native arts, stained glass and fine porcelain.
Ten different types of eggs are presented in this exhibition, ranging from parakeet to ostrich, and even dark green emu eggs. A panel of five esteemed arts professionals will adjudicate and monetary awards will be presented to the creators of the highest ranking pysanky in each category.

The Exhibition is open to the public and free to attend. An awards ceremony and reception will take place on Saturday, June 15 at 7:00pm ($10 admission fee, includes light refreshments). We encourage visitors to vote for their favourite pysanky in-person at 620 Spadina Avenue, or online at www.facebook.com/umcontario for the People’s Choice Award in each category. Voting closes at 5:00pm EST on Saturday June 15, 2019.

This event takes place during Pysanky Toronto 2019 – a four-day pysanka workshop hosted by Ukrainian EggCessories and St. Vladimir Institute, drawing 80 remarkable pysanka artists from across Canada, the US and Europe. The Museum will host a pop-up shop selling these artists’ works and pysanka supplies during this time, and inspired visitors can try their hand at making their own pysanky at a drop-in Pysanka Workshop with Folk Camp on Saturday, June 15.

Exhibition Hours:
Thursday June 13 & Friday June 14, 2019 – 10:00am to 8:00pm
Saturday June 15 & Sunday June 16, 2019 – 10:00am to 5:00pm
Admission Free (donations welcome)

Awards Ceremony:
Saturday June 15, 2019 – 7:00pm
Admission $10 (light refreshments will be served)

Voting
In person: St. Vladimir Institute, 620 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Online: www.facebook.com/umcontario
Thursday June 13, 10:00am EST – Saturday June 15, 5:00pm EST

Pysanka Workshop by Folk Camp
Saturday, June 15 – 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Pop-up Shop & Pysanka Sales
Thursday June 13 & Friday June 14, 2019 – 10:00am to 8:00pm
Saturday June 15 & Sunday June 16, 2019 – 10:00am to 5:00pm

Sponsors
Ukrainian Credit Union Limited
Ukrainian EggCessories
Partners
St. Vladimir Institute
Pysanky Toronto 2019
Ptashka

About the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch:
The Ontario branch of the Ukrainian Museum of Canada was established in 1944, and moved to its current location within St. Vladimir Institute in 1979. The Museum houses more than 5,000 artifacts – predominantly textiles – that have been collected, researched, documented, photographed and preserved to professional museum standards by its dedicated volunteers. For its exhibitions, the Museum draws on its own collections, as well as artifacts from community members and other institutions. The Museum’s gift shop offers Ukrainian themed collectables, handmade items, cookbooks, greeting cards, CDs and exhibition souvenirs.

The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch is a registered not-for-profit organization, charitable number 885921817RR0001.
Website: www.umcontario.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/umcontario

St. Vladimir Institute has been a pre-eminent centre of Ukrainian community life in the heart of Toronto since 1963. Located at 620 Spadina Avenue, adjacent to the University of Toronto campus, St.Vladimir Institute is a post-secondary student residence, cultural centre, and home to several Ukrainian Canadian organizations.
Facilities include a theatre, library, event space and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch.
Website: www.stvladimir.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/StVladimirInstitute

For more information, please contact:
Tamara Ivanochko, Administrator
The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch
620 Spadina Avenue (south of Harbord Avenue)
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2H4
e: museum@umcontario.com
t: 416.923.9861

This is a paid advertisement

The post 2019 Pysanka Exhibition: A Juried Art Show of Pysanka Artistry appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

FACILITIES MANAGER – Full-Time

Location: Head Office

Ukrainian Credit Union Limited has a career opportunity to join our Operations Team as a Facilities Manager based out of our head office in Toronto.

The Facilities Manager reports directly to the Manager of Operations, and is accountable and responsible for developing and maintaining facilities and office needs as they oversee every aspect of the office space. The primary function will include the day to day operational management of 16 physical locations across Ontario, including corporate offices, branches, call centre and satellite locations.

In addition, the position is the primary individual overseeing new construction and renovation projects, facility emergencies and office equipment acquisition/maintenance, including but not limited to HVAC, lighting, plumbing, security, telephone, fire life safety,
records, janitorial, and general maintenance & repairs.

The incumbent is to establish practices and protocols for post contract implementation, including developing a communication strategy, ensuring contracted services are delivered on a timely basis within the terms of the contract, maintaining financial and budgetary controls, invoice processing and ensuring service level agreements are developed and analyzed.

The Facilities Manager needs to assess the reasonability of services requested, determine alternative solutions and potentially alternative suppliers to fulfill services.

Please note Ukrainian Credit Union Limited has an accommodation process in place and provides accommodations for employees with disabilities. If you require a specific accommodation because of a disability or a medical need, please contact Andrew Rozanec, Human Resources Manager at 416-922-2797 ext. 310 or by email at arozanec@ukrainiancu.com so that arrangements can be made for the appropriate accommodations during the recruitment and selection process.

For consideration, please submit your application by email to Alison Conroy, Manager, Operations aconroy@ukrainiancu.com no later than Friday, June 21, 2019.

The post Facilities manager – Full-Time – Ukrainian Credit Union appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Новий Шлях – Українські Вісті.

Цього року українська католицька парафія Святого Димитрія Великомученика, що у Етобіко, Онтаріо, святкує своє 60-ліття. Урочистості почались на різдвяних святках, 2-го червня відбувся святковий пікнік, а завершаться святкування у жовтні.

За роки свого існування парафія стала одним із центрів українського релігійного і громадського життя Канади. Крім церкви, тут діє цілоденна католицька школа св. Димитрія, у приміщенні якої також працює танцювальний ансамбль Явір; Українсько-канадський дім опіки (Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre) і Резиденція св. Димитрія (St. Demetrius Apartments). Видання Новий Шлях – Українські Вісті поговорило з отцем-настоятелем парафії Іваном Татарином про історію, сьогодення і майбутнє парафії.

Отче, розкажіть будь ласка про історію парафії.

Парафія зачалася у вересні 1959 р., перша Служба Божа була у шкільній аудиторії у Lambton Kingsway School. Владика Філевич, яикй був парохом при Катедрі св. Йосафата, хотів зачати ту парафію, бо було багато молодих людей, які перебралися поза місто, а Етобіко було тоді за містом, тут були самі фарми. Спочатку був малий гурток людей, я ходив з хати до хати, шукав людей українського походження. Три роки правили у школі, а потім Владика Філевич купив цю землю і ми її сплатили. Я був висвячений на священика у Nova Scotia, нікого тут не знав. Але люди почали допомагати, щоби сплачувати наш перший будинок, де була наша церква і заля, і який стояв на місці теперішньої Резиденції св. Димитрія. Будівництво церкви закінчилось у 1970 році. Вітражі виконання Ярослави Сурмач, які ви бачите у церкві, у каплиці Резиденції і у Домі опіки, поволи були зроблені через 30 років і були закінчені лише недавно. Потім збудували першу, дерев’яну школу, у 1973 році. Резиденція була збудована у 1982 р., а нинішня школа – у 1984 році. Піклувальний дім почали будувати у 1990 р., він почав працювати у 1996 р.

Церква Священномученика Димитрія виглядає сучасно. Чому був обраний саме цей стиль і хто був її архітектором?

Наші парафіяни були всі молоді, більшість була зі Саскачевану і Манітоби. Вони хотіли щось модерне, бо там будували церкви всюди з банями. І я шукав архітектора, що знав про наш обряд, але міг би зробити проєкт на модерний стиль. І знайшов одного чоловіка, на ім’я John Farugia, він не був українець, але дуже полюбив наш обряд. Через роки ми щось змінили (залю, баню), добудували дзвіницю, але проєкт був його.

У громаді кажуть, що Вам вдалось втілити комплексний підхід і збудувати великий український осередок завдяки Вашій бізнес-освіті. Це правда?

Я не маю ніякої бізнес-освіти [сміється]. В університеті у Nova Scotia я вчився на соціального працівника. Але на останньому році прийшла мені думка бути священиком. Тоді мене Владика вислав до Вашинґтону, до Catholic University of America, де я вчився з Блаженнішим Любомиром Гузаром. Мені добре було там, я багато навчився. Владика мене висвятив у Sydney, Nova Scotia, там є стара парафія, у 2012 році святкували 100-ліття церкви, а парафія навіть ще старша. Тоді мене Владика викликав до Торонта, бо потребували священика – було дуже багато молодих, які приїхали по війні, багато дітей було і Владика Філевич хотів чимскоріше будувати школу. Як я приїхав, мав дуже багато роботи, зокрема опікуватись ріжними орґанізаціями при Катедрі. У перший рік було 112 дітей до Першого Урочистого Причастя, підлітків молодших було 55, а старших 126, ними треба було опікуватися. І в той самий час я мусив орґанізувати парафію. Я часами спав може 5 годин на вечір. Коли я зорґанізував парафію, ми мали ріжні сходини по домах парафіян. Я пам’ятаю, сходини Ліґи жінок були у хаті, то жінки були у всіх кімнатах, треба було голосно говорити, щоби всі чули. Я зразу зачав Рідну школу, школу народних танців і орґанізації для дітей. Перші їхні проби були в хаті наших парафіян. У 1960-х роках було дуже тяжко, бо ми були на новому стилі і вживали анґлійську мову. Тому що діти не розуміли по-українському, бо багато було мішаних супруж. Я зачав правити у 1963 році в анґлійській мові і так притягав їх. Патріоти дуже на нас накидалися, вони робили всіма силами, щоби знищити парафію. Напримір, я зорґанізував рідну школу і знайшов дівчата, які скінчили українознавство, вони згодилися вчити. Прийшли ті патріоти до їхніх родичів, на них накинулися, і ті мусили відректися. Але я знайшов людей, які мені помогли вчити релігію, вчили народні танці. У 1970-х роках вже було легше. Тоді почали переноситися сюди старші люди і ми зорґанізували для них Світлицю, потім зробили Резиденцію Св. Димитрія для сеньйорів. Держава в тих часах сплачувала відсоток понад 2% для таких домів. Тепер цього нема, неможливо нічого такого будувати. Я багато випитував про це у протестантів, які будували такі доми, і вони мені багато помогли. Один католицький священик сказав, не зачинайте будувати, багато клопоту. Я сказав, я не боюся клопоту. Було тяжко, у парафії був великий мортґедж, а у наших сімей були свої мортґеджі. Ми провадили бінґо, різні забави, щоби зібрати гроші і так дали ся ради. На школу св. Димитрія Шкільна рада дала частину грошей і частину дали ми. То добре виходить, бо ми можемо вживати школи по 6-й годині. Напримір, наша школа народних танців Явір має свої проби там, своє б’юро.

Як змінилась кількість людей у парафії за ці роки?

Як ми будували перший будинок, було 84 родини, як будували церкву, вже 282. Тут почали переселятися люди з різних районів, зараз у цій околиці друга мова є українська мова. Більшість нинішніх членів інших церков у Торонті є з цих околиць, то є їхні парафії, вони там привикли. Тепер найбільша частина наших парафіян, якщо не є, то буде, то є 4-та хвиля. З ними дуже легко працювати. З ними нема проблєми щодо мов, вони не мають нічого проти того, що правиться по-анґлійськи, вони дуже вірні. Тільки що вони ще не привикли до нашого суспільного церковного життя. Але декотрі з них зачали брати участь у наших церковних орґанізаціях. Є деякі, що говорять по-російськи. Богу дякувати, що о. Іван Паліса говорить по-російськи також, він їх притягає, вони тут чуються вдома, ніхто їх не виганяє.

Які у Вас плани на майбутнє?

Богу дякувати, маємо добрих священиків. О. Богдан Свистун дуже гарно працює зі школою, з дітьми; о. Іван Паліса дуже добре працює з 4-ю хвилею, майже усіх знає, добре дітей знає; о. Петро Шумельда провадить усі біблійні студії, лєкції перед хрестинами і вінчанням, то є велика поміч. Як будем мати таких добрих священиків, церква буде в добрім стані. Нам треба більшої школи, але провінція зараз навряд чи дасть гроші. Ми нещодавно цілком переробили бібліотеку, за свої гроші, завдяки добрих людей. Люди добрі, тільки з ними треба вміти працювати. Дуже важне, щоби все про гроші не говорити. Є який проєкт, треба сказати, скільки він коштує, чи ми можемо його зробити, мати точний звіт кожного цента. Тоді люди знають, що гроші не пропадають і то все йде на добрі справи. Ми також помагаємо поза парафією – тут в Торонті, наприклад для Women’s Circle, які мають притулки. Колись купували риж на запит одного священика з Індії для його парафіян, які були дуже бідні, не мали, що їсти. Дуже багато помочі пішло до Бразилії, на стипендії студентам там, на сиротинець, посилали дуже багато одежі. В тих часах то було дуже потрібно, наші люди там дуже бідували. Я там 2 рази був і бачив, як там діти ходили босі до церкви. Коли Україна стала вільною, зачали там помагати, різним церквам, зараз українському війську. Наші люди ніколи не боялися помагати і через то, я думаю, Бог нас поблагословив. Навіть з піклувальним домом, ми були в дуже глибокому довгу і я думав, що ми з того не вийдемо. Вийшли. Я колись ходив на курси, як збирати гроші, до пресбитеріянів. Вони там казали, ніколи не збирайте тільки для себе, але в той самий час помагайте другим. І ми так все робили.

The post 60-річчя парафії Святого Димитрія Великомученика appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Marco Levytsky, National Affairs Editor.

Thousands of Canadians descended upon Juno Beach near the French town of Courseulles-sur-Mer in Normandy on June 6, just as thousands of Canadians descended upon that beach 75 years later. But this time, they came not to fight, but to honour those who did fight so valiantly in 1944 to establish a beachhead for the liberation of France and the eventually defeat of Nazi Germany 11 months later.

To lead the invasion on one of the five beaches targeted in Normandy was a remarkable achievement for a nation that, at that time, had less than 10% of the population of the United States, and less than a quarter that of the United Kingdom, each of whom led the invasions of two of the other four beaches – the Americans as Omaha and Utah; the British at Gold and Sword.

The assault on Juno is generally considered — alongside Utah — the most strategically successful of the D-Day landings, states Wikipedia. Historians suggest a variety of reasons for this success. Mark Zuehlke notes that “the Canadians ended the day ahead of either the US or British divisions despite the facts that they landed last and that only the Americans at Omaha faced more difficulty winning a toehold on the sand”, suggesting that the calibre of the training the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had received beforehand explains their success.

The Canadian Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and 2nd Armoured Brigade seized the beach and its seaside villages while under intense fire from German defenders — an extraordinary example of military skill, reinforced by countless acts of personal courage,” states the Canadian Encyclopedia. The 3rd Infantry Division took heavy casualties in its first wave of attack but took control of the beach by the end of the day. More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed or parachuted into France on D-Day. They were followed by 150,000 additional Canadian troops over the next few months, and throughout the summer of 1944 the Canadian military used the town’s port to unload upwards of 1,000 tons of material a day, for the first two weeks following D-Day on 6 June 1944. At Juno there were 1,074 Canadian casualties. 359 Canadians were killed.

But if Canada was punching way above its weight on D-Day, Ukrainian Canadians, as an ethnocultural group were punching above their weight even more. It is estimated that 35,000 to 50,000 Canadians of Ukrainian origin That amounts to between 11 and 14 percent of the population.

Among the Ukrainian Canadians killed during D-Day operations (compiled for Ukrainian Canadian Congress by Ron Sorobey and Myron Momryk) were the following:

Feschuk, William: Trooper, 25 Squadron, 6th Armored Regiment, 1st Hussars, R.C.A.C. Son of Michael and Mary Feschuk, of Vita, Manitoba. Age 26.

Franko, Harry: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C. Son of William and Stella Franko, of Selkirk, Manitoba. Age 19.

Prokopchuk, Steve: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C Son of Tony and Pauline Prokopchuk of Sandy Lake, Manitoba. Brother of Donald, Charles, Teenie, Mary, Irene and Anne. Husband of Mary (nee Waldron) Prokopchuk of Manchester, England. Age 28

Makichuk, Michael John: Cpl., Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Saffron Sam Makichuk, Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. Husband of Elizabeth Amelia Makichuk, of Debert, Nova Scotia. Age 23

Leskiw, John: Rifleman, 1st Bn Regina Rifles

Miskow, Wesley William: Sergeant Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Son of Philip and Mary Miskow, of Shoal Lake, Manitoba Age 23

Pockiluk, Henry Andrew: Corporal, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C, Son of Nicholas and Julia Pockiluk, of London, Ontario, Age 27

Skwarchuk, Metro: Trooper, Fort Garry Horse, R.C.A.C., Son of John and Sophie Skwarchuk, of Devil Lake, Saskatchewan. His brother John served with the Fort Garry Horse Regiment and he died on July 4, 1944. John is buried at Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, age 24

Solodiuk, Michael: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C,

Spilchak, George: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C, Son of Anthony and Teennie Spilchak, of Pine Ridge, Manitoba. Age 22

Warun, William A.: Gunner, 14 Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. Son of Alex and Annie Warun, of Geraldton, Ontario. Age 22

Wintoniw, Mikie: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C, Son of Nykola and Nellie Wintoniw, of Zhoda, Manitoba Age 26

Wladyka, Edward: Rifleman, Regina Rifle Regiment, R.C.I.C. Son of William and Frances Wladyka; husband of Louise M. Wladyka, of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Age 30.

Woronchuk, Eugene: Rifleman, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, R.C.I.C. Son of Michael and Pauline Woronchuk, of Brandon, Manitoba. Age 28.

On October 4, 2015 a newly elected President of the Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada, former officer in the RCAF and a member of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Toronto Branch, Remembrance Committee, Captain Andre Sochaniwsky CD, made a presentation at the UNF 38th National Convention in Winnipeg. The title of his presentation was “Ukrainian Canadian Military Contributions in World War II”. Capt. Sochaniwsky also talked about the Dieppe Raid that took place on August 19, 1942 in France. It was one of the most devastating and bloody chapters in Canadian military history. Of the 4,963 Canadian soldiers who embarked from England for the operation, only 2,210 returned, and many of them never even landed on the shores of France. Although, this battle ended in disaster for the Allied forces, the lessons gained from it proved to be crucial to the victory at D-Day.

After the Canadian government issued the official list of fatal casualties, the New Pathway counted 38 Ukrainian names, of which 17 were from Ontario or of unknown origin, a high proportion from Windsor, 12 from Manitoba, and nine from Saskatchewan. “The Saskatchewan MP Walter Tucker counted seven officers of Ukrainian origin, who lost their lives at Dieppe”

After the Normandy Landing D-Day, the members of Ukrainian Canadian Serviceman’s Association (UCSA) created the Central Ukrainian Relief Bureau (CURB) to help the Ukrainian refugees who ended up in countries of Central and Western Europe. CURB sent food, clothes and medicaments to the refugee camps; Canadian doctors and dentists also offered their service. When it became known that some of the refugees could be forcefully sent to Soviet Union, Ukrainian Canadian officers, such as Bohdan Panchuk and future Brigadier General Joseph Romanow protected them from forced departure to the Soviet Union. They would visit the Displaced Persons camps and inform the camp staff to not allow Soviet repatriation teams from taking Ukrainians to the Soviet Union. Later on, CURB aided these displaced persons and sought to ease their immigration to Canada.

Many people are unaware of the contributions that Ukrainian Canadians made to the war effort and the critical role they played in helping many of the Ukrainian refugees taken from their homes to serve as forced labour in Germany, or displaced by the fighting itself. But it is a story that need to be told.

The Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre (UCRDC) is currently working on a documentary film that sets out to tell this story. The film will have first-hand accounts of Ukrainian Canadian veterans. The Documentary Committee includes two members from the Ukrainian War Veterans Association – Andre Sochaniwsky and George Serhijczuk. The Director of the documentary is the award winning John Paskievich, who is based in Winnipeg. Currently the film is in final editing. All major campaigns are covered in the movie, including post World War II, when Ukrainian Canadian soldiers assisted the Displaced Persons.

Now, more than ever it is the responsibility and obligation of the Ukrainian Canadian community to give due recognition to these heroes.

UCRDC is a registered Canadian charity. Donations to support this project can be made: On-line: www.canadahelps.org and search “ukrainian research” and specify “uciww2”; by mail: Make chq payable to UCRDC and specify “uciww2”.

Another worthwhile project is that of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation, which, in association with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, is raising money to install a commemorative stained glass window in a church in London, England, honouring the men and women who volunteered to serve overseas during the Second World War and some of whom remained in Europe after the war to help rescue and resettle Ukrainian political refugees and Displaced Persons. You can donate on line at our website if you wish. The window will be unveiled in the spring of 2020. For more information contact (https://www.ucclf.ca/heroes-of-their-day).

Lest we forget.

The post Ukrainian Canadians played a major role in D-Day appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Volodymyr Kish.

Last week marked the 75th anniversary of the DDay landings in Normandy, an event that became known, at least in the western world, as the beginning of the end of the Nazi dreams of conquering Europe. Further east, the same fate was befalling Japan’s imperialistic plans for Asian domination. A little more than a year later, the Second World War came to an end, leaving upwards of some 70 to 80 million dead, and unimaginable destruction spread over three continents.

To most of the younger generations of Canadians, the horrors of that war are just something abstract that they learn in history at school. For me though, there is a much more personal connection. My own existence is the result of a series of events directly tied to the war. My father served in the Canadian army and saw action in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany in the wake of the DDay landings. My mother was taken into slave labour in Germany as an “Osterbaiter” after the German invasion of Ukraine. She survived the war, spent several years as a refugee in the Displaced Persons camps in post-war Germany, and finally managed to come to Canada as part of the Third Wave of Ukrainian immigration to this country. Here she met my father, a respected war veteran, and I am the product of their histories coming together.

My extended family in Ukraine faced the ravages of war in a more direct and brutal way. I remember well how on my first visit to my father’s ancestral village, I was given a tour of the local cemetery, and was overwhelmed by how many gravestones bore dates from the war years. Many were those of my cousins, aunts, uncles and various other relatives. I remember the harrowing stories of one of my cousins who had fought in the Ukrainian partisan underground against both the Nazis and the Communists. He survived not only the war but also some fifteen years in the Siberian gulag after he was captured by the Russian Red Army.

One of my mother’s younger sisters was only nineteen when the front moved through her village. She found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid for it with her life. War is arbitrary. War is cruel and savage. War’s appetite for death and destruction knows no limits.

Yet despite the best efforts of the most idealistically minded of us humans on this earth, war continues to plague us and ridicule all our vain pretensions about being civilized beings.

Back several centuries ago, a slew of famous writers and thinkers such as John Dryden, Charles Dickens and Jean Jacques Rousseau popularized the notion of the “noble savage”, the somewhat romantic idea of primitive man uncorrupted by civilization and all the negative traits that flow from it. The truth of course is far more damning. Primitive man lived at a time when it was kill or be killed. Violence was a way of life, and that life was, as the noted British philosopher Thomas Hobbes once said, “nasty, brutish and short”. Early man should more properly be characterized as the “ignoble savage.”

I would like to posit that, despite all of the trappings of modern society with its advanced technology and education, modern man has not shed this “ignoble” character. When push comes to shove, we continue to indulge in war as a primary means of dispute settlement between nation states and supranational societies and movements. Whether it be of the conventional variety like the Iraq War, the hybrid wars of conquest perfected by the Russians, or the fanatical and merciless jihads of Islamic terrorists, war and its consequential death and destruction is as rife and prevalent on this planet as ever.

I am not the first nor likely the last person to ask why this is so. Why do we continue to find it acceptable to kill other human beings for whatever reason, justifiable or not? Why have tens of thousands of years of societal evolution failed to eliminate the most basic moral and ethical sin against the sanctity of human life? Why do we continue to believe in political, religious and societal leaders who continue to insist that it is justifiable under certain circumstances to kill another person?

The sad fact of the matter is that, despite all our pretensions about being civilized, about being good Christians, or Muslims, or whatever, we are all still “ignoble savages.” We continue to glorify violence and macho behavior. We invest more on the technology of death and destruction than on technology for bettering human life and the human condition. We perpetuate economic and political systems that encourage scandalous levels of wealth inequality. We have all the tools and means to eliminate poverty and hunger now, but consider that a low priority compared to the preservation of the rights of elite individuals and corporations to accumulate wealth to obscene levels. A few human beings, particularly those in the upper strata of the powerful elite, do this consciously, while the majority of us have been so conditioned by the media and through our upbringing to accept this as the natural order of things, that we acquiesce to this warped reality without question. Until we face up to this existential issue and develop a new social contract, we will continue to bear the ravages of war or destroy ourselves in the process.

The post The View From Here: The ignoble savage appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Dianna Fedun, Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada – Toronto, for NP – UN.

Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada – Toronto Branch held their last General Meeting & Social on June 5th, 2019, before the summer holidays. Featured at our meeting was author Kim Drake.

Kim Drake was born and raised in Toronto and now resides in the Ottawa Region with her husband, Brad Weaver. She is the daughter of Myrna Drake and granddaughter to Pani Justyna (Evhenia) Bedry, who was a founding member of the ‘Divochi Hurtok’ established in 1930.

Members of this original group of young women worked very hard for our organization and took an active role in helping it to develop and grow into what UWOC is today.

Kim grew up taking part in all that the organization had to offer. Indeed, she has come full circle and is delighted to be back once again in her old stomping grounds, celebrating her success within the Ukrainian community she was raised in.

She is the mother of two children; her son, Matthew, who lives and works north of Toronto, and daughter, Taylor, who is a social worker in Halifax.

She has been creating, writing, and storytelling for over thirty years. She previously authored Cross, a story of struggle, love and redemption. Kim has also published an exclusive book of poems, entitled Winter Solstice, and has had her poetry published in various poetry anthologies.

An old movie buff, she also loves musicals, Ukrainian music, and anything Star Trek.

Her latest endeavour was realized this year with the publishing of her second novel, In The Absence of Ants.

Kim gave an exceptional reading from her book ‘In The Absence of Ants’ and her husband Brad Weaver assisted in speaking a part too. An Oscar winning moment. The story is profound, given more family members are dealing with loved ones with Alzheimer’s or Dementia. The book draws you into the thoughts of those afflicted with ‘Al’ and how family deal and reconcile with those who are struggling.

After the reading Kim had a book signing while 50 guests enjoyed some light refreshments and socializing. Partial proceeds from the sale of her books will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Society.

UWOC-Toronto held a 50/50 whereby one of our members Natalie Obal won $105. UWOC-Toronto will also donate $200 to the Alzheimer’s Society.

The post Kim Drake’s book signing at UWOC-Toronto appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Dianna Fedun, Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada – Toronto, for NP – UN.

On Thursday May 30th, 2019, Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada – Toronto Branch hosted a Paint Night & Social.

Proceeds from this event will be sent to National Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada Gold Cross Fund and in turn will be directed to Canada Ukraine Foundation’s humanitarian Mobile Dental Clinic in Ukraine.

The team of dentists, hygienists and technicians from Ukraine have volunteered their time to attend orphanages there to help fix these children’s teeth. We know how important dental care is to overall good health. Our National UWOC Executive along with our affiliate sister branches agreed whole heartedly and have supported this cause as one.

UWOC-Toronto will be donating $1,500 from this event. It could not have happened without the generous financial support of Ukrainian Credit Union Limited and Ukrainian National Federation Foundation. As well, the support-in-kind from UNF-Toronto Branch and Trident Banquet Hall. Thank you also goes out to those who made individual donations.

As you can see from the picture, 42 masterpieces under the guidance of Olivia Wallace (www.livartviews.com) are finding their way to a new wall. And if you think only members can join in and have fun, more than 79% were not members of either UNF or UWOC!

So, if you like what you see, hear or read about us, ‘like us’ on Facebook. We post all upcoming events @UkrainianWomen’sOrganizationOfCanadaTorontoBranch.

The post UWOC-Toronto to donate $1,500 to Gold Cross Fund appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Оксана Левантович, Львів.

Українка за походженням, меценатка, у минулому – Голова Комітету українок Канади Христина Стоділка-Цурковська, передала Інституту історії Церкви УКУ особисті речі, зокрема церкову печатку та Служебник, свого близького родича, уже покійного отця Мар’яна Цурковського, який змушений був покинути Україну під час Другої світової війни.

Отець Мар’ян, родом зі Стрия, був одним з тих священиків, що, залишивиши Україну, не втратили свого покликання і продовжили душпастирську працю далеко за океаном – у Канаді. Під кінець війни отець Мар’ян вирушив до Польщі, а звідти – до Німеччини та Франції, опинившись у місті Страсбург, де служив у одній із парафій. На той час у Страсбурзі було багато біженців з України, яким він допомагав. “Отець Мар’ян мав із собою церковну печатку і нею підтверджував посвідчення особи, яке було потрібне для того, щоб виїхати в Канаду. Таким чином ці люди фактично отримували надію на порятунок”, – розповідає пані Христина.

Невдовзі отець Мар’ян і сам виїхав до Канади, де щосуботи та щонеділі їздив парафіями і проводив богослужіння. Також щотижня брав участь в українській програмі на радіо, де читав проповіді (декілька років тому у Львові видали книжечку, де зібрано усі проповіді отця Цурковського). Сам мав дуже багато книг на різних мовах і деякі з них Христина Цурковська вислала до УКУ. Але найважливіще, що отець Мар’ян був дуже простою та скромною людиною, його філософією життя були віра та наука.

“Попри активну діяльність у Канаді, отець Мар’ян ніколи не забував Батьківщину і всі свої листи чи спогади завжди підписував “На чужині”, – каже Христина Цурковська. – І зараз для мене дуже важливо, щоб деякі особисті речі, якими отець Цурковський послуговувався у своєму священичому житті і які збереглися, повернулися з чужини на рідну землю. Тому цю невеличку валізу я з радістю передаю Інституту історії Церкви УКУ, бо знаю, що саме тут ці речі будуть у нагоді”.

“Ми повинні дбати, щоб пам’ять про наших священиків, наших попередників, збереглася. А для цього потрібно ставити такий пам’ятник, який ніхто не зможе знищити, – це написані статті, біографії, спогади… Тому Ваш дарунок дуже важливий ще й тому, щоспонукає молодих науковців досліджувати історію духовенства”, – додав ректор УКУ, отець Богдан Прах.

Директор Інституту історії Церкви, історик Олег Турій наголосив, що підтримуючи УКУ та інші проекти в Україні пані Христина допомагає відкривати вклад українців до глобальної культури. Зокрема Фундація о. Мар’яна та д-р Романа Цурковських фінансує проекти УКУ від початку. Один із останніх – дослідницький проект про долю священиків Львівщини, що були змушені виїхати з України.

“Слово “діаспора” тепер втрачає своє колишнє значення, бо незалежно від того, в якій країні ми, українці, живемо, усі маємо спільну спадщину і щоб не втратити її, ми повинні підтримувати зусилля одне одного”, – каже Олег Турій.

The post З чужини – на рідну землю: українка з Канади передала УКУ особисті речі отця Мар’яна Цурковського appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Тетяна Пінькас для НШ-УВ.

Vyshyvanka Day Festival 2019

Цього року День вишиванки святкували, як завжди, у третій четвер травня – 16-го травня. Vyshyvanka Association, яка вже вчетверте поспіль організовує святкування у Торонто, цього разу активно долучилася і до подій у столиці Канади. Так, за декілька тижнів до свята було ініційовано петицію про визнання Дня вишиванки у Канаді, яку підтримав і озвучив у стінах Палати Громад консервативний депутат Jim Eglinski. 15 травня депутат Larry Maguire відгукнувся на заклик Vyshyvanka Association та використав свій час у Парламенті, щоб привітати усіх українців з Днем вишиванки від імені Консервативної партії і всіх депутатів. 16 травня депутатам усіх партій було роздано стрічки-шпильки з традиційними взорами вишиванки, аби привернути увагу до свята й української спадщини зокрема. Коротке відео про згадані ініціативи можна знайти на www.vyshyvanka.news.

Вишиваний Ярмарок

Продовжуючи минулорічний успіх ідеї Вишиваного Ярмарку у Торонто, Vyshyvanka Association провела захід вже вдруге. Він традиційно відбувся під гаслом «Усі вишиванки під одним дахом» у приміщенні зали «Княжий Двір» 20 травня, у Victoria Day понеділок. Громада і всі охочі оновити вишитий гардероб змогли придбати вишиті сорочки і сукні, аксесуари, прикраси і картини за найкращими цінами. Організатори дякують усім продавцям і продавчиням та сотням покупців, завдяки яким ця ідея продовжує розвиватися.

Всеканадський фото-флешмоб «Вишивана карта Канади»

Традиційно на День вишиванки у всіх куточках Канади усі охочі фотографували себе у вишиванках та публікували світлини на своїх Фейсбук-сторінках та в Інстаграмі з хештегом #VyshyvankaCanada2019. Зовсім скоро остаточний варіант «Вишиваної Карти Канади» з вашими фото буде опубліковано на ФБ-сторінці Vyshyvane Toronto.

Вишивана Хода і Автопробіг

Цього року організатори закріпили здобуток минулого року і знову провели Вишивану Ходу по проїжджій частині у форматі повноцінного параду із супроводом поліції. Очолювала колону родина Роберта і Адріянни Одомірок – обличчя Дня вишиванки 2019 – разом з оркестром «Батурин», який забезпечив музичний супровід і відповідну атмосферу справжнього українського маршу. Усі учасники Ходи змогли не тільки зустріти інших українців у Торонто, але й знайти земляків з рідних сіл, міст чи областей завдяки табличкам з назвами регіонів України. Величезні прапори України і Канади, а також вишиванка 50-метрової довжини стали яскравими родзинками параду, а понад 20 автомобілів з вишиванками на капотах і синьо-жовтими прапорами заряджали оточуючих учасників параду гучною українською музикою. Організатори дякують The Cake Smith Inc. за солодкі подаруночки у тематичному оформленні та книгарні «БУКВА» за диски з українськими піснями для автопробігу.

Концерт у High Park

Одразу після завершення параду біля пам’ятника Лесі Українці у High Park громаду привітали канадські депутати та відомі громадські діячі. Було вручено привітальні грамоти від Прем’єр-Міністра Justin Trudeau та Лідера Офіційної Опозиції Andrew Scheer.

Музичні привітання прозвучали від знаних у громаді виконавців, серед яких були Мирослава Солов’яненко, Діана Пліхтяк, Ліза Заворотня, Віра Прут, а також запальний гурт «Отава». Цікавинками стали виступ представників Білоруського Хору «Яворові Люді» і кримськотатарський танець у виконанні Melek Anifeyeva.

Традиційно вчетверте було вручено солодкий приз від Богдани Довгалюк за найбільш повний український стрій серед усіх учасників Ходи. А сюрпризом для глядачів концертної програми став танцювальний флешмоб від Kalyna Performing Arts Company – досвідчені українські танцюристи разом з гостями свята вчили рухи справжнього гопака.

Окрім концертної програми, гостей свята радували подарунками Кредитова Спілка «Будучність», Корпорація МІСТ та Міжнародні Авіалінії України. Також фотозона з новим логотипом Корпорації МІСТ, доповнена квітами Олени Винничук і компанії «LV Events and design», стала гарною нагодою для знімків у вишиванках.

Танці у вишиванці

На офіційному After-Party, що відбувся у MOD Club зусиллями KAZKA Entertainment, виступив легендарний український гурт «Друга Ріка». Це було яскраве завершення Дня вишиванки у Торонто. Усі постаралися на славу, щоб наша громада ще довго пам’ятала цей день.

Дякуємо спонсорам і партнерам Дня вишиванки у Торонто:

Титульний спонсор – Корпорація МІСТ. Генеральний партнер – Конгрес Українців Канади – відділ Торонто. Головні спонсори: Cardinal Funeral Homes, Міжнародні Авіалінії України (www.flyuia.com), Українська Кредитова Спілка Лимитед, Кредитова Спілка «Будучність», магазин «Ontario Fresh & Tasty». Партнери: Custom Design and Print, Ukrainian Canadian Social Services – Toronto Branch, B&D, Print Plus Sign, The CakeSmith Inc., TG events, Olena Vynnychuk, Automaidan Toronto, KAZKA Entertainment, Light U Studio, MC Vlodko і ресторан «Золотий Лев». Медіа партнери: Тижневик МІСТ, Радіо МІСТ, Forum TV, журнал Розумники, New Pathway Ukrainian News, журнал РАЗОМ, а також Наша Газета.

Оргкомітет Дня вишиванки:

Володимир Палагнюк, Юлія Ілащук, Ігор Палагнюк, Тамара Городецька, Олена Винничук, Ірина Данчук, Роман Тимків. Величезна подяка волонтерам, яких цього року було більше двох десятків, та ведучим – Наталія Галич (парад) і Володимир Мельниченко (концерт).

Більше тисячі фотографій від п’яти фотографів знаходьте на Фейсбук сторінці Vyshyvane Toronto, відео репортаж дивіться на Vyshyvanka Channel. До зустірічі на наступних заходах від Vyshyvanka Association – слідкуйте за оновленнями.

The post Фестиваль вишиванки – 2019 у Торонто appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Павло Лопата для Нового Шляху-Українських Вістей.

Про обставини вбивства европейської слави художника Олександра Мурашка в українській радянській мистецтвознавчій літературі обходили глибокою мовчанкою, бо його трагічну загибель зробили руки більшовицького війська Михайла Муравйова – відомого терористи українського населення, що масово розстрілював свідомих українців. Спогади приятеля О. Мурашка і майже очевидця його смерті Григорія Лукомського, що появилися в Берліні 1923 року, відкрили нову сторінку в історії життя і творчої діяльності художника. Біля першої години ночі Мурашко повертався з дружиною Маргаритою Августівною з гостини додому, в свій будинок на Лук’янівку. Пропускний квиток був у нього в кишені, який дозволяв йому ходити пізно, нікого не боячись. Але несподівано до подружжя, тримаючись руками разом, підійшло троє військових і заявили про його арешт, додаючи, щоб він передав дружині усі цінні предмети, яких у нього не було. Маргарита попрямувала до їхнього будинку, й оглянувшись, побачила, як чоловік почав тікати. Рішив це зробити тому, коли конвоїри вели Олександра в поле, щоб там змогли його застрелити. Знаючи добре цю околицю з її огорожами, кинувся в щілину під плотом, щоб через неї міг пролізти в садок. Але піджак і з сірим костюмом штивно зачепився до штахітки і він застряг під плотом. Спускався в яму ногами і животом, які були вже в саду, а голова його залишилася на боці дороги. Солдати наздогнали його і одиноким пострілом у потилицю, застрелили його на смерть, потім зникли безслідно.

Нещастя цього надзвичайно талановитого мистця України коштувало його життя. На думку сучасників Олександра Мурашка, причиною його вбивства були “українська завзятість та непіддатливість противникам“. За сталою традицією, тіло художника поховали на території Державного історично-меморіяльного Лук’янівського заповідника. Смерть художника була незамінна втрата для всього українського народу. Десятиліттями могила маляра була занедбаною. У найновіші часи ХХІ століття до неї приходили її упорядковувати та віддавати належну шану маляреві.

Олександр Олександрович Мурашко, народжений 7 вересня 1875 року в Києві, малярські звички здобував у майстерні свого батька, більш відомого як іконописця. Він хотів, щоб згодом, син перебрав його майстерню, спершу в Чернігові, й опісля в Києві. Юнак рішуче супротивлявся батькові, який змусив його залишити рідний дім. Знайомство з Адріяном Праховим, професором Київського університету і керівником робіт по розпису Володимирського собору, врятувало молодого маляра. Адріян Прахов та Михайло Нестеров у зустрічі з батьком Олександра переконали його у великих здібностях сина і всі разом допомогли йому поступити до Вищого художнього училища при Академії мистецтв в Петербурзі 1894 року, а через два роки потрапити до майстерні Іллі Репіна. Під впливом досвідченого майстра талант Мурашка постійно дозрівав. Свідчать про це початкові та ранні портрети – молодого чоловіка (1894), З. Акиніної (1895), М. Петрова (1898), Г. Цисса (кінець 1890-их), О. Несторової (1904), портрет А. А. Крюгер-Прахової з сином (1905) та багато інших, в котрих одухотворив обличчя.

Академічний період Мурашка завершився 1890 року намальованою ним дипломною картиною “Похорон кошового“. Тему цієї роботи міг підказати Репін, бо історична доба України захоплювала його завжди.

Мурашко високо цінував картину “Запорожці пишуть листа турецькому султану“, але він прагнув створити свою картину драматичного змісту. До неї вложив епізод, коли у скорботний час запорожці проваджають в останню дорогу ніччю загиблого в бою кошового отамана Івана Сірка.

За цю картину (полотно, олія) Мурашко отримав звання художника та поїздку за кордон за рахунок Академії. Під час подорожі по містах Німеччини, Італії та Франції, відвідував музеї, зокрема паризький Лувр. Перебуваючи в Італії та у Франції, він створив дві-три десятки відомих олійної техніки полотен, із котрих вирізняються такі: “Італійка з дочкою“ (1901), “Парижанка“, “У кав’ярні“, “Біля кав’ярні“ та “На вулицях Парижа“.

Повернувшись до Петербургу, а потім до рідного Києва, віддався громадській та педагогічній праці в Київській рисувальній школі, пізніше у своїй власній, й одночасно створював свої твори. 1905 рік позначився в О. Мурашка початком нового етапу мистецької творчості. У цьому ж самому році, з-під його пензля появилася жанрова робота, розмірами 109 х 137 сантиметрів під назвою “Зима“. В ній зображено двоє молодих селян, що йдуть засніженим полем: парубок у світлому кожусі і поруч його правиці дівчина у квітчастій хустині та темного кольору шубці. Обоє заповнюють більшу частину полотна, на котрому підкреслено поважність постатей монументального трактування.

Талановитий майстер портрету, виявився великих живописних здібністей, створивши справжні шедеври. У портретах він знайшов свою індивідуальну манеру. Пензлю Мурашка належать такі портрети, як Яна Станіславського (1906), Миколи Мурашка (1907), Л. Ф. Куксіної (1909), дружини М. А. Мурашко на Капрі (1909), В. А. Дитятиної (1910), Жоржа Мурашка (1912), С. Ф. Міхельсон (1917), два автопортрети (1918) та кілька других. До них мистець приділив багато уваги. Колорит і психологія портретованих, відкриває для глядача їхні характерні риси, інтимну ліричність та різні настрої.

Найбільш вдалими творами Олександра Мурашка були: “Карусель“, “Недільний день“, “На терасі“, “Вечірні рефлекси“, “Біля ставка“ та інші, які на міжнародних виставках в Берліні, Мюнхені, Дюссердольфі, Венеції, Римі та інших містах, були удостоєними, придбаними картинними галеріями, закуплені колекціонерами, і на батьківщину майстра вони не повернулися. Ще й такі жанрові картини Мурашка, як “Тихе горе“ (1914) і “Селянська родина“ (1914), зайняли гідне місце в історії українського мистецтва. Остання вище наведена картина зберігається у фондах ДМУОМ у Києві, у котрій постаті батька, матері і їхньої доньки відображають ціле оповідання про важке селянське життя та правдивість їхньої бідності. Кінець 1910-их років відкрив більше можливостей для художника. Ішов йому 44-ий рік життя, і здавалось йому самому, що бачив перед собою успішне майбутнє, більше творчих здобутків, зокрема поза межами України, сповнення своїх завдань, але зовсім несподівано застала його трагедія, перервавши його мрії та місію, які мав на пляні за решти свого життя сповнити. Можна тільки додуматись, скільки ним було б ще зроблено для історії українського образотворчого мистецтва.

The post 14 червня 1919 року вбили художника Олександра Мурашка appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Gord Yakimow for New Pathway – Ukrainian News.

It was the third day of my tour of various sites associated with the D-Day (June 6, 1944) landings in Normandy when, seeing a particular name on a grave in the Canadian Beny-sur-Mer cemetery near Caen, I was deeply moved:

W Rohatynski #H41254; Served as W Ratynsky; Royal Winnipeg Rifles; 4th July 1944 Age 25; In fond memory; Of our son and brother; Rest in Peace; Mother, Dad and Family.

I was on the trail of my father’s battalion in the days after D-Day. He had landed at Juno Beach on approximately D+30 (i.e. 30 days after D-Day) with the Royal Canadian Engineers. His unit moved inland, rebuilding an airport, badly damaged by allied artillery fire and by retreating Germans, and then building a Bailey bridge, both near Caen in Normandy, France. Then they moved on northward through Belgium and Holland and finally into Germany as the allied front advanced.

I’d been visiting places associated with D-Day for the first two days of my tour – museums, monuments, battlefields, and cemeteries. Many cemeteries … with their thousands of identical headstones. Many inscribed with “Unknown Soldier.”

My father, John Yakimow, was an immigrant/refugee from Galycia (Halychyna) in Western Ukraine. As a teenager, he had fought with the Ukrainian Sich Sharpshotters (Ukrainski Sichovi Stril’tsi) in the days following the confusion of the Russian Revolution when a small window of opportunity opened up for Ukrainian Independence. That independence (1918-1922) turned out to be short-lived.

He arrived in Canada in 1928 — part of the “second wave” of Ukrainian immigrants, and missed the Holodomor by just a few years. When he enlisted in the Canadian army in 1940, he lied about his age, for he was older than the cut-off age for volunteers. His medical certificate was “doctored” by his doctor.

“Your father was definitely here,” asserted my guide, Jim Smithson. “Although not part of the D-Day Invasion, the Royal Canadian Engineers played a vital back-up role. As they were rebuilding Carpiquet Caen Aeroport, they were close enough to the front lines to see and hear the artillery.” [At some point, John Yakimow was wounded by shrapnel from a German bomber, and he was sent to London to heal.]

My father’s name underwent several manifestations in his early years in Canada: Jakymow, Jakymiw, Yakymow, Yakimow, Yakymiw. Names provided by Canadian Immigration personnel. The final one was closest to the Ukrainian phonetic pronunciation.

When John Yakimow sent packages from Canada to his family in Soviet Ukraine, they were addressed to his family in Selo Cherniw, Pochta Rohatyn (village of Cherniw / Post Office in Rohatyn). So I thought it likely that W Rohatynski’s people were from Rohatyn, and whether his nomenclatural experience was similar to that of my father: an immigration officer ascribing a name based on information provided and misunderstood. Not an uncommon occurrence in those days.

Thereafter, as I walked the rows in the cemeteries we visited, I looked in particular for what appeared to be Ukrainian names. And there were many. I photographed a few.

The Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery at Reviers, Normandy, near Caen, is a relatively small cemetery in comparison to others – it contains only 2,048 graves. Here lie the remains of W Rohatynsky. Here also are the graves of the following Ukrainian-Canadian soldiers:

C Huzyk (#H102547 – age 22), Regina Rifle Regiment, “Dear Son of M and A Huzyk, Winnipeg;

G Kindrachuk (B112654 – age 25), Regina Rifle Regiment, “Dear son of Paraska Kindrachuk, Hafford, Saskatchewan;

SR Chermishnuk (#L12710 – age 26) South Saskatchewan Regiment.

Like most of the war cemeteries, Beny-sur-Mer contains many graves marked “Unknown Soldier.”

A nearby cemetery near Cintheaux, Normandy, the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, contains 2,958 burials of which 89 are “unknown soldiers.” Here lie the following soldiers killed in battle:

R Gorodetsky (#D83173), Black Watch Royal Highland Regiment;

P Wasyluk (#147144), Lincoln and Welland Regiment;

M Michaluk (#M100370 – age 22), Canadian Scottish Regiment;

P Evanchuk (#H7018 – age 27), Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, “In loving memory of Peter, Born Winnipeg, Manitoba”;

M Mandzuk (#H10124 – age 23), Royal Regiment of Canada, “Beloved only son of George & Mary Mandzuk, Whitemouth, Manitoba”).

The Canadian Memorial on Vimy Ridge near Arras has on it the names of 11,000 Canadians whose remains lie somewhere in the fields of Flanders or the Somme or the Ypres Salient – either in a grave marked “An Unknown Soldier from the Great War,” or somewhere still beneath the dirt and clay of what was once the Western Front.

Nearby is “Hill 70,” where Filip Konowal displayed such fearlessness and bravery while in battle that he was awarded the highest honour that can bestowed upon a soldier from a Commonwealth country, the Victoria Cross. Konowal is the only Ukrainian-born Canadian to have received the VC.

Fifty kilometres to the south is the Thiepval Memorial. It is to Great Britain what the Vimy Memorial is to Canada. What is poignant about Thiepval is that the memorial at the site has inscribed onto it 72,000 names – young men killed in the Somme, most between July and November of 1916 … their remains never identified.

On the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, there are inscribed the names of 54,000 soldiers – killed in the fields of Flanders, but whose remains were never identified. I scoured the walls to locate names which appeared “Ukrainian-ish.” If these soldiers were indeed Ukrainian and from Canada, they would have avoided interment as “Enemy Aliens” because they had hailed from a region in Ukraine which was not at the time controlled by Austro-Hungary.

There were relatively fewer such names than I had spotted in the WWII cemeteries of Normandy … but there were a few: GF Nikitichen, J Ogorodnik, CE Spytko, S Hachey, L Radokovich, G Kolesar.

All that remains of the Bailey bridge that my father and his battalion of the Royal Canadian Engineers had been involved in building over the River Orme near Caen is a cement footing, from which extends upward a rusting steel piling. I crawled through bush to locate it. On each of the four flat surfaces of the footing a soldier had imprinted his name and serial number into the concrete. Young men who had served with my father. One was perhaps Ukrainian: W Kwiozak (#K50640) RCE 29/8/44. Eighty-four days after D-Day.

Although wounded by shrapnel, my father survived the war. I was one of the “post-war baby-boomers.” As a child I can recall him yelling out in the night, my mother trying to calm him from yet another bad dream. Not all war wounds were physical.

Gord Yakimow is a retired teacher, having had stints in Manitoba, Ontario, Great Britain, the Yukon Territory, and British Columbia. He now lives in the Fraser Valley, about an hour east of Vancouver. His articles (and photos) have appeared in a variety of publications, including PostScript (for BC teachers), UpHere (from Yellowknife, NWT), The Outdoor Edge (outdoor activities), Solovei Magazine (Ukrainian issues in Canada), the Ukrainian News (Edmonton & Toronto), and in several BC Black Press newspapers. He has been a long-time member of the organizing committee for the annual BC Ukrainian Cultural Festival.

The post Ukrainian-Canadians and the Two Great Wars appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.

Andre Sochaniwsky for New Pathway – Ukrainian News.

On 7 June 2019, the Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada honoured the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings on the Normandy coast of France. On the 6th of June 1944, American, British and Canadian forces participated in the largest seaborne invasion in history codenamed Operation Neptune. The attack began the liberation of Western Europe and the complete defeat of Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, the events that followed led to Europe being divided between democracies and totalitarian communist regimes.

When dawn broke over the English Channel on that day, five thousand naval craft approached the coast of France, the largest armada of ships ever assembled, while two thousand aircraft provided air cover and tactical bombing. Of the nearly 150,000 Allied troops who landed or parachuted into the invasion area, 14,000 were Canadians. They assaulted a beachfront code-named “Juno”, while Canadian paratroopers landed just east of the assault beaches.

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) contributed 110 ships and 10,000 sailors in support of the landings while the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) had helped prepare the invasion by bombing targets inland.

Although the Allies encountered stiff German defences armed with artillery, machine guns, mines, and booby-traps, the invasion was a success. On D-Day, Canadians suffered 1074 casualties, including 359 killed. Many Canadian solders of Ukrainian descent participated in D-Day such as Nick Bodnar, a bombardier in 426 (RCAF) Squadron, Wally Kupchenko, an armoured officer and Wally Romanow, a member of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion who landed behind enemy lines.

After viewing documentary footage of the attack, UWVA members and guests stood and paused for a moment of silence and paid tribute to the brave men and women who served Canada in World War II. More than 45,000 Canadian sailors, soldiers and airmen made the supreme sacrifice and over 55,000 were wounded in the struggle to defeat tyranny. More than 1 million Canadians served in uniform during World War II – among them some 40,000 of Ukrainian origin. Captain (Navy) Oleksandr Orekhov, from the Ukrainian Navy then recited in Ukrainian “On Flanders Fields”.

Our organization also took a moment to acknowledge attending Ukrainian World War II veteran Armin Konn, who as a young child survived the Holodomor, endured the execution of his father by the Soviet secret police (NKVD) in 1937 and then the execution of his mother and brother by the German military in 1943 for shielding Jewish children in Kyivska Oblast.

Afterwards, Guest Speaker Taras Jackiw, member of the Audit Committee of the Ukrainian National Federation, presented to attendees his recent trip to the Normandy coast, where he toured the 5 D-Day landing beaches, in addition to several cemeteries of the Allied war dead. Many of the German bunkers, buildings and bridges remain today, seven decades later.

At this event, the President of the UWVA, Andre Sochaniwsky, bestowed the Knight’s Cross upon one of its newest members, Yurii Aleksandrov, for “selfless duty to country in operations on and off the battlefield.” From 2002-2004, Yurii served in the 25th Separate Dnipropetrovsk Airborne Brigade. In 2014, when Russia attacked Ukraine, he was called back into service with the 25th Brigade to defend Ukraine from invasion. He almost immediately saw combat action in Sloviansk, Mariupol, Piske and Debeltseve – towns which saw intense and violent fighting. Upon return to civilian life, he created an organization to support members of his old unit and Ukrainian military veterans.

The UWVA also took the opportunity to bid farewell to Captain (Navy) Oleksandr Orekhov. Over the past 10 months, the UWVA has come to know Oleksandr, a Marine combat veteran in the Ukrainian Navy who has been in Canada attending a year long course at the Canadian Forces College (CFC). He has participated in numerous UWVA and other events in the Ukrainian community in Toronto. Capt (N) Orekhov has successfully completed his Master degree at CFC and will be returning to Ukraine to apply his new knowledge and make a difference in Ukraine. The UWVA presented Oleksandr with some parting gifts as Veteran Armin Konn played and sang a few songs on his accordion.

The event concluded with a special presentation from the Ukrainian Credit Union Limited. UCU Limited presented a cheque in the amount of $ 10,000 to the UWVA. The membership was very pleasantly surprised and honoured to receive such a substantial gift and have it presented personally by the Chair of the Board of Directors, Slawko Borys. This most recent contribution, is yet another example of UCU’s unwavering financial support of our 90-year old organization. The funding will enable the UWVA to continue to execute its mission of supporting military-related projects of interest such as veterans’ programs, building awareness of Canadian and Ukrainian military contributions and fostering relationships between the Canadian and Ukrainian militaries on matters of joint interest.

Capt (Retd) Andre Sochaniwsky CD is the President of the Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada. From 1984 to 1997, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as an Air Combat Systems Officer.

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