ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
Kyiv, Ukraine and Washington, D.C.
December 30, 2002
A new website, "FAMINE-GENOCIDE IN UKRAINE 1933" has been
launched by The Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Toronto Branch and its Famine
Genocide Commemorative Committee. The new website can be found at:
The Famine Genocide Commemorative Committee stated "Our objective in
producing this web site was to create public awareness of the 1933
According to information on the new website, "The impetus for this new
web site was the 65th anniversary (1998) of the 1933 Famine-Genocide in
"A commemorative week was dedicated for observance of this solemn
anniversary. Participants included survivors, scholars, students,
parliamentarians, clergy and the Ukrainian community in the Greater Toronto
"The commemorative week generated wide interest in what was an
unprecedented, and continues to be the least known, genocide perpetrated
in the 20th century."
"The events of that week revealed a need for a handy, introductory resource,
especially for students. For this reason we consulted authorities on the
subject: Dr. James Mace, Prof. Roman Serbyn, Dr. Frank Sysyn, and Senior
Researcher at the Ukrainian Canadian Research & Documentation Centre -
The Famine Committee, "........interviewed the following survivors residing
in Toronto: Maria Boshyk, George Bulat, Benjamin Chmilenko, Nicholas
Latyshko, Pavlo Makohon, Valentyna Podasz and Agnes and George
Starostenko. We thank them sincerely for sharing with us the horrors they
experienced and for providing a human interest dimension to this website."
According to the Committee, "The breakup of the Soviet Union greatly
facilitated access to Soviet archives. Researchers delving into the archives
are finding that the scope and toll of the victims have been greatly under-
estimated. They are also compiling lists of those who committed this
genocide, lest their names sink into oblivion."
"We hope that as the research findings become readily available, they
will be widely disseminated and those who committed this crime against
humanity be brought to justice, or at least that their names become public
record for posterity."
The Committee explained that "In Canada genocide studies have become
an integral part of curricula in both secondary and post-secondary
educational institutions. The inclusion of the 1933 Famine-Genocide in
Soviet Ukraine engineered by Stalin and his henchmen is long overdue."
A special feature of the web site, not found on other websites that
feature material about the famine, is a Teacher's Guide to the Famine-
Genocide, developed by Valentina Kuryliw.
As Genocide Studies become more of an integral part of educational
instruction, the new web site and its materials provide a handy, easily
accessible, reliable resource for teachers and students.
In addition there are considerable resource materials on the website
including a basic facts section, Findings of the Commission on the
Ukrainian Famine, diplomatic reports, memoirs, testimonies, numerous
articles and academic lectures related to various studies and writings.
There is an extensive bibliography and links to other various sources of
The Famine-Genocide Commemorative Committee members include:
Eugene Yakovitch (Chair), Lesya Jones, Halia Dmytryshyn, Marika
Szkambara and Lesia Korobaylo.
The Famine-Genocide Commemorative Committee can be contacted at
firstname.lastname@example.org. Lesia Korobaylo is the web content
Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Toronto Branch
295 College Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1S2
416 323 4772
FAX 416 323 6772