Media Alert - Toronto Holodomor (Ukrainian Genocide) Commemoration
TORONTO, Nov. 26 /CNW/ -
| What: | The Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Toronto along with its member organizations is marking the 77Th anniversary of this tragedy with a requiem service and commemorative program. |
| When: |
Saturday, November 27, 2010 9:00 a.m. Doors open to Church and display 10:00 a.m. Official opening 10:50 a.m. Conclusion |
| Where: | St. Volodymyr's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral |
| 400 Bathurst Street | |
| Toronto, Canada | |
| (between Dundas St. and College St) |
Photo opportunities:
- Opportunity to interview witnesses to this genocide - very few remaining
- Witnesses lighting candles of remembrance with their grandchildren upon entering Church for requiem mass
- Poster Display in Church Hall-Exhibit-"Holodomor: Genocide by Famine"
- Outside of Church - Art Installation- 33 Black Flags
- Government Dignitaries attending
- Requiem mass with choir
On the evening of Saturday, November 27 Canadians are asked to honour the memory of the victims:
- by pausing for a moment of silence at 19:32h -19:33(7:32-7:33 p.m.);
- lighting a candle of remembrance in one's home.
Holodomor - The Ukrainian Genocide 1932-33
This year marks the 77th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Holodomor that claimed millions of innocent lives. This little known genocide committed against the Ukrainian population in 1932-1933 was denied and hidden from global scrutiny under the Soviet regime. As Soviet archives in Moscow and Ukraine have become available, the true nature of this atrocity has come to light, revealing that there were millions of innocent victims including several million children.
The Holodomor, which literally means 'murder by starvation' was a famine engineered with the sole intent to destroy the largest minority ethnic group within the Soviet Union, the Ukrainians, and thus put an end to their quest for freedom and independence for several decades. Having expropriated all food and closed the borders of Ukraine, the Soviet regime destined millions of Ukrainian farmers to a slow death, wiping out a quarter of the rural population. In addition, Stalin destroyed the intellectual, cultural and religious segment of the nation through massive arrests, deportations, and firing squads.
Canada recognized the Holodomor as an act of genocide in 2008 and proclaimed the fourth Saturday of every November Holodomor Memorial Day. Federal legislation has been supported by similar legislation in five provinces to date.
This past October during an official visit to Ukraine Prime Minister Stephen Harper was deeply touched at the monument commemorating the millions of Ukrainians who perished during the Holodomor, and expressed the solidarity of Canadians with the longstanding struggles of the Ukrainian people against the Soviet and Nazi totalitarian regimes.
Other Toronto and GTA Events
November 14-28 Exhibit - Holodomor: Genocide by Famine, Scarborough Civic Centre
November 26 Holodomor Memorial Day to be marked in schools of the Toronto District School Board
November 26 Film screening, The Soviet Story, Sponsored by the Ukrainian Students' Club University of Toronto and the League of Ukrainian Canadians
When: 7 p.m.
Where: St. Vladimir Institute, 620 Spadina Avenue.
NOTE: Black Flag Installation in front of the Institute
November 27 Memorial service at Holodomor monument
When: 1:00 p.m.
Where: Dormition of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church, 3625 Cawthra Road, Mississauga
November 27 Holodomor Commemoration, Sponsored by the League of Ukrainian Canadians, League of Ukrainian Canadian Women, Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada (CYM), Ucrainica Research Institute and the Yuri Lypa Ukrainian Heritage Academy
When: 12 noon
Where: Ukrainian Cultural Centre, 83 Christie Street, Toronto
For list of events across Canada
http://www.ucc.ca/programs/projects/holodomor/
For further information:
Nadia Prokopiw (416-884-2510),
[email protected]
Lydia Falcomer (416-473-6532) only on Saturday, November 27
Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Toronto Branch
208-145 Evans Ave., Toronto ON M8Z 5X8
416-323-4772
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