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OLENA KISILEVSKA і shed leading Ukrainian person ages, men a-s well as women. All efforts toward legal political acti vities had been mercilessly sup pressed by Moscow. The Russian bolshevik ruthless system is forc ing men and women into official political collaboration. But this terroristic policy has enlightened even the mos«t backward women on the meaning and the worth of political slogans of Kremlin. In West Ukraine the course of public activities of the women fared differently. The democratic structure of life in Austria per mitted the forms of feminist movement similarly to those of western countries. The leader of the Ukrainian woman suffrage, Natalie Koibrinska, organized the first Ukrainian women's league in 1884. She did not attach the soci ety to any political party, being of tihe oipinion that the women miust first pass the school of so cial life. Hence before the World War I the women of West Uk raine were developing their or ganizations, hut did not express themselves politically. After World War I when West Ukraine had been divided among Poland, Rumania and Czechoslo vakia, the Ukrainian life became more active under these occupa tions, and the Ukrainian woman was then joining actively the po litical life. It manifested itsellf in two channels. Within the frames of. Ukrainian political parties the woman was struggling in a legal way for the rights of her people, the action being fostered by the fact that < the women in Poland had the right to vote. As a result there were two women in the Uk rainian representation in Poland —the renowTned leader of the Uk rainian feminist movement, Olena Kisilevska, a senator, and Presi dent ot Ukr. Women’s League of West Ukraine, Milena Rudnitska, a member of the diet at Wansaw. A large number of Ukrainian women came forward in illegal strife caused by the Polish regime of persecution. There were nu- merouis fighters who were suffer ing and dying for freedom of their homeland. Olga Basaraib who had been tortured and killed in Polish Political preparation of a state less nation moves divergently. It is generated by disasters and pressures and often in a critical struggle. Much worse i:s the pecu liar way of the woman who man aged to find her place in political life. Olena Kisilevska was born in 1869, a daughter of a priest, in West Ukraine. When still very young she came to realize the meaning of political strife, for her father, as well as her brothers, then college students, had been engaged in political action in the campaign before elections to leg islative bodies. She followed keen ly the march of events, and when there was formed the first Uk rainian women’s organization, Ki silevska, then 15 years old, be came one of its first members. The matrimony and maternity forced her to withdraw for some time from public activities. How ever, during the World War I she reappeared as the head of a relief committee which was taking care of wounded soldiers. In 1925 she was one of the founders as well as the editor of a popular newspaper for women. Then began her actual political work. The newspaper became a potent instrument under her guid a n c e . Editing it as a popular me dium, she turned to the masses of peasant women. She came to know their plight and was trying to assist them with her practical instructions in order to promote their well-being and progress. Her main purpose, however, as an editor wais to further the activa tion of village womanhood, to in culcate the understanding of pub lic affairs and to furnish a pro gram for bringing up children. prison in 1924, became their sym bol. This struggle was also carri ed on against German Nazi ag gressors during World War II, and the Nazi Gestapo executed many Ukrainian women, includ ing the young Ukrainian poetess Olena Teliha in 1943 in Kiev. Lydia Burachinska. The newspaper “Zhinocha Do- la” (the woman’s destiny) was published for 14 years. Kisilevs'ka did succeed in her endeavors as well as accomplished her object ive in uniting the peasant women with the feminist movement of West Ukraine. In 1928 Olena Kisilevska had been elected senator, one of the members of the upper house of parliament of Poland, on the tic ket of Ukrainian National Demo cratic Party. She had been serv ing her people with dignity and devotion. However, she did not limit her activity to the senate but was continuously traveling so as to remain in constant contact with her electorate. Advanced in years and physically delicate, she disregarded all hardships of tra veling over dirt roads, frequently in freezing weather and blizzards. Thus she learned to know pro foundly the needs o:f all strata of the populace. This work brought her wide popularity amid the Uk rainian people who always men tion her name with reverence. In 1929 she had been visiting Uk rainian organizations in United States and Canada. It was only logical that when in 1948 the Ukrainian central orga nizations had formed the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations, Olena Kisilevska was elected its president. An ac tive member of the Ukrainian de mocratic party, she nevertheless has been working for the good of all Ukrainian people. Always tol erant toward others she won rec ognition of all Ukrainian groups. Olena Kisilevska is a permanent resident at Ottawa, Ontario. She is ever active and is gathering around her prominent women. She never neglects her correspon dence with Ukrainian women all over the free world. Her recent participation in the Committee of Ukrainians of Can ada proves h e r vital interest in the political actions of the Uk rainian people. The Canadian press is in particular emphasizing her anti-communist attitude. Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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