Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
16 WWW. UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ГРУДЕНЬ 2013 educate and bring awareness and attention to this atrocity and also created the Emergency Relief Committee for Starving Ukrainians in an attempt to bring concrete assistance to the starving people of Ukraine. This committee formed after the UNWLA called a meeting of its branches in the New York area on November 13, 1933, and was chaired by Dr . Neonilia Pelecovich. Prominent individuals within both the Ukrainian and Amer i- can communities were invited to become me m- bers of the Honorary Committee for this relief effort. Many distinguished Ukrainians agreed to serve on the committee which demonstrated the clear support of the Ukrainian - American c omm u- nity. Some, like the well - known Ukrainian scul p- tor Alexander Archipenko, did not agree to serve on the C ommittee, but tried to help in other ways: Mr. Archipenko, for instance, donated one of his sculptures to be raffled towards the fund to help the victims of the Holodomor. While Ukrainian Americans mobilized, the response of the American community was u n- fo rtunately lukewarm at best . Of the few who r e- sponded positively were the writer Carveth Wells and Florence Cassidy of the YMCA. The r elief committee immediately held fundraisers and b e- ga n sending financial assistance. However, it soon became clear that the Soviet government was co n- fiscating the money rather than allowing it to reach those intended. Concurrently, letters were being written to the International and American Red Cross, to numerous humanitarian agencies, to religious and social institutions. Th e American Red Cross promptly responded that “[n]o soci e- ty — t he Red Cross in this instance — can enter a foreign country for purposes of relief without first having received an invitation or an approval from the government and the Red Cross of the country for which the relief is intended.” This invitation obviously would not be forthcoming if the Ukrai n- ian Social Republic did not even acknowledge the F amine’s existence. Sadly and very reluctan t- ly, the committee stopped its relief efforts and the remaining fund s were donated to the victims of the Mississippi River floods. A memorandum signed by both the UNWLA President, Helen Lotocky, and by Dr . Pelecovich, the Relief Committee C hair, acco m- panied the Emergency Relief C ommittee letters, but the memorandum was als o mailed to Pres i- dent Franklyn D . Roosevelt on November 21st. The text of the memo read in p art: “...in view of all these circumstances, so briefly outlined herein, we, American women of Ukrainian descent, on behalf of these children and starving kinsmen, ap peal to your sense of justice and humanity to intercede on behalf of these millions of starving Ukrainians; and furthermore in view of the fact that the Bolshevik authorities in their efforts to screen this terrible famine do not permit the sen d ing of any aid whatsoever to the famine - stricken Ukraine — we appeal to you...” The r e- sponse, dated December 15, 1933, came from the State Department, was signed by Robert F . Kelley, Chief of the Division for Eastern European A f- fairs , and stated that “there does not app ear to be any measure which this government can appr o- priately take at th e present time in this matter.” This disappointment was followed by a letter to the First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt : “We appeal to you as to a mother and friend to do your utmost in helping to alleviate the death pangs of millions of Ukrainian mothers and children doomed to die if a helping hand is not extended to them, and, for your part in this, may God bless you!” Th e First Lady’s respons e echoed that of the President — she was unable to help in any way. This same memorandum was also sent to U.S. Congressmen and Senators. From December 5th to the 27th, the committee received numerous replies, mostly expressing regret t hat nothing could be done. They stated that, although expres s- ing sympathy for those affected, the U.S. gover n- ment was in no position to discuss the matter with Stalin at this time. One ray of hope was Co n- gressman John Delany’s response that, together with several of his colleagues, he promised to “look into this situation.” Despite the repeated disappointment and rejection, the UNWLA pushed on and sought official recognition of the famine. The Emergency Relief Committee wrote to multiple newspapers and indi vidual members of the press. Replies ranged from “we have r e- ported quite fully on conditions in the Ukraine as found by our own correspondent” from the New York Herald Tribune to “[i]t is doubtful...if we will be in a position to devote space to an article on conditions in the Ukraine, as we have barely room for adequate comment on conditions at home” from The Saturday Evening Post . Howe v- er, in May of 1934, the Ukrainian American co m- munity was uplifted by the proposal of a congre s- sional resolution (#399) by N ew Y ork Republican Hamilton Fish; the resolution was a clear stat e- ment of support for the starving Ukrainians, re g- istered the facts of the famine, recalled the Amer i- can tradition of reviewing breaches of human rights, expressed sympathy for the victims, and stated that the United States hoped that the USSR would alter its policies. This resolution is believed to be the fir st official commentary of the United States on USSR policy.
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
