Holodomor November 18, 2013

A powerful article for those of Ukrainian descent, or for those who have friends and extended family members of Ukrainian heritage was written by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Alberta Provincial Council on November 18, 2013 in the Calgary Herald, B5. The importance of remembering the Holodomor is so that the world can be in awareness and prevent similar events. You may not even be aware, since it’s now 80 years later, that there was a horrific Ukrainian famine/genocide in 1932-33.

Holodomor is a Ukrainian word with two parts: Holod means hunger, and mortyt means a slow, cruel death. Starting in 1932 all food, grain and livestock were removed by Soviet police and soldiers from areas of the Ukraine. In addition the country’s borders were sealed, denying people the opportunity to search for food, leading to starvation. At the height of the genocide 25,000 people daily were dying.

The shocking aspect is that this famine was an artificially induced famine. Many of Ukraine’s religious, artistic, intellectual and political leaders were arrested, deported to slave labour camps or executed if the mentioned the Holodomor. There was a sweeping attack on everything Ukrainian. The population was reduced by about 25%.