Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh has signed a proclamation in remembrance of the Holodomor famine which occurred roughly 90 years ago and killed millions…mostly Ukrainians. Experts say the famine was a man-made event where Ukrainians had their grain and property taken from them as part of a policy of the Soviet Union developed by Joseph Stalin. Doctor Borys Buniak heads up the Ukrainian Medical Association of Syracuse, and says Ukrainians punished after trying to oppose Stalin.
“Because they were not going to become part of the communist regime," Buniak said. "They did not want to give up their land, did not want to give up their nationalism, did not want to give up their culture and Stalin to punish them, basically took away all their food, took away their land and basically closed the borders and starved over 7 to 10 million Ukrainians over a span of two years."
Buniak says Russia is doing something similar to the Ukrainian people today.
Mayor Ben Walsh says the proclamation is a chance to remember a horrific incident and to support the many Ukrainian people who live here. Kateryna Kolesova is Ukrainian and is employed by Interfaith Works of CNY. She says she came to the Syracuse area after the war broke out and has been gratified by the support she has seen since she’s been here.
"Even, you know, being here in the USA, I see Ukrainian flag at Clinton Square and it and or in the houses and not necessarily Ukrainians live there, and it gives me so much hope."
She adds that the support coupled with remembering what has happened in the past helps her and her family move forward so that they can build a better life. Kolesova hopes the world can unite and fight for common values.
