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The Ukrainian Weekly
Ukrainian National Association
Parsipppany, N.J.
September 22, 1996
TRENTON, N.J. - At a meeting in the State Capitol here, Dr. Paul Winkler,
executive director of the State of New Jersey Commission on Holocaust
Education, advised officers of the Ukrainian American Professionals and
Businesspersons Association of New York and New Jersey that the commission
has adopted the study guide on the Great Famine of 1932-1933 that was
developed in New York state and that this guide is now available to any
school district in New Jersey upon request.
In fact, Dr. Winkler said, about 30 districts have requested these guides
and the commission has already sent them out. In addition, Dr. Winkler
promised that if persons or organizations in the Ukrainian community were to
provide the commission with 30 copies of a film or some other audio-visual
materials relating to the famine, which killed 7-10 million in Ukraine, his
commission would have such materials distributed to the state's 30 regional
source centers on the study of the Nazi Holocaust and genocide.
Areta Pawlynsky, president of the Ukrainian American Professionals and
Businesspersons Association (UAPBA) of New York and New Jersey,
and Bohdan Vitvitsky, the vice-president, asked to meet with a
representative
of the commission in order to get first-hand information about what the
commission is and is not doing as regards disseminating educational
materials
about the famine.
A number of newspaper articles as well as opinion pieces published
in the state's major newspapers had provided contradictory information on
that subject, so the leadership of the UAPBA decided to make its own
inquiry.
The state legislature has mandated that the state's public schools teach
about the Nazi Holocaust and other genocides, but did not identify which
other genocides should be covered. In response to this legislation, the
commission has developed two study guides, a 100-page study guide for use in
primary schools and a 300-page guide for use in junior and senior high
schools. About 1,000 guides have been sent out to each of the state's school
districts.
In response to Dr. Vitvitsky's question about whether the commission treats
the phrase "Nazi Holocaust" as referring only to the victimization of the
Jews, or whether it treats the phrase as referring to the Nazis' campaign
against all towards whom the Nazis had adopted a racist animus, namely the
Jews, the Gypsies and the Slavs, Dr. Winkler explained that the commission
understands "Nazi Holocaust" to refer to the Nazis' murderous campaign
against all of these peoples.
Since each public school district may choose, in addition to the Nazi
Holocaust, which genocide or genocides it wishes to include in its
curriculum, Dr. Winkler suggested that those in the Ukrainian American
community who would like to see the famine taught should contact their local
school districts and encourage them to request a famine study guide from the
commission and then encourage their local schools to use these educational
materials in order to teach about the famine as an example of genocide.
Even though, as Dr. Winkler explained, the famine study guide is already
available to school districts upon request, the commission is currently
reviewing the famine study guide in order to decide whether the commission
should, on its own initiative and without waiting for requests from
individual school districts, simply send the famine study guide out to all
of the school districts in the state. The commission will complete its
review and make its decision by January or thereabouts.
Ms. Pawlynsky and Dr. Vitvitsky requested that the commission send the
UAPBA copies of both the study guides on the Nazi Holocaust as well as
a copy of the famine study guide, which Dr. Winkler agreed to do.
In the meantime, both UAPBA officers are strongly urging all Ukrainians
living
in New Jersey immediately to encourage their individual school districts to
request a famine study guide from the commission and then to encourage their
local schools to use these materials in class.
The address of the commission is: New Jersey Holocaust Commission, 240 W.
State St., CN500, Trenton, NJ 08625; telephone, (609) 292-9274.
The Ukrainian Weekly, September 22, 1996, No. 38, Vol. LXIV
http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/1996/389603.shtml
Check out the extensive collection of materials on The Ukrainian Weekly
website about the Great Famine, http://www.ukrweekly.com
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