SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT YONKERS, NEW YORK AND O,!HER MAILING ADDRESSES

NO. 16 CARPATHO--RUS, YONKERS, N. Y., AUGUST 2, 1996 VOL. LXVJ:V

Continued from Issue #15, 7/19/96

THE HISTORY of LEMKOVINA

Part 26

Reflections

The resettlement of the Lemko people by the Polish government is one of the great crimes committed against a people in world history. Peaceful, obedient, industrious, loyal, brotherly people were thrown out from their homes and land and divested of the fruit of their labor, which many generations built, denied the freedom to pray in their own native language, dispersed throughout the western lands of Poland and left to fate's will. This horrible, tragedy of the people, this inequity breathes vengeance. It is thus that the Polish government expressed its gratitude to the Lemko people for sending thousands of their best sons to the battle front to fight for the freedom of Poland, and for the many Lemko heroes who gave their lives for the Polish state.

And though many Poles beat their breasts, admit their guilt and the injustice committed against the Lemko people, and sympathize with their lot-­they· are conscious of the harm Polish policy had done by forcefully evicting the Lemkos from their beloved hills, but on the other hand, they are adamant in their refusal to permit the Lemkos to return to their homeland; obvious proof of their irrational dislike and their reason for resettling them. A most painful fact today is the Polish liquidation of the historical name of Lemko origin, Rus, which has been in existence and used for hundreds of years.

MAKOVITSA

Between Berdiev, Zborov and Svidnik, precisely, between the upper rivers of Topla and

Ondani, the mountain chain of the Beskids called the "Makovitsa" rises to a height of 670 meters. The origin of this name, according to tradition, comes from the word "mak" (poppy). This opinion seems plausible, inasmuch as the crest of the

mountains with their intricate aspect, even now reminds one of the poppy capsule. This judgement is in accord with the old literature of the poppy country. This name, undoubtedly, is an old one. "Makovitsa" is mentioned as early as the XIII century by a certain Tehush who officially visited this country in 1241. The crest of "Makovitsa", clear of trees and vegetation, looks like a crown.

Makovitsa at the present time, is understood to mean the whole mountain group crossing the mainland with its crest, that entire region, is situated between the geographic and geometric marked dots: Beudiev -- Zborov -­Berkherev -- the Dukla Pass -- Havai -- Stropkov ending at Bardiev. In this rugged area of the Beskids the general name "Makovitsa" was given. This interesting country, up to now, had been studied only slightly. Therefore, let us tum our attention on Makovitsa as a principality of combat and misery -- from the general point of view.

Makovitsa, without exception, was settled by one of the Russian tribes -- the Lemkos, energetic and capable, who were preoccupied especially with agriculture. In spite of the hardships, Makovitsa survived poverty and wretchedness from prehistoric times, like lice in a sheepskin coat. Why? Simply because of the hilly terrain of the Beskid country ins spite of the series of devastating fighting that took place in this territory. The breakout of this frequent fighting was attributed to the topography of the pass through Dukla, offering passage for invading groups from west to east and east to west. Settlements or villages were scattered throughout the valley of Makovitsa often unnoticed by passersby. The

Continued on Page 2, Column 1

REMINDER - READERS - TALERHOF DAY

By August 11, 1914 the major industrial powers became embroiled in the First World War. a war that

eventually killed 10 million people with many millions left as cripples. With the commencement of war the

Austrian military immediately imprisoned thousands of our Carpatho-Russian people, although they were

Austria-Hungarian citizens, in concentration camps, the most infamous of which-was TALERHOF in the

Vienna area. In these camps thousands of our people were killed or died of starvation and disease due to

the inhumane conditions. To honor their memory:

MEMORIAL SERVICES will be held at LEMKO R~SORT on AUGUST 4, 1996.

PANIHIDA will be offered beginning at 12:30 PM in our CHAPEL in LEMKO

RESORT by VERY REV. FATHER JOHN NEHREBECKY. We urge all those

interested in our people, heritage and culture -- please attend. Snacks will

be available In our dining room after the services.

An interesting in-depth analysis of the climatic events that began in 1985 in the former Soviet Union up to the present day. This is the sixth installment of the story frorri Moscow News.

The Crash and Rise of an Empire

A Colloquial Chronicle, Russia, 1985-. Part 7

The Empress and the People

There was one other area in which Gorbachev showed a remarkable insensitivity about a sore point in his relations with the Russian public­-his wife's prominence. From the very start, the people had a negative gut feeling about the First Lady. Obviously of peasant, Mongoloid stock, she played hard at being the arrogant, supercilious empress, constantly using the imperial "we" and generally lording it over everyone in sight. The situation is epitomized in the Russian proverb, iz gryazi da v knyazi "from mud to princehood," that surfaced in practically everyone's mind as the public watched her perform. This, too, was obviously a blind spot in GOtPacne\l's menta' makeup, one he shared with all Soviet politicians: they all thought--nay, they knew--that they could get away with anything and behave in any way they pleased.

They might be making all the proper noises about democracy, but it was an ingrained attitude with them that whatever the masses might think or feel did not matter a rap: they would think and feel what they were told to think and feel by the Party and generally by the bosses, and if they had any thought or feelings of their own, they could be totally ignored. Unfortunately for Gorbachev, he was the first Communist leader to find out that in this he was sadly mistaken, but I am not sure that, with his hermetic type of mind, he has realized this even today. And fortunately for Yeltsin, he was the first Communist and post--Communist leader to

Continued on Page 3, Column 1

PAGE 2 CARPATHO--ROS PRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1996

Continued from Page 1, Column 2

people preserved their traditions even though they could not reconcile themselves with their harsh fate.

Makovitsa up to 1918 belonged to the Hungarian kings, and her history is closely linked with them. Makovitsa appears to be a province in which Hungarian troops usually met unfriendly forces. At the time of the uprising of the Hungarian nobility in 1041, Makovitsa was visited by armed troops. The Russian soidiers were also there under the command of the Hungarian King Andrei I, son­in-law of Yaroslav the Wise, who entered Hungary in 1046, defeating and pacifying the uprising. That same year Andrei was greeted by the Hungarian revolutionaries at the Abaus palace and proclaimed heir to the Hungarian throne. The rebels fought

mostly in the Mabovitsa mountains.

In 1241, Makovitsa was attacked by the Tartars, causing enormous losses in life and property. The Tartars burned down Berdiev. In 1440, the Russians under the command of Talafus entered Makovitsa oblast and unmercifully pillaged and killed its inhabitants and occupied the rebuilt town of Bardiev. Many of them settled there permanently. As a result, many new settlements came to life, as for example, Smilmo, adapting themselves fully to the local population.

Makovitsa went through many military battles in the XVII and XVIII centuries. The religious creeds brought about bitter dissensions which were settled only by combat. An uprising of the so­called Kurutsov led by David Petnehaz on September 8, 1680 resulted in the burning down of the town of Bardiev. In 1810, and particularly in 1849, the appearance of the Russian troops in the Makovitsa region led to the fierce battle with the seditionary Magyars. In 1849, Makovitsa was also engaged in the battle of rioting Hungarians, under the leadership of Berdzhinh Bloudka. However, the magyar uprising was crushed by the makovitsian and Carpatho-Russian vanguards led by Adolph Ivanovich Dobriansky who, at the time, served as the Russian Tsar's commissioner of Russian forces. Fierce clashes took place near Bardiev.

The more serious battles at Makovitsa occurred in later times, in the years of our (?) memory, from October, 1914 to May, 1915. This period of World War I brought to Makovitsa great losses in lives. The Russian and Hungarian armies clashed on the Black Hill near Makovitsa. According to official information, 3,428 soldiers clashed. This battle was costly to the Makovitsian inhabitants. During the war, Makovitsa was visited by Generals Brusilov and Kornilov. These Russian generals advanced with their forces to free the Russian settlements or hamlets from Magyar oppression and persecution. At the end of 1914 and the beginning of 1915, fierce battles were fought by the 8th Army commanded by Brusilov against the three Austro-Hungarian Armies commanded by General Boroevich, particularly in the area of Bardiev. When General Brusilov, the commander -in-chief of the South-Western front was compelled to change his operational plan in the direction of Lvov, as a sign of his friendship, he had written on the Bardiev bridge these words: "Farewell Russian Bardiev".

In the autumn of 1915, in the so-called ·Czech Druzhina (militia), in the tanks of which fought Colonels Shvets and Vashatko, Generals Chechik, Kletsanda and others, prompted Makovitsa to undertake a scouting task, with the aid of close and friendly cooperation of the Russian 3rd Army commanded by General Radko-Omitriev. The Czech militia was trained for reconnaissance In the sections of the enemy's front where the units were stationed. Certain Individuals and groups of Austrian-Hungarian soldiers of Czech nationality wanted to surrender to the Russians. They succeeded and Prepared the surrender In large formations. Thus, for example, in the village of Stebnitska Huta, on April 3, 1915, the infantry division called ·Prazhki Diety" (the Prague children) surrendered to the Russians. The one who distinguished himself the most was Col. Shvets.

. General Kornilov, commander of the 48th infantry division, an effective force on the south­western front, also arrived in Makovitsa to save the battle situation of the general front. He was wounded and taken prisoner by the Hungarians in the Niklena village in May, 1915. He fought the Hungarians in the Makovitsa mountains. According to the judgem~nt of the inhabitants, a vicious battle was fought on the summit of the mountain between Nikleva and Miroheva. Between these two villages lay one of the highest peaks named Mt. Blood. The battle situation changed seven times a day; one side advancing. the other retreating.

Thus, in the winter of 1914-1915, the military engagements reduced Makovitsa to impoverishment. All villages suffered heavy losses. Many of them were put to the torch, for example, Vatsenik, Svidnichka, Prikra, Mednezhie, Porubka, Velikii, Bukovets and others. They were rebuilt from the ground up. This harsh period of war passed, but for the people of Matsova the consequences of war were the painful memories and recollections of the agonies, beyond words, of the dying soldiers. The only consolation for the people was the change of the boundary of Makovitsa, which was now a free independent Czechoslovak republic. The only thing that remained unchanged was the natural beauty of this principality of battles and woes. It is the soothing sight of the Makovitsa countryside, not only for the residents but also for visitors and guests from abroad. Makovitsa is full of lasting sad memories, huge military cemetaries.

To be Continued

CARPATH~RUS

Carpatho-Russian newspaper, published bi­weeldy by the Lemko Assoc. of the United States and Canada.

Subscription Rate: One Year ... $20.

Edited By: Editor, pro:tem., A. Herenchak USPS No. 291 460

Postmaster: Send address changes to:

CARPATHO RUS 556 YONKERS AVENUE YONKERS, NEW YORK 10704

Passaic Branch #~16

1996 Schedule of Events

October 20

September 15 December 8

Fall Banquet, 2:00 PM $15.

Birthday Meetings

All functions are held at the Lodge, corner of Ann Street and Lanza Avenue, Garfield, NJ.

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

Please start/renew my subscription to CARPATHO-RUS. Enclosed please find my check or money order for $20./year.

Name~ ______ ~ ____________ __

Address: _____________ _

City, State, Zip Code: _______________________ _

Press Fund Donation:, _____________ _

Send To:

CARPATH~RUS c/o Alexander Herenchak P.O. Box 156 Allentown, NJ 08501 Tel: 609-758-1115 Fax: 609-758-7301

Notice

Pilgrimage Tour '96 is being planned for mid-September to Slovakia, tJkraine and Poland. Focus is on the Carpathian area. For info write: P.O. Box 9, Hunlock Creek, PA 18621 or call (7171 256-7232. Orthodox Herald

IN APPRECIATION

We extend our thanks for help in producing this week's issue of Carpatho-Rus to Svetlana Ledenieva

Celebrating 28 Years of

Lemko Festival

Tradition

On Sunday, August 25, 1996

at LEMKO RESORT, ROUTE 208, MONROE, N.Y.

OUR FESTIVAL begins at 1:00 PM

Entertainment and music details will be

announced In the following Issues.

PAGE 3 CARPATHO--RUS FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1996

Continued from Page 1, Column 3

realize the importance of being earnestly in tune with the masses. Whether this was fortunate for the country is another matter.

Gorbachev obviously failed to see the difference between being the butt of good-natured jokes and a laughing-stock -- and he was clearly turning into one, as in this anecdote: Passing by a

crowd queuing up for vodka, Gorbachev yells at the folks: "Look, what are you doing here during working hours? You ought to be at work!" The last man in the queue naturally advises him to "Go jump in the lake, you-I" "How dare you!" Gorbachev explodes. "I am Gorbachev, your General Secretary!" "Awfully sorry, Mikhail Sergeyevich," the man apologized. "Didn't recognize you without your woman."

Gorbachev chose to disregard these ungentle hints-and has no one but himself to blame for his ultimate fall from the people's graces.

Cadres Decide All

One good thing came out of the anti­alcohol campaign: Gorbachev got rid of Grigory Romanov, his once, and probably future, rival for the top rung. Romanov had been guilty of several major alcohol-laden indiscretions at international level and had to go, becoming a nonperson overnight--no one has heard a word about him ever since.

There were other personnel changes that had the country glued to the TV sets. Andrei Gromyko, the man who, as the senior member of the Politburo, forcefully nominated Gorbachev for General Secretaryship, was kicked upstairs to the largely ceremonial post of head of state-Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. With this deft move Gorbachev both expressed, in a fairly dubious fashion, his gratitude to the senior comrade and removed the biggest obstacle to taking charge of foreign policy: Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, appointed to his first -major diplomatic post of Soviet representative at the United Nations by Stalin himself, had thoroughly earned his nickname, Mr. Nyet (Mr. No), for persistent use of the Soviet veto at the I IN Security Council.

Gorbachev's choice of replacement for Gromyko was totally unexpected, even by the appointee himself, Mr. Shevardnadze, another Politburo member and party leader of Georgia for 13 years. I remember being asked by various acquaintances about the possible reasons for such a weird choice: Shevardnadze was a career Party worker without any diplomatic schooling or experience whatever. I hazarded a desperate guess that it might indicate a possible swing from

concentration of foreign policy on the East-West confrontation to a more Orient-oriented line, if you will pardon the pun. Such a line would need an individual with an oriental mentality. Well, that guess proved totally wrong. There were some improvements in the Soviet Eastern policy, as in relations with China and the Pacific region nations, but Gorbachev himself took charge of that end, while Shevardnadze concentrated precisely on the Western front, masterminding the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany, preparing to bring down the Bertin wall, and so on.

I now believe that the motive was purely personal. Gorbachev must have had some ideas by then on what he wanted done on the international arena, and he knew that to achieve these objectives he would need a man with plenty of guts, to avoid a cruder anatomical metaphor. He hit on the right man: Shevardnadze's reputation in that respect was legendary. Georgia is very much of a macho, football-crazy country, passions at football matches run sky high, and on one occasion Shevardnadze stopped a riot single-handedly in a rather literal way, rushing onto the pitch to prevent a lot of blood-letting.

He had also emerged victorious in a more serious confrontation with Georgia's shadow

economy tycoons who practically ran the country. Georgia with its enterprising, if shady, businessmen was always a special case in the Soviet Union. The general idea was that the republic never succumbed to socialism, as reflected in this anecdotal Georgian's question addressed to a Russian: "Look, that little hullabaloo that happened back in 1917 in Petersburg (referring to what was officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. - S.A.) - would you know what it all ended in?" That was a joke, of course, but pretty close to reality: managers of state-owned plants and factories ran them like their own property, selling their products through illegal channels and defrauding the state out of billions. Shevardnadze, then the republic's head of the KGB, went to war against what was called the Georgian mafia, and won.

That was in 1974. I was in Georgia at the time. The capital Tbilisi was alive with rumors, some of them pretty colorful: it was whispered that the Mafia made an offer to Shevardnadze's driver to smash Shevardnadze's car, killing him if possible; when the man refused or failed to carry out the assignment, he was hanged in his own house.

At first, Shevardnadze's assault on the mafia was treated as a bit of a joke: "Shevardnadze has declared a month-long campaign (mesyachnik, a regular feature of Soviet life, mostly connected with street cleanliness, exemplary driving, etc.) in support of the Soviet power," the people said, but it soon turned into a life-and-death struggle.

The biggest underwortd boss promised to leave Shevardnadze without a piece of bread to feed his face. In the end, though, the guy had to be content with slices of prison bread himself. The whole scandal led to the downfall of the corrupt Party boss of all Georgia, Mzhavanadze, and Shevardnadze's rise to supreme power in the republic.

Gorbachev must have known all this, with details that never reached the public, from Shevardnadze himself.

Being Party boss in the neighboring Stavropol Territory, he often went for his holidays to the Georgian Black Sea coast. The two men had had some heart-ta-heart talks on their solitary walks on the beaches; they both had agreed that ''the country was rotten through and through" (their own words), and now Gorbachev felt that here was a man he could rely on in probably the most important feat of his career--eliminating the threat of nuclear war.

Sergei ROY - Moscow News

Press Fund Contributions

John & Nancy Porada, in memory of our dear friend, Olga Yedinak $10.

AUDIO and VIDEO Tapes

Item #1 Karpati-Rus' Folk Songs; Eighteen folk songs from the Carpathian

Mountains! Transcribed from 78 rpm discs recorded in 1910, this audio cassette tape presents wedding, christening and Christmas songs .... the way our ancestors did them.

Item #2: Russian Balalaika and Polkas, Chardashes and Gypsy Eclectic;

This audio cassette tape contains Russian polka and balalaika selections, Slavic chardashes and gypsy melodies. Several folk songs provided here were originally recorded in 1910 on 78 rpm discs.

Item #3: East European Folk Festival; Each year, the Lemko Association of the

U.S. and Canada sponsors a festival of East European dancing and singing. This video offers

highlights of the 25th festival which was held in 1993. It i,lcludes excerpts of an Orthodox Catholic prayer sC\rvice and concert of Karpati-Rus;, Ukrainian, Russian and Slovak folk songs and dancing.

Item #4: Canonization of Father Maksym Sandovich;

This video includes a biography of Saint Maksym, the first Orthodox Catholic saint of the Karpati-Rus;. The major sites and events of his glorification which occurred in Gortice, Poland in September, 1994 are uniquely recorded.

Item #~: Video Recording of the Akafist Male Chamber Choir of Moscow and the Slavic Male Chorus of Washington, D.C.;

Recorded at St. Luke's Serbian Orthodox Church in McLean, Virginia on March 12, 1992, this video includes 17 classic liturgical songs and shows the interior and exterior of all slavic Orthodox Catholic churches in the Washington, D.C. area.

Item #6: Canonization of Father Alexis Toth; St Alexis' biography and canonization

ceremony are preserved c!"'! this video which was filmed at St. Tikhon's Monastery.

Item #7: Folk Songs from the Uzhorod Region: "Muse Zakarpatskaia through 12 folk songs

that were recorded in Soviet days in 1955.

PRICES: Item #1 ..•.. $12. Item #2 ..... $12. Item #3 ..... $25. Item #4 ..... $20. Item #5 ...•. $30. Item #6 ..... $20. Item #7 ..... $12.

All prices include shipping costs. Send check or money order to:

1 1 3 1 3 3 2 1 2 6 1

tbls clove

cups cup

Lemko Association 555 Provinceline Road P.O.Box 156 Allentown, NJ 08501-0156

The Cooking Corner

Vegetarian Borsch

onion small cabbage medium size carrots small parsnip medium size beets medium size potatoes oil for frying gartic bay leaves water tomato puree pepper to taste salt to taste

Peel aod chop the onion, cut the cabbage into 2 inch chunks, peel and cut carrots, parsnip and beets into thin strips, 2 inches long. Peel and cut potatoes into 1/2 inch dice.

Lightly fry in the oil the onion, carrots, parsnip and beets. Put them into a saucepan with gartic and bay leaves and cover with 6 cups water. Add the cabbage, potato and tomato puree, pepper and salt. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are soft, about 1 hour. 6 servings.

LEMKO WEDDING VIDEO

A two hour video cassette of the film LEMKO WEDDING is still available for sale to our readers. This is the original film that was made almost 30 years ago, and it should be ot interest to those readers who have not had the pleasure of viewing it.

Cost, including postage and handling, is $45.00. To order kindly send your check or money order to CARPATHO-RUS, 556 Yonkers Avenue, Yonkers, New York 10704.