For Long Island's Ukrainian community, holiday stirs pride, fear
“It will be a solemn memorial rather than a joyous celebration,” said Oleh Dekajlo, left, of East Meadow, with his wife, Innesa Tymochko-Dekajlo, in reference to Wednesday marking 31 years of Ukraine independence. “People would feel very guilty celebrating when, in fact, there’s a war going on.” Credit: Howard Schnapp
As they celebrate Ukraine’s 31st year of independence Wednesday, a sense of patriotism and pride — from expatriates on Long Island and others with ties to the embattled country — will be tainted by fear and unease.
Wednesday actually marks two incongruous but connected anniversaries related to Ukraine and Russia as the border nations continue an ongoing war. Wednesday's independence celebration honors Ukraine's break from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Wednesday also marks the six-month anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Unabashedly supporting their country, Ukranians on Long Island, like many countrymen abroad, fear that Russia will intensify attacks despite the holiday.
“It’s very hard because you’re trying to balance being happy that there is independence, but you’re worried beyond belief at the same time," said Natalka Michaliszyn, 44, of Bellmore. "So it’s kind of a celebration, but you’re biting your lip through the whole thing. I’ve never prayed this hard in my entire life.”
Michaliszyn, 44, who was raised on Long Island, said her grandparents emigrated to the United States after they were removed from Ukraine by Nazi troops during World War II.
Her feeling of pride as Ukraine celebrates more than three decades of independence is clouded by a nagging feeling of melancholia.
The speech therapist is also the principal of the School of Ukrainian Studies and Religion in Uniondale, where many of her students have family members in Ukraine. Some recently moved to Long Island because of the ongoing violence.
A mixed bag of emotions
Juggling the warring feelings of happiness and dread is not unique to Michaliszyn. Other Ukrainian Americans on Long Island also spoke of the complex feelings induced by the holiday.
Olga Tsymbalysta, 42, of Levittown, moved to the United States from Ukraine in 2004 and settled on Long Island in 2010. Traditionally, Ukrainian independence is celebrated with parades, speeches and concerts, she said.
This year, events in Ukraine will be more subdued, if held at all. Kyiv city military authorities banned mass events in the capital until Thursday because of fears of Russian missile attacks timed with the holiday.
“For me personally, it’s not really a celebration. Like this year, it’s just showing my people that we are all together,” she said. “We really want to show everyone … that all the world is for Ukraine.”
Tsymbalysta said her Ukrainian friends and relatives value the show of support from Americans. When she sees the striking blue and yellow flag of Ukraine hanging in windows, Tsymbalysta said, she sends photos to her friends. She hopes support will continue for Ukraine when the war ends.
Oleh Dekajlo, 64, of East Meadow, also said Wednesday is no time to celebrate. Not this year. Instead, it will be a serious day of commemoration, said Dekajlo, an attorney. He also serves as president of the local chapter of Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. Dekajlo, who was raised in New York City, said his parents fled Ukraine during World War II.
“It will be a solemn memorial rather than a joyous celebration,” he said. “People would feel very guilty celebrating when, in fact, there’s a war going on.”
Ukraine will persevere
It’s because of the ongoing war that this year’s independence day is important, said Volodymyr Tsyalkovsky. Many of his family members remain in Ukraine where they fight against the Russian occupation.
For Tsyalkovsky, 43, of Great Neck, his usual enthusiasm for Aug. 24 is missing this year. Instead, he has a desire to do more to aid efforts in his native country. Honoring Ukrainian independence in 2022 is a needed reminder of the country's break from the Soviet Union, which he hopes will spark a resurgence of patriotism.
“It’s really needed probably more [this year] than any other year,” he said.
Bohdan Kopystianskyj, 77, a Vietnam veteran from Great Neck, was born on the border of Czechoslovakia and Ukraine in 1945 as his parents fled the country. Kopystianskyj’s father was part of the underground movement fighting against Soviet troops. After making it to the U.S., his father worked on a potato farm on Long Island.
Kopystianskyj visits Ukraine several times each year. It’s where he met his wife, who has children and grandchildren in the country. He visited Ukraine last year, not knowing it would be his last for the foreseeable future. And while he grieves for Ukraine, he said the threat of a Russian attack has loomed over the country since it gained independence 31 years ago.
It’s hard not to fear for the worst, but Kopystianskyj’s father’s streak of defiance lives in him: “Even if they take over Ukraine as they have in previous centuries, there will always be that underground, that deep underground, that strong underground that will not allow Ukraine to die.”
Wednesday marks an important milestone, acknowledged Chrys Torhan, 40, of Floral Park, but for him and other Long Island Ukrainian Americans, “we honor independence every day,” he said. The war has united Long Island’s Ukrainian community and evoked support from New Yorkers seeking to help the country and its citizens.
“For me, I have no doubt that independence will not be taken away,” Torhan said. “Ukraine will win this in the end. There’s no doubt they will win.”
With The Associated Press
Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.
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