Lr'1.-?

IEMKO ETIER]EI'EEs II'S RECALIS BT TtsCICR DCKTTA

' A Clwter of Yillages

. ths r.tllage of Yeslurde, a nalrc besed on' the Slarric lrord X@g or

6sh treee vhich in tJnes past glourished in tbe tbe higbland horeland of

leodor Doklia,, uhich he aalls lefuvrrnar ltas part of the'coanunity GS-g@!g)

and parlsh of Ery,va, uhich ln tr:rn r.tas a,; part of the gtrtla @l ft@sl'Jg'n'lfn:ntty oft

Gladyszou, ln the county (oowiat) of Gorlica. Tts pqHrh spe]-ling of the

village isJasionkaJn the 1930ts lasiurka had, m fa&llies uhich n:mbered

lJ-O persons; all of theg lerrkoE except for tuo fatailies. &e fa-rni1y of slx

vas .Ier,rish, $bose'bed-ilaercalbd0hdl-fr'Qi .tha vil'lngers. Ch&in owned a saloon

and aJ-so uorked as a blacksrnith. Tte other farnily was Polishr that of J6efSkursld.

In a rnodest peasant vry, Dok1la vas prou.d of'his regiopte 1prst.

lho sea ua on""?flbart of Kievan &u3, trrwr irl:abited W a Slavic trgekncrn to scholars as trllhlte Croatiansrr and vho some conside to be the

ancsEtorle of todayrs led(og. Dokli"a clings fondl.y to that Lnterpetation.

Chisttaaity canre to the region ln the times of Sts'. Cyril and lbthod,tus,

a hundreil years trefor"e St. lPolo8qnr of,flci.a1ly bought it to t he ancegtors of

the nodern Ukrainians in Kiev. lleld l{ar'Ore r^,as a.notber watersbed event ln

Ied<o history. lhe sea had a strong pro-fi,ussian or Bussopbll€ movernent, sone

even considering thernselves to be real Russians of the t"irscovlte variety.

tsarist arnies trroke into tts reglono and the Russophllee usre fbequently accused

of dleloyalty by the Austria,n governrent. At least ten nattves of X*siullca were

sent to the lalerhof, interr:rnent can1r; infanous for lts nio$reatnent of itsa]]egedly subrversive fu*nates. ?he pretext for this roun&up ln Easlunka ta.s

that a pro-Ortbodqr factton in the village had bullt a chapel and-r,rantecl to

c"onsecrate it as an &thodox ehurch. Obherg ln the area were agested because

they vent to services in nearby Erab, r,rhere R"o.lf,h$ gaevye*r of Ehg,nja

Dok].i"a-Z

at tiroercelebrated tbs Qrthodox lltr:rgr' Sandoqych, shot W the Awtrianst

beca-rre a nartyr in tbe perception of Inany Rr:ssophlres' Tle reputed qi-tlain

in this taragedy uas the lasiunka sa]oon-keep "Chai.ur who *l1egedly uas an

informarrt ernployeil W tbo potle. In order b woid &rafting into the Austrlalr

arryr four youtlrs florn Yaslunka went to tsarist Russia uith the retreatlng

Rwsian arqr.

Tl:e villagp suffered severe physical danage durlng Worldlls One.

lansion betveen the Ienkos and r€arW Poles lntensified. A illernko republictr

uas set up in Florynka on 5. Decemberl 191-S,, Sixleen . nonths of tension

folloueE'\, the poLes finally arrestS,tg the repubii* S officials and end,ing tts

existence. Psrt of the Lenko region remainecl ln rabcrn Po]anrf but a part also

1,ras assigned to Czechoslovalia. Polisb efforts to press the village youth into

their arey causred. sone of then to flee into newly forroed Czechoslovakia. In the

ner* Poland llfe us difftcult. Everlr fasiunka fanlly Lracl relatives in Amerlcat

un6 nsterial and morarl zupport f}orn aeoss the ocean uas highly appreciatecl'.

Around Iasiunka Ienkos nerked es lumberrnen and sold thsir or.rn timber'to ui]-ls

in Goarllce. There vas active snuggl-lng apross the bcncAer into Czechoslovalcia.Ja&t$ga

Polonlzatlon efforts uere resistecl. A !frs'. Itabelr the uife' of the village teacher

of the Polish language, tried. to establlsh a Fo1{sb'youth"d:re*s. in"X'asiunka, but

the effort fallecf. 11r 1%8-39 the Poles ]anrrhe(] a trarsh denationallzation drive.

The elernentary school uas conplet'ely Polonizeclr Priests and intellestuals in the

regloa lrere sent to tbe Bereza" Kartuzka concentration camp. Ia 1999 nilitary

rn&neuaErs uere corrductecf in ttre region, loca.il Ionkos belqg reguireil to constnrct

tmpedi.ments to Gernerr tanks e:rpected to ap1:eqp' in tle area of the lfagwa !aount'ai!.

i{ith the outbeal< of Uorlil }iar L\lo, t}e youths of Yosiunka uere mobiltzed ir$o

the Polish arrny.

Doklia-3

The Com,inc of tl:e C,ernans

l,t ths 6srnans took over Tasiurrka in Septenber, !939. At fi-rst they

treated the 1oca1s uelrr appointing e nalrqr (soltvs) flcn amorrg thern for the

village cluster of lasiunka, Kry'\rar and &nyteib . Ea uas &fbs Kiets, of

Egrytsia. Sernen Sney r.las the cteputy Dcgor ( piilsoltvs) for Saslurlia. These

villages uere incLuded ln the mina of &ladyszolr, vhose chlef pffigla'l (vfit1

"*J u certain Kobanii. U-nder the Gerrrans police fi:"nctions uere perfmrned to

some degree bf so-callecl Sichow]v, cornmanded by a Geraan r,rhose last narne was

Du'e, who re sided in rrJie*ffiil-"dg !EiiH&,q,"t*r#* -TffffiL rs,a Ukrainian nilita4y fornation consistlng of youths nostly Jloro the Uz}horod

area of Carpatho-Ukralae, hail fought to defend Monsignor Auhystyn toloshrynls

Carpatho-Ukralnian state when it n!.a be"n invaded and, conquered. tf the .. _

Hungarian arng. llo escape Srngaria,n: imprLsonment, the Sichovrky fled nortn+ard

into Pola&l, but their stay of for:rbeen nonths in the lernko region bought then

no glory. Some of tben uere friend3y, DokUa tsoter but nost uere murderers

uho caused the'Lenkos to hate Ulaainians. Ehey lrere quiek to beat up localse

a speclalist ln this reaLn being a certain Pezlryk, a Eoiko from the ga:rison

in Cladyszlvl m uell as a certain Kim\ fron the police station at Udcie R.uskie.

Ttte Sichornrkv helped the GernanE to send loca-l boys and girls to foreeil ]abor

{n Gernany. Among lasiunka natives who ff-ecl to Crermaly on thelr own, rather than

to te taken as slave laborers; uere Andtil Shveda (nor ln Clifbon, Seu Jersey),

Stefan &rushchak (xor,r fn &-roi1ton, Ontario), anri lvan Dernchar (now in UatdlieteIbu York). .tropnd 30 rsiur:ka youths were sent a:s elave uorkers to &rnarry:.

During the Gerrnan occupation peasants were forced to cut timber and

haul it to Gorlicel worklng as rmrch aE four days per week uithout pax. conpulso:ry

delivery of farn quotas uas eushingly harsh, especlal.ly in grain and potatoss,

hbich trad to be deposited at village depotg, the s"dina adrdnist:ation tn GladyszEr.r,

anc the connty depot in Gorlice. Dire necessity forced the peasants into

Doklia-fl

snuggling acttvtty; tfuy crossed the border by night in the Koreczne srea

lnto the prestov regior of Sloval<ia, cariying butterr eggs, grain and other

products and trking bac& headterchiefs, shoes, tobacco, and other manufactureg.

T'he persecution of Jews in the reglon uas fiercs. Tbsy uere taler

flon Gorlice and Iemko vll1ages to Eoboua, vhere they rdere forced to dig pits

and then executed. Obhers uerre taJ<en t,o 0svlecim and ldaJdanek. Ch&i-!b the

sa.Loon-keeper in Iasiunkan had gone to Pal-estine before the outbreak of the war.

In'Ikrya there lived a Jeu, ttdatl uho vorked as a. tailori Ea and his entire

fs.nily were ta]cen alray W the Gbrmans, neTtex'to be heard of again. The Crermans

r,tanted to kil1 the gpsies in XrXrva, b'ut the viit of Gla.dysziw, Noborr;l, protected

thenr holding they uere honest uorkersl and they still re$ain in Kr1r,. Yas"iulka r:atives

hid a Jew whose last narne vas Vol& in their village. Ee lived in Xasiurrka to the

slrJluller of lfleJ., the natives risking the deatb pena-lty in proteeting him. One

Surrday a group of gjgbgg&, 1ed by their comraandant Drrr^le noved about fron Gladysz&

to Uscie Ruskie. Sbe locaIs felt they uere searcb.ing for anti-&rnan partisans,

but in fact they r.rere after &rat Zorybr a forty-five year-o]d lenko, ZoryJa.

vas caught in the conpany of Tovk. ZoryJa uras shot, apd Vovfu was ta.ken to Easiu:ka,

but he refused to reveal uho fbom alaong tb locals had aided him. Ee was then

escorted t& Gladysr&l t* escaped dlon prison there. ,,She,@Llgg&X.lecaptaued

[rtq; and he was sbot by Pezttryk on the Ha4rrr* mountaln.

' As the Soviet army approached, partisan activity agairrst the Cerrnans

in the area ercpanded and rnore pepi:Ie Jborc Yat*ur:lb vere ta.ken by the Crerrnans

for forced l-abor. Ivan Qratsonl uas oy1e-he perished in llcaine. fE eazLy 79t*5

the &rnans intensified such s.etivity, aaong other things requisitioning all horses.

As signs of German defeat nuil.tiplied, the Sichowkv disappeared llon the area inthe ;-trilner of l94tq apparently taking to the forests to join the UpA, That

surner, :..91&t the area saw intense fighting betueen the Germans and the Soviets.

There had been r:any ref\:gees flon Kiev, Kharkov, and Poltarra i$ the region, but

Dokl--5.

after 19{5 they were all forced back tto the honeland.n Retreating C'err:an units

passed tlnrough Lemko villages, Ef December, L9I+4t the Sermans hed left for good,

T'hey bwied their dead in a cenetery they had construcfud in Iasiun&a. Tb€

Russians did not coroe into the vl11age i-nmediately. lihen they c[!.c!, local

young nen al-leged1y, ttvolunteeredn for service ln the Soviet arryr but. ln realitythis nove r.ras obligatcrry. fbree youths fron the village undenrent training

in Rab&a and then uere sent to fight the Eitlerites in Czechoslovakier aft,er

r^'hich they uere transf'erred to the Far East.\

Rese6tlement to the Soviet Unlon

Upon their amival in Yasiunka the Soviets started a propaganda

campaign for resettlement in the Soviet llnLon, At first sorue of the Lenkos

reJoiced. Others, vho had been in Russla di:ring ltorld l,Iar One, were opposed

and rejected Soviet ps.opagarrda. trotl,ry; that there were feu volunte€rse

the Soviets changed their tactics. They stressed that if the Lenkos did not

leave the Poles vould Polonlze then and expel then from thetr honos. those that

agreed. to go were given positions of poerer and set to u ork to propagandize among

th€ir compatriots. They vere forned lpto a nilttla and irrforned the Sovlets as

to vho actively opposed resettlen€nt. Tr.ro ca.nps atros9: those favoripg rese.ttlenent

and those uishing to renain, tlt vas brother against bnother.r &r Iagtu*a,locals agitating Ln favor lrrcluded Yasyl Rornarpha.k, Eynko Shveda, ard Seneu Sney"

tbs evsguees departed flon Yasiunka soraetlrne ln April, lrgt+j. Tbey stopped for a

tirre at the Gorlice rallroad station, urhere they entrained on a transport going

east' $igbeen fanilles tppe lnvolvedr over si:rty persons. la aI!. ghelr farns

rernained with relatives left behind. After.the train cars lrere loaded uitbresettlers and their belorgings, the train rnoved elosltr eastlrard. the gvasu.*t

at first vere invited to settle in klicla on flrst-rate ferrns left behind by

resettled Poles. Their fields had already been worked and it uae noes€ssar5r brt touait for the harvest, &tt the leaders of the Iemko travellers reftrsed the offer,

Doklia-6

saying trUe vant b go deep into Russia, to collectirre farnsl and r,re vi1l not

stay here.tr [hereupon they were shuut€cl to collective farms, not in Br:^ssla1

but in eastern Blrainel to the Kharkiv" Poltava, and Voroshllovhrad oblasts.

Ebere they soon realized that they had made a co]ilosal d.stale. 0ll collective

farns to uhlch they had been assigned ths;' l-lvec[ tn ltnian]v, huts aede of ndd

r"rith straw roofs, and renlianlqy. undergrounet holes or bubkers. Tho fr&.nitrrr,"

they had brought along could not flt into these tirgr plac-ee arrd bad to be lefb

outside, uhere itens that had not been lrairleil off by thleves rotted &lragr

Ienko housewLres suffered bitterly. Ehs3s vas tro uood: tn the area and

the wonan uere unable to cooh. Local uomen''ftibldd'thelr stqves t;iith stra$ or

horse llanure. the collective farns uere in abJect poverty and additionally ha.d

sr:.ffered war-ti.ne danagei, fh€ pronlsed paradise tr:rned out to be a hell.there vere no fresh vats3, no nrnning strerosr rro- &tend1y, protecblng biJJs.

the Ulrainians a.sked in pmazement, rl{{y ctld you eone here, r.lhea ve ourselves

are poverty-stricken?n lhs 1*nguage and cwtons differed from that irIenkolanl. I'la,,ny fled in a blinct effort to get back hone. Sone retrrned successfr.rlly

to thett natlve viI\eesr while others fblrnd asylum in the regions of !vir6trarnopil, anl Drohobrch. Four resettlers a,ctr.ra11y retwned to Tasiunlb-

Antokha Perun and his d.aughter O1ha, and th9 Dziopa hothers; l6rtro ancl Fetro.

A si-urllar number returned to nearby villages. Those that settlecl in Gallcia at

ftrst uere assigrred farnsteadr, for collectivlzation tracl not yet, teea tnstalled

in llestern Ukraine. Ihey kept these far.ns; until ]':9li2,, vhen collestlvization

wae fina].i.-zed anct the Ienrkos in &llcia found thernselves on colles.ilva f,arns

thsy hacl lFll€d to avoltf. hon among I rslulka natinesl the shh.nat fanily livesln bryslati ore soa vorks ln a factol5r, a rrd a seoond ln tS; lg6gts studled

englneering.

$n:ruls'ion

Afbgr the ",p@gn to enti-ce Ienkos lnto the USSRT. nany villager !,ere

emFbr and the Pollsh at1qp. r.nas moved into them. to nake hay and colleot the harvest.

Doklje.iP

Ienkos sti1I eolrnd r.rere forced, uRthout conpensation, to help the soldiers

dwirrg the harcest season, and edditionally were requlred to feed the troops.

Life uas difficult, but a turn toward norna.lry was evident. Aid lbon relatives

ln Arnerica lras helpft-l, although frequently the packages uere plundered and

noney taken flon envelopes, the final nonths of l9t# lrere qfriet, but in 164.6

the authorlties huntect Sown evasuees that had rettrned fron the USSR in order

to send then back, Irt spring and sunmer of 19/16 Polieh troops relnstituted

the foreed dispateh of Iemkos to the Soviet Union, those that had returned

nlllegallyr from the US$. gone tegorlzed peasants hicl ln the forests and the

soLdiers found only enptlr horese r.rhich they vandaf.laedf. 'f,he nrgltlves llved

in forests'for several freeks and then returned to their vlllages. l{ithout any

erylanation, hor.rever, the authorities cessed thetr searches and seizr:res.

Then the IIPA appeared in tbe region, nost lntensively in late 194,6

and ear\y l9l*7. Doklia uas de'Lalred for several hours by a UPA unit as be

retwned fuon the rectory in Kryua, vhere Rev. Volodymy:r F,aiduketych prepared

doeuments for h&m: and hLg slstelr who sere then attenpting to enlgrate to the

United Statesr r.lhere ar uncl€ resldbd. Doklia vas releasecl without i:arn. on

another oceasion' ar.ound ten IIpA @nbers, incrludlng three uomej, earne to the

Dok1la: hone in Yasiurrka, lhere they vorked on doeumentsr,,tb wo..Betr do.iqg the

typing. They asked for a rneal, vhich the uriterls nother preparedl, and they

expressed gratitude. Dlscusslon of a politlcal natr:re follor.recf, Dokllats father

holding that the UPA struggle was ho1r1ess. t'That evening they did us Bo ha$r,

and at daun they verrt off'son€fihere lnto the forest.r

.0,fter that lnctdent UPA menbers appeared ln the village every ntght uithrequests for foocl.. As locals travelecl about, nostly to and ilon Gonlice for

shopping purposes, they uere ofben stopped by UpA squadls ad searrhsd for food

and supplies, In Yasiunke there uere ekLrmislres betveen IIPA and Pollsh units,

fn one encounter the Banderaites hanged a native of Erab, a certaln Fihosb, uho

had cooperated vith Pollsh intelligence &ri an l-nforner. KobaJ<, a forester fbon

Doklia-8

l{emagrovar and a uorna! f}on Volivets disappeared. vlthout a t'raes. ghe years

!91154? uere trylngl vith Pollsh troops robblng by day and the UPA by night.

Rr:.urors arose of Polish plans to epel the reealning lenkos, nbut we

Irere so attached to our land that we did not believe these funors.r torlarif the

end of l{e1, I9n, Yeike Tasg1ko, a Yaslunka native Llvl-€' ln $vlatkwa, reported

that f:rceil'resettlenent to northern and western Polancl was already taklng place

in the Sanolc, Szenysl, Lublin, and Iesko regionsl. The lemkos sau no uay out.

If they fled to the voods, the Poles vould consider then Eaodera-ltes, elther

shootlng then or sencling then to the Jatorgrlo concentration calnpr, F lernkos

therefore resigned thenselves to the inevitable--€tcpulslonr Sorne grepared trurrks

and uagonel. 0therr betook thenselves to the authorlties in Gorlice and a,skecl

for rellable inforrnation. Tley received no satisfaction; fear and uncertainty reigned',

ttgvl game 9 June, !9t+7t a day of tragedy for Yasiu:rlcu. At daun, uhile

the villagero stlll slept, soLdiers a:rivei! and ordered each howehold to pnepare

th€ir things for trarreL They vere varn€dr tlrat, r.rhen the troops returned, they

should be paoked arll ready to tsove. Speculation uas'rlfe. iAre we to be shot?r

rrlbuled off to Rwsla, or to t he unknown uest of Polancl?r Uithin nlnuteE the

troops returned[ and nrderecl ,''11 villagers to qrit th€ir homes, Bhose conplalning

cr resLsting were physicaUy beatcn. Pandenoniuro troke out-shouting soliliers,

lreeping e:cpelleese moolng Gol{Be bleating s}reep, barking dbgs. All natives of

Iesiunka vere ta^ker auasr fliey uere her&d theough trrytra, beyond Banytsia, through

Vfrkhte, and then to $3.edysa&w, uhere they spent the night. In Kryva, the

vl]laggre stepped fbon their houses and bade the errpelteeg Codirpeed, for that uillage

had not Yet been evacuated. A feu days Later it net tba sone fate, At Kryva, too,expellees

the Yasiulka entered thoir rercred chlueh to pray for the last tirna, a fareueJ-l

soa.ked with tears and'sob, At th€ B&nftsf! hiII tb€ fsy fimilleE still rernaining

in that vtllage ueited and blessed the lasiunka outcasts as the carararl passed by.

Upon a:ziva1 in Cl*&sdnr, they uere put upr in various hones for the night.

Doklla-9

Ihe hoses vere enpty, fo:r" tbetr oLIrErs ha.d been driven out the day beforo. 0n1y

a few fa.rnilies had beea pernltted to stay behindr such a"s tbe Yavakr Easalyka arvl

I}r1, either besause aolnE lrere Anerican citizens or other e:ceptlonal cilcilnstances.

0n 10 June tte expellees ltere ordered to resure their Jo:aaeyl travelling

tbrough lbgura, lfalastiv, Rtrs &a RoiEytsi^ar $enkovar and Kobylanlia. .&s they

ppproacheil the l4agtra mountain, bestlal scetl€s unfolded. A rueldy-faced lieutenant

dlsnounted hls blcycle and began to beat the outcasts lrith uhatever he aolrld

get his hanrts on beeuse exhawtecl horses and cows vere unable to pulI the wagons

up th€ mountaln. b ordered that the e:pelleesl miserable goods be thrown off

the uagons. rthls ruddy-faced banclit harassed our people up to l{eillebtiv filte

a &ad dog.t Aftul thsy passed !.Iagura the jowney become less arduow, fe the

lragons rolled alor€ nore easily. Those unable to carrT therr belongings hacl

then hauled in arny trrrcks all the vay to Zagorzary. Ae the e:rpe11ees passed

through PoHsh vi1lagesl sueh as Senkowa and Kobylarka, sone irrhabitante sbosed

signs of synpathy, but most pointed th€lr fingers ln deri.sLon.

tbe outcasts spent the night in the Tngorwny parkr naklrrg: fires for heat.

fbe r.rives rnilked the cor,rs and pneparecl a supper of nllk and bread. LocaL thteves

and Pollsh solcliers stole the pnoperty of those that vere not alert, Stolsn,

aJnong other things, uere the sbep and eor of Pet:ro Kopcha. the losses.Iqle. j

reported the next day to the n111tar7, but nothlng uas ret'trned. ttre expellees

lrere requlred to stay ln ?.e'gorntg three daye and nights. ?hen they were ordered

to the rallroad stationr uhere flat-cars uere uaitj.ng. Feople and pnoperty vere

l-oaded, on these carst Ons flat vas for uagons on\r. Mary uagons hail to be left

behind, a:nqr orders lnsistlng tiut ons Lragon only was to tre loaded for every two

faral.lies. lhe Doklta fa.nily of etght shared a wagon uith the Tasylklv fanlly of

tbree persons. A11 were uet to the bone becawe of the rains and llore throughout

the ordea-1. The Doklia4asylkiv lra€on of elevan persons uas crsltdecl, r1lke salted

fish ln a barrelrl end the other erd of the flat-car vas packeil ulth senen corrs,

several sheep, goats, anil three hoarses, fh€ e.rFellees still had n6t been lnforned

nok1la-10

a.E to thelr destfnation, At the Zagonany train station expgllsss I]on ]..h.tsyna

Velyka, Gorlice county, vere added to the caravan. 1\r.ro loconotives r^rere Joined

to the railroad ears, arul late in the afternoon of 13 J'qrer it seerosr departr:re

into the u.nknoun begaa. AfLer a feu minutes of novement, tbe expeltees noticed

that they were head.ing nestuard and it llas concluded that tbey ctestined to fsrner

Gsrnan regions that the solcliers had talked about.were given

At various stops en route tl:e expeTlees soup and a plece of tread,.

In Oswieci.:n they uere Snrt through a so-called t'hygienic, and politieal purge,n

lhe hygienlo aspect cqnsisted of dusting parts of the body uitts a.apbdies of po,rder,

In the Gr.rlecisn ra-ilroad station, llB officers condrrcted..intenogatiorsr.' T.hose

thaf, gave conf\Bsil or i-mproper testimory uere subjected to uell-knoun police

methods. Ihose under suspieion of ties vith Banderalies r,rere hauLed off to tortr:re

to the concentration camp ln Jagoraro. Aaong Yasiunka natLves, fskp and Senen

Taserrko and Petro Dar opa vere naltreatecl there for two years. the Vaserrkos ilere

so honored beeause f*ryStu eldest son" {ytro, having retr:rned f}on service ln the

Bed arrqr, had treen forced lnto the ranls of the IIfA. Uybro Vasenko uas later kl11ed

by the Poles, Petro Dzropa xas sent to Jaworzno becs.se his bother l$r{ro, vho

along vlth Petro trad flecl flon the Soviet Unlon, trled to aggld a second tour

in the $oviet arny !y fleelng to Joln the Banderaites. lSrtro.Dz bp" no$ lirres

la England.

Life ln Linbo

Afber Oswiec,{m and a stop at Ru&la-G{iadanows (betueen regnica and Glogow),

ttre caravan c4ma to S*r;qrya, county of llo1ow, l*rocl-aw dlstrict. At ScLrraua

3ss6ttlenent offlcials distributed thelr charges atrong 1oca1 villages. All flom

Yaslrrnka ln Dokliats grofp vere assigned to the sntna chobbl, to tte constltuent

villages :- Chobterl- {ytro Kvoetrka; Ba.doszezyce-&yts f,opcha, Anton Eatalorrych,

Stefain Eaitkor:, flko Felenchak, Senan Doklla, Lukach Doklia, Turko Zorylo; Nieszezi.ce-

Petro Kopcha, Petdro Zorylo and !firiro Vantsto; Stodolouice-paraska $hved.a, fvan

Zorylo, Irykobt zorylo, l.tykhal Byhl, Mytro Perun, Petro vasenko, yakyn vasenko;

Gusadzin-fvan Bybell lbstia Pelesh, Mykhail Kvochkar Osyf Zorylor futro Pregon;

Doklia-ll

Olszarry-lffkhail }hitko 4p6 his son fvan; Kliszczow-My,khal l'{a.pchakr Fetsko Kvoebka,

Denko Qnushchall Vasyl and fetsko Peleshl Cznelou{asyl Kvoc}rka and }Skha-l Vasyllio.

In the years 194"-1950 son€ of these fa.milies changed their plaee of resLdence.

Another group of lasiur:ke e:rpeIlees had stayed behind ta Z'agsttany and was routed

to the Pornan &rea, vhere they uere scattered a,nong vlllages in the county of

Pila, Sone of the villages involved:- ttraclorn (three fardlies), Rychllk (five

families), hzjenki (tr,ro farnllies), Stelist<o (three farailies), Blernator.ro ( tvo

farailles), ad Dzietzowto (two fanilies).

Life ln this new loca1e was very difficult. Th€ new arxivals were given

forner Gerrqan buildings, vhich lnconing Poles Farcviousl.y"'*rad.ref.r:sed to

l'tany houses lrere uithout uindows, doors, or stoves and vere cl-uttered

rg and "r*"pi*#".#fF" the hornes in

the vorst

llve ln.

with dlrtlragons. Ihs k.k n uinilor,rs uhere shelterecl uith boards and tarpaper or plugged

with straw. th€ roofg were fu-II of holes a.nd rain carre through. OId, bug-infestect

f\:rniture found, ln a nearby abandoned nanor-house vas put to use. Then there was

the problem of finding enploynent. d]1 the vlllages $er€ exbreruel-y poote there r"ras

no vork, and there vas nothing to br1y. The expellees were saved ty tbeir farn

anirnals, vhieh provided sustenanes. The cattle vere Ln a clire cond,ition, for the

fields lrere overgrolrq ulth ueeds and there uas no suitable pastye. Ilay-fle1d,s ,

had been worked over by local Poles. Tn autumn conclitions l.nproved, as rnost of the

Lemkos bired thenselves out to FoHsh farners. llhe goverrurent gave so@ aldr s€veraI

ktlogra.rns of flor:r and some srgarr Corn-roeal distributed uas spoiled and hacl to te

tbrown away. Packages flom relatives in Inerica uere a God-send. ID fa1lt 1g4l,

the f,enkos uere gl-ven plots of 1and, as nuch as one vantertr as veIL as rya ard

lrheat seeds Ln order to etart neu farns. Sr:scess,, bor.reyaEr rJdE scantr for tbe Ienkos

dlcl not knor.r hov to cultlvats tb€ unfanilier soil. tr\rrtherrnore, that fall vas

ertraordlnargir dry and the seed did not gerninate. In spring the Lenkos uere given

ostsl ui:eat, *getablryHn potutoes for seeding.

Doklia-]2

11e poles nevly settlecl in the region treated the Iernkos variously.

There lrere chauvinists a.lnong then, as r^rel.l as kind peopl€ who gavs unstinting assistance'

The vil'lage and rralna authorlties treated the lenkos as'despised clurgesl in a

bgmiliatirg ;11anne1. IJXD officersl CRM0 activists', a nd the Ettr.itta closely sunrellled

the agtlvltles of the Lenkos, even sreeping at ntght to hsuse vindowr to overhes.r

fa.ntly convetrsatlon. T,he Iernkos shwed Sreat gloup solidarity, the young courting

each other, singing together, and even Inarrying in traditional lemko style.

Travel to such r,ieddings at times involved long iri6t'ances and' obnociow obstacles.

Afber a period of timer perrission uas grantect to set up Orthodox parishes in

Stodolor,rice and Rudnie lliesto. fhe Greek-Catholie' ehr:rch lres proscrlbear its priests

belng required either to aecept Qrthodory or to c'hange to the Latin rite and to

conduct services in le.tin for the Poles, lb.ny Greek-Catholie priests changed to the

Latln rite, and sorae becarre 0rthodox, lhis Polish manipulation of re}.fgion was

tragic for both religion and nation, for the parishonere hatr to follolr the steps

of therr pastors, dlthough forcecl to tna.ke unpleasant ehoS-cese Ieuko priests so

doing, DokJ-is r.l-rote, lnevitably brought the lenkos to the status to uhish chauvinist

Pollsh Catholicisn tlad for centr:ries endeavored to bring thepeitter Iatin

6atbollcisn or Orthodorqy, to the eliminatton of the &eek-Cathollc or lbiate church.

In Stodolouiss and Rutrrie the pastor r.ras Father K\rlt;.trr..a,"xateran.Ia"lako.;Batclot

r.rho vas one of the first &eek-Catholie pniest! to cnnvert to &thodory ln post-

!,:ersailles Pola,rrd. In a Poltsh chusGl t^E &udbi6 services for the Ienkos uere

eonductecl by the well-known Rev. Irran Polianslql, uho clandestinely during tbe Easter

and Olrlstnas holidsys con&rcted services iu the Ruthentaar rlte. ?his desiation

was deaornce& sr Pollsb obse:sers to Blshop Konlrrka ln t{rocl-ar, fnd as punlshment

Father Poliansky vas transferred a!r&y {bon lanko settlenents, lio the @o1a

d.lstrle.t-

Even r.rhen naterial conditions had irnprorrcd the Lemkos ltere unhappyl

longlng for their lrehiw hlghlands and traditi,ona.l uay of 1ife. All hoped for a

::::: l:_::":T"""1':i,*':":::.:"::" 1 ": *1"'":'

'Thev uere

Doktia-I3

The soil uas sandyr ad the oder river overflowed lts barrks in J_une and Ju\yt

destroying pastwe 1a1d and tdcing ar,ray noln tu;r' the' nud antl relfl '''

pnoduced an unpleasant o6or. Insects and nosquitos infested tb region, tornenting

the Lenkosr EE ueIL as their cattle. $rthernorer the Oder uas replete uith

cberaical polsons flom nearby factonries. tsad uater anil nosqrito arrd insect

infestations produced sickness and deat'h, both among young and' old. A census

eanied out in the 195ots verified tbe tragic life style of the Ienkos in the

region. 0fficlal policy ras discrLniiraiory, Qr:estionnaires contained no rubic

for the Lemlio or Buthenian @gg3g!,) natiogplity, on1y for Polish or Ukrainian.

Ienkos wsre permitteci, bs!,teverr to r6ite in 8gg!g& 1f tbey so dederedl"

Addittonal eonplications cate ln the period 1950-1952 uhen atternpts

were made to enforce the g]rpellees into collective farnsl the so<af1ed 9pc&daielnle

produkt Fmily headE in a given village utere Buluroned to a neeting, zt rhlch

conrnunist orators pronlsect paradise @ earth. llost people rders not deceivedln

and threats were forthconlnp lbe policy lraE to ldekulaHld the- richer or

dbdlcateil fa.:rners, that is, to confiscate their pnopertX: anil, if necessary, to

arrest then. tho rernalnderl so.ra.llecl nlddl-e and poo:r peasants, Joined tbe

colleotl1,p farno,s because of fear. So escape nenbershi& Ear{f nen fton lasiu:r}a

bequeatfu& tb€ir property to their ul-ves and old People. Those .opposecl to collectives

vere forced to pay bigh taxes and deUver large quotas of farn products. ?leis

ca.npad.gn of forced sollectivization tlcought about a grarro food shetago and resort

to ratlon cardso In shops only horse neat and sawage lrere obbainable vithout

rat,ion eards. Itr uestern Poland eolledbive farns qere established ln abaost al1

villages, hrt in 1i956. all of them vere dtssolved r.rhen Gonulka cae to polt?l.c gh€

peasants again applled llpmfstves to their farms, repalring buildingsr buying

equipnent, and vorking the fielafs, Econonic improvenent uas lmmediate, ba.slc freedons,

guch as listening to forelgn radio broadcasts, followed' Books and nagazines amived

fron iinerica. Iernkos L'ere pernitted to visit their native vlllages" In 1956- and

1957 nany did so, only to find their irillages o'sergroun vith ueeds and hush. Taslunka

r,ras ln ruins. Obher vlllages, where no state farrns had been establishedr uere

Doklia-14.

reclaimed by Lernko retr:s.ng6se vho at times purchased th6ir one-ti-loe holdings

flon incorapetant neu settlers to whon they had been auarded bry the gorErnment.

Eonesickness and Disillusionroent

For several years Yasiunka reaalned r.rithout inl:abitants. In 195r1952establfuhedl

the authorLfterot its stt€ a state collective farla, or ER, &n acronya based

on the Polish ne.!rc Panske Gospodarsttro Rolne. fashioned on the Soviet nod'el.

This etate farm extended to the lands of the village of Chorne.(.'..,.^:-,.

01d houses were desol.Lded. llhen Dok1ia vlsited Yasiullca tn 1961 ong tr,ro of

the villagets o1d houses rena-ined, and thrrs over sixty olcl houses and farn,

buildlngs no longer exlsted, I{ew ffi, bulldings stretched f}on Roztolry to the .fornerbone of Ivan Bybel. Iasiunka and environs uere beyond recognition. All forests had

been cut d,oun. The fielcls vere ploughed by tractor. Tbe v{llage }rad a sma1l s tore

and vas electrlfled. th€ FCn workers were aIL Poles except for one lemko, a tractor

driver fron the village of Pankna. Ietters flon fasiunka natives asking to retr:rn

pnoduced no positlve results. Eeplies r.rere usualJ-y curt-tyou cannot retr:rnr foryoqr land tras been a.ssigned t,o ttre treasurlr of tbe state.r

tlhat nou follslts ls the terb of a r€noir drmrn up by : slunka natives l-n

19fi, It va.s signed by fifty Taslurka familles and submittecf in 195T. The replies

received are also reproduced in translation. ALL translations sre flon the original Potkb,

& lGnoir to the Polish Oovernnent'

SubJectl The Retwn of Brracr:ees to the Territocy of Gorlice County, nzeszlu District.The undersignecle. acting tn the naJne of all thosa farrners and lnlrabitants

of tbe vl11age of Iaslunkel county of SdtLicer evacuated in tbe year. l9t+Tt ad&ess

to the appropaiate offices of the Goverrunent of the Polish Peoplest Republic the

following geeoirr-

lhe nass resettlenent of tlu populatlon of lsmksuszcsytrnl vithin the

franevork of Operation llis.le under the pretert of destroylng the CIPA underground

movernent !re.s an irrdiscrfuninate aet of revenge r.rith a b,ckgrounrl of ethnie c}auvlnisra

Doklia-l5

lrhlch affecteiB indlviduals ef, yhon ninety-five percent uere lnnocent. It shattered

tbdii 1:lvae and dld not achieve as rsuch as a hundredth part of the hopes of those

soclal reformers vho considered tbe abandonecl territo'ries to tre, an ldbal aone

for launching social reforne.

lhe effbct of ths evapuatlon ua^s grd that the evacr:ated eomm.rnlties

Ln a fev nonths aacl years beeare @ arena, of robbertrr, plunder, aod bruta],

svindltng, vherein conpletely tntqpt bullrtftg[ r^rith sheet-netal roofing: were

sobd for a pittance to specnrJ.ators. Structures vorth nl11ions, agricultural

nachineryr apiaries and construction naterials uere stoLen gr sold to swindlers

for pennies. Vlllages uere abandonedf and even roadls uere grsiln over vlth bushes.

t{lld pigs and volves tegen te ln}:ablt abandoned hunan dr.rc11ings. Throughout ttre

ensuing t'en years tlrese teruitories not, only dld not, SrovldE soclety r.rith lncone

anrl sust€nancer but ras'h econonlc, errperinents cost, the stat€ *,reasur? substantlal

nillions.

lhls ua"s a time when loca1 authorttleer ord.ered, peasants tn neigbborlng

urevacuatecl villages to s'l'lou the evacr:ated villages f.ie f.s,]fsw. Peasants in these

netghboring vtllages, threatenect vith punlshment-, Lost tl,m6, r.rork, and naterlal

goods ln the solring that tbey fud dsse, anil before, tbe srrival cf the harvest

season the r.illd hoga lrail so,'devo:red tbe oats that the crop.uas-not.rorth.nqrtng.

This ltas the tfuns vben in tbese regions there was decreed! the Fypasy

of oatsr and cattlee ulth the encf feslllt that bnndreds of sbep, evgn 6ntlr€ bercls1

perished becar:se of contagior:g dLsea.ses.

sLnultane*ry at great cost propagand& vas irrstltuted tn behsU of

tbe repopulatlon of these areas! by ner.rcorners restricted e:c.lwlvely to settlersof Polish natlonality. stsy vere given gratuitow 1oang for agnicul-turaL

purposss. lo att'ract canciidates to the abandoned legions, property rightsuere accorded t*r relLef. And afber the nevcogs arived tbey were attached

to rlFJlgrltwd. @o,prrt.bivee vith the aJ.lwe of nelr credits and proroises ofvarieil Perke and privi3eges, I?ese eooperatlves parospere{ ln such fashion

.,....'L. -r.l'i

Doklia-16

tbat by the auturnn of l95b helf of then had been dissolved and the remoinder

vanished the fjrst day after the historic' speech of Coryade Ulaclyslar Gornulka.

Bven before the eighth plenun of the United Pol-ish llorkerst Party,

there begarr ln our countrSr a period of asblve nohilizatlon of the rights of

the national nineitles. A,s a nctter of pnlority trtere vas raised the problen

of the retr:rn to their forner settlements'of the expelled inhabitants of

Iernkor.r&zs:ryr\\*. Organizatlonal pgstings, the press, and the radio uere

ernployed. the entire uorLd vas lnforne'd about the u.rongs inflictecl upon

the resettleil person$, uho r^rere to be reconpensated. Each individual uould

te able to retr.rn to hls property ln his natlvs region; and tle State would

insure that the settle!rcnts woultl be retndlt.

Sr:ch dbslar:atLons and pronises came flon the hlghest officlal circles,

uhile si-nultalreously flon belou there arose grsuls of, et*rnlc hatee ever lbon

euthoritative publie hodles, uot excLudlng the Polish Unitecl llorkersl Party..

For e:catnp1e, the veekly lliadomoscl Gorllckien the trgaJr of tlre count5r conrnlttee

of the Polish United l{orkersi Party, noJ-llf,ied the Pollsh public uith tbo

statenent that ln tbe entlce county of Gorlice there were scarcely elght

Lenko farns avatable f,or retrrn to the evacuees, A sfudl€r party orgarr,

a weekly in Nory Sacz, uithout ogroilek openly r,mote that the Pollsh population

should not el1ou as nr.reh &s one evapues to retr-rn to the coun$r.

The tstie of barrir:g the return of the evasuee$ to their forner

settlernents is being lnplenented r.rith complete thoroughness by the Countyerrough that

Agrlcultural 0ffiees. It.io ngt ?th"y &rttfirlly reJec*, tbe repr$atlzation

of'farnE already ;reassigned.n' Ihis is so erBn though half of the lf*ettlers!

re speorlators fbon r€srlg v ll1ages who *t sold olf thelr forner farns and

drark aray the nonsy theref galrrd. k took over tbe forrer Ismlco farns

1n the hope of gatttng rlch quick\y. h'as happened in Iosie and Bopa, thevhoItsettlert' r.rere close rilghbors of the evssuees, parceled tls lands of the

evacuees a.rnong themselvds, theirtry eugmenting thelr own hoJ-dings. Ther"e uas algo

Dokli.*ltthat band of rsettlerr! vho aften having obta-ired as his slere a certain

Ienko stn:cture, took it apart afber a few months and usetl the lral]-s f,or'

fireilood. 0ften tie selfsans rsettlerr r.rould Join an agricultural c'ooperative

and uould be additlonal.ly reuarded sith tlte nearest forter lenko buil*ing.

In, this fashlon a rsettlerr of thls strtpe wottld be able to obtain possesslon

of two or three forner Icrnko buildingsl erlch of uhich ln trra r.rould be torn

down a:rd b;rtred. Erren to this nonent former Ienko brrlldings arrrl lands are

Leing tr:rned over to this klrrd. of tsettler!. fron the nearest Pollsh villages,

even though these types"filecl their applications very recsntly, while ths

applicatlons of the originq''l suners subltted'severaL lonthE prevloway l_ie

sti11 unprocessed, or se rt$lnely and collesLively resolved ia a negative

tnatln€r ur:der the p'retext that the farns harre already been lreassigued.il

fn additton, other pretexbs are &dvsrlced- vith respect to negative

decd.sions to ti:rn c[own requests of lernko petltloners. Tirus lf oua p€asantrs

land there is but a bulldlng- and lf the land itself has been reassigned, then

the hrlldlng ls not g{.ven to t}re petittoner trecause there is no Jend to ge

vith lt. It also goes th€ outher wag arounFuhen the lanel of the forner evacuee

ls airallsble b':t lt has no buildingn then return of the lancl ls clenled, for itis thsn a1leged1y feared that the pstitioner'1rl]-l trave ao pl"aqe tg f-ive. In. ^

other casesr trutlttlngs not yet *reassignedf are reserved at the last non€nt

for variou$ pl:rposes, such as,readlng hallse workshops, f,lre houses, and

pollce statlons. Tn one word, everything is done ln order to restrict to the

s*a11est nunbar the retr:ra of evacuees to thefr forrner settlerents.

ffrdly pr.oof of thls is evident'tn the cases of tvo state fs:nrs that

aros€ or uere creatpd tn the nsuntains of the county of Gorlicer ffiely, that inJaslun]<a and tbat in faby. To these artlficlal creations put together not out

of sone kinds of tnoad latifbtdiae brrt fron. hundreds of peasant farns vere added

severaL thbusand l*etares of sable larxIl @adows, pastures, and peasant forests.

Dok1la-18

Eoth of these state farns uere flom the noment of thelr foundation lnsatiable

eaters of state f\urd,s. If th€ f\rnds' thht the state has thus far inves'ted in tfuEg

two entlties r^rere used at the rlght ti-sls in a rpti.onal tnanner for'the recon-

strr:ctl.on of the plundered a;ncf rredlstributedn peasant bulldings, tben undoubtedly

today ve r.rould have revlved bundreds of peasant farns wbtch vould supply taxes

and resowces to the gtate.

l,le beg that you send sn unbd,ased cnumisslou composed of non-partisan

specialists to inrrestigate on the spot the entirs natter of the existence of

the state fbrn in Jasiunka. l,nd with respect to lts utilityr to camras the

opinlons of the loca1s1 as r^re1l as of aounty anil dtstrlct otlflclalse'regardlng

erroniously held views of'eth$lc ctrauvinisn that, are one-Eidd ancl unm.:rcnt9'ill

He or:rselves. lrave been there on the spot and rre did not se€ &ry miraeles that

could not be wrought ftr the private inltlative of farners vho are devoted to

uork and sre as declicated as the forser inbabitants of lenkovszaryua:g.,.

Several nonths eego the Agricultural 0ffice ln Gorltce inforned the

repabiates that the specrific vlllages tnlonging to tte state fa$n ln Taslunlrar

nanely Uolowiec, Banlca, Ptadocryna, Czarne end Nr]4{e1 will be apailable for

resettlenent ry forroer evacueeso llhen this ner^ts reach€d the uestera regions

gr'oups of forrner eracuees begaa to travel to Gorlice to tbe- Agrtcultrual, Qff,ice

ln order to ot*aln no're datailed lrrfcnnation concerning the conditions and

posslbllitles of retwn. It came to pass, hor.leverl that apprortnately tlro lreeks

ago tltat lntent Lracl been aftered becar.rse the state farn in rqlunke had no deslre

to srbnlt itseU to J-tquidatlon Sather, lt desires to continr:e to sponge oD

state funds.

IJe do not know who has lnfluence on the liquidation or restructurins

of, speclflc state farns. Eowever, the Mln:stry of igrlculture, to uhich botb

state farms and indivtdual faras are subordinated, should decide uhich state

farnrs ltave reasq to e:cist snd nhich should be liquidated either Ln parb or

in their entirety. lle are of the pplnioq moreover, that a state farnr such

poklia-S)

ajs that in Yasiur&,ae uhlch sose fYora the spilling of peasant blood and consl-sts

of lands soa.l<ed r.rith peasant sreat and tearsr should be- in the fbont line of

liquldation.

lfs affirn our readiress to aceept end pay the narket pice for naterials

obtained flon the eventr,:a1 deraolitiog of the farn thdldtngp on this state fbrm,

as uell as readiness to engage ln rational farning ln the entlro area of our

vil'lage, Xasiunka.

For this purpo6s, we undelsigneil, r.lho represent over half of the

fcrner inhabitants of Iasiunkay reqr:est that the Council of Mlnisters negotiatE

vith the approprlat€ ninistrTr for the liqutdatton of the stafu farn ln

Xasiwrka and make possible the retr:rn of those peasant fanilies that have

signed bloll rrd were evacuated flon that vi1lage.

An officlal reply flom the Offlce of the Council of Ministers, llarsalt,

dated 25 Jurn, l-957' reads as follor.rsl-

fu:. reply to the nemorandum of i*.tLzens dated l?.furs of thecwrent year to the fffice of the Councll of Minlsters regardlng tbellquidation 'of the Jasionk* state farm, Zespol Siarye Rreszfrw district,a.nd the retwn of forty three farnilies specifidd tn the above note, veannounce that the Jaslonka state farn w111 not be liguidated, for theredo not exist Jwtifiable econonic ba"ses for its liquidation, and thattherefore )rour retr:rn to the indicated farn ls Smpossible at the present time.

the FlenlPotentiary of ttre Governent in 1lattersof Rec orrstruc t ion of Southeas tern Territor ies,

St. {kecrcv, Vlce-MlnLster.

Another rep1y, fron the Presidiun of the Dis t'rict Beplest Couneil,

Distrj.ct Offlce of fnternal Affairs, ln llroclau, dated 1 .fdy, 1955, reads

as follovs:.-

fhe Socdal-Adninistrative Branch of the Dlstrlct Offlce of fnternal-Affairs inforns ths eLtizens that your'petition regarding the grant ofpermission to reslde ln the county of Gorllce has been resolved negativslybf the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Stanlslav KrupaDirector of the Branch

Doklla-Z0

A third denial, 15es the County Agricultural 0ffice in Gcrlice,

dated 27 l'larch, 1957, reads as fo1Ior"rs:-

In reply to a request flori citizens dated IL lr,arch, 1956, directedto the hesidiilr:m of the County Peoples I Council ln Gorlicee eoncerningthe retwn to their former place of residence in the village of Jasiorrkaln the sounty of Gorltce, the hesldirrrn of the County Peoples I Counciland the Gount5r Agricultural Office inforn the citlzens'that the farnsleft behuing ry you have been redistributed as the popedty of a state farn.

Under such conditionsr return of tt'e farns ia this county: ondaovne{ by citizens cannot take place.

The Director of the County Agricultural OfficeJozef Gt:rguJ.

Schools in this gluster of-.four. villages. reflected .ethnie tensi.ons

and change in poditical tnasters. flre elenentary gchool uas localed in Krtrnra,

and children fbon the vtllages, fron age sevetr to foi:rteen, va]ked to attend

classes. Around sixty pupils attendkl-dr:ring the school year. fn post-Versall1es

Poland, the langr:ages first used'were Polish and. Rutbenian. Dwing the Gerrnan

occupatlon, IlkraLniat and Crerm"[ lrere paralnount, and in 19/+/+-194? Ps].idl and

Ukrainlan. Before 1920 all loca1 teachers vere lenkos or Buthenlans-Koba^nli,

Eolovka,, Feretma;'r anrl Polosbenov5rch. Polonlation uas the obJeetive of ths

school in the 1920ts and 1930ts, a Pollsh ladye Jaclr.rlga &.bel, spearh€ading

the drive. Ierako teachers u6re renoved fbon the region and sent to teaeh ln

ethnrcally solid Portsh a"reas. Slhe ner,rconer, l,lrs. Hru"t, * ""J uhsn

compared with peviousr teachers, but she wss a decllcated polonLzer. Sh& did

not know the Ledlo dlalect and vas unable to teacb it. the priner used ln

tbose years was author'ed by Trokhanovsky. ry tbe wl.ntar of L73849 the Krl r,6,

school uas conBulstely Polonizecl. IIse of the native language uas rldl-cuIed

and forbldden. Sven prayers had to be in Pollsh, fucs tbe puptls rebelled

and insisted on saying Otc'he l$ash (tn" pr"y"r r 0rr Fathern ) tn tire len&o

dialect. !trs. Eabel uent into an apoplectis rage. Soon the Germans anived,

houever, ard she lefb the villaga, never to be s een agaln.

Doklia-21.

!,fber 1939 scbools in the region featrred the likrainian la,r:guage.

Sone had difficglty with 1t, and the aspect of srhifbing aecents ltas elusive.

Str:dy of Gernat began tn the third-year slass, During thg wa.r the teacher ltas

Liubonyra &idr:kevych, tte wife of the 1oca1 vlcatr. She uas an erceIlent teacher'

Father Ebiduke.nryeh helped; teaching not only rellglon but also pbysical educationt

geograplly, historyr ad dra.oa. lhe lady rorked hard to put together an

excellent choral group. As the front approached in early l9/*l+r the ltoid1kevych

farnily left the dro&o Ih early l9/r5 i"yw school uas reopened, the neu teachers

being An&it Seifert, of bnytsl"a and Eazarnyk of PaJ:kra. \n Lgl+? both were

e:cpelleil flon the region

Afber the erpulsiotr of the Lenkos the Pollsh authorLties set up new

schools for nevconeyg,p as welL as for g4psies reroalning ia Kryva. t?6 nsu

teachrer ltas a Po1ish lady, rlarne unrecallecl, vho hed replaced e Iemlio llo&an

nased l-firta.].lak, who lrad returned flom exile, T,he nev school. wag housed ln the

former 6'""1s4atho11c reot,ortrr. lhs gorner school bullding uas assigned ln

part to a eooperativel grd lts large elassroon was utillzed as a barracks for

seasonal }:nbernen. Krlnra usecl to hoast of two reading-*oonsr one within the

Rr.rssophile Kachkovslqy $oclety rretwork arrd the other a link in the ilkrainian

trProsvitar ehain.

A neu school r,as hr-rlIt in &rrgftsia ln ]?3l+4,6. 1\'ro teachers $ere

fi.rst enployed theree both Polish patriots. Dr:rlng the Crerrnan occupation t,he neu

teactrer r.rae i&* qlfe of lnilrel Selfert..sbe nslr uith her three chlldien lives

in the Untteil States. . Fer hwband Andrel uas orpellect to the Zielon:r 0lra

dlstrict ln uestern Poland. Tn Jlg/+5-tfl tb€ BarytsLa school did not firnction,

for nost of the vlllagers had been transported to the Sovlet Unl-on. I Eanyt**a

natlve prominsnt in lte cultural life was Fetro Sclfert, the bother of Anctrel.

Petro Sa{fert had gone abroad, vhere he published a lemboc Ee$rspap€r, rblob fetbabecause of lack of support. .6.nother botherrOsyp $eifert, vas nentally Ltt snd

lived ln tsanyfsia. Eefore the outbea.lc of llorldlrlar lwo Petro Saifert retrrrredl

Dok1la-22

from A,nerica to Bargrtsia. Ee lived later in Poniarkyr but early during tlorld

lJar Tvo he va.s taken by the 6synans to Oswiecinr fron uhish he never returred.

Andrei S'aifert, e teacher ty trainingr taught in Zhdynia to ):91&, Fron 1945

io I9W ire taugbt ln f,ryoa, and after resettlenent ln the Zielona Gtra district.His children are in the gnited States. After'191*\ the Polish authoritles

tore down the Barrybsia school building arlil retrullt it in Gladysztw.

School teacherg and pollcg officerg represenied state poller in Lemko

connunities. tlre village uEJt (vfft ln the loea1 version) vas the visible

vlIlsgs leader or bayor. tn Lg3/+ the Polish adrninistration installed a trew

title, that of gg!!Ig. lhe last soltvs itr r?stfftlca"vr',Fetskoj'!,Viulyki'lrho'

was exiled in 194.?. Subordinate, lljll*€Be had pld.soltvsy (adeputy nayorsil ).

During the C'ernan oceupatlon the pidsoltvs in Yasiunka ltas Senan SrneXr while

lStro Kiets was the soltvs ln &nytsia. llhe last lenko offlcial ln Yeslulka

uas lvan }Ia{tkCI, vho afber exlle ln uestern Poland returned to Ztrdynla, uhere

he now resides. Sg is considered the spokesman for forner Iasiunka resiCents.

In the olcl days q,'l'l l€nko officlalg rere vlthout power, for they served nerely

as one-uay ebannels for orders lbon hJ.gher echelons. ntbe! had to dance

to the tune that the occupiers pJayed.tr

Rellglous Strlfe

DoklLa, uhose rritings chow soee epfeciation of ttre Jmpact of

history on contenporary problensz noted that tbe 1596- Oaion of &est wasrr

traglc for the Ienkos beca:use snlitnthe Ruthenians lnto tuo hostlle religious

factlons" the Orthodox end the Unicte &eek-Catholics. Ef l@2,, the Iernkogr

the vesternmonst-poeltioD6d of the Butheni€.nsr !rer6 a't'l uitbin the Gteek-Catholie

dl:rchr the Orthodox havlng been e'l,rrirlratedl. Both unCer the Eabsbr:rgs and

ln post-Versailles Polald, sore lcnkos reverted to futhodory as a result of

tangled personal and po1ltica1 msblnations. Politicajl factors lrrwlved

Dok1la-23

included Rwsian ft.n-.51avisn1 fesr of Ulsainiarr l-rredentig, and the neu

Polish governentts policy of ffagnenling a-lleged3-y uteeliable ethnic

mlnoritles.

rriu.nk*, Kryvae Eanybsi& ancl Volovets fornecl one Feek-Catholie

parishl vith Kryte as the site of the raln churchr that of Sts. f,osma and

Da.uj-an. Tolovets trad a uood, ndaughterr church, bultt tn 1880 ard reblrilt in

igfF. The entire Kr}nra paxlsh nirnbered approcinately 664 C'reek Catholics.

Le.tin Catholics vere fer.l, less tiral ten. As the movement tovard futhodo4y

gathered strength, the Orthodox in the area eventr:.a$r outnunbered the

Greek Cathblics, regching a'tota1 of 765 adherents.

In Austro-Htngar5an t{mes the idabitants of Kryra and TolQvets

quarrelei! over ubere the CIreek-Catbo1ic vicar should resicle', that isr whether

the rectory should be in one village or the other. li5. sulh*itles desid€d

in favor of Kryua, tnrt relations betveen the firs{tr,ro vilJ-ages renailred s'trairred,

culmlnating in ]-?27-28 t$ the @nverslon of nost Tol0vetE resiilenT,f, to futhodory.

l-n ].:933 the @eek-€athollc bishop of hrelqysl approveil the Imting of a

reetory ln Volovets, arrd the local pniest lived therp untl1 he !.tas e$eU€d

Ln t9ti?.

In 1969 t'lytfrall llaitkor ttren an etghty-year-o1dt Yasiulka native. :

livtng in the United gfatesl gave ax aecount of religious lifs in hle pativa

village, based on his fel-lib1e nenozT. llte church ln Kryra trad been hgned at

least tbree t{nesr the last ti.me f.lr 1915 by l{aryar troops who thought that

Br:sslan soldiers vere hlcling in lt. Srirnettne pnior to l{orlcl }lar 0ne1 the Kr)nra

cburch was hauled otf to Iasiunka by inhabitants of that village. A faction

in Yasiunka wanted to trrn it lnto an Qrthodox church, but pel:Blsslon uas denied.

Forrr particC-pants 1n thts a.ction were lat,er sent by the Austrlan authorltles to

the Talertrof deteriion ca.np, r.ihere they perishecl. In 1917 the church was rnoved

back t,o Kryra. Is. 3:920-i?/4 Yasiunka, Krpra, and Eer5rtsia shared the sane chr:reh,

r,rhich stands to this day. After the 1947 forced, evaeuation it r"ras ta.ken over

Dipklia-z/+

by latln-rite pol6s1 sefvlces being condwted by a priest fbon Gladysak.

lfhen Father Andrill Barda.khovslry was tbe Gleek-Catholic rnlcar nost

Tologets and Banytsia inlabitants converted to Orthodolry, in Fgt beceuse he

lras a strong Ulaainian nationalist, Eaitko noted. Moreover, t he griest vas

srrarLcj.ous and fl eeeedt' his charges as nr:ch as he cou1d. A poor paishoner

vas unablg to n€rry, give birth, or even to d,iel lrwithout coughing up twenty

dollars or more.n Sone resorted. to bwying th€ir dead'rilhout benefit of

clerry. tsard.alhovsky uas eventuallXr possibly in the year lgtf , \fiSG renovedt

to be replaced by bther VolodynXr &.id,uke$ch, r.rho remaineci in KrSrva until

Igt+V. After his b,nisbrnent Father Eaiclukevyeh rese"btled tn'thb"ttlttn'6f "Szpnotaut

where he served in e Polish parlsh but at, tinrese nostly on Easter and 0hrisfunas1.

cond.r:cted serviees.for the lenkos" in the Iegnica d,lstrict.

The late Stepan D*ropa slss sharecl his reninlBcenees uith Doltlia.

The church ln Krynra vas tmilt by experts tarought in flora the Bc!}o reglont

eastern neighbors of tire Lenkos. The noroy ca;re the falthful aJlll flon enigrants

i-n Carada and the Unltecl $tates. Tte, Ar* uas the sultural hub of four{_

vlllagesr arrd nr:sh dependJid on the character of the f*4 griest. A good priest-)

ua5 everf,bhingr-pastor, physlcian, l"arryerr ad agronomLst. A bad b'iest night be

a drurkardr e uneclrcatetl boor, -on n-ight play politlcs (suc] sp attenlt-ifg to.

Ukrainianize tl:e Rt:s:nakp). .lttempts at Ukraiaianization brought tragic

results, for they dividect the people into tvo hostile cdnpsr

Since he servecf four villagesy livecl in Yolovetsland. leld sgvrces

ln the Kryva churchn the prlest b8d a transportatlon probfun. tb custon uas

fcrf, hi.B to be telen to hls destination W cart or hrgry. Parisboners woul-d

drive him to the chr.rrch ln s koliaka. Nelgbbors of a slck person\

uould fetch tbe pniest ln ttre sa.ne ua1r for a house visit. Sornetlrnes pungent

scenes eruptg@. Poor people harr no non€y for farcy cearlages and would hetrl bin

ln a eontraption ca,Llecl hninvbs'i ( softened by lauyers of stra*r.

Doklia-25

One priest eo propositiorEcl got angry and, refushed to travel in that fashion'

He was Father Bardal<hovs}ry, vho blurted out, lDo you tal<e &€'fcr a suine

ull-ling to travel in a hniq'bs{?u

Andrel Shvedae' another Doklia'' sourog ln the united States born in

y*siu,,ka, reca1;led tbat vhen tre-1efb Yasiuxka only six of its lnhabitants

ccr:-Ld read in s vil]ags of eisty-six Ienko households, a saloon-keeprrr sduhether'

one Srpsy, ?tree villages fought over' --- ' the priestts residence shnuld be

located in Kryva ot Vol*rcts. lihen a neu chtrch was hrilt in Kryva, its

be1ls uere fiaaneed by enigrants in the United States. The,Fa"o-OrthodoE'

tendency uas stro$g prior to Uorld llar One, the local priest being d Russophile

orientation. Barly in i,lorld ldar One he settleil in tsarist Bussia. Rev. MaTrs5pl

Sand.ovyche an orthodox activlst" settled in ilrab, which became the first

village in the area to accept 0rthodory. Obher nearby villagese su€h as Chorner

Iypne, and l{eznayova, also for the r:ost part acc'epts}d Orthodoxs.

In l9l2 electlons vere held loca11y for sending a delegate to the

parlla.eent in Vienna. CsrcDidates included a certain Dlugosh flon Sanl'-ova and

tndrei fsysllal<( the father of tb€ ueII-known Tsysliak &wsophlle- activists)

from Ustle Ruskle. Dlugosh uon. &r,X9t3 therel€re nore conwrsions to Orthoclo4y

in the &ro&r f,r)wa ha.d an active group of U}raisophiJ.esr,.enoug,ibar'...ihe';canto::

petro Bybeln the naryorr and the local recorder (pvsar). Xsstunka had a

Kechkovsky Society readtng-roon, frorn uhieb the police removed hooks published

in Sussla. Rurnors spread that ftthodox activists ln Yasiunlca ancl tsar$tsla r'lanted

olcl c&urch fL'fntli.' ib'. lsdril:c b fon their services. Oneto move an olcl c&urch fL'fntli' b.bgfliiDlC Ur u$a Iilf !Ite13 ssrYxseso urlt

rnornlng dhrrk" zea.lots tore it dsrs alrd lratrled off its parts to nasiu-nka+i

in uagon$. Th€-shurch vas

Pelesh. In three dars the

coraplalned that the chrtch

an article on the lncident

then reconstructed there on la.rrcl donated W Dry:t'ro

pollce put a stop to this proJect. Kr5nra ialtabltants

had been stolen; and a trrierate mert a&ong then rrrote

thrrt lrc published ln the Unlted States ln the

Dokla-26

newspaper t{etrodna Yoliar I llkrainian veekly appearing in Scranton, Fennsylvania'.

In 19/+l Andrei Shveda agiveii tn the United States to stay uith his sister ln

Montala. &r husbandr !6.. Chernetsky sho't.led Shvecb tlre Narodnia Volia article,

addtng trEou folk are e:reIlent thievds, for you stole a church ln broad. dayligbtl?.

Slfveda alloved. that there lras so6e truth to that vers'ion, noting tbat tc bad tiikenparb

in that eFleode and understood that the Yasiunka people had paid money for the

chrreh.

EanYtsia

In several vays Banfbs,i^a vas & singulc Iemko village in Gor.t-j-ee county.

Sr:rrounded by other Lenko settlenentsr such as Volovetsr KrFar Virkhnia, Panlcna

and Bbrtne, 5.n centuries past it i:arboifed adventluous peasants who raided theJ

properties of nearby Polish gentry, who called the raiders ban4vsir or rrbanditsrr

the word fron r,rhtch the village nq.rle a11eg€d1y derives. It r.ras a strong centef of

Rirssophilism, and in the t{entteth century conversions to Gthodo:y clailud over

half of its lnhabitants. the Ofbhodorc hrilt for themselvgs a snall chapel and used

the services of a priest from nearblr Tolovets:. In the 19301s Banytsia had an

Q.thodoc rnajority, a Greek-Catholic ninority, and three Baptist farol-Iles.

Poverty-stricken, riven bry sestarian strifer ad rnisled ty half+dueatecl defiagogtlsst

thb peasants felt doomed fotrevrer. German oppressive seasures ch.uing llorld llar Two

intenslfBed village pesslmigra and gavs birth to a feeble local pro'connrunist

partlsan unit contalning eri.ninal elenents. ?olish oppression, Gernran vartins

lndignlties, anct So:'iet .arny excesses eonbined to tr:rn a onetlrne stronghold of

Bwsopbilisn into a fount+inhead of Ulrainlan nationalisn, nany l-ocsf youthe

srrrolling into the IIPA, vhicb emerged as the sole cbarnpion of the v,ita-l intgrgsls

of the Iocals. fn the sunner of ]-.9/+Ir a British plane transporting Polish undergrounil

reinforcements crashed, near Bar5rtsia, killing a-11 aboatd. Llberation W the Scviet

amy ltas greeted wtth joy by Rwsophile elernentsi who spearlreaded the Sovlet

resettlement driven theretry forfeiting the fina-l vestiges of their politicalsignificXnce. Isinety per-{ent of the vii.l.agers ue}e enticeil into the Soviet

Doklia-Z?

Union, nostly to the Lviv and Ternopl,l obl.a.sts,

Gern:an excesses f\re1ed an incipient pro-comrmrnist partisan novsrlent,

later magnified by Polandts comnunist masters into telling foof of lndigenous

roots of connrunist hegenony. T}r€ Bar{fbsja" native Petro Saifert perished in the

Osuiecim concentration camp. Another native, Yevka Sl&lrnba, retr:rned {!on ituith ber health in ruins. Sbe had been talcen to Oslti€s'i.n because a cor:slp;

Sfufan Sileta, vas ln an anti-Gbrnan partlsan u.nit. ghat unit, organized. by

Lukach Slrkyrnbar operated in the region. tn I9/Q,.-/+3, OrE of its secret nenbers r.ras

Anrirei Zbt:r, uho had returned flon forced labor ln Gerrnarry, r,rhere he raastered

C€rnan, arli afber hLs retrrn r.lorked as an S.ntergreter for the Gernan seeurlty

officer Dule, who connanded a special fornation Ln Us';ie Buskie axd a Carpatho-

Ukrainj^a,n auxiliary police rrsrtt (th€ ttslcholrylgrrr) posted in Gladysz&w. Tbe

partisans l:aried C,ernan troops ln the l'fagr:ra reglon and at tfures cla.shed wlth

the-rt$ichor4zky.r ghefr leader tul'd Eblqntrba uas kllled by the Gerrnans. Eisl

:; :A!

r,rldo'lr 1oud1y lamented htE deatb tb*tby pnonpting hEe sunriying conrade{_r uho'',1 ::' \rfeared that she in her ryi"f night betray then to the Oermansr to errd that

possibllity by ktdnapping and ktlltng her. That deed vas done a11ege&ty $r apartisan na-u:ed ilryts Kiets, r.rho is said to have confessed,

a

The Gernans then pressed hard in order to stg-qp out:bhe repaining

partisane. It seened that only one escaped death, eapture, or arrest. & was

,,.|.&fan Giletar who pas later installect bf the Russians ts the iIB clrief tn

Gorllce courrby. Gileta r:nleashed an orgr of revengiel shooting captrrred *Sicho$(yrrt

arrestlng war-time vrtbge laJrors and, giests, and otherwise persecutin$ allthose against vhom. he had * personal gnrdge. In Aprtl or May, ].i9i.+jr hor,revere

he vas revarded for his nisdeeds, l{hiI€ spending a night vith relatives in Banytsiae

Gileta was m^ra]cened {bom sleep by a UP!. unit" vhich ki1]€d his relativesb tortr:red

h5rc, and then hanged hi-B frotn a plne tree near Pslkna. This last of the Banytsia

partisans 1les br:ried in the Kryva cenetery, his grave Saced by a rnarker

vith a Soviet star.

Doklb-e8

Eanyts5a 1s no$ deserted, its hor:ses torn down and'fields overgrovn.

Its school uas foansported to C,1adysztr,r. fn lgt+6UPA unitE occupied 1ocal

vooded &x€as1 len&o youths retr:rning fton forcecl labor in Gernarly or flon servics

in the Soviet artg Joining IIPA rarrks in acts of despdiF. :Pollsh arry effortsthe UIA

gradually redrrced^lnto scattered ineffective remnaDtso Banytsie natives+

suffered but individual and group traged,les, Andrel Fesh and his son returned'

fron Gbrmaqy but felt constrained.to rnove on to the Scviet Union to Join his

vife uho had been sent there prevj-ously. $[ro XLt" ""t*ned f]on Siberiar/\

uhither he had been banished because he had serveil es a vildage. Fyor. under ihe

Germans. Ib wqs unable to stay in his hone viIlago, hovever, for tte uith his

r.life and chlldren vere packed. off to the USS.. I'fykhail 4"tt, whoss trother^

Stefan r^ras killed by the $sm.ans, retwned fho$ service in the Soviet arnyt

but found *onil.rrons at hone so fYightfi:l that he Joined the IIPA. Se now

resldes in either England or the Onited $tates. IE !gli*|!f cleshes uere fYequent

betr,reen Polisb arroy and UPA units tn the Bantrtsia envLrons. One night a Potish

unit entered Eanytsiar ln search of the enenX. Ehey found trohee Eowever, they

did enter the home of Ievka, Daopa, uho notr lives in }fatervlietr N'ev Torkr ancl dis-

@ver6dn'r her klnsnan Vasyl &ftal sncl his r,rifee both of vlten ha.d Just returned

11.sn foreed labor in Sernany. They killed Va:syl tsybel and a.rrested his guest,

fvan Petryshyn,

In the sunmer of I9L6 a UPA ualt, cpning'fron a r.redding ln Panl&na

spent the nlght in Balytsia. The nesb dgy Polish soldiers appeared and

flghting broke out. Ihsls wdro kllIecl and uounded on both sides, as ue1l as

a:long Earryts{& residents. llhe Poles torturecl the villagers and accused tha

of being ilBanderaites.tr Fighting in the reglon continued untll the remaining

I,enkos vere b:rLshed to uestern P oIand, Banybsra expellees uere trans-

ported, to the county of Glogow, *ispersed in its rlral eomnunities. The

fanl1y of Petro Fesh vas enong the expelled. &'h{'nself uas hauled off to

goklia-29

the Javorzno canp, vhere he r,ras rnrrdered. Fesh uas fair gane because his

son M!:khall had joined the UFA. Eis eldest son, Stefan Fesh, belonged to

the pro-Soviet partlsans. & uas ki1led W th€ Gernans, alongrr.rlth other

BanyLsts natives in the pro-'conrnrnist underground, arnong'th* id. Shh)"nba,t

Asafat Kltsel, erua qfbe1, Parrlo Kuryror Fetsko Saifert', Ivan Guresb,

Kuma Kov,bko, and Antokba Ewtr'vo.

Ea4'tsia natirres e:cpelIed to the Glogotl region vere assignecl former'

Gernan houses, Fton there sorre were able to join relatives,in the United

Statesl &rnong sr:ch fortunates one encounters Yevka Dzopa antt'thb -fanily

of Parrlo Kurpn. $uery bnytsia fanily had relatives ln the New Uorld.

&trigration sterted in the late nineteenth century. One of the flrst. to

depart was lSi-kolai Vasierrho, uho in 19@ was r.ras ninety-sir years-old and

lived in Yonkers, Neu Iork.

Enroi

Dokllats leg&ggGg ls no xror€r llhat renalns is the carcass of afailed Pollsh conmunist experinent in social engirreering, gleiohschaltune

gone arrry. It ts fitting"-t&erefore, ln the tnterest of, conpleting the

historical record, to delineate a few aspects of re*o lore that tbw far.

have eluded this ess€;Jrl :

fhe establishnent of a nev politieal border separatlng Poland and

Czechoslovakis disrup*,eG estg,blished eeononic pattdt$ binding toether the

Carpathian hlghlands and the Hungariaa plain. T.a the days of the llapsbr:rgse

for example, \|va'si11p1s pea.sants were agcustoned to do ha:rrest uork in Slovakia

and }lungary, golngp as thsy used to day, nto Festt or rto the lfagtars.il

fhey vould form a uork team kncwr as glEEEtr consisting of around a dozen

harvesterg lrho r"rould stay aauay fron hone around, a nonth. They,returned to raeiunka

sttb {,@ tcilogram.s of grain as their paX'. In addition, the landor.rner for r,rhon

thgy tolled served three neals daily. Breakfast for two nornings csnslsted of

9ok1ia-10

a loaf of bread, J0 decagra$s of srnoked reat, and a liter of aleohol.

the harverrters did nowing, hauling, ard t&resbing. fhe sork vas hardr but

reuards were bountifirl, for the grain alone pnovided for the fan{l-y throughout

the r.rlnter. llorld I.Is Oae put an end. to this actlvity.

Iernko fartriLies vere large, 1a&1 ves scarcer and opportunities for

enplo;n,.ent rar€r Eralgration served as a safety-valver renoving sores of

discontent and providing youths uith visions of sir-rccess in far-off places.

The first emlgrants flon the Iemkoland went to what is nou l{ungary and

Iugoslavia. le.ter they vent primari.l;." to the United States ancl Canada.

Eve{y 'Ianko faroily in the county of Gorlice hacl relatives in the United States,

lhe first to go there flon Iasiunl<a vas a csrtain IyLiak, early in the latter

half of the nineteenth century. Obhers uho soon followed r"rers futro Kobane

IirfLs Pelesh, and Ampol llaitko. Later ca-ms & of youth, mar{f betveen

the ages of fowteen and sixteen, both rnale and fenale, Some stayed for but

a fer,r years and then returned to their native villager hrt nost re[alned in the

IIew lJorld for good. There vere colonies of Yasiunka natives in Nev Tork

state (Cohoes, lCateniliet, and Erookl.;m), Ca:rada, Great Britain, lkance,

Aastralia, Argentina, and haz{l,lhe name of the village of Krylar5ooted je ,thc 'sddec-tive'kr'iq',!r.',

neaning bent' or crooked, suggeets -the bend tn the strean along which

the vill-age s';retches, In the 1930ts it ha.d a populstion of arounfl 2ffi, or

23 householdsr including a Jewish tailor and four GYps,y fa:nil-ies. l'taqy of itsgifteq young becane school teachers, such as Yaroslava &,idu!,evych and Jva::

Koban. At least seven youths enrolled in the IrpA and fougNrt for the U}rainian

c&1tsor l\lo UPA veteransr }Iytro lb.lyk arrd !$khal Denchar, are nor,r in the

United States. During $Iorld tJar &"re forn villagers vere sent to tie Talerhof

detention calnpl the tsarist &rqy occupied the Ieroko region and there r,ras

extensive fighting bctveen the Russians and the Austrlan arn;'. A Russian Cossaek

Doklia-3l

fornatlon spent a lrint€r in Krywa. The vjllage sufferecl considerable physical

darnage becar:se of the fighting duringl'Iorld llar One' tife in post-Yersailles

Poland was eharacterized by plitfcal optrressiotr, uhich generated a $pecies of

Illirainian natlonalisn. A Ffiros'ritan Society reading-room uas set up ilt the

hone of F. l,ryhalJk, uere book-reading for llliterateB lras conducted and

petrlotic plays were stagedr The Polish pblice eventually cilosed lt down.

Drring llor1d War Tf,lo ltrfrra bec4Fle a haven for Okralni.a.n and Russian ref\:gees.

With its end frryua was visisted by catastrophe, vith the 5mposition of Polish

eomrnunism and the elfuaination of its e*istence'