Ukrainska sällskapet i Sverige
- Ukrainian Society in Sweden
Extent and Medium
6,5 linear meters of textual and financial records, photographs, and audio cassettes.
Biographical History
The Ukrainian Society in Sweden was founded on May 1, 1947 in Stockholm on the initiative of Kyrylo Harbar, Teodor Hywel, Bohdan Kentrschynskyj, Wolodymyr Pankiw, Roman Rydnyk and Bohdan Skobowytsh-Okolot. The society then made an appeal to all known Ukrainians in Sweden with information about the formation of the society and an offer of membership.
The first president of the society was Valerian Fedortjuk (1947-1952). He was succeeded by Ivan ButkoUkrainska sällskapet i Sverige (USS) was founded on May 1, 1947 in Stockholm. The initiative to form the Society was taken by six people: Kyrylo Harbar, Teodor Hywel, Bohdan Kentrschynskyj, Wolodymyr Pankiw, Roman Rydnyk and Bohdan Skobowytsh-Okolot. The Society then sent letters to all known Ukrainians in Sweden with information about the formation of the Society and an offer of membership.
The first president of the USS was Valerian Fedorchuk (1947-1952). He was succeeded by Ivan Butko (1953), Kyrylo Harbar (1954-1977), Bohdan Zaluha (1978-1992), Petro Basarab-Horwath (1993-).
The number of members has varied between 200 and 300. The Society has over the years actively participated in the work of the Ukrainian Western diaspora to preserve Ukrainian culture and to spread a more truthful picture of Ukraine's situation, free from Soviet propaganda.
Archival History
The documents included in this archive have been deposited on several different occasions.
The first deposits, which included audio tapes, were handed over by Bohdan Skobowytsh-Okolot in 1989-90. In 1984, Kyrylo Harbar, who kept most of the USS documents for the period 1947-1977 in his apartment, died.These were also prepared and handed over as a deposit to the National Archives by Bohdan Skobowytsh-Okolot in 1993.
In 1995 and later in 1999, the National Archives received several subsequent deliveries from Bohdan Zaluha.These consisted primarily of correspondence and newspaper material. All these documents have now been brought together into a unified archive, organized and cataloged by Katalin Gere.
Scope and Content
The Ukrainian Society's archives contain testimonies about the Holocaust, including the following volume: F 4 Audio recordings concerning the personal experiences of I. Wanczyckyj, W. Bretan, M. Radekko and B. Skobowitsh-Okolot's personal experiences during the Second World War. The recordings are on 12 cassette tapes (12 x 90min). The recordings are in Ukrainian and made on 1989-03-10-11. They contain testimonies about, among other things, anti-Semitism in Ukraine, life in the Lviv ghetto, concentration camps, and "death marches."
Rules and Conventions
EHRI Guidelines for Description v.1.0