the loma weekly herald volume 1 issue 10

The League of Macedonian-AmericansVolume 1, Issue 10

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Recap of the Week...............1

Next Weeks Goals...............1

Test Your Knowledge.............1

Crossword.......................2

MPO Article...................2-4

Narodna Song of the Week......5-6

Book Review...................6-8

News from Macedonia.............8

Recap of the Week

Increased membership and online presence

Wrote statement and article on MPO-UMD connection

Submitted Advertisement for MHR Review

Next Weeks Goals and Projects

Increase online presence

Writing articles relating to Macedonian identity

Continue planning and implementing new initiatives and plans

Send out book club letter to US Macedonian Churches

Watch news for use of FYROM and Slav

Reach out to more Macedonian organizations

Test Your Knowledge about Macedonia!

Last weeks answers: 1. This town in Pirin, Macedonia was also once known as Mehomija. Razlog 2. What was the name of the Macedonian uprising in the Skopje region in the year 1072? Georgi Vojteh Uprising 3. Which ethnic community in Macedonia refused to participate in Macedonias referendum on independence

from Yugoslavia in the early 1990s? Albanians 4. This Macedonian, who is of Azerbaijani descent, won a bronze medal for Macedonia in the 2000 summer Olympics. Magomed Ibragimov

5. In the late 1980s, he came out with the very popular song called Dojdi Mi Leno Na Perniche Belo. Dragan Mijalkovski

Macedonian Crossword Cities and

Towns

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

Across

2.

4.

6.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Down

1.

2.

3.

5.

7.

8.

9.

11.


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Article

Why the UMD and Ethnic Macedonians Should Avoid the MPO

The United Macedonian Diaspora this week appointed seven new members to its Advisory Council. Included in this group is Chris Evanoff, a former president of the Macedonian Patriotic Organization (MPO). Such a move by the UMD leadership is worrying because of MPOs history of denying that ethnic Macedonians are their own ethnic group and because of MPOs

insistence that todays ethnic Macedonians are

really a sub-group of Bulgarians. To understand the dangers of involving former and current MPO leaders in a large and visible organization that claims to represent the Macedonian community in the United States, we need to explore what the MPO has stood for and currently stands for, along with Chris Evanoffs

statements as a member of the MPO.

The MPO leadership has consistently advocated for an independent Macedonia for the Macedonians. It is hard to refute this. However, the MPO leadership has never acknowledged that ethnic Macedonians exist. They believe that Macedonians are of Bulgarian, Greek, Serbian, Albanian, Vlach and Turkish backgrounds, and they advocate that Macedonia should be a Switzerland of the Balkans that includes all of the above ethnic groups, which ironically and unfortunately does not include ethnic Macedonians. The MPO leadership including Chris Evanoff believes that we all should unite under the Macedonian name, regardless of our church affiliation or historical beliefs. What could this mean? One can imagine it now: Do

you go to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church or Greek Orthodox Church but you hail from Macedonia? Lets join forces, were all

Macedonian! You believe that Macedonians are

originally Bulgarians or originally Serbs? Doesnt matter, come on over! Were all

Macedonians; but none of us are ethnic Macedonian.

This is a farce that most Macedonians will eventually see through. We are all for unity we want the people of the Balkans to look past their differences in order to remain at peace with one another. But we are not for the type of unity that comes at the expense of our identity. We cannot accept to unite with other Macedonians who claim that their Macedonian heritage is a sub-branch of a greater ethno-national group, be it Bulgarian, Greek or Serbian. Our Macedonian ancestors fought very hard and for far too long, sacrificing time, blood, and life, in order to disassociate themselves with the Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek label. What a disgrace and disservice we would do upon them if we were to join forces with these people in order to spread a Macedonianism that slowly erodes the Macedonian identity and culture! Yes, we want continued peace and unity. No, we do not want the Macedonian name to be turned into something that becomes interchangeable with the word Balkan.

Chris Evanoff once said that the MPO was the only bond in the 20th century for Macedonian migrs around the world. He was wrong. In the 1950s, the United Macedonians Organization of Canada emerged as the leading voice for ethnic Macedonians in Canada. Among the several groups in the United States, the main one was the Macedonian Peoples League, originating in

the 1930s, and then dissolving in the late 1950s because of its supposed communist affiliations. These organizations, unlike the MPO, never claimed that Macedonians were anything but ethnic Macedonian. Unlike the MPO, they advocated not for a Switzerland of the Balkans, but for a homeland of the ethnic Macedonians. Unlike the MPO, the MPL and United Macedonians did not believe Macedonians were


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Bulgarians. Unlike the MPO, they did not constantly publish official documents and newspaper articles in the Bulgarian language, especially after the Macedonian language was officially codified. And unlike the MPO, the MPL did not find itself on the side of fascist Germany in order to pursue its goals of an independent and free Macedonia.

Even after the MPL was shut down by US officials, local Macedonian groups started rallying together and eventually, after the independence of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the local Macedonian communities started uniting Macedonians around these churches. The MPO members, for the most part, refused to be a part of these new Macedonian communities and wanted to remain in their Macedono-Bulgarian communities. They, for the most part, refused to join the celebration of this greater separation and independence of Macedonians, and rather wanted to continue promoting their mixed Macedonian-Bulgarian identity. For most intents and purposes, this is fine we should all live our lives according to the principles of self-determination. However, when it comes to the identity of ethnic Macedonians who do not believe that we are ethno-national Bulgarians, there arises a conflict of interest. The Macedono-Bulgarians can believe whatever they like about who they are and how they identify. But they should not, cannot, and will not prevent ethnic Macedonians from being anything but ethnic Macedonian.

Mr. Evanoffs tenure at MPO was supposedly

one which redefined the MPO and changed its

direction. However, was it truly? Not even a couple years into his Presidency at MPO, Mr. Evanoff met with the Bulgarian President during the time, Mr. Petar Stoyanov. It is really strange that Mr. Stoyanov agreed with Evanoff when Evanoff stated: Today Bulgaria has more

Macedonians than in any other country,

including the Republic of Macedonia, so the welfare of Bulgaria and harmony of its bilateral relations with the Republic of Macedonia are of particular importance. Evanoff claimed that

Bulgaria has 3 million people from Macedonia living there. Why would the president of a country who claims that ethnic Macedonians dont exist agree with Evanoff that there are

more Macedonians in Bulgaria than in Macedonia if he doesnt believe Macedonians

are their own ethnic group? It only can be because he and Evanoff truly believe that Macedonians are a sub-group of Bulgarians. If Evanoff doesnt believe this, then why make the

absurd claim that 3 million Macedonians live in Bulgaria, when even the Republic of Macedonias numbers for Macedonians in

Bulgaria dont exceed a few hundred thousand? Evanoff thus must believe that Macedonians are Bulgarians because we can guarantee that the majority of those Bulgarians living in Bulgaria who have some origins from Macedonia do not claim to be ethnic Macedonians; and Evanoff, being as he was and is involved in Macedonian affairs, would not be ignorant to this fact.

Further, why does a leader of the Macedonian

Patriotic Organization need to meet with the

President of Bulgaria when he visits the United States in order to affirm their friendship? Why would the President of Bulgaria congratulate the MPO for working toward the liberation of Macedonia if the MPO was not a pro-Bulgarian group, especially considering that Bulgaria invaded the Republic of Macedonias territory

both in World War 1 and 2, causing much death and destruction, and also considering that Bulgaria still refuses to accept that the Macedonian language and ethnic identity are separate from Bulgarian? The reason is clear to everyone: because MPO leadership of yesterday and today believe that ethnic Macedonians are Bulgarian.


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However, there have been many internal divisions in the MPO. Many former and current MPO leaders criticized Evanoff for steering MPO away from wholeheartedly embracing Bulgaria and a Bulgarian identity. But during Evanoffs tenure as MPO President, he claimed

that the MPO is the same today as it was when it first started: an organization advocating for a Switzerland of the Balkans. Furthermore,

while Evanoff was president of MPO, the bylaws still stated the following: The terms Macedonians and Macedonian Immigrants

used in this bylaws pertain equally to all nationality groups in Macedonia Bulgarians, Aroumanians, Turks, Albanians and others. In this case they have only geographic and not ethnographic meaning. (A note to Article 29 of MPOs Bylaws). In the decade that Evanoff was

in charge of the MPO, he had the opportunity to mold the MPO into an organization that advocated for ethnic Macedonians. He could have successfully supported the removal of this note from the bylaws. Instead, the MPO never came out and stated that ethnic Macedonians exist and are different from ethnic Bulgarians. This is because the MPO is not an organization that exists to support the idea or the reality of an ethnic Macedonian identity. Perhaps now is the time for Evanoff to state that ethnic Macedonians exist and that Macedonians are not ethnically Bulgarian or part of a sub-group of Bulgarians. Though, we suspect that even if he does, it may not erase the skepticism many ethnic Macedonians have for people associated with the MPO.

With the recent influx of MPO members and money, one can only wonder which path intentionally or unintentionally the UMD will end up leading itself down. Currently, the UMD is clearly the United States largest and most

visible Macedonian organization. But the members of the ethnic Macedonian community should reconsider how much support they give to the UMD when the UMD is lining its staff with former MPO members who have not denounced their Bulgarian ties and who have claimed that Macedonians are anything but ethnic Macedonian. This is dangerous territory. It may be that having former MPO members in relevant and significant positions means very little for UMDs future policy and is really just a way for UMD to get money and support. But is this a risk the UMD should take on behalf of the ethnic Macedonian community? Being that UMD is a group that claims to represent all Macedonian-Americans even though no Macedonian-American ever participated in an election to choose a UMD representative UMD should strongly reconsider from whom it is getting advice.

The MPO is not, and never has been, a friend to the ethnic Macedonians. Some of their members have left and have become disassociated with the Bulgarian tendency of the MPO leadership. The group is dwindling in membership and attendance at their events has shrunk. But they are still around. Check out their website for yourself or research them on the Internet and see what it means to be Macedonian to them. Its not the Macedonian you and I are familiar

with, we can guarantee you that much.

Sources: https://groups.google.com/forum/ http://www.promacedonia.org/v_mak/1998/l_todor.html http://macedonian.org/joomla/ http://www.umdiaspora.org/index.php/en/


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Narodna Song of the Week This weeks song is Bitola Moj Roden Kraj (Bitola My Hometown). Considered the best-of-the-best song about Bitola, this is a must have for

every Macedonian musicians repertoire

because, whether from Tetovo, Strumica, Voden, or Ohrid, most every Macedonian loves this song. Here are the verses (followed by the chorus at the end): Bitola, my hometown, I was born in you, to me you are very dear. Hey, my hometown, is there anyone who can say goodbye to you without crying? I have passed through many cities and villages, but I have never found one quite like you. Bitola, my hometown, I love you and I am singing for you; Bitola, my hometown, I love you straight from my heart.

Book Review (Note: Our book reviews are reviewed for their

substance on Macedonia and Macedonians.

Therefore, a book that may not be primarily about

Macedonia or Macedonians will still be reviewed, but

mostly for its content relating to Macedonians.)

This review is of My Balkan Log written by James

Johnston Abraham in 1922.

Before there was Greys Anatomy, ER, Scrubs, and

House, there was a warehouse in Skopje that was

converted into a hospital during the early stages of

World War I. There were six doctors and twice that

many sisters (not all nurses, mind you) handling

twice the number of patients that London Hospital

would have been treating on any given day. Put

another way, these doctors had ten percent of the

minimum number of required hospital staff in order

to deal with the number of patients they dressed.

Sure, unlike modern day hospital dramas, not every

other day ended in a love affair or with some poor

bloke being diagnosed with a disease of which no one

had ever heard. But there were Gypsies who would

come in and steal clothes, belongings and bread; there

were patients frightened at the idea of these English

doctors conspiring to kill them when they suggested

opening windows for cross ventilation; and there were

doctors who would stick their hands in open wounds

to pull out bullets and shrapnel without anyone

uttering a complaint, despite the fact that no

anesthetics were available. As if thats not exciting

enough, eventually the Black Death swooped down on

them.

My Balkan Log is the true story of a handful of

British doctors who went to Macedonia during World

War I (known as the Great War prior to the Second

World War) to treat war patients, mostly Serbian

soldiers. Mr. Abrahams mission started in late 1914, a

little over a year after Macedonia had been divided

into three parts. Abraham refers to the part of

Macedonia he was stationed in, at that time just

recently placed under Serbian dominion, either as

Macedonia or Northern Macedonia. He never

referred to it as Southern Serbia. He was stationed in

Skopje and used the Turkish name for the town:

Uskub.

This is not a book about adventure; its a descriptive

journal. Abraham, having never been to Macedonia,

details the people and scenery with youthful curiosity.

He also describes the horrid and wretched medical

conditions that he and his staff were faced with.

During his first weeks there, the thoughts that ran

through his head can be summarized as follows:

Three men to two beds? No potable water? Not one

patient without a cigarette in his mouth? One loaf of

bread per patient, per day? No anesthetics? He didnt

know how they were going to help these people.


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But they did they managed to only have a ten

percent death rate at the start, which, given the

conditions, was pretty good. However, eventually an

epidemic of typhus broke out, and people became

falling ill by the thousands and dying by the

thousands.

Aside from his medical experience which, if you

want to learn more about what its like to serve as a

doctor during a time of combined war and plague, this

is a top rate book he always had one-liners that got

me thinking more deeply about life. He even had

conversations with people that, while not seeming

profound, were impressively and brutally honest. Here

are some noteworthy quotes:

Youre in the Orient now, Doc. Time doesnt count

here. Page 3

It is an invariable principle of mine not to anticipate.

Page 99

To be deprived of jam and butter, and the other small

amenities of life, may seem of no importance to those

who have never experienced the lack of them. Page 99

The value of human life sinks enormously in war time.

Page 110

Only those who have had to content their souls in

patience can appreciate the cruelty that official

indifference can often unconsciously perpetrate. Page

113

Romance is what happened yesterday, what is going to

happen tomorrow, never what is happening today.

Pages 161,162

Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Page 165

And then there was the time he could not

comprehend whether his Serbian friend was being

serious or comical:

My woman has not come, he answered, gloomily.

It must make you very anxious.

You bet. I want to know if shes dead.

But why? I said, rather surprised at his tone.

Because if she is Id like to get another. Page 100

This book, however, offers more than just descriptions

of his medical stint in Macedonia and his thought-

provoking one-liners. It elaborates on the political and

social conditions of the time. One wouldnt expect a

book about a doctor embedded with the Serbian

Army during the Great War to have a lot of favorable

arguments for the Macedonians, especially because he

was surrounded by Serbian propaganda. But I was

pleasantly surprised. Many books written by Western

authors over a century ago tend to speak to the truth

because, even though they might not have completely

understood the Balkan situation, and even though they

were often subjected to government propaganda, they

objectively and curiously reported what they observed.

And here are some of the things Mr. Abraham

observed about the Macedonians:

So there you are! The average Macedonian is neither

Serb, nor Greek, nor Bulgar. Hes just whatever suits

him at the time. Lord! The Macedonian question.

Theres going to be small hell when they begin to

rope in [military] recruits in Uskub. The bazar is

seething with revolt already. Pages 136, 137

But are these Macedonian people really different

racially? I asked. In a way, yes, and no. Theyre just

Macedonians. The Serb proper, and the Bulgar

proper are quite distinct races. [] The dialect is

equally understood by the Serb and the Bulgar.

Theres very little Greek in it. The people here say

theyre Serb now; but if the Bulgar came next week

they would be Bulgar. Both countries have held sway

over Macedonia in the past, and both claim,

historically, that it belongs to them. Page 138

Nationality in Macedonia is largely a question of

religion, he said. At one time all these people


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belonged to the Greek Church, and so were classed as

Greeks, though often they could not speak a word of

Greek. Then the Serbian Orthodox Church was

recognized by the wily Turk, who wished to divide the

Christians, and people of this church were considered

Serbs. Of course, the Serbs soon began a propaganda

to expand their Church; and the priests of two sects

started fighting over the bodies of infants, inveigling

them into their separate schools. Then the Bulgars

took a hand. Their Church the Exarch is slightly

different, and people who are Exarches are

considered Bulgars. Pages 137, 138

Theres always war in Macedonia. Not officially, of

course. Page 20

Serbia was in deadly need of fresh recruits for her

woefully depleted army, but these Macedonians were

not willing conscripts, many of them being pro-Turk

or pro-Bulgar in their sympathies, many more simply

hating the thought of being called up, most of them

not at all eager to fight for anyone. Page 173

Abraham even points out the different types of people

he can spot in Skopje, and he clearly distinguishes

between Serb, Macedonian and Bulgar:

Up and down we went, in and out amongst the white-

capped Albanians, turbaned Turks, hard-featured

Macedonians in embroidered tunics, piratical-looking

Tziganes, fezzed Jews, squat Bulgarians in brown hoe-

spun, tall Roumanians with high-domed astrakhan

hats, Serbs in grey forage caps, Austrian prisoners in

light blue untidy uniforms. Page 130

Abrahams most comical experience regarding the

Macedonian Tragedy arose when the Serbian King

declared (on New Years Day) that Macedonia was

officially no longer a Turkish province but instead

Southern Serbia, and that Macedonians would have

similar rights to all Serbian citizens. The King ordered

national celebrations in Skopje and throughout

Macedonia, and Abraham expected Skopje to be

overwhelmed with joy. Heres how he described the

wondrous occasion:

The main street from the station to the bridge was

dead. A number of kerosene lamps arranged along the

river front and on the bridge, half of them blown out

by the wind, burnt feebly. A few people wandered

round aimlessly. There did not seem to be any wild

enthusiasm about. We were puzzled. Page 171

This book offers a lot of information and knowledge relating to several topics that it was hard to soak it up in one reading. I wont

say I enjoyed this book, because its hard to

enjoy a story thats based on so much sickness

and death. But I do appreciate it for the lessons we can learn and the objective recording of his observations.

News from Macedonia The first Russian Orthodox Church in Macedonia is set to be constructed. Some people feel this will demonstrate tolerance toward other religions; others feel that such a move is bad because the Russian Orthodox Church (along with the Greek, Serbian and other Orthodox churches), do not recognize the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

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The Greek Foreign Minister visited Macedonia to meet with Macedonias Foreign Minister. The two discussed several outstanding issues between the countries. This is the first time in 11 years that a foreign minister from neighboring Greece visited Macedonia.

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Prime Minister Gruevski refused to resign amidst calls from the opposition. But he did concede powers regarding ministry positions and the election process.

*News generated from a Google news search

the loma weekly herald volume 1 issue 10

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