1st Sheptytsky Medal
KYIV (UCU Press Service) Distinguished Canadian
entrepreneur and civic leader, benefactor of the Ukrainian Catholic University
(UCU), and founder and chairman of the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter Initiative
(UJE), James Temerty has become the first recipient of the Metropolitan Andrey
Sheptytsky Medal. The award ceremony was held on June
The
award was established by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine for contributions
to the cause of Ukrainian-Jewish understanding and cooperation.
The
leaders at the celebration included the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
(UGCC), Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk, and the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine
Yaakov Dov Bleich. The ceremony was also attended by two former presidents of
Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk and Viktor Yushchenko, and representatives of the
diplomatic community of Canada and the United States.
In
his speech, Patriarch Shevchuk emphasized Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s ability
even in the most difficult life circumstances to see his neighbor as a child of
God, and therefore as a brother or sister in God. Only with such a perspective,
according to the patriarch, can people overcome divisions, respect the dignity
of others, and have the courage to risk their lives for the sake of their
neighbors.
“This
medal honors those who work for Ukrainian-Jewish understanding and the
development of relations between Ukrainians and Jews, inspired by the example
of Metropolitan Sheptytsky, and those who believe that the common past that
divided us should not be an obstacle to a common future that will unite us,”
UCU Senior Vice Rector Taras Dobko said during the ceremony: “Metropolitan
Andrey was the founder of the Ukrainian Catholic University and his legacy is
reflected in the mission of UCU, in our development plans, academic programs,
and education of our students.”
According
to Taras Dobko, there is no better recipient of the first Metropolitan Andrey
Sheptytsky Medal than James Temerty, who for many years has demonstrated, in
different fields, persistence in fostering rapprochement and mutual
understanding between Ukrainians and Jews. “We are grateful to Mr. Temerty that
UCU, which thanks to his generosity, has established three endowed chairs in
Jewish Studies, and may also contribute to the creation of a common future,”
said the vice rector.
James
Temerty chairs the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter Initiative, which carries out its
activities in Ukraine, Israel, and the Ukrainian and Jewish diasporas. He is
the founder of three departments at the Ukrainian Catholic University that
study Jewish-Ukrainian relations. James Temerty supports similar initiatives at
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also a benefactor of the new
Holodomor Research and Education Consortium of the Canadian Institute of
Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta in Canada.
According
to the organizers, the medal named in honor of Metropolitan Andrey is awarded
to people who have dedicated themselves to fostering friendly relations between
the Ukrainian and Jewish peoples. “Thanks to the efforts and courageous actions
of the head of the UGCC, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, more than 160 Jewish
lives were rescued during World War II,” says a statement by the organizers.
PHOTO