[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 26052-26053]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  HONORING THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL 
                          SOCIETY OF CLEVELAND

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 13, 2000

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the Fiftieth 
Anniversary of the Russian American Cultural Society of Cleveland. This 
wonderful organization has been unifying the Russian population of 
Cleveland and celebrating the spirit of community since 1950.
  The history of Cleveland's extraordinary Russian population begins in 
the post World

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War II era. The first wave of immigrants left Russia after the civil 
war in the early 1920's and settled in France and Yugoslavia. Following 
World War II, many of these Russian immigrants left war-torn Europe and 
headed for the United States. A second wave of immigration came when a 
number of displaced Russian citizens chose to make a new start in the 
U.S. rather than return to the Soviet Union for repatriation. Of the 
thousands of Russian citizens who came to America in the 1940's, many 
chose Cleveland, Ohio as the city where they would begin their new 
lives.
  Once settled in Cleveland, these Russian immigrants joined together 
in an admirable effort to preserve their valued Russian tradition, 
language, culture, and Orthodoxy. They took their first bold steps 
toward carrying on their Russian heritage in 1950 with the founding of 
the Russian American Cultural Society of Cleveland and the St. Sergius 
of Radonesh Russian Orthodox Church.
  Due to the strong ethnic bond which the Cultural Society provided, 
its activity and membership grew exponentially. The society's most 
active years came under the region of Mr. G. Mesernicky, who was 
president during the 1960's and 70's. Under his leadership, the society 
operated a Russian language school, a radio program, a newsletter, and 
a youth group. It is clear that the society has succeeded in achieving 
its commendable goal of preserving Russian tradition in the city of 
Cleveland. To this day, they continue to bring Russian-Americans 
together for various cultural and social events, including picnics, 
concerts, lectures, plays, and most notably, the annual Tatiana Ball.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my fellow colleagues in the House of 
Representatives to join me today in congratulating the Russian American 
Cultural Society on its Golden Anniversary. They have made a lasting 
contribution to the city of Cleveland, and I wish them many more years 
of continued success.

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