In the diaspora, Ukrainian identity very quickly stops being something that is passed down automatically. It has to be explained to children again and again — through language, songs, shared activities, and the stories of real people. That is why organizations such as SUM mean much more here than simply a youth club or a place to meet: they become a space where a child gradually understands which community they belong to and whose history they are continuing. That was precisely the spirit in which the new SUM year opened in Passaic.
After the summer break, the Ukrainian Center was once again filled with children’s voices. The youngest SUM members and the youth reunited with friends, met their counselors, danced, and socialized. And, as befits a true children’s celebration, there was pizza and a large festive cake.
But for a moment that day, the festivities gave way to silence. The opening took place on September 11 — a day that forever changed America. For SUM members, it also carries another, deeply personal story. The children were told about Ivan Skala — known among friends as “Yas,” a SUM member and an officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department who died on September 11, 2001, while rescuing people at the World Trade Center towers.
The story was especially meaningful because it did not come from a book or sound like a dry historical account. Marianna Hoholiuk, who knew Ivan Skala personally, shared her memories of him. She told the children about a person she herself remembers — a SUM member who, on the day of the tragedy, voluntarily went to help others.
Ivan Skala was born in the United States to a family of Ukrainian immigrants from the Lemko region and grew up in the Ukrainian American Youth Association. On September 11, 2001, he was among those who rushed toward the attacked towers.
First, Skala helped rescue a person from the fire. But he did not stop there. Together with another group of rescuers, he returned to the building and climbed to the 30th floor of the South Tower to help people who remained trapped inside. He never returned…
Posthumously, Ivan Skala was awarded SUM’s highest honor for an act of heroism — the Iron Cross of Merit. His name also remains on the map of New York City: there is a Skala Court in Manhattan. In Passaic, an emergency medical services building and an award for the best paramedic have also been named in his honor.
Perhaps stories like this best explain to children why organizations such as SUM remain important even decades after their founding.
Here, history does not end with photographs in old albums. It is passed from person to person — from those who knew the heroes personally to children who were born into a very different America.
This year, the new SUM year is special for another reason: SUM in Passaic is celebrating 75 years of its history. For three-quarters of a century, generations of Ukrainians have grown up here, with SUM becoming a place of friendship, education, the Ukrainian language, traditions, and that invisible thread which, even across the ocean, continues to keep a person connected to their roots.
The main anniversary celebrations are still ahead. A major festive event marking the 75th anniversary of SUM in Passaic is planned for November.
For now, the new SUM year is only beginning. With dancing. With children’s laughter. With a large cake. And with the story of one SUM member, which on September 11 the next generation heard from someone who still remembers him alive.
Author: Tamara Zayats
