The LOMA Weekly Herald Volume 1 Issue 10

The League of Macedonian-Americans
Volume 1, Issue 10
6/28/2015
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5. In the late 1980s, he came out with the very popular song
IN THIS ISSUE:
called Dojdi Mi Leno Na Perniche Belo. Dragan
Mijalkovski
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
Macedonian Crossword Cities and

Towns
1
2
Recap of the Week
Increased membership and online

presence
Wrote statement and article on MPOUMD connection
Submitted Advertisement for MHR
Review
5
6
7
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
8
9
10
11
12
13
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
Across
2.
4.
6.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Down
1.
2.
3.
5.
7.
8.
9.
11.
Interested in joining LOMA? Do you have ideas to share or a project you want to work on? Or do you want
to contribute an article or section to The Loma Weekly Herald? Contact us at
leagueofmacedonians@yahoo.com and visit our website at www.leagueofmacedonians.com.
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Volume 1, Issue 10
6/28/2015
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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 subbranch 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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Volume 1, Issue 10
6/28/2015
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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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Volume 1, Issue 10
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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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Volume 1, Issue 10
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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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Volume 1, Issue 10
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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 thoughtprovoking 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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Volume 1, Issue 10
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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 whitecapped Albanians, turbaned Turks, hard-featured
Macedonians in embroidered tunics, piratical-looking
Tziganes, fezzed Jews, squat Bulgarians in brown hoespun, 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.
---------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.
---------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
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The League of Macedonian-Americans

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

Macedonian Crossword Cities and

Recap of the Week

Increased membership and online

Next Weeks Goals and Projects

Increase online presence

Test Your Knowledge about

The League of Macedonian-Americans

originally Bulgarians or originally Serbs?

The League of Macedonian-Americans

Bulgarians. Unlike the MPO, they did not

including the Republic of Macedonia, so the

The League of Macedonian-Americans

However, there have been many internal

visible Macedonian organization. But the

The League of Macedonian-Americans

The League of Macedonian-Americans

Narodna Song of the Week

Sure, unlike modern day hospital dramas, not every

The League of Macedonian-Americans

But they did they managed to only have a ten

Youre in the Orient now, Doc. Time doesnt count

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

Only those who have had to content their souls in

Romance is what happened yesterday, what is going to

Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Page 165

My woman has not come, he answered, gloomily.

So there you are! The average Macedonian is neither

The League of Macedonian-Americans

belonged to the Greek Church, and so were classed as

overwhelmed with joy. Heres how he described the

The main street from the station to the bridge was

News from Macedonia

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