Top AHF National Headlines, May-June 2007 |
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6/14/2007 - Enduring Strains of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe: A distinguished panel of experts convened by Hudson’s Center for European Studies offered their perspectives. Panelists included The Honorable Dr. János Horváth, member of the Hungarian Parliament and Professor of Economics Emeritus at Indiana’s Butler University; Keith Smith, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, consultant on international energy affairs, and former diplomat to Europe for over thirteen years, including a final posting as U.S. ambassador to Lithuania; and Frank Koszorus Jr., former chairman of the private-sector NATO Enlargement Working Group’s steering committee and co-president of the American Hungarian Federation.[read more] 6/14/2007 - "There are no Nationalities in Romania?" The American Hungarian Federation Co-Hosts Lecture by Bishop Arpad Szabo from Kolozsvar... The Federation and the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America (HRFA) sponsored a presentation by Dr. Arpad Szabo entitled "In Europe, but . . ." at the HRFA Kossuth House. Bishop Szabo is the head of the Unitarian Church in Romania and is in the United States to attend the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The Federation’s program was the latest in its Central and Eastern Europe Lecture Series.. [read more] 6/12/2007 - President Bush dedicates the Victims of Communism Memorial on Tuesday, June 12th. Washington's newest memorial honors the 100 million people who have been killed by communist totalitarian regimes worldwide. AHF is proud to have contributed to this great effort. AHF leaders attended the Gala Awards Ceremony that same evening where Bishop Laszlo Tokes delivered a stirring convocation. [read more] 6/4/2007 - "Trianon: Tragedy, Dissolution, and Remedy." Frank Koszorus, Jr. and the AHF International Relations Committee release essay on treaty's 87th anniversary. "...Ostensibly in the name of national self-determination, the Treaty dismembered the thousand-year-old Kingdom of Hungary, a self-contained, geographically and economically coherent and durable formation in the Carpathian Basin and boasting the longest lasting historical borders in Europe. It was imposed on Hungary without any negotiation by vengeful leaders... it also transferred over three million indigenous ethnic Hungarians and over 70% of the country's territory to foreign rule." [read more] 5/27/2007 - AHF lays wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The American Hungarin Federation's 2007 Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery included a wreath laying the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. About 40 members and guests and throngs of tourists witnessed the special ceremony as AHF President Atilla Micheller was escorted by Lt. Col. Steve Vekony (US Army) and the First Califiornia Hussar Regiment. Arlington National is the final resting place for a number of Hungarian American Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. Following the wreath laying, the program included a remembrance and walking tour of Hungarian-American gravesites. [read more] 5/8/2007 - Representatives of the American Hungarian Federation met with the Honorable Janos Horvath on May 2, 2007 in Washington, D.C. at the Kossuth House.... Dr. Horvath generously spent over three hours with representatives of the American Hungarian Federation and gave a detailed presentation of his work and the situation in Hungary, including why Hungary is not living up to its potential. Part of the AHF Central and Eastern Europe Lecture Series. [read more] 5/5/2007 - The Annual Hungarian May Ball - A very special evening benefitting AHF's 100th Anniversary programs and the Hungarian Scouts of Washington! A very special evening that included 4 debutantes from the metropolitan Washington area. This year's proceeds from the black-tie affair were equally shared to help cover the costs of the Hungarian Scouts participation in the 21st World Scout Jamboree in England and the Federation's 2007 100th Anniversary programs. [read more] Ongoing - ACTION ALERT: Help build the Congressional Friends of Hungary (CFH)... On February 12, Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), Chairman of the U.S. Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Congressman Christopher Shays (R-CT) circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter inviting Members of Congress to join the Congressional Friends of Hungary (CFH). The purpose of the caucus, as noted by the co-chairs, is "to recognize the contributions of Hungarian-Americans to the United States and to strengthen the ties between the United States and Hungary." How can you help? 1) Copy the sample letter below, paste it into a document and fill
in the blanks IT IS BEST TO CALL and then FAX the letter. What to Say? "Hello, my name is _____. I am a constituent of Representative
_____ and also a member of the American Hungarian Federation. On
February 12th, Congressmen Tom Lantos and Christopher Shays distributed
a "Dear Colleague Letter" entitled The Letter: The Honorable [name of your Congressman] Dear Congressman ________: I am one of your constituents who lives in ______. I Sincerely yours, [Your name] Continuing News: AHF continues call for support of a 1956 Statue for the Nation's Capital...AHF's 1956 Commemoration Committee is seeking your help to erect a statue in Washington, D.C. devoted to the heroes of the Hungarian Revolution. The AHF plan calls for an actual-size statue to be placed prominently in Washington while we raise funds for its bronze replacement. Seen here with his prototype design is renowned sculptor Gyuri Hollosy, who was responsible for the Boston Liberty Square memorial. At the recent Capitol Reception honoring 1848, Congressman Tom Lantos mentioned his intent to place a 1956 memorial in Washington. We must ensure this remarkable design is selected! Contact bryandawson@americanhungarianfederation.org and join the 1956 Commemoration Committee! 100
Éves a Nemzetközi Cserkészmozgalom! Scouting started in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell, Lieutenant General in the British Army, held the first Scouting encampment at Brownsea Island in England for 20 boys from a wide variety of social backgrounds. Today, Scouting is a million times bigger than when it first started. It involves girls and boys, men and women from every race, religion and culture, and nearly every country in the world. The Magyar Cserkészszövetség, the primary national Scouting organization of Hungary, was founded in 1912. Help AHF help the Washington Scouts cover the costs of their participation in the 21st World Scout Jamboree in England! [read more] Continuing news - A Centennial Celebration! The American Hungarian Federation turned 100 - Join and help us represent the interests of our community! The American Hungarian Federation (AHF), was founded in 1906 in Cleveland, Ohio. Among the oldest ethnic organizations in the US, AHF was established as an association of Hungarian societies, institutions and churches to "defend the interest of Americans of Hungarian origin in the United States." The American Hungarian Federation strives to unite the American Hungarian community through work that supports common goals. AHF is a national, non-partisan, independent umbrella organization representing the interests of the Hungarian American community. [more about us] Buy ALL your books, videos, electronics and other gifts on AHF's Amazon Store. It costs nothing extra to you, but Amazon contributes a small percentage to AHF. The AHF store features books and articles written by AHF members on both our main site and our 1956 Portal for publications devoted to 1956. The latest member books added:
Buy all your products through our Amazon store and help AHF! Strength can only be found in unity! Please join AHF and work together on common ground issues! There are two easy ways to Join and Support us! 1) Online Processing (fastest): Join online! AHF accepts all major credit cards and checks. AHF is a 501c(3) non-profit organization. Your donations may be tax deductible. Your information is secure not shared with anyone. [Join Online Here] 2) The Old-Fashioned Way: If you are uncomfortable or unable to process an Internet transaction, download the AHF Membership Registration Form and mail it in with your check payable to "American Hungarian Federation." NOTE: If you are sending a donation for a specific fund, please be sure to include that on the form. (You do not need to become a member to donate): American Hungarian Federation For technical assistance, contact bryandawson@americanhungarianfederation.org © 2003 - 2007 American Hungarian Federation® All Rights Reserved |
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Zala Springs Resort Featured Member Balazs Szabo, is a world-renowned artist and "1956 refugee #M14543." In the aftermath of the bloody Hungarian Revolution, the Szabo family was under Hungarian AVO house arrest. On November 20, they fled toward the Austrian border. The turmoil of WWII and the Hungarian Revolution and their impacts on him and his family influenced Balazs, the younger son of one of Hungary's most celebrated young classical actors Sandor Szabo, greatly. Balázs and his family fled the country separately during the 1956 Revolution and were reunited in America. He has written a historical memoir about his dramatic escape from Hungary "A Knock In the Night." His father, Sándor Szabó, who learned English within a year, became the best known actor of Hungarian descent on Broadway and went on to a prolific 63-year career as a character actor in film and television. His book "Országom, Visszanyertem eén..." chronicles his escape from Hungary in 1956 and his life in New York and Hollywood. See Sándor's filmography on IMDB Read more about Balázs on In Memoriam AHF mourns the loss of Dr. Paul J. Szilagyi, Father, Professor, Nagypapa, AHF Leader, and Hungarian Freedom Fighter... “Apuka,” “Pali,” Dr. Paul Szilagyi, passed away suddenly, June 9th, of a heart attack at the age of 71. We will miss his unique humor, wisdom, and precious, colorful life. His extreme humility left much of his past hidden, even from me. I do know Paul was a "Pesti Srac" (Kid from Pest), young Freedom Fighters during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.... [he] would become the only Hungarian American to complete his Ph.D. under the tutelage of Dr. George Olah, Nobel Prize Winner and fellow Hungarian with whom he would go on to publish a number of scientific papers. "Dr. Szilagyi" would become an expert in organic chemistry, but few know that he also has numerous patents for his biomedical inventions.[read more] Memorial Services There will also be an English mass on Saturday, September 1 at 4:30
pm.in New Brunswick, NJ at the St. Stephen's R.C. Magyar Church: June 16, 2007 Cleveland Hungarians dedicated a statue commemorating the Freedom Fighter of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution at Cardinal Mindszenty Plaza (11th and Lakeside). The bronze statue was commissioned by the 50th Anniversary Committee of the Hungarian Revolution. The young freedom fighter in the statue is holding a Hungarian Flag with the symbol of the Soviet Union cut out - symbolizing the anti-Communist revolution. Its sister statue was unveiled in Collier Country, Florida, at "Freedom Memorial Park" on December 3, 2006. The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America (HRFA) hosted a performance of the Üsztürü Folk Ensemble from Marosvásárhely, Transylvania, at the Anderson House in the most elegant surroundings in Washington DC. A Táncház followed at the HRFA Kossuth House. Funding was provided by AHF Co-President (and HRFA President) Gyula Balogh, AHF Controller (and HRFA Treasurer), Les Megyeri and other HRFA members. The Üsztürü Ensemble was founded by young Hungarian
musicians in 1992. They were born in Transylvania and had close connections
to the communities where The members of the Üsztürü were fortunate to learn and
play with the greatest masters of Transylvanian music Az ÜSZTÜRÜ zenekar 1992 májusában alakult
Kolozsváron. Alapitói a kolozsvári Major Levente
prímás (1973) és Könczei Késobb csatlakozott hozzájuk a marosvásárhelyi
Moldován Horváth István prímás (1962)
valamint a székelykeresztúri Demeter Erika énekes-táncos
(1971). Az ÜSZTÜRÜ rendszeresen muzsikál táncházakban,
néptánctáborokban és különbözo
rendezvényeken. Felléptek és fellépnek Európa
számos országában. A zenekar kiemelten foglalkozik
Erdély és elsosorban Közép-Erdély vonós
hangszeres zenéjével: Szék, Kalotaszeg, Mezoség,
Küküllömente és Székelyföld. The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America is a Non-profit Fraternal
Society HRFA / Bethlen Home Golf Tournament On Saturday, July 28, 2007, Champions Lake, Ligonier, PA. The deadline to sign up is July 12. The Golf Tournament is July 28. Picnic is July 29. * Proceeds go to HRFA Student Aid Fund and the Bethlen Communities (50-50%). For more details, go to www.hrfa.org ---The Darr Mine Disaster is known as one of the worst in US history. On December 19, 1907 a gas and dust explosion killed 239 coal miners in the dark tunnels of the Darr Mine. The majority of the dead were Hungarian-American. The American Hungarian Federation (then known as the Hungarian American Federation) placed the memorial seen here in 1909. An inquiry into the disaster afterwards concluded, as was usually the case in that period of Pennsylvania coal mining, that the Pittsburgh Coal Company was not at fault. But within six months the US Geological Survey created the Mine Accidents Division and on July 1, 1910 an Act of Congress established the US Bureau of Mines. AHF is still in planning stages. Please contact Rev. Imre Bertalan, Jr. of the Bethlen Home and get involved! [revimre@bethlen.com] or (724) 238-2235 For more about the disaster, see the US Mine Rescue Association and on Rootsweb with photos and some names of those who died. The Hungary Page's "Nobel Prize Winners and Famous Hungarians" at www.thehungarypage.com PRIVACY NOTICE: AHF will not share its mailing list with anyone...Period. AHF also uses this list SPARINGLY. DISCLAIMER: The American Hungarian Federation does not necessarily endorse the content or opinions found in the external sites found this eNewsletter or those expressed by its individual members and member organizations... © 2007 American Hungarian Federation, All Rights Reserved |