Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1989. július-december (43. évfolyam, 27-48. szám)
1989-11-09 / 42. szám
11. Thursday, Nov. 9. 1989. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ A 1,000-YearOld Town ZOLTÁN OEM’S 85th BIRTHDAY Dr. Antal Borbely's address at the October 15th banquet My first impression upon getting to know Zoltán was that I was faced with a man full of curiosity. He wanted to know all about a field, in my case psychoanalysis, about which he knew little and which he knew was even viewed with suspicion in certain progressive circles as being too bourgeois. This fazed him little. Closely connected with this curiosity is another trait. As one feels grateful for having been given the opportunity to expand on one's pet subject and while one is grateful and at times flattered by his interest one encounters Zoltán as an armtwister for a good cause. He immediately wants an article for his newspaper. No matter what the protestations are (no writing ability, a writing block or unpaid bills), he insists on what he considers his due. It was and still is hard to resist Zoltán when he is after a contribution for the newspaper and he does not hesitate to use all your guilt about letting such a nice, fatherly man down, to his journalistic advantage. To stay with a task for so many years is a sign of utmost dedication. But I think that this can be understood as something deeper than the dedication to a newspaper: it was the dedication to the revolutionary cause which was expressed through the activities around the newspaper. Most of us have seen Zoltán as a speaker concerned about the dangers our civilisation faces with the possibility of a nuclear holocaust. In those speeches we could feel a concern for our future expressed with such seriousness and moral appeal that all complacency became momentarily impossible. One would really want to join the cause he so eloquently put forth with his whole personality. One would want to work with him on helping to defend it and promote it. I am coming now to the main point of my remarks: I must admit that there was a time when I interpreted his views about the 1956 events in Hungary as a sign of an occasional lack of steadfastness due to strong emotions of a subjectivist nature. At that time he disagreed with many of his friends about the interpretation of those events as being solely counterrevolutionary He saw at the time also elements of revolutionary aspirations expressed. Of course we still do not have sufficient information about those events to fully analyze and assess them. But independently of our more final assessment, what I earlier saw as vacillation, I today view differently: he simply was ahead of his time. He already then took seriously what we all should always take seriously: our own feelings and insights, even in the face of some kind of majority of the moment disagreeing with us. With this, of course, I am not pleading for a historically ineffective individualism but for an attitude which takes the individual seriously, oneself and others. Too often, in the past, a premature consensus within advanced progressive organisations has lead to stagnation and even tragedies. There were others who disagreed but they too frequently withdrew No matter from what direction or how - by boat, railway or car - the visitor arrives, the Basilica on top of the Castle Hill immediately catches the eye. Hungarians first appeared in this region at the end of the 9th century following the Celts, Romans, Huns, Germans and Avars. Similarly to their predecessors, their fate would have been annihilation or assimilation had not the ruler of the time, Géza, recognized the only road leading to survival. The price of life was to adopt Christianity and come to peace with the German Emperor. Géza established his headquarters here, along the most important waterway that ensured connection to the West, in 972. Geza's son, István was born in the Castle of Esztergom and was crowned the first King of Hungary on January 1, 1001 in the church that stood on the site of today's Basilica. This is how Esztergom became the first capital of Hungary. It is still the centre of the Hungarian Catholic Church, the seat of the Archbishop-Primate. The town's golden age lasted until the 1500s. The first mint was set up here and it preserved its exclusive right of issuing money until 1323. Its cultural prestige increased. At the time when János Vitéz was Archbishop, it became one of the centres of Hungarian Renaissance art and the library rivalled that of King Matthias. Esztergom became an almost constant battlefield in the 16-17th centuries. The military route leading along the Danube was favourable both for the Austrian Emperor and the Turks, and Esztergom was considered as one of the most important forts.. After a siege of some 200 years, a century of peace came to the town. Agriculture, mainly viticulture began to develop, the from political life, retired from the cause. Zoltán's attitude is exemplary in that he was able to combine remaining true to his own assessments with a continued dedication to the common cause which included effectively working with others. It is this attitude of Zoltán which makes him a role model for all who fight for social causes in an organized and historically enlightened way. I conclude "my remarks by wishing Zoltán continued good health and for all of us many more years of his continued leadership, his independent judgement and his great personal warmth. fairs brought trade to the town, postal services began, and the trading and craft guilds were set up. Construction of the Cathedral began in 1822. The most monumental church building in Hungary was inaugurated in 1856 with Ferenc Liszt personally conducting his Esztergom Mass. Roads were paved and street lighting installed following the turn of the century, the small town atmosphere created by the mainly single-story, attractive houses did not change. Esztergom is one of the most attractive Hungarian cities, indication of which is that about one million people visit it each year. Its historical past is the main source of its attraction, and the relics of the past are magnificently displayed. The Royal Palace and the Castle dating from the Middle Ages is now emerging in its entirety as a result of archeological excavations and the local history exhibition of the Castle Museum gives a good picture of the still unexplored parts. But those who believe Esztergom can be proud only of its past are wrong. There is a very lively musical life in the city. The 3 choirs, consisting mostly of young people have won numerous international festival prizes.' Visitors can see six museums : the Christian Museum, works by contemporary painters, sculptors, graphic artists and photographers are on show in at least 50 exhibitions each year. Citizens of the 1000 year-old city do not only look back to the past as the source of livelihood, but carefully shape the picture of tomorrow's Esztergom. Ruman an Chief Says Change Will Never Come to His Lanti VIENNA. The Rumanian leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, has made his first direct attack on the changes in Poland and Hungary, saying Rumanians " do not want to become slaves again" under similar reforms, the Rumanian press agency reported. Ceausescu said Rumanians would never adopt market-oriented changes. "I would like to give an answer to some gentlemen who ask, don't Rumanians, too, contemplate taking some measures like those in Hungary and Poland? " "We do not think of such things" - he said. " We do not want to become slaves of the capitalists and imperialists."
