Itt-Ott, 1996 (29. évfolyam, 1/126-2/127. szám)

1996 / 1. (126.) szám

has provided since my childhood and continues to provide an atmosphere of genuinely warm and constructive friendship is a fact not to be discounted. It is this very open nature which has permitted me, a young person, born here, with limited knowledge of Hungarian, to join the ranks of the MBK tanács, and consider myself a vital part of the organization. I do not downplay this privilege and the planning of this ball has emphasized just how special and rare it is.

My travels during this ball have led me to meet many types of Hungarian-Americans. The most interesting discoveries I have made have been with other young members of our community. Firstly, I realized that my magyarság has been experienced in a somewhat isolated way. My family is my greatest and primary attachment. I was never a cserkész or belonged to a school or other organized activity for young Hungarians. I also grew up in an area which is not imbued with Hungarian culture. The activities I participated in were special occasions, like ITT-OTT, and most of what I expected from being Hungarian was filtered through my parents’ experiences. Perhaps this has led me to cast a naive and rosy glass onto those experiences. Being Hungarian was only ever a positive thing for me. I never felt the anxiety or pessimism which seems to be experienced by many of my young Hungarian peers. I am fascinated that I hear young friends claim that although they prize their Hungarianism and try to be active, they feel their efforts are not appreciated or that they are persecuted for not being perfect. I assume we all realize that children born in the West with more than one nationality have the option to dispose of one if they have no need for it. This is the danger every Hungarian parent deals with. In the struggle to maintain and foster this culture, how can anyone be stringent or condemning, especially in the case of a young and impressionable psyche? Is it not a dream for every immigrant to have grandchildren who can converse with them in their native tongue? MBK has proven itself to be a champion of its young people. It has come to realize and appreciate the very real need to support and minister to the younger generation in order to preserve its work.

From my own perspective, the Reménység Bál was organized as personal tribute to MBK. The banner of positivism, cooperation and caring is what MBK bears, and this ball was organized with this in mind. In deciding whom to honor at

this ball, we considered the questions of cooperation and therefore selected two of New Jersey’s finest community leaders, Bodnár Gábor and Professor Molnár Ágoston. By honoring these men

and the tremendous work they do, we also honor the organizations they represent, the Magyar Cserkész Szövetség and the American Hungarian Foundation, respectively. Working together with other organizations and supporting their work is vital to the survival of the Hungarian American community as a whole, as well as MBK’s survival. We hope that our ball has been received in the spirit in which we intended it, but judging from the very warm and generous reaction of the evening’s honorees and their attendand guests, it has been.

The crowd attending the ball was generationally mixed. There was a noticeable youthful presence, not damaging in the least to the elegance of the evening. The band playing was the newly formed Continental Dance Orchestra, under the talented leadership of ifj. Magyar Kálmán (known commonly as Öcsi), and also featuring ITT-OTT alumnus Bodnár Árpád on the keyboards and vocals. We had a very stately and elegant presentation of eleven pairs of debutantes. Many of these young ladies and men were ITT-OTT children and traveled many miles to be at this ball. The re-40 ITT-OTT 29. évf. (1996), 1. (126.) szám