Magyar News, 2004. szeptember-2005. augusztus (15. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-12-01 / 4. szám
Krisztina Rivel, the MC of the event ed and lesser educated rose up with one accord against the foreign occupiers and their henchmen. The nation was unified as never before in their thousand year history. It must also be said that it was an ethical revolution. There was no stealing or looting or wanton destruction. Only the recalcitrant torturers were eliminated. The aim of the revolution, was not directed against the Soviet Union, and it had no desire to conduct an anti-Soviet political activity. What they wanted was merely independence and a democratic government for their country as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United Nations. They appealed to the conscience of the Western powers to do justice to Hungary. The Revolution electrified the entire world. The heroism of the people of Hungary, the bravery of the children, the early successes filled the hearts with hope and the eyes with tears. Suddenly everyone was hoping in miracles that the Revolution would be victorious. There was hope against hope that the entire world would come to the defense of the Hungarian cause. President Eisenhower, the most important authority in this whole affair, remained cautious. He was no longer thinking about "rolling back the Iron Curtain," but rather rolling the little white ball on the green. He would not commit himself or the diplomatic apparatus of the State Department to interfere on behalf of the revolution. His main concern was still the election and the proper non-belligerent relationship with the Kremlin. Added to this, Anthony Eden, the prime minister of Great Britain used the cover of the Hungarian Revolution to attack, along with Israel, President Nasser's Egypt. Eisenhower was so disturbed by this stealthy action that he lost all interest in the Hungarian happenings and turned all his anger against Eden. Since the United States would not give even diplomatic support to the brave freedom-fighters in Hungary, Russia felt free to squash the Uprising on November 4th. Even though we had anticipated this outcome, most of our fellow Hungarians did not. It took great effort to calm down our communities, wipe away the tears of frustration and anger, and to prepare for the reception of the refugees. "In the world you face anxiety. " It became etched into our hearts and minds permanently. Even more so, because all revolutions in our history ended with tragic defeats. The peasant rebellion of 1514. Rákóczi insurrection 1705-1711. 1848 that we celebrate every March 15th. Yet the disaster of 1956 was too fresh and too painful. There were 454 freedomfighters executed, 20,000 (twenty thousand) sent to jail or the Russian gulag, 240,000 students and well-educated craftsmen and engineers fled the country who were later followed by half a million relatives and friends. Such a bloodletting for a country of 10 million people was simply devastating, not speaking about the retributions that took place during the successive months and years. "But take heart." says the Scripture. As we look up to Christ and look forward to our people, whether we like or dislike them, not a mass of miscellaneous people, but a nation loved by our Lord who is the Savior of us all, blessed things begin to happen. He is proclaiming to us: "I have conquered the world. "Not you wicked men, not you good men either, not you foolish nor you clever men, not you believers nor you unbelievers. Not the brave freedomfighters, inspite of their heroism and selfsacrifice, not our enemies with their tanks, and guns, and atomic bombs, no science and no technology. "I have done it" says the Lord. The mighty Soviet leaders were not the roaring lions about whom the letter of the Apostle Peter is writing. They proved to be not the unbelieving and strong men they pretended to be. They were just posing as the strong men they would have liked to be. We Hungarians have to learn to trust more deeply in the Lord, to wait more patiently before jumping into battle, and starting an other Revolution. We must learn the Lord conquered our enemies. Our Lord is based on justice and right. He will indicate these principles and restore them he will vindicate and restore us and our nation as we leam to trust in his grace. The greatest lesson of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution for us is that in international relations the only thing that counts is interest. We cannot rely on the promises of others. The revolution was praised and admired by the whole world. Poets described it in beautiful poems, philosophers wrote great essays, politicians made emotional speeches about its attributes, and the Hungarians gained 33 more years of oppression and slavery. We have to leam that in our relationship with other nations and countries sympathy or empathy or praise are of little worth. The only thing that must be kept in mind is our own interest. In the international community only those nations are respected who stand up for their own interests and demand what is rightfully theirs. The rights must be clearly defined and forcefully defended. After the demands are clearly defined, we can negotiate, but not in advance. Our task is simple: we must support as a unified nation what is in our own interest, and we must withdraw our support from everything that is against our own benefit. And last but not least, we have to leam to trust more deeply in the Lord. We must leam that the the Lord conquered our enemies. Our world is based on justice and right. He will vindicate these principles and restore them and he will vindicate and restore us and our nation as we leam to trust in his grace.” As always, it was a pleasure to see many devoted American Hungarians participate in the commemorating event. Béla Lipták who took part as a student at the Technological University, and who wrote about the Uprising. Then there was Erika Papp Faber, whom our readers know by her articles, and the many help she gives the Hungarian community. At least these Hungarians remember 1956. It is a shame that the Hungarian Government wasn’t able to erect a decent monument for 1956. Page 2 First Selectman Flato of Fairfield Top: Rev. Béla Poznáné below Gábor Dömötör
