The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1984 (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1984-04-01 / 4. szám
THE EIGHTH HUNGARIAN TRIBE (ISSN 0272-1341) (USPS 046-310) • Copyright Bethlen Press, Inc. 1984 Editor ................... Sándor E. Chomos Managing Editors: New Jersey Section .... Paul Pulitzer P.O. Box 2203 Union, New Jersey 07083 Tel.: 201/964-8464 Western Pennsylvania Tri-State Area.............................. Dr. Bela Biro 5600 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Tel: 412/421-8384 California Section ... Joseph Szurcsik P.O. Box 2425 Menlo Park, CA 94025 Tel.: Transylvanian Quarterly: Albert Wass Associate Editor ... István Zolcsak Columnists: Andrew Haraszti: Cultur-historical Essays László Könnyű: Review Victor Molnár: Hungarian Varieties Paul Pulitzer: Hungarian-Americans Ferenc F. Sajgó: Hungarian Life-Line Assistant Editors: Editorial: Nancy J. Chomos Boeche, Raymond W. Boeche Features: Sándor Emery Chomos, Rhonda Ahl Chomos, Bob Chomos Art .............................. Elias C. Chomos Published monthly by the Bethlen Press, Inc. — P.O. Box 637, Ligonier, PA 15658, U-S.A. Editor’s Home Phone: 412/834-0169 Second Class Postage paid at Ligonier, PA 15658, U.S.A. Printed by Bethlen Printing Yearly Subscription: U.S. & Canada $15.00 Other Foreign Countries $20.00 Foreign Air Mail $30.00 Opinions expressed in any signed column appearing in this publication, including those of staff members, reflect the view of the writer only. They may or may not be in agreement with the editorial policy of this magazine. — Editor HUNGARIAN COOK BOOK in English-Attractive Covers $3.50 - including Postage Bethlen Press. Inc. P.O. Box 637. Ligonier. PA 15658 April. I>)84 THE EDITORS CORNER:— “Time will come when the future of the Hungarian Nation will rest upon the shoulders of the Eighth Hungarian Tribe — the Hungarians in America.” So phrased Dr. Dezső Balthazar, Bishop of Debrecen, on his visit to the United States half a century ago. The time had come before anyone expected, and caught the Hungarian Community unprepared for this responsibility. What happened to the Kingdom of Hungary was not decided on the battle fields in either of the First or Second World Wars. In 1918, it was a political decision made in the smoke-filled rooms in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, and New York by ambitious politicians, who didn’t care what would happen to the people as long as they grabbed the power for themselves. There was not one person in 1918 in the United States’ Hungarian community who could, or cared to enlighten President Wilson and his Cabinet concerning the consequences of their action, which would affect people who constituted a united country for 1,000 years. The same happened in 1945. At the end of the Second World War, this editor served in the United States Third Army, which entered into Czehoslovakis and stopped just before Pozsony (now Bratislava), for not far away was the Russian Army. General Patton, Commander of the Third Army, wanted to lead his men to the Russian border, liberating all of eastern Europe. But backroom politics prevailed again. Otherwise the political conditions in Europe, and probably in the whole world, would be different at present. This magazine, with Dr. Albert Wass, brought you the Transylvanian Quarterly for the last three years or so. Trying to bring the plight of three million Hungarians in Rumania to the attention of those who might be able to do something about the situation, The Quarterly reached not only our readers, but also members of the United States Congress, governmental offices from the President down, and members of the U.N. and other international organizations. We achieved some, but not enough, for we could not show a united front before the Congress to take us seriously. Why? Because we have so many persons or societies claiming to represent the Hungarian Americans. In some cities we cannot agree even among ourselves on how to observe March 15th, Hungarian Independence Day. The partitioning of the Hungarian Kingdom placed many persons living in the United States and Canada in a very unique situation, for many Hungarian-Slovak- German-Serbian-Ruthenian Americans have relatives in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Ruthenia (now incorporated into Russia) and Rumania. Many of these families claim different nationalities, even within individual families, because during the 1,000 years the families became interrelated through marriages. One reader wrote that he is one of three brothers: one claims to be Slovak, the other one German, and he is Hungarian. It is very hard to explain this situation to an American politician, the tragedy that was created by the ‘back-door’ politics of the twentieth century. The first thing we, Hungarian Americans, have to cope with is: to a united Hungarian-American community; secondly: how to build a bridge between ourselves, whose parents, grandparents lived in the Hungarian Kingdom. And we had better start NOW! A NOTE TO OUR READERS! Plan to attend the Heritage Conference! Ask your Church Council;Officers of your Society to send their representatives to the Conference! p*s* i !
