William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2011-08-01 / 8. szám

In Brief Pp] Magyar Matters__________________ Official events in Budapest honor legacies of Reagan and Lantos from the Hungarian American Coalition BUDAPEST - A delegation of U.S. dignitaries headed by U.S. Secre­tary of State Hillary Clinton was in Budapest June 28 to 30, for a series of events signaling the strength of Hungarian-American relations. On June 29, to commemorate the centennial of the birth of Ronald Reagan, a statue of the former Presi­dent was unveiled in front of the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. The following day, Secretary Clinton inaugurated the Budapest-based Tom Lantos Insti­tute in the Hungarian Parliament. Joining Secretary Clinton in Hungary were a U.S. Congressional delegation, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, friends of Ronald Reagan and the extended family of Congressman Tom Lantos. The series of events began June 28 with the inaugural Conference on De­mocracy and Human Rights co-host­ed by the Tom Lantos Institute, the International Centre for Democratic Transition (ICDT) and the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The same day the Common Sense Society organized a discussion with President Reagan's special advisor and Attorney General Ed Meese and moderated by the president's speech writer, Peggy Noonan. The Common Sense Society is a Budapest-based discussion group of young Hungar­ians active in public life. Later, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, the Ronald Reagan Centen­nial Commission of Hungary and The Ronald Reagan Foundation co-hosted a conference at the Hungarian Parlia­ment to commemorate President Reagan's legacy. A gala dinner followed in Parlia­ment's Hunter's Hall. During the eve­ning's keynote address, Mr. Meese recalled the profound impact of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 on President Reagan, who called on the public to "honor the memory of the brave Hungarian men and women who fought courageously to achieve the realization of their aspirations in the face of overwhelming military force." The next day, the statue of the 40th President (pictured) was unveiled in Sz­abadság Square, site of the U.S. Embassy. The seven-foot bronze statue was sculpted by István Máté, a Hungarian artist who has more than 140 pieces on display throughout Hungary. The statue portrays Reagan in mid-stride with his hands open as if he were taking a walk in the square, representing the ease with which he was able to con­nect with people. The unveiling was one of several events that took place throughout Europe that week in commemoration of the Reagan Centennial. That evening the Hungarian government hosted more than 300 people at the "Freedom Dinner" in the Museum of Fine Arts. The event paid tribute to the values represented by President Reagan and Rep. Lantos, and underscored Hungary's commit­ment to freedom and liberty. On June 30, dignitaries and guests gathered in the Upper House of Par­liament to inaugurate the Tom Lantos Institute. Secretary Clinton recalled Rep. Lantos' work on behalf of liberty and human rights. "Those of us who knew, loved, and admired Tom saw in him the physical moral embodi­ment of the values that we share, and the commitment to freedom that means so much to the American and Hungarian people," she said. "This was a truly a 'golden week' for Hungarian-American relations," said Max Teleki, president of the Hungarian American Coalition. "Tom Lantos and Ronald Reagan were divided by political party but completely united in their outspoken words and actions in favor of liberty during a key historical era—to Hunga­ry's eternal benefit. Hungarian-Amer­icans can be very proud of the legacy of these two outstanding American leaders." □ □ The Annual Birmingham Ethnic Festival, a celebration of the community’s ethnic heritage, will be held Saturday and Sun­day, Aug. 20 and 21, from noon to 10:00 p.m. on Consaul Street in East Toledo’s Birmingham neighborhood. This fam­ily event features Hungarian and ethnic foods, arts and crafts exhibits, cultural displays and a wide variety of music, dance and continuous entertainment. Among the offerings: St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, the Hungarian Club of Toledo and Calvin United Church of Christ will feature their famous chicken paprikás and kolbász dinners, as well as Hungarian pastries, paprikás noodles and gravy, kolbász sandwiches, stuffed cabbages and szalonna sütés. The Marine Corps League will feature Mexican foods, along with hot dogs, sausage sandwiches and corn-on-the-cob. VFW Post 4906 is serving Shishkabob, pigs-in-a-blanket, sausage dogs and szalonna sütés. For more information, call Betsy Ujvagi at 419-205-1448. □ A court in Budapest July 18 acquitted former police captain Sándor Kepiro of ordering the round-up and mass execu­tion of Jews and Serbs after a raid on the Serbian city of Novi Sad during World War II. Kepiro had earlier admitted his involvement in detaining the Jews and Serbs during the 1942 raid, insisting that he was unaware of his superiors’ plans to execute them. He denied any wrong­doing, stressing that he had not killed anyone during the raid. Prosecutors had pleaded for a prison sentence for the 97-year-old suspect, arguing that Kepiro was directly responsible for the deaths of 36 Jews and Serbs during the Novi Sad raid. They said the victims included 30 people who were loaded on to a lorry on his orders and executed at a different location. However, the court rejected the prosecution arguments for want of evidence to prove Kepiro’s involvement in the killings. Moreover, there were no living witnesses to give evidence against the defendant. William Pfenn Life 0 August 2011 " 5

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