William Penn Life, 2016 (51. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2016-10-01 / 10. szám

During WWII, Steven was a soldier in the Hungarian army who was taken captive by the U.S. During his time as a POW, Steven was exposed to the kindness and compassion of the U.S. people. He was given blankets, canned food and cigarettes. He thought this was great; he was very appreciative. America must be a great place!

The Banai family was allowed to go in that second group to America. They came to the U.S. on Christmas Eve on a military transport to Camp Kilmer, which was a closed military base but had been re-opened to accept refugees. From there, many families were sent to sponsoring churches in the Northeast. But it was a Hungarian-Lutheran church in Hazelwood, Pa., that sponsored the Banai family in Pittsburgh.

Emerencia ended up getting a job at the Parkway Center Terrace room in the 60s. She started bussing tables, but the owners recognized her culinary skills. She eventually became the head cook. She took her natural-Hungarian cooking abilities and infused it with all her American recipes and made everything taste better. Cooking was her passion! She took all of her cooking and managerial talents and helped make the company she worked for wellknown for their delicious foods.

When George H. W. Bush came to Pittsburgh during his presidential campaign for a fund-raising $l,000-a-plate dinner, Emerencia's company was hired to cook for the event. She was surrounded by secret service and FBI for two days during preparations but was not intimidated at all. She felt it was an honor and a privilege to prepare food for this historic event. All other employees of the cafeteria were able to go to the function, but because Hungary was still a Communist state, and because Emerencia had often traveled back and forth to Hungary, she was not cleared to

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attend the dinner. She was neither hurt nor offended. She was still celebrating her good life in America.

Steven, Emerencia and Judy Banai returned to Hungary in 1973 after he was eventually granted a visa. Judy Banai was 16 at the time and, until that trip, was very American and clueless to everything her parents had experienced in their lives. This excursion to Hungary opened her eyes to the plights of her parents and other '56ers and helped her appreciate them for who they were, what they gave up by coming to America, what they left behind, and what they had provided — a prosperous and safe life in America for their families.

It was a time of reflection for young Judy. It was the first time she knew what it felt like to be American, the first time she knew what it was like to be Hungarian, the first time it felt like to be free and alive.. .and she was grateful. She vowed to always honor her parents and their Hungarian heritage. That is why Judy and her husband Mike Torma, established Huszar Hungarian Restaurant in the North Side of Pittsburgh. It not only honors her parents and embraces Hungarian culture but also, like many countries in 1956, accepts and welcomes people of all ethnic backgrounds. It is a place that inspires everyone to look, explore their roots and appreciate the sacrifices made by freedom-loving people like Steven and Emerencia Banai and their fellow '56ers.D

WILLIAM PENN LIFE 0 October 2016 0 19