Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2007 (19. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)
2007-01-19 / 4. szám
'56 Stories: Personal Recollections of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution- A Hungarian American Perspective Book Review By GRAHAM S. FREAR, Professor Emeritus, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn. In 1956, I was in my ninth year of teaching high school English and still learning my craft when the Hungarian Revolution broke out. I had developed a six week unit of study based on the literature of war, and used novels such as All Quiet on the Western Front, and Bridge on the River Kwai, in addition to plays like “Journey’s End” and “The Eve of St. Mark.” I also introduced a large number of poems by British and American poets and films like “Paths of Glory” and “The Occurrence at Owl’s Creek Bridge.” In the midst of the unit, the Hungarian Revolution broke out, a heroic struggle against the overwhelming military strength of the Russian Communists. My classes followed the uprising closely, learning about Imre Nagy and following the fate of Cardinal Mindszenty as he sought sanctuary at the American Embassy. I filled my bulletin boards with current photos and articles on the uprising. We sympathized with the Hungarian resistance and followed closely the cruel attack by the Soviet Union. Daily we discussed the event in class, and I posted the valuable photo coverage of the rebellion in a special booklet issued by Life magazine on the wall of my classroom. Soon, some students enrolling in my classes were displaced refugees who had been relocated to Northfield, MN sponsored by the churches. My Hungarian students spoke of confronting oppression, and other children of displaced persons from the Baltic countries and eastern Europe who had had first-hand contact with survivors of a similar oppression added their testimonies. In no other year was my teaching unit on the literature of war made so poignant and relevant. Now, a striking anthology, a book of reminiscences by survivors and participants in the ‘56 Hungarian uprising, has been published. Fifty-six survivors recount the fearsome events to remind us of the high price of liberty. As Americans, we can empathize for we are citizens of a country that fought for its own independence from a foreign power. We’ve even tested ourselves in Korea, Vietnam, and now in Iraq at a very high price. This book brings back many of the impressions I formed about personal freedoms and the high, harsh price a country must pay for its freedom. The volume offers vivid and detailed accounts of resistance, heroism and survival. I personally value this book because a former college student of mine wrote about marrying a survivor of the Revolution and her husband, a participant and survivor, writes of his experience as well. So here, full circle, is the record of 56 survivors among us today who recall the impact of that historical event on their lives. I have friends who survived concentration camps and POW camps in Germany, Denmark, and Norway. Other friends gave their lives in Europe and the Pacific fighting totalitarian oppression. Each succeeding generation needs to hear the stories of those who fought for their freedom and allow them to find their own destiny. The struggle still goes on; death is still commonplace; and unfortunately, terror and suppression of individual freedom continues. Here, in ‘56 Stories, we have a fresh and immediate insight into the cost of that freedom. Edith K. Lauer and her daughter Andrea gave birth to this project over a year ago. Edith, founder and Chair Emerita of the Hungarian American Coalition, founded in 1991, led the Coalition’s efforts to promote NATO expansion. She is a strong advocate for maintaining Hungarian education and culture as well as fighting for the human rights of Hungarians throughout the world. In 1956, she, along with her family, escaped to Austria from Hungary and in 1957settled in the U.S. Now residing in Cleveland, Ohio, Edith and her husband, John N. Lauer, provide funding for many education and cultural programs^ Their daughter, Andrea Lauer Rice, is the founder and CEO of Lauer Learning, a multimedia educational company that creatively teaches children about foreign languages, historic events and culture. Together, Edith and Andrea collected these inspiring memoirs from the participants through the FreedomFighter56.com oral history website. In addition to the 56 recollections contained in the book, nine additional stories written by family members and friends of those 56 participants have been included to tell of the effect of that event on their lives as well. Now, additional stories are being posted on the website daily as more participants want their stories included. Thus, each story attests to the significance that the ‘56 Hungarian Revolution had on so many lives. The response to ‘56 Stories has been so amazing that Andrea has also developed a historically correct computer game for teen-agers to complement the book. What is most remarkable about their efforts is that ‘56 Stories is printed in both English and in Hungarian after both women spent over a year gathering material from over 65 sources. The archival photographs and illustrations add immediacy and power to the volume. The Hungarian National Museum allowed them access, and the Hungarian Ministry of Education helped fund copies that will be placed in Hungarian schools. Now, the anthologies are being sent to Hungarian American communities throughout the U.S. The book’s frontispiece claims that “the eyewitness accounts of this amazing modern-day David vs. Goliath struggle provide a special Hungarian-American perspective and pass on the very spirit of the Revolution of 1956 to future generations.” That’s exactly what it does. The book's back cover endorsements by First Lady Laura Bush, former Ambassador of the U.S. to Hungary, George Herbert Walker III, U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA) , and author and human rights activist Kati Marton also attest to the book’s historical importance. My teaching career is over, and the students in my 1956 classes now confront another difficult world but they still attempt to pass on to their children« heritage of freedom. We join the Hungarians and many others in the struggle to confront the powers of darkness that still threaten millions around the world. These accounts of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution can reinforce our determination to remain free. To order, call (678) 461-0109 or visit www.FreedomFighter56.com to order. Price: $49.95 plus shipping, for bulk orders of 5 or more, $40 each plus shipping. The English Page of the Hirlap can serve as a bridge between the non-Hungarian-speaking members of the family and the community. [Use it to bring people together! Subscribe to the Hirlap! Advertise your business in the Hirlap! Ilf you have any questions or suggestions, please call (323) 463-6376 In the Forefront: HEALTHCARE REFORM SACRAMENTO — Calling for massive changes throughout a healthcare system he called “broken,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday proposed a $12-billion plan that would require all Californians to obtain medical insurance while helping the poorest to afford it. The plan, which both critics and supporters called the most audacious in the country, would dramatically reshuffle the finances of an already fragile industry. The governor said his plan would control spiraling health costs while ensuring coverage for the quarter of a million children and 5.6 million adults who lack insurance. “Everyone in California must have health insurance,” Schwarzenegger said via teleconference from Los Angeles, where he is recuperating from a broken leg. “If you can’t afford it, the state will help you buy it, but you must be insured.” Only Massachusetts has required all residents to carry insurance, but California’s larger population of uninsured and poor makes the Governor’s goals much more challenging. To pay for the plan, Schwarzenegger proposed placing new fees and obligations on doctors, hospitals, employers and insurers — all powerful lobbies in Sacramento. The guiding philosophy of Schwarzenegger’s plan was that fixing California’s healthcare system was a responsibility to be shared, and the complex plan gave each sector some benefits that are offset by new burdens. He proposed a $4-billion annual increase in Medi-Cal reimbursements, which are among the lowest in the nation. That would help hospitals and doctors who treat many poor people, and encourage more providers to participate in the program. But doctors also would have to pay 2% of their gross earnings back to the state to help expand coverage. The physicians’ lobby said many doctors would simply pass that cost on to patients and insurers through higher bills Republicans oppose the plan because “If we put any form of mandate on a business, we are seeing a jobs tax,” said Ass. Republican leader Michael Villines of Clovis, echoing the argument that Schwarzenegger himself made in 2004 when he successfully campaigned against Proposition 72. That Democratic plan would have required employers to provide health insurance or pay into a state fund. The administration insisted that its plan did not include taxes, instead labeling the levies “coverage dividends.” The debate is more than semantic: A measure with taxes needs two-thirds support in the Legislature, giving the GOP veto power. Otherwise, it needs only a simple majority that could be obtained solely with Democratic votes. Another part of the plan provoking Republican resistance would provide healthcare for impoverished children who are in the United States illegally. Healthcare premiums have been rising at the rate of 8.2% annually, nearly twice the rate of wage growth. Yet employers would pay only 4% of their payroll amounts, something that disturbs both labor and business leaders. How will the inevitable shortfall in funding be addressed? All of the plan’s details can be altered and its questions can be resolved in negotiations with lawmakers, and Schwarzenegger said he looked forward to forging a bipartisan agreement as he had last year with a massive public works building project. But because so many parts of Schwarzenegger’s plan hinge on one another, deleting the areas of greatest disagreement could unravel the entire plan. At issue is individual insurance, the type of coverage purchased by people who do not have job-based group health benefits. Unlike group coverage, it is granted case by case, meaning in effect that health plans are free to choose whom to cover and what to charge them. The broker guidelines shed new light on the array of considerations that go into those decisions. It had not been widely known outside the industry that occupation and a list of prescription drugs were key determinants in who gets health insurance and who does not — regardless of an applicant’s willingness to pay. Most plans look at prescription drug use to decide to whom they will sell individual policies. Widely prescribed medications — including Allegra, Celebrex and Prevacid — may lead to rejection, according to the underwriting guidelines that the health plans provide to insurance brokers but not to the public. In an article entitled “Health insurance is enough to make you sick”, columnist Patt Morrison confronts an agent with an example: “Let’s say a 59-year-old man wants to get into private business, and comes to you for insurance. He is married, with four children, he smokes cigars, and had heart-valve surgery almost 10 years ago.” “The man would never get coverage”- says the agent before she even gets to tell him about the risk factors of riding motorcycles and skiing. “The man” in this instance is our governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Were he a simple Joe, he would not get insurance in this state. (Source: L.A. Times) AMERICAN Hungarian Journal DUNA Travel 8530 Holloway Dr. #102 W. 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