Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1984. július-december (38. évfolyam, 27-48. szám)
1984-08-23 / 31. szám
Thursday, Aug. 23. 1984. 11. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO The Hungarian connection By SRAYA SHAPIRO Jerusalem Post Reporter Some of my best friends are Hungarian Jews. They are energetic, well educated, polite, stubborn. Hailing from a linguistic island in the heart of Europe, they speak Magyar without qualm in several dialects. But when they want to go into hiding, they revert to their native cant which nobody outside their circle would even faintly recognize. The fact is, of course, that Hungarian Jews is a misnomer. He is a Hungarian Jew who speaks Hungarian at home, be it in the lands where the Magyars once ruled or in their far-flung diaspora in Europe, the New World. Australia or Israel. Only in Israel the species is dying out, mainly through "intermarriage." "My children do not speak Hungarian", says, with a note of regret, Moshe Sanbar, honorary president of the World Organization of Hungarian Jews. The organization arranged an international convention which opened last week in Jerusalem. The history of Hungarian Jews in the 19th century is complex. Many fought with the Hungarian patriots against the Austrians; and, indeed, Hungary was the first nation in Central Europe to grant full citizen's rights to its Jewish population. During World War II. the 800.000 Jews of Hungary lived in comparative security until the spring of 1944, when the Germans liquidated Hungarian Jewry within a few weeks. There are now 100.000 Jews in Hungary, according to some sources. It; is in order to recall the Holocaust that the World Organization of Hungarian Jews arranged for the convention: "We are worried that the legacy of a thousand years of Hungarian Jewry should disappear without trace", says Sanbar. Endeavours to record the past have already been made, some in Hungarian, a little in Hebrew. An Institute for the Study of Jewish History in Hungary, sponsored by Yad Vashem, has produced several volumes, including three anthologies of Hebrew verse translated into Hungarian. But the real push is expected after »the Jerusalem convention, which has attracted the leaders of Hungarian Jewish communities from North and South America. Also at the convention is a delegation of Jews from Hungary itself, led by Dr. Imre Heber, president of the Jewish community of Budapest. The leading personalities in Israel who trace their ancestry to Hungary include not only Agnes Keleti and Ralph Klein, but also university professors like Reuven Yaron, the former head of the Broadcasting Authority; Bela Vago, of Haifa; Rabbi Shlomo Lorincz, the outgoing chairman of the Knesset finance committee; and Sanbar himself, who reached one of the highest nonpolitical positions in the country when he headed the Bank of Israel. The Hungarian Jews excel, so it seems, where personal wits and perseverence count most. Perhaps what makes the Hungarian Jews less suited to Israeli political life is their inbred sense of humour. One may not lead people smiling; but in Israel, politics is a dead-serious business. The Hungarians - including Hungarian Jews - are imbued with dry humour. Ephraim Kishon, Karel Gardosh ("Dosh"), Farkas ("Zeev") enliven our lives and put events in proportion. Indeed, the Hungarian humorists have spread abroad in masses - George Mikes in London, for instance; or in Hollywood, where, humorists say, a sign at Los Angeles airport warns: "It is not enough to be Hungarian, one has to work here, too." In the Wake of the Jerusalem convention, and in advance to a forthcoming gathering next year of Hungarians to celebrate the Allied victory in 1945, an exhibition of photographs describing. "The Story of the Jews of Hungary" will open at Beth Hatefutsoth in August. Some of the exhibits have been lent by the Budapest Jewish museum, whose director is expected to attend the convention. Whatever has happened to them, the Hungarian Jew loves his fatherland, and an association has been established here to foster cultural relations betwen Israel and Hungary. Finally there is a story I heard from a colleague: Herzl, Max Nordau and Vambery (a Hungarian Jew who became the Sultan's advisor) met by chance in Neiger's restaurant in Budapest and ordered dinner. When it was over, the three sighed: "And this is the land which we have left..." MORE COULD BE DONE! Dear Brother Deak! As in the past, I must start out by telling you that I always enjoy receiving the Magyar Szó because of the large range of topics generally covered in it. As an example, the article -on the the new book "Hungarian Jewish Foods." Please reserve a copy of it for me, since you say that you will try to obtain some of them for your readers. In your political coverage,, however, I still feel that more could be done. Devoting so much space to the bad political performance of the U.S. could be changed somewhat by giving more coverage to political developments in Hungary, as I have suggested in the past. To overcome the heavy anti-socialist propaganda of most of the U.S. news media, can best be achieved by providing positive information about the political processes going on in Socialist countries. I had planned to visit Hungary this summer, to see for myself about some of the development, since I was last there in 1980, but family problems in Italy will prevent me from doing so. I hope to be able to visit with you this Fall, after my return. With best regards to you and your wonderful staff. Sincerely yours, B. S. FREE: 128 page English language magazine on Hungary. Write to Magyar Szo, 130 E 16 St. N.Y.C. 10003. Az ARTEX Magyar Külkereskedelmi Vállalat a világ összes országába exportálja az Állami Pénzverő kiváló minőségű nemesfém termékeit: EZÜST- ÉS ARANY LÁNCOT, EZÜST- ES ARANYÉKSZERT, EZÜST - ÉS ARANY DÍSZTÁRGYAKAT. KÉSZSÉGGEL ÁLLUNK AZ ÉRDEKLŐDŐ SZAKCÉGEK RENDELKEZÉSÉRE. ARTEX Magyar Külkereskedelmi Vállalat H-1390 Budapest, Postafiók 167 Telefon: 530-222 Telex: 22-4951
