Magyar News, 2003. szeptember-2004. augusztus (14. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2003-12-01 / 4. szám

At the Pearl of Budapest, from left, Anikó Sárközy, Csilla Somogyi, Péter Sárközy, Dr. Balázs Somogyi, Zsuzsa Lengyel, Joan Farcus

and Robert Keeley, - both attending the Hungarian school, - jokingly remarked that this time, if their teachers won’t object, they will speak English. They reminded us of 1996 when the Hungarian flag first flew over the Capital. They brought along the Proclamation that was issued at that time and read it to he audience. A paragraph says: “With the nationwide movement, Hungary became Europe's only country to stand up to Soviet power under its lawful government and prime minister. The strength and will of the Hungarian people made the 1956 Revolution their greatest national act of the twentieth century.”

Charles Mákos recited a Hungarian poem by Gyula Illés: “One Sentence about Tyranny”. The closing lines are: “...until the hope of freedom lives in our hearts, until man looks to the heaven with faith, freedom will never be lost.”

Zsuzsa Lengyel the asked Peter Sarkozy, Assistant Consul General to deliver his speech. He said:

“Tisztelt honfitársaim, Kedves vendégek, Hölgyeim és uraim,

Dear Fellow Countrymen, Distinguished Guests. Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a great honor for me to be with you today, to represent the Consulate

General of Hungary, the Government of Hungary at this event, when we celebrate the 47th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian revolution and freedom fight.

I think that the significance of today's celebration can be clearly understood if we take a look at a contemporary opinion expressed a few days after the outbreak of our revolution. The November 5, 1956 issue of the Time magazine reported:

„It began like a carnival day. Thousands of people thronged Budapest's old cobble-stoned streets wearing red, white and green boutonnieres, tossing red, white and green ribbons into passing cars. Than gradually the crowd began to gather at focal points and express its will, and then to march. A scared Communist official told an American businessman: „The Earth is moving."

The earth moved to the tread of million feet in Hungary last week, and a satellite which had been blindly spinning in the Soviet orbit for eleven years suddenly swung out of course into a still unsteady national axis. It had never happened before. As the world looked incredulous, a people armed principally with courage and determination (and a few filched guns) fought one of the most spectacular revolutions of modem times. Behind barricades,

from rooftops and apartment windows, they harried their powerful oppressors in the classic revo- 1 u t i o n a r y manner, and at week's end they had wrung from the most ruthless of modem despotism a promise of

the right to be free." (end of quote)

Those Hungarians who were there in 1956 and then came to the United States only enjoyed their freedom for a few days but here have taught us with exemplary actions to strive to be like many participants of the revolution.

There are many places, buildings, monuments, documents in the United States that speak about the eternal desire of the Hungarian people to live in free democracy. It is my conviction that the monuments to the 1956 revolution an freedom fight are the last monuments to be erected by Hungarians for a temporally lost battle for freedom and democracy.

It was more than 150 years ago that the first wave of Hungarian emigrants came to the United States after a lost freedom fight. During the following hundred years again and again Hungarians were forced to flee abroad because of internal repression, foreign domination and invasions. Many hundred thousands came to America, to the land of freedom and democracy where they have worked relentlessly to find a new home, but have never given up on their dream to return one day to a free Hungary. So today we see that after so much suffering the Hungarian people live in a free democracy and its existence and development is being guaranteed and helped by many friendly nations.

A harc és az áldozat nem volt hiába való! The fight and sacrifice was not invaine. Köszönöm megtisztelő figyelmüket.

Thanks for your honoring attention.”

Mr. Flatto thanked everybody’s participation. The teachers of the Hungarian School unveiled the plaque and the celebration ended with singing the Hungarian National Anthem

Those who made their decision in time, or were just lucky, joined together at the beautifully decorated restaurant, the Pearl of Budapest _ in Fairfield for a Hungarian dinner. Éva and her family made sure that the food was authentic and good. J.F.B.

The Pearl of Budapest decorated with Hungarian art and photos.

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