October 2000 Vol. 9, No. 3
Hungarian Millennium - One Thousand Years of Statehood
This Year of the Millennium holds special significance for 15 million Hungarians the world over. On August 20, 2000, St. Stephen's Day, a thousand years of statehood were celebrated not only in Hungary, but in neighboring countries and Western countries where more than 5 million ethnic Hungarians live. In honor of this remarkable anniversary new memorials were raised, old ones were decorated with wreaths, dozens of cities and villages received official Millennial flags in solemn ceremonies. Historic pageants, concerts, exhibits and theatrical performances abounded as the survival of a nation through its turbulent history was celebrated by Hungarians with great pomp, circumstance and joy.
In the United States many Hungarian American organizations staged well-attended celebrations, some of which are described in this Newsletter. Congressmen Frank Pallone of New Jersey, who represents over 20 thousand Hungarian-Americans, and Ernest Istook of Oklahoma, who is of Hungarian extraction, introduced the following Concurrent Resolution, which was cosponsored by 29 other House members. The House passed the resolution on October 2nd, its Senate approval is imminent at the time we publish this newsletter.
House Concurrent Resolution 400
Congratulating the Republic of Hungary on the millennium of its foundation as a state.
Whereas the ancestors of the Hungarian nation, 7 tribes excelling in horsemanship and handicrafts, settled in the Carpathian basin around the end of the 9th century;
Whereas during the next century this tribal association had accommodated itself to a permanently settled status;
Whereas the ruler of the nation at the end of the first millennium, Prince Stephen, realized with great foresight that the survival of his nation depends on its adapting itself to its surroundings by becoming a Christian kingdom and linking its future to Western civilization;
Whereas in 1000 A.D. Stephen, later canonized as Saint Stephen, adopted the Christian faith and was crowned with a crown which he requested from Pope Sylvester II of Rome;
Whereas, by those acts, Saint Stephen, King of Hungary, established his domain as 1 of the 7 Christian kingdoms of Europe of the time and anchored his nation in Western civilization forever;
Whereas during the past 1,000 years, in spite of residing on the traditional crossroads of invaders from the East and the West, the Hungarian nation showed great vitality in preserving its unique identity, language, culture, and traditions;
Whereas in his written legacy, Saint Stephen called for tolerance and hospitality toward settlers migrating to the land from other cultures;
Whereas through the ensuing centuries other tribes and ethnic and religious groups moved to Hungary and gained acceptance into the nation, enriching its heritage;
Whereas since the 16th century a vibrant Protestant community has contributed to the vitality and diversity of the Hungarian nation;
Whereas, particularly after their emancipation in the second half of the 19th century, Hungarians of the Jewish faith have made an enormous contribution to the economic, cultural, artistic, and scientific life of the Hungarian nation, contributing more than half of the nation's Nobel Prize winners;
Whereas the United States has benefitted immensely from the hard work, dedication, scientific knowledge, and cultural gifts of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Hungary; and
Whereas in this year Hungary also celebrates the 10th anniversary of its first post-communist free and democratic elections, the first such elections within the former Warsaw Pact: Now, therefore be it.
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Congress--
(1) congratulates the Republic of Hungary, and Hungarians everywhere, on the one thousandth anniversary of the founding of the Kingdom of Hungary by Saint Stephen; and
(2) commends the Republic of Hungary for the great determination, skill, and sense of purpose it demonstrated in its recent transition to a democratic state dedicated to upholding universal rights and liberties, a free market economy, and integration into European and transatlantic institutions.
Coalition's Tenth Annual Meeting and Board Meeting to be Held in Washington, DC
It is hard to believe, but this year will be the tenth time our Coalition members gather in Washington, DC. You will soon receive your formal invitation from our office. But until then: PLEASE SAVE THE DATE and join us for the following events:
Saturday, December 2, 2000 - at the Kossuth House,
9:30-11:30 a.m. - Annual Meeting: ALL MEMBERS WELCOME!
1:00-6:00 p.m. - Board Meeting including Election of Officers
COALITION PROJECT UPDATE
CSIS and Coalition Co-Sponsor Conference on Vojvodina
Together with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Hungarian American Coalition will co-sponsor an international conference in Washington, DC, on November 30-December 1, 2000, entitled "VOJVODINA: FINAL PIECE OF THE YUGOSLAV PUZZLE."
The purpose of the conference is to focus the attention of American policy makers on Vojvodina, the last remaining multi-ethnic province in former Yugoslavia. Its population, comprised of 65% Serbian, 35% other ethnic groups, including 17% ethnic Hungarian, now has a historic opportunity to consider
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viable options for its future, including the reinstatement of the province's autonomy revoked in 1988 by Milosevic.
We hope to see as many Coalition members as possible attending this conference that promises to be a most interesting discussion of the much-awaited democratization of former Yugoslavia.
White House Internship Program
SBC Communications, Inc. awarded a $10,000 grant to the Coalition's White House Internship Program. Steven Gyeszly, of College Station, Texas was the sixteenth intern sponsored by the Coalition since 1996. After participating in the 2000, Summer Session, he sent the following letter to the Hungarian American Coalition:
"I interned for the Special Envoy to the Americas, who was the President's counselor on issues concerning the Western Hemisphere. From free trade to human rights issues, I was able to gain an in-depth look into how government policy is formulated and implemented in our hemisphere…I could not have achieved if it had not been for the Hungarian American Coalition and SBC Communications."
Those interested in participating in the Spring, 2001 Session, please contact the Coalition office at (202) 296-9505. According to the result of the November 7th elections, we should soon know if the White House Internship Program continues in its present form.
Dr. Elemer Kiss Scholarship Program Awards Three Scholarships
Four years ago the Hungarian American Coalition established the Coalition Scholarship Fund for the purpose of providing stipends to outstanding Hungarian students for their study at American colleges and universities. This year, the Coalition received a large number of contributions from family and friends in honor of Dr. Elemer Kiss, who died in January. Thus, it was decided by the Executive Committee to rename the Fund, "The Dr. Elemer Kiss Scholarship Program."
We are delighted to announce the recipients of three scholarships of $1,000 each for 2000-2001.
They are:
Miklos Orban, Georgetown University Law Center, Master of Law;
Beata Suranyi, Western Maryland College, Business;
Sandor Vegh, University of Maryland, Ph.D. in American Studies.
Hungarian American Coalition Participates in Bucharest Conference:
"The Romanian Model of Ethnic Relations: The Last Ten Years, The Next Ten Years"
On July 7-8, 2000 in Bucharest, Romania, the Hungarian American Coalition was represented by Dr. Andrew Ludanyi in a conference devoted to examining the treatment of minorities in Romania.
Prime Minister Mugur Isarescu stressed the importance of interethnic relations. He offered this as an
alternative to the Milosevic "model" on ethnic cleansing and minority oppression in former Yugoslavia. U.S. Ambassador James C. Rosapepe said that "the forces of democratization in Romania were healthy even if there are significant problems that have to be addressed."
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Participants included representatives of the government coalition, of significant opposition parties, the numerically most important minorities of Romania, scholars and human rights activists from Western Europe and the United States, (U.S. Congressmen: Rep. Joe Pitts, R. from PA and Rep. Benjamin Cardin, D. from MD), Foreign Minister Petre Roman, as well as other important officials, including Teodor Melescanu, Gyorgy Tokay, Hildegard Puwak, and Horia Rusu.
The first panel, that focused on the international context of Romania's policies toward its minorities, was moderated by Carl Siebentritt, former Consul at the US Embassy-Cluj/Kolozsvár Office. The panel included presentations from representatives of the Helsinki Committee of Romania, Gabriel Andrescu, the Swiss Ambassador to Romania, Jean-Claude Joseph, and NGO representatives from the United States, Armand Scala (President of the Congress of Romanian Americans), and Andrew Ludanyi (Hungarian American Coalition).
Andrew Ludanyi of the Hungarian American Coalition stressed that because Romania is home to two million co-nationals the Hungarian-American community has its own window of concern regarding Romania's treatment of its minorities. Ludanyi stated that: "The leading elements of Romanian society must become more committed to defending the rights and the interests of all. Politics must become a win-win proposition, and not just a winner-take-all process. It is the responsibility of the Romanian elite to communicate this to the rest of society, because Romania as a whole has everything to gain by becoming a positive model."
The conference's sponsors were USAID, the Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center, World Learning, and the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest.
Hungarian American Coalition Approves $80,000 Grant for Flood Relief in Hungary
Town of Vamosujfalu to Rebuild Public Administration Building
The Hungarian American Coalition has voted to approve an $80,000 grant to aid reconstruction of the administration building of Vamosujfalu (pop. 900). This Eastern Hungarian town, devastated by massive flooding last spring, was chosen based on recommendations by Hungarian flood relief officials, USAID, and an on-site field visit by Zsolt Szekeres, Treasurer of the Coalition.
The grant will be used to rebuild Vamosujfalu's public administration building, which was totally destroyed. It is expected that construction will be completed in Fall of 2000. In addition, the Coalition's grant has acted as a catalyst to release $800,000 in funds from the Hungarian government, which will be used to build a floodwall to protect the town against future flooding. The Coalition's grant stems from a major contribution by an anonymous donor to the Coalition's Tisza Flood Victims' Relief Fund, set up to help mitigate the damage and suffering caused by the Tisza River flooding earlier this year.
HAC Continues its Annual Support of Madach Posonium in Slovakia
The Madach Posonium (Hungarian-language publishing house in Slovakia), is a major force in publishing Hungarian books, four monthly periodicals and the weekly newspaper, "Szabad Ujsag".
Madach Posonium also maintains 7 bookstores in towns with the highest number of Hungarian residents in Southern Slovakia. The Slovak government provides minimal financial assistance to Madach
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Madach Posonium, in spite of its pledge to support the cultural programs of national minorities. For the past three years the Hungarian American Coalition has made a significant contribution to help maintain Madach Posonium's commitment to the publication and promotion of Hungarian literature in Slovakia.
Teenage Music Festival in Temerin, Vojvodina
The Hungarian American Coalition is delighted to sponsor the 9th Annual Teenage Song-and-Dance Competition in Temerin, Vojvodina. Along with having fun, the purpose of the competition is to identify and support those talented young Hungarians who may represent pop music in Vojvodina and abroad. A further aim of the festival is to encourage the successful appearance of young Hungarians of Vojvodina at "Ki mit tud?" ("Who knows what?"), a famous Hungarian talent-contest.
HAC Leaders Press for Minority Rights During Roundtable Discussion with
Former Romanian President Ion Iliescu
On September 12, 2000, Coalition Chairman, Edith Lauer, and Executive Committee members Dr. Edward Chaszar and Frank Koszorus, Jr. attended a Roundtable Discussion organized by Center for Strategic and Intenational Studies for Mr. Iliescu. The purpose of Iliescu's trip was to polish his image in Washington, promote Western investments, and posture Romania as a strategic partner of the United States. Out of approximately ten questions, three focused on issues affecting the Hungarian minority.
Frank Koszorus, Jr. asked Mr. Iliescu whether he supports the recently adopted "urgent ordinance" against discrimination. In his answer, Mr. Iliescu referred to Romania as a unitary state, which, he said, prevented him from supporting territorial autonomy. He also asserted that Romania's record was superior to Hungary, ignoring that the latter gives far-ranging local autonomy, local representation, and generous financial assistance to minority communities and their institutions in Hungary.
Edith Lauder asked the former Romanian President if he recognized that there was a major problem in the area of church property restitution, and if elected, what would he do to address this problem? Mr. Iliescu sidestepped the question by stating that property restitution was a general problem in Romania, where people should not expect to have unreasonable claims satisfied by "going back to the Austro-Hungarian Imperium".
NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS
Hungarian Communion of Friends Installs 19 Satellite Dishes in Romania
Since 1995, the Hungarian Communion of Friends (MBK) has installed satellite dishes in 19 communities and institutions in Romania, predominantly in Transylvania. The project was initiated by MKB`s former President, Balazs Somogyi. These needy and isolated communities with no access to cable-tv, sometimes without access to the standard Romanian media are now able to receive Hungarian
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TV\Radio and international broadcasts, with emphasis on Duna TV Hungarian language programs. About 20 more parabola dishes are planned to be donated to Hungarian communities and institutions located in Croatia, Serbia and Ukraine.
Hungarian Scouts Association Abroad
Nearly 700 Hungarian scouts (boys and girls) from all over the world attended the "King St. Stephen Jubilee Camp" last August in the Sandor Sik Scout Reservation, in Fillmore, N.Y. In addition to celebrating the Hungarian Millenium, the camp also commemorated the 90th Anniversary of the founding of scouting in Hungary, and the 55th Anniversary of Hungarian scouting abroad.
While most of the campers were from the United States and Canada, about 75 of the participant came from Europe, South America, and Australia. What made the festive gathering even more special was the presence of 75 from the Hungarian Scout Associations of Hungary, and also Slovakia, Ruthenia, Transylvania, Vojvodina, Croatia. Their attendance was made possible by the generous help of H.S.A.A. (Hungarian Scouts Association in Exteris).