I know the summer is practically over, but maybe this is the right time to
think about next summer.

I received an interesting letter (copy below) from a young lady in Hungary.
 While the Hungarian House in New York does not organize children's
programs, I thought some of you may be interested.

>Dear President of the Hungarian House in New York,
>
>
>	I am glad to hear about you, as a Hungarian association in the
>United States. I've already sent this letter to the Hungarian House, but
>Eniko Horvath asked me to send it personally to you. The purpose of my
>letter is to introduce ourselves, and our aimes in the future, which are
>in a close connection with that fact that there are a lot of Hungarians in
>the United States.
>
>	Our small group of volunteers decided that they help to become
>Hungary and the Hungarian culture acquainted to those American-Hungarian
>children, who are interested in the culture of their roots, but have never
>had the chance to visit and discover it. We would like to organize a camp
>for these children and do it annually.
>
>	This camp would be that kind of organization, where the children
>(mostly between the age of 10-16) could enjoy their summer vacation and
>meanwhile make some joyful "researches on their homeland", which country
>nowadays is a little bit more than 1100 years old...
>
>	We are working now on establishing a foundation, which could make
>easier the travel of the children for the families. This foundation could
>be a kind of financial aid, but first of all we would like to know how
>many children are interested in this camp next summer. So if you know any
>families in your surroundings, who have found some fantasies in this idea,
>just let us know and we will send the complete program of the camp, and
>later on we will try to connect these people.
>
>	This organization is a very young initiative, which in the future
>hopefully will be a very succesful accomplishment. According to this fact
>we accept any supports promoting this ennobling aim. Thank you very much
>for paying attention to this letter and thank you in advance for trying to
>help us to accomplish our common interest for the Hungarian children in
>the United States of America.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Timea Szujo
>Program Coordinator
>
>
>

I know the summer is practically over, but maybe this is the right time to
think about next summer.

I received an interesting letter (copy below) from a young lady in Hungary.
 While the Hungarian House in New York does not organize children's
programs, I thought some of you may be interested.

>Dear President of the Hungarian House in New York,
>
>
>       I am glad to hear about you, as a Hungarian association in the
>United States. I've already sent this letter to the Hungarian House, but
>Eniko Horvath asked me to send it personally to you. The purpose of my
>letter is to introduce ourselves, and our aimes in the future, which are
>in a close connection with that fact that there are a lot of Hungarians in
>the United States.
>
>       Our small group of volunteers decided that they help to become
>Hungary and the Hungarian culture acquainted to those American-Hungarian
>children, who are interested in the culture of their roots, but have never
>had the chance to visit and discover it. We would like to organize a camp
>for these children and do it annually.
>
>       This camp would be that kind of organization, where the children
>(mostly between the age of 10-16) could enjoy their summer vacation and
>meanwhile make some joyful "researches on their homeland", which country
>nowadays is a little bit more than 1100 years old...
>
>       We are working now on establishing a foundation, which could make
>easier the travel of the children for the families. This foundation could
>be a kind of financial aid, but first of all we would like to know how
>many children are interested in this camp next summer. So if you know any
>families in your surroundings, who have found some fantasies in this idea,
>just let us know and we will send the complete program of the camp, and
>later on we will try to connect these people.
>
>       This organization is a very young initiative, which in the future
>hopefully will be a very succesful accomplishment. According to this fact
>we accept any supports promoting this ennobling aim. Thank you very much
>for paying attention to this letter and thank you in advance for trying to
>help us to accomplish our common interest for the Hungarian children in
>the United States of America.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Timea Szujo
>Program Coordinator
>
>
>

Dear Colleagues,

The effectiveness of the international conference on Linguistic Human Rights
in Budapest (Oct. 16-19) will multiply, if we can get President Carter to
attand. Please think about you (personally you!) can do to help? Let us not
only organize an HL letter campaign, asking him to take part, but also use
our many personal contacts to that effect.

We have little time, the stakes are great, but the potential rewards (the
effect on the csangos, Slovak and Romanian education) will worth it.

Please help: Bela Liptak

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Attachments: Letter from Miklos Kontra, the organizer and my answer in
Hungarian
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Kedves Bela!

Beszeltem a barataimmal Carterrol, s az a velemenyunk,
hogy ha Cartert meg lehetne nyerni arra, hogy o nyissa
meg a konferenciat, az oriasit segitene, hisz a publicitast
megsokszorozna. Ha meg az is lehetseges lenne, hogy C
ne csupan ket orara, hanem esetleg ket napra jojjon,
vagyis hogy hallgasson meg nehany eloadast es vegyen reszt az egyik
workshopban is legalabb, az lenne az igazi nagy dobas, mert
akkor C megismerkedne a kerdesekkel, nemcsak elvileg, hanem
konkretan is tamogathatna ezeket a dolgokat, amik, mint mi
tudjuk, globalis problemak, mikent a kornyezetvedelem is.
Szoval akkor legyetek szivesek hozzafogni C megnyeresehez.
Es kerek postacimet, ahova legipostan a Carternek dedikalt
sajat tanulmanyomat kuldhetem *Englsih Only's Cousin: Slovak
Only*. Ha nektek kuldjem, s majd ti adjatok at neki, ugy is
jo. Barhogy jo, csak mondd meg, mit tegyek. Ha majd mar ugy
allunk, hogy a technikai reszleteket kell csak megbeszelni,
akkor majd a penzrol is szot kell ejtenunk, de most ez
a legkevesbe fontos dolog.

Olel:

Miklos

****************************************************************************
Miklos Kontra                      email:  
Linguistics Institute              smail:  H-1250 Budapest, P.O.Box 19, Hungary
Hungarian Academy of Sciences      Tel: (361) 1758-011x243   Fax:
(361)212-2050
                                        (361) 1758-285
                                   Home phone: (361) 111-0122

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kedves Miklos!

Ha Carternek levelet irsz, ugy cimnek eleg Plains, GA, de felek, hogy az
elakad a titkarnokon. A fax-nak kicsit jobb az eselye: 404-420-5196, s ha
"nyelved es penztarcad birja" ugy a telefon a legjobb: 404-420-5185, mert
ott, ha ot talan nem is, de a programjat osszeallito titkart biztos elered.

A Te/Ti igyekezetetekkel parhuzamosan akkor most mi is beinditjuk Carternek
levelekkel valo bombazasat, s megkerem a magyar lobbit, hogy mindenki keresse
a tovabbi kapcsolatokat vele.

Azt is ajanlanam, hogy egyszerre sokfelol kerjuk, s ne csak magyarok, hanem
foleg emberi joggal foglalkozo NGOk.

Neked es kollegaidnak ajanlanam, hogy:

1) Kerjed meg Vasarhelyi Miklost, hogy egyreszt o is irjon, masreszt, hogy
ugyanerre kerje meg Soros Gyorgyot.

2) Kerjed meg Calmayer Ferit (tudtommal o szervezte Carter hazepito magyar
utjat), hogy o is irjon

3) Tedd ugyanezt Lantos Tamassal is (Fax: 202-225-3127 vagy 202-225-7900,
Emil:)

Olel: Bela

At 02:59 PM 7/29/97 -0400, Name (?) wrote:

>True, there have been enough scandals to cast suspicion on the present- even
>the former- government. However I have yet to see any criticism of Hungarian
>elections: 1990, 1994 ,local elections all of which have been monitored
>internationally.  There is one coming up in 1998. Unless the electorate is
>completely ignorant (and I don't think it is) there is an opportunity for
>the FIDESZ, the MDF etc.

        Not according to the latest polls, where the MSZP is leading and
according to analysists they could easily win the elections with an absolute
majority just like three years ago. ESB

At 4:02 PM +0200 7/28/97,  wrote:
>=========================
In response to  THIS WEEK'S FEATURE: "THE FORGOTTEN HOLOCAUST
of Nazi atrocities" I would like to note that the article is full of
misinformation as far as the fate of the Hungarian Gypsies is concerned.

Dr. Laszlo Karsai, Hungarian historian, MTA, researched the problem in the
archives of Hungary.

In the author's opinion, the Gypsy problem in the interwar period - in
contrast with the Jewish problem - ranked among the social rather than
racial problems. The majority of the Gypsies, of some 200,000 at the time,
were living on the periphery of the country's social and political life.
Apart from attempts at organizing Gypsy military labour companies, no
organized persecution of Gypsies can be pointed out even after the
country's occupation by Germans on March 19, 1944. Karsai concludes, that
some 5,000 Gypsies were persecuted, and a few hundreds of them were killed.
For details see Karsai Laszlo, "Ciganykerdes Magyarorszagon 1944-1945",
REGIO 1991/1.

Peter I. Hidas
Montreal

Someone without a name wrote in response to something I cannot recall having
seen on the Hungary list before:

> >But not only the youth feel so. Also, the majority of the Hungarian
> >intellectuals, active or moral supporters of the People's Party of Hungarian
> >Democrats, led by people, close to the late Jozsef Antal (such as his
> >ex-minister of foreign affairs, Dr. Jeszenszky), or the Hungarian Democratic
> >Forum. Others are simply "politically neutrals", when talking about parties
 in
> >general; but definitely committed in their intention to push the present
> >ruling parties, who have been hosting corruption and nepotism in Hungary to
 the
> >periphery of Hungarian public life. Therefore, nothing would be as bad as
> >putting equation mark between the Hungarian people and their post-communist
> >rulers and clients.
>
> True, there have been enough scandals to cast suspicion on the present- even
> the former- government.

Indeed.  Arguably it was even to be expected that the only cosmetically
reformed in the ex-communist party badly wanted to get back into the pork,
so it's little surprise that they did just that.

It is different for the Antall government.  Antall, as the new broom, had
the unique opportunity to establish new standards for Hungarian public life,
through the actions of his government and through legislation.  Not only
did he forfeit this historic opportunity, he was handing out jobs and money
to his acolytes in the best feudal tradition.

This is why the bit about the majority of Hungarian intelligentsia being
fans of MDF and MDNP is merely wishful thinking.

George Antony

At 03:46 PM 7/30/97 -0400, Andy Vadasz wrote:

>The July 24 issue of The Washington Post carried a column coauthored by
>Senators John Warner (R-Va) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX). Both are
>members of the "NATO Observer Group" (NOG- more about that later.) Title:
>"Missing NATO debate".
>While on the surface all they seem to propose is an extended debate, the
>points listed are almost exclusively negative to admitting the three new
>ex-Warsaw pact candidates (Czech, Poland, Hungary). Costs to them, cost to
>the USA, "should we commit our lives ?" can they afford it ? They emphasize
>the need to "rethink" NATO. I have snailmailed the following letter to the
>"Post" today and encourage all of you (especially Washington area residents)
>to express your views as well. The Post's homepage has a form for e-mailing
>editorial comments. See http://www.washingtonpost.com . You can "paste" your
>letter onto their form.  Good luck.  Andy.

It is very difficult, if not downright irrational, to argue for the
expansion of a military alliance when no apparent enemy exists.  I think
that a loud, public, debate on this issue could actually backfire on the
proponents of expansion.  If the American population is truly interested in
its own pocketbook, "the bottom line", and "the buck stops here" kind of
stuff, then emotional appeals to historical events won't sway them.

Since I don't understand all the ins and outs of American politics, I'd
like to ask two questions.  At the present, who has the upper hand
regarding NATO expansion - Clinton, or the Congress?  Which side would
benefit most from a public debate?  And, would the average American care?

Joe Szalai