‘My whole life has always been guided by a sense of duty to my family. Now we might as well go home, but we wouldn’t be any happier there…Here we are part of our family and can help if needed. We live in a Hungarian community; we are happy here. If only we didn’t miss Hungary so much…’

The Cleveland Regös Group, founded in 1973 by Magdi Keresztes Temesváry and her husband András, has had more than 400 members in 50 years. It is made up of local scout leaders above 14 years of age who lead their 6–14 year old scouts every Friday, while on Tuesdays learn and practice Hungarian folk dances and folk traditions including an Easter fertility ritual, setting up a maypole in May, and singing carols at Christmas. They also carry out regular ethnographic research and collections, organize camps every summer and once in every five years complete a three-week long trip to Hungary and the Carpathian Basin.

An interview about rich family legacies, a sense of duty to serve the Hungarian diaspora in North America, and support for the institutions of the Reformed Church in Transylvania.

Editor-in-chief of the Toronto Independent Hungarian Radio, co-founder of the Paraméter Club and owner of the Toronto Pannonia bookstore Zsolt Bede-Fazekas spoke with Hungarian Conservative about the challenges of reviving the cultural life of the Hungarian community in Canada, and the efforts he makes to turn the tide and build bridges between diaspora Hungarians and the motherland.

Réka Sundem is a young Hungarian American proud of her mixed heritage. Brought up in a household where Hungarian was spoken on a daily basis, she decided to apply for a Balassi Scholarship and spent a whole year in Hungary, learning about Hungarian culture and improving her language skills.

The 62nd annual congress for the Hungarian Association took place on 24–25 November in Middleburg Heights, Ohio near the city of Cleveland in the United States. A whole slew of distinguished speakers, from the world of psychology, charity, clergy, and even NASA, spoke at the illustrious event meant to raise awareness of and celebrate the great work of Hungarian artists and scientists living in the diaspora.

Building community and connection, keeping the memory of 1956 alive, engaging the next generation of Hungarian Americans, advocating for the interests of the Hungarian ethnic communities in Europe and building bridges between Washington and Budapest: this is the mission that Andrea Rice Lauer and HACUSA tirelessly pursue.

‘As we look back on this long and eventful journey, we commemorate those who were here before us, who led the way for our community, who dedicated their time, energy, and love to keep this Hungarian club alive for future generations. These individuals have left a lasting mark. Today, we pay tribute to them and to all unknown heroes, who made it possible for us to gather here and continue the work they started’, former club president Mózes Kovács said in his keynote speech at the anniversary celebrations.

St Stephen RC Magyar Church in Passaic, New Jersey was founded 120 years ago, and its mission has remained unchanged ever since: to help the Hungarian American community preserve its faith, culture and identity.

‘We are very lucky to have a building, a home, which belongs to every Hungarian person and organization. I started to encourage the small communities to participate in our events or use the building for theirs. We aim to become a community centre, a hub for all Hungarians and friends of Hungary.’