An in-depth interview with Zsolt Molnár, who emigrated from Transylvania, Romania to the United States, where he ran a successful business until a tragic accident happened. He fell from a roof and broke his spine, after which he had to find a new occupation: he ended up taking over the Bocskai Radio in Cleveland, Ohio, which he turned into a radio station for the local Hungarian community.
‘The diaspora mentality finds the meaning of Hungarian identity in the traditional folk values and advocates these throughout the world. It doesn’t isolate itself either from the world or from present-day Hungary but nurtures contacts with both; builds and maintains relationships everywhere. The idea of a “borderless homeland” means “Wherever there is a Hungarian, there is Hungary.”’
‘Family, school, church, scouting. The combination of these four elements is the only way the Hungarian diaspora can survive in North America. Despite the lack of a perceivable enemy today, we give up ourselves,’ 1956er Gyula Varga, former principal of the Széchenyi Hungarian School and Kindergarten in New Brunswick and an active scout, said in an in-depth interview.
‘We look at Orbán with admiration for that work, for that capacity of resistance and for understanding that politics is not only a question of numbers, but a question of leading and being prepared for what is happening in Europe,’ Spanish politican and Member of the European Parliament Jorge Martín Frías told Hungarian Conservative in a recent interview.
‘We want to learn how Hungary changed its values system, making people realize that having children is not only good but a fulfilling and joyful part of life. We’re ready and willing to learn from you,’ founding Chairman of the Korean–Hungarian Friendship Association Jae Hun Ro stressed in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
An in-depth interview with Zoltán Vass, son of a Transylvanian minister, who emigrated from Transylvania, Romania to America, initially to New York, then Hollywood, ultimately settling in Toronto 29 years ago as the minister of the First Hungarian Reformed Church. He also serves on the Board of the Hungarian Diaspora Council.
‘When it comes to family policy, I know that many Canadian conservatives view Hungary as a leader, particularly in its various incentive programmes and structures that place families at the centre of government policy,’ senior Canadian conservative advisor Samuel Duncan highlighted in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
An in-depth interview with Franciscan Friar Barnabás G. Kiss, Pastor of the Hungarian Parish in Detroit, who has been serving in the U.S. for 40 years. While trying to keep various church communities alive in the Great Lakes region, he also strives to keep the Hungarian priests in the North American diaspora together and advocate their cause.
‘Being Hungarian is a spiritual quality. If someone is Hungarian, they are Hungarian first and foremost, and they start to argue only after that—of course, in Hungarian. If we do not have a common value or a common means of communication, what are we talking about at all?’
Father Imre serves a congregation that has many elderly Hungarian parishioners who look to him not only for their spiritual but also logistical needs. He also helps the local Hungarian institutions by baking and cooking meals as well as with the coordination of events of the Hungarian community. Father Imre also caters to a Hispanic community, so he celebrates Mass in three languages.
In 1989 scouting became again legally permitted in Hungary. Consequently, the émigré Hungarian Scout Association changed its name to the current one: Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris. Nowadays it comprises more than 70 troops on four continents, in 14 countries, organized into five districts (Western Europe, South America, USA, Australia and Canada), with a total of 2,950 members.
‘South Korea can offer valuable expertise and alternatives to Hungary in terms of military modernization and strengthening security infrastructure in a more strategic manner,’ Heritage Foundation Research Fellow Anthony B. Kim told Hungarian Conservative on the sidelines of a Budapest conference organized to mark 35 years of Hungary–South Korea diplomatic relations.
An in-depth interview with Zsuzsa Csajkás, co-founder of both the South Florida Hungarian Kids Club and the Hungarian Chamber of Business and Commerce in Florida. Born in Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc, Transylvania), she moved to the States for better opportunities and later to pursue a business career, only to then become deeply involved in the life of the Hungarian American community after the birth of her son.
‘Due to Governor Desantis’ policies, which are extremely popular in the nation and indeed around the world, more and more people have come to Florida to benefit from them and enjoy them,’ Paul du Quenoy pointed out in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
An in-depth interview with Anna (Panni) De Cheke Qualls, co-founder of the Hungarian Folklife Association, who moved to the States as a child with her family in the 1980s, then became actively involved in Hungarian folk dancing after her son, Leó became passionate about it. Now mother and son dance together in the Tisza Ensemble and Bátori Folk Dance Ensemble, where Panni also volunteers.
‘In Hungary, the welcome and the love that the state of Israel gets are very different. So is the intolerance of the intolerance, which is the most important thing, because you don’t have to agree with everything I say, but the fact is that you are not tolerating intolerance. If you are letting the violent people enjoy their free speech, like it happened in Berkeley, you are preventing the freedom of speech of the people who were not violent…And I think on that issue, Hungary got it right.’
James Carafano is a leading expert in national security and foreign policy challenges, an accomplished historian and teacher, as well as a prolific writer and researcher. He currently serves as Senior Counselor to the President and E.W. Richardson Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. He sat down with conservative outlet Mandiner while he was in Budapest for the Fourth Danube–Heritage Geopolitical Summit in September.
John Tsagronis and Michelle Watson, the founders of the Corporate Statecraft programme at the Institute of World Politics, were among the speakers and panellists of the 4th Danube–Heritage Geopolitical Summit this September, when they graciously sat down with Hungarian Conservative for an interview.
Both Emese and her husband, László Kerkay have been cultivators of the rich Hungarian historical and cultural heritage and overall active contributors to the life of the Hungarian community of Passaic, New Jersey, having served at the Hungarian school for over 30 years: Emese as teacher and principal, László as treasurer. Emese has also been an active scout since the age of six and was a founding member and for 25 years curator of the American Hungarian Museum of Passaic.
Éva Voisin is an accomplished lawyer, founder of the Hungarian American Chamber of Commerce and the Honorary Consul of Hungary for Northern California since 1993. She was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary in 2013, and is also the 2003 recipient of the Pro Auxilio Civium Hungarorum prize and numerous other awards for her pro-bono legal and civic activities.
‘You [in Hungary] imbue your young people in primary and secondary school with a sense of Hungary’s place in history…I mean, this was the country that turned back the invasions from Turkey and the Muslim lands and saved European civilization hundreds of years ago…We need to teach history in our schools, teach our young people that their country is something to be proud of.’
‘We’ve looked at other things involving Hungary that have been done through the State Department, like the change in the visa programme, which seemed like it was perhaps punitive. So we tried to get some records from the State Department about that. We filed a lawsuit. But we haven’t been looking at the EU-Hungary relationship. That’s something that is out of the scope of our usual tools, lawsuits and public records requests.’
An in-depth interview with Enkő Gorondi, founder and headmaster of the Aprókfalva Montessori Preschool and learning pod, a unique Hungarian daily educational institution in Piscataway, New Jersey; and her daughter, who, as a teacher, scout leader and folk dance teacher is also an active member of the local Hungarian community.
‘If you’re not a sovereign nation, then you’re just a land mass where people can come, they can live, they can work, they can seek refuge regardless of what the laws actually are…You see that now you have Venezuelan gangs who have taken over American communities that didn’t have a single presence in the United States just a few years ago. This has all happened in the last couple of years under the Biden-Harris policies. ‘
An in-depth interview with Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Programme scholars Ágnes and István Vámosi, who undertook the responsibility of teaching Hungarian folk dance in Los Angeles for two years with their little son, Pityke in tow.
Professor Puskás is a highly accomplished researcher, engineer and university professor living in the United States, who is still active in her field of chemical engineering. She has not only excelled professionally, but has also been an active member of the Hungarian Diaspora in America.
The case of the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was undoubtedly one of the biggest scandals of the summer, dominating headlines in major media outlets for weeks. Hungarian Conservative sat down with former Olympian Zsuzsa Csisztu to examine the controversial athlete’s rise and its impact on women’s sports from the perspective of a female athlete.
An in-depth interview with pianist and choir director Zsuzsánna Balla, who has lived in the United States for more than twenty years, and yet she and her family have preserved and continue to foster their Hungarian heritage, and are active and enthusiastic members of the Hungarian American community.
An in-depth interview with Erika and József Megyeri, former and current presidents of the Hungarian Communion of Friends, about their families’ emigration to the U.S., their involvement in the life of the local Hungarian community as teenagers, and how and why they decided to play a leading role in community building.
‘The current Embassy has been very active in supporting the retention of the culture and also in organizing community events and film screenings, and joining us in National Day celebrations.’