Hungarian Conservative

The staging of the musical version of one of the most popular young adult fiction works ever written in Hungarian, titled Be Faithful Unto Death, was a major undertaking and a dream come true for the initiator of the project, Bernadett Csizmadia. The show was performed on the 50th anniversary celebration of the Széchenyi Hungarian School and Kindergarten of New Brunswick, NJ.

Lili Balogh and István Dániel Molnár of the Angyalföld Vadrózsa Dance Ensemble came to the United States as Kőrösi Csoma Program scholars to teach Hungarian folk dancing in New Brunswick, New Jersey. We spoke with the young Hungarian couple, now engaged to each other, about their motivation, their goals and their US experiences.

Denisa Bott-Varga has been an active member of the 110-year-old Hungarian American Athletic Club in New Brunswick and leader of the local Csűrdöngölő Folk Dance Ensemble since the early 2000s, when she arrived to the US from Slovakia. In 2023, she received an Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic for her work in Hungarian diaspora culture and folk dance. In the interview she talks about her passion for folk dance and her efforts to build and preserve the Hungarian community in New Brunswick.

The Széchenyi István Hungarian School and Kindergarten in New Brunswick (New Jersey) celebrated its 50th anniversary. The welcoming speeches were followed by an award ceremony, where former school principal Gyula Varga was awarded; then, former principals shared their experience and thoughts on preserving our language and culture.

‘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.