Benes Decrees Petition Drive! Only a few days left! On September 20, 2007, the Slovak Parliament adopted a resolution proposed by extremist
Jan Slota ratifying and confirming the Benes decrees. Slota said "Hungarians are the cancer of the Slovak n ation, without delay we need to remove them from the body of the nation." This is unacceptable.
Make your feelings known. Signed petitions will be delivered to the European Parliament on April 22nd. The American Hungarian Federation is planning an extended petition drive to coincide with a planned symposium in US Congress in September.
In a statement released after the shocking September confirmation, the Federation said: ""Having taken a step that has fueled ethnic hatred and assaulted good relations with Hungary, the Slovak Parliament on September 20, 2007 adopted a resolution proposed by extremist Jan Slota ratifying and confirming the Benes decrees. Those decrees shamefully imposed collective guilt on the Hungarian (and German) population of Czechoslovakia .... The concept of collective guilt is abhorrent to Americans and to anyone committed to the rule of law, human rights and democracy. Rather than affirm the inviolability of the Benes decrees, Slovakia should reject them, provide legal redress to remedy their continuing and discriminatory effect and thereby adopt the values shared by the trans-Atlantic community of nations." [read the full statement]
About the Benes Decrees:
The 1945 Benes Decrees claimed collective World War II responsibility of Germans and Hungarians living in Czechoslovakia, and deprived them of their rights, their property and expelled many of them from the country. According to the Decrees, 2.5 million ethnic Germans (Sudetendeutsch) and approximately 40,000 Hungarians were lost their Czechoslovakian citizenship, their land was expropriated and they were exiled. This transition was carried out over 1945-46, and was in many cases badly administered and brutal. Many people lost their lives. Ethnic Czechs were moved in to fill the empty towns.
The peace treaty of Trianon (1920) resulted in the dismemberment
of the thousand-year-old Hungarian Kingdom. The
consequence to Hungary was a loss of 71.5% of its territory and 63.6%
of its population. Trianon forced three and a half million Magyars to live, without
their consent, in Czechoslovakia, the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and
Slovenians (Yugoslavia), and Rumania, with the stroke of a pen. The right of self-determination
of nations, solemnly promised in the 14 points of US President Woodrow
Wilson, was forgotten.
There are presently about 578,000 ethnic Hungarians, or Magyars, living in scattered settlements along the southern border areas of the Slovakia and constitute the largest ethnic minority in the country. This is 10.8% of the Slovak Republic's population of 5,353,000 as estimated from a 1991 census and country population review from the UN. These numbers are easily argued as many ethnic Hungarians do not self-identify to avoid discrimination. In either case, these Magyars are what remains of the Hungarians in what was "Upper Hungary" for about 1000 years until 1919, when "Czechoslovakia" was created.
How to Help!
[Sign the petition] and read more about the cruel [Benes Decrees] which unjustly expelled thousands of Hungarian families from their ancestral homelands. See where the [demonstrations] will be held and get involved!. From the organizers: "A világ nagyobb városaiban április 19-én meg vannak már szervezve a tiltakozások: Amerika, Ausztrália, Európa, Dél-Amerika is velünk tart. Április 19-ét követö héten, április 22-én Strasbourgban fogunk tiltakozni és az Európai Parlament képviselöinek átadjuk a petíciót."
Announcements / AHF Member News
Washington,
DC
MAGYAR BÁL INVITATION / MEGHIVÓ: April 12th, 2008!The Annual Hungarian Spring Ball - A very special evening
benefitting the Hungarian Scouts
of Washington and AHF's 2008 programs. The phenomenal New York Continental Band and
traditional dance performance by local scouts will make for another
very special evening of dancing and debutantes.
$120 Tickets may be ordered ONLINE!

[read more]
Washington,
DC
INVITATION / MEGHIVÓ: May 17th, 2008! 24th Semi-Annual Hungarian Picnic!
Hungarian students and young professionals in the Washington, DC
Metropolitan Area cordially invite you and your friends to our semi-annual
picnic. Join us for an afternoon of fun, food and music. (if you would like
to play soccer, please, dress appropriately).
Games for children and Hungarian folk dancing.
Your ideas and support in organizing future events for the Hungarian
community would be appreciated.(eniko.basa@verizon.net)
Date: May 17, 2008 Saturday
Time: 2:00 p.m. to dark
Place: Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC
The picnic is free but your tax-deductible contribution is welcome.
Suggested donations: $5 per person. Bring your donations to the picnic or
send a check in advance. Please make checks payable to AHEA (American
Hungarian Educators' Association) and send to:
AHEA
Semi-Annual Picnic Spring 2008
4515 Willard Ave #2210
Chevy Chase, MD
More: http://hungaria.org/picnic/
California
Kedves Los Angeles-i Magyarok!!
Tavaly összel a szlovák parlament elé került a Benes dekrétum kérdése, amely dekrétum a II. világháború után a magyarokat és a szudéta németeket egységesen megbélyegezte, állampolgárságuktól, vagyonuktól megfosztotta. A szlovákiai magyarságot 1945 és '48 között szervezett, programozott népirtással pusztították. A mostani szlovák parlament nemhogy nem itélte el az akkori bünöket, hanem megerösitette a Benes dekrétumot. A szlovák politikát bizonyos értelemben - a Benes-dekrétumokhoz való görcsös ragaszkodással - ma is a kollektív bűnösség elvének elfogadása jellemzi, a magyar nemzet hallgatólagos megbélyegzése.
Ez ellen készül a világ magyarságának összefogása
A tiltakozásunk helyszine:
Los Angeles-i Szlovák Konzulátus (10535 Wilshire Boulevard, CA90024)
A tiltakozásunk időpontja:
Április 19-én, szombaton délután 1 órakor.
Los Angeles-i Magyar Kör, Osapay Gyorgy: lamk@cyberhungary.net
New York
TILTAKOZÁS / DEMONSTRATION - TARTSATOK VELÜNK!!!
ÖSSZEFOGÁS A NEMZETÉRT A VILÁG VÁROSAIBAN, április 19-én a szlovák
nagykövetségek, konzulátusok és kirendeltségek elıtt, peticíó átadással.
A NEW YORKI DEMONSTRÁCIÓRA SZINTÉN
2008. ÁPRILIS 19-én Du. 3 ÓRAKOR KERÜL SOR.
CÍM: 801 SECOND AVENUE, A 2. és 3. AVE KÖZÖTT.
Ezt követöen április 22-én 11 órától Strasbourgban az Európa Parlament épülete elıtt tiltakozunk és
delegációnk átnyújtja peticíónkat az Európa Parlament képviselöinek. Felhívás a tüntetésekre / Call for protests:
[A TILTAKOZÁSOKRÓL INFORMÁCIÓ]
New Jersey
2008. április 19 - Meghivó
A 41. sz. Lorántffy Zsuzsanna cserkészcsapat
szeretettel meghív igazolásának 50-ik évfordulója ünneplésére.
2008. április 19-én, aA Magyar Amerikai Atléta Klub (HAAC) dísztermében.
233 Somerset Street,
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Fogadás: 6:00
Vacsora: 7:00
Jegy árak: Felnotteknek: $40.00
Aktiv csapattagoknak és gyerekeknek (10 éven alul): $15.00
(Csekket kérjük Hungarian Scout Association névre kiállítani.)
Minden csapattagot, volt csapattagot, vezetot, cserkészszülot és
barátot szeretettel várunk!
41 sz. Lorántffy Zsuzsanna lcscs.
c/o Ágnes Vigh
109 Wynnwood Avenue
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Asztalfoglalas, informació:
Vigh Ágnes: vighster@optonline.net,
732-885-5542
New Jersey
Meghivó - A Hungarian Heritage Center - 2008 aprilis 11-en penteken,
este 7:30-kor
(Bolyai Tudomanyos es Muveszeti Eloadassorozat kereteben)
300 Somerset Str.,
New Brunswick, NJ
Dr. Boreczky Elemer egyetemi tanar tart eloadast:
"Zsigmond Kiraly es John Wyclif reformacioja: adalekok a modern Europa
kialakulasahoz" cimmel. Aadomany: $5
informacio: sohar@cabm.rutgers.edu
North Carolina
Meghivó / Invitation! Hungarian Meeting in Charlotte, NC
We invite you on Saturday, the 12th of April from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm at a Hungarian meeting in Charlotte. The meeting takes place at the: Myers Park Presbyterian Church, 2501 Oxford Place, Charlotte, NC 28207.
Program:
- 10:30-11:30 am arrival (parking at the church parking lot)
- 11:30 am Worship Service
- 1:00 pm lunch (this time we should bring our own food)
- 2:00 pm Elvira Pálffy presents a slide show about Transylvania
- music and singing
- Children's activities, games, songs, folkdancing, arts and crafts
We welcome any suggestions regarding the meeting. Please let us know if you would like to attend. Please RSVP, and/or contact us by e-mail/phone. For more information about this and other North and South Carolina Hungarian events, visit our website: http://hungarian.meetup.com/131/
More:
Andras Debreczeni ,(803) 586 8847,
dczandras@yahoo.com
Canada: Toronto
TILTAKOZÁS - ÁPRILIS 19-ÉN,
DÉLUTÁN 4 ÓRAKOR SZLOVÁK KONZULÁTUS ELÕTT A KANADAI MAGYAR FÓRUM RENDEZÉSÉBEN.
CÍM: 1280 FINCH AVE. W. TORONTO, ONTARIO
Tovább: Rozsa Dancs Telch <rosacae@hotmail.com>
Canada: Ottawa
TILTAKOZÁS - ÁPRILIS 19-ÉN,
DÉLUTÁN 4 ÓRAKOR KANADAI PARLAMENT ELÕTT - Tovább: Gyula <bibifarcadi@yahoo.ca>
The
American Hungarian Federation (AHF), was founded in 1906 in Cleveland,
Ohio. Among the oldest ethnic organizations in the US, AHF was established
as an association of Hungarian societies, institutions and churches
to "defend the interest of Americans of Hungarian origin in the
United States." The American Hungarian Federation strives to
unite the American Hungarian community through work that supports
common goals. AHF is a national, non-partisan, independent umbrella
organization representing the interests of the Hungarian American
community. [more
about us]
There are two easy ways to Join
and Support us!
1) Online Processing (fastest):
Join online! AHF accepts all
major credit cards and checks. AHF is a 501c(3) non-profit organization.
Your donations may be tax deductible. Your information is secure
not shared with anyone. [Join
Online Here]
2) The Old-Fashioned Way:
If you are uncomfortable or unable to process an Internet transaction,
download the AHF
Membership Registration Form and mail it in with your check payable
to "American Hungarian Federation." NOTE: If you are sending
a donation for a specific fund, please be sure to include that on
the form. (You do not need to become a member to donate):
American Hungarian Federation
C/O Sandor Murray, Treasurer
2805 56th Place
Woodside NY 11377
For technical assistance, contact bryandawson@americanhungarianfederation.org
MORE AHF NEWS and eNewsletters: www.americanhungarianfederation.org/news.htm
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