Hungarian-American Community
Celebrates
the 2009 Inauguration at the Kossuth House in Washington,
DC
Blocks from the White House, over 100
guests gathered on January 19 for a
Hungarian-American salute to Barack Obama and Joe Biden
on the eve of their inauguration as the 44th U.S. President
and Vice President. The Hungarian Reformed Federation of
America hosted the non-partisan event at its headquarters
- the Kossuth House - giving leaders of Hungarian-American
organizations and the broader community a singular opportunity
to meet and network with members of the incoming Administration
and Congress.
HRFA Board Chairman and HHRF President
László Hámos welcomed
the guests, along with Ohio State Representative Peter
Újvági and Hungarian American Coalition President
Maximilian Teleki. In his opening remarks
Mr. Hámos stated that the five co-organizers readily answered
President Obama's call for a national day of service as
community service is the hallmark, the driving motive force
behind all five sponsoring institutions: the Hungarian Reformed
Federation of America, the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation,
the Hungarian American Coalition, the William Penn Association,
and the Hungarian Communion of Friends.
Among the many honored guests who addressed
the gathering were: Mrs. Annette Lantos,
widow of Congressman Tom Lantos - accompanied by her daughter,
Mrs. Annette Lantos Tillemann and four
of her grandchildren - who delivered welcoming remarks in
Hungarian. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur,
representing more than 16,000 Hungarian-Americans, spoke
about her strong affiliation to the Ohio Hungarian-American
community. Maryland State Senator Jim Rosapepe,
a former US Ambassador to Romania, and Dr. Robert
R. King, Chief of Staff of the House Foreign Relations
Committee, reflected on their decades-long ties to the Hungarian
community. Lastly, Jim Zogby pointed out
the challenges still facing the country regarding equality
and discrimination.
Representative Újvági chose this opportune
moment to present the Kossuth House with an official copy
of the text of Lajos Kossuth's speech before the Ohio Legislature
on February 16, 1852, wherein the great Hungarian patriot
first coined the words "all for the people and
all by the people" later paraphrased by Abraham
Lincoln and evoked again by President Barack Obama.
Other honored guests included Ferenc
Somogyi, Hungary's Ambassador to the United States,
Teresa Fedor, Ohio State Senator, and Kay
King, Assistant to the Speaker of the House for
Inter-Parliamentary Affairs. National leaders of the Irish-,
Italian-, Polish-, Greek- and Georgian-American communities
were warmly received. Aside from the Hungarian-American
press, major Hungarian media covering the event included
Hungarian TV (MTV), Duna TV and the Hungarian Telegraph
Office (MTI).
In addition to being serenaded by a Hungarian
band from Cleveland, guests dined on Hungarian delicacies
served by the Georgetown restaurant "Old Europe;"
Hungarian poppy seed and walnut rolls ("beigli")
handmade by Mária Kovács in Chicago; kolbász
and Hungarian meatballs brought from New Brunswick, N.J.
by George Dózsa; and Hungarian wine donated
by István Flesch and Graystone
Wine Imports. The organizers are especially grateful
to Steven K. Hegedeos, Sándor Leitgab,
and Judith Terézhalmy who volunteered to
drive from Ohio and devote their talents to furnishing the
suitable Hungarian musical atmosphere. All visitors to the Hungarian Salute reception received a copy of the keepsake invitation designed by Lily Erdy.
In answer to President Elect Obama's Call
to Service, the Organizing Committee also collected and
delivered 17 cases of food products donated for the "Cans
for the Cause" effort to benefit the Capital
Area Food Bank.
