Let us begin with the article’s title: Hungarian House For Sale.

True. It has finally happened, the realtor’s sign is on the outside the building: For Sale.

For it to have finally happened, long months of preparatory work were required. We began with surveys, sending questionnaires to the membership, to learn what their needs were and to solicit their suggestions, which were incorporated into the development of a strategic plan. The details of the plan were developed by Hungarian experts living in and around Toronto -- people of the highest standing and esteem in Canadian society -- who volunteered their time and knowledge without any financial remuneration whatever. The survey disclosed that, in its current physical state, the Hungarian House no longer fulfilled the community’s needs. The house had grown old and needed vast amounts of money to continue to function but its decline could not be reversed. At the annual meeting, the members voted almost unanimously to change locations.

Where will we find that certain place -- a piece of property, a building -- that will satisfy our altered needs? It, too, is not being left to chance. It is the mandate of a committee of experts to come up with a solution to this crucial question, while sticking to the strategic plan.

This collective predicament is what was voiced by Budapest’s (Hungary) Duna TV reporter’s first sentence, which we must modify as the HCCC is not a murder or crows, or a dead albatross, but the site of retention of Magyar culture. It is also a community asset, which certain malicious gossip has suggested is not being handled properly by the elected officials and the executive board. Perhaps this is what one of the interviewees of the Now Magazine article, the youth and sport director of the HCCC, Lehel Ilyés, meant. Perhaps he was misunderstood by the reporter, or misquoted, or the meaning lost in translation to Hungarian. It is stated as a grievance in the original article -- but highlighted in the Duna TV piece -- that ”barely 20 people attend the functions; that the people no longer come because they are disinterested.”

Sadly, we must note that the youth director must be making a comment on his programs only and can not make general statements. The picture is entirely different if we look at some of our recent large-scale functions. As examples: the New Year’s party was attended by 350 people; the jazz concert before Christmas, by the Attila Fias Trio, sold 275 tickets; previous to that, the Balogh Kálmán concert was sold out, as was the Montenero Concert cum medieval supper, and the winetasting evening, and the appearance of the Kormorán Memory Band. The best storyteller in Hungary, András Berecz, was heard by nearly 100 rapt persons; our literary evenings are attended in numbers similar to the world over, such as the poetry reading by Szabolcs Sajgó, organized by the Kaleidoscope Magazine’s Literary Café. The amateur theatrical group’s January presentation (Nem élhetek muzsikaszó nélkül / I can’t live without music by Zsigmond Móricz) was such a hit that they received invitations from other cities. The Kodály Dance Ensemble is preparing for its upcoming 50th anniversary concert. In short, these are enough to illustrate the local Hungarians’ interest in their culture.

These do not seem to hint at the dissolution of the Hungarian community.

It is also incorrect to state that we have 60,000 members. We do not; it is impossible. However, Toronto and its surroundings are home to about 60,000 Magyars. Based on official census figures, we can state that the majority of Hungarians in Canada are living in Ontario. Toronto, Canada’s largest city and Ontario’s capital is the financial center of the country.

According to the official opinion of the country, the peaceful integration of the Hungarian community is a textbook example. While trying to become and remain a useful part of Canadian society, the Hungarians retained their national traditions. Canada-wide, but especially in Toronto, every religious denomination can be found with Hungarian-maintained houses of worship, as well as cultural centers, literary and artistic circles, folk-dance groups, choruses, charitable, scientific, and professional organizations that unite the various communities. Toronto and area has the most Hungarian businesses, doctors, veterinarians, engineers, two Hungarian-language bookstores, apartment buildings, pharmacy, a winery, stores and restaurants, some established more than 50 years ago. The depth and breadth of the Hungarian professionals in Toronto is such that their Business Directory runs to 200 pages.

Few are the Canadian universities or colleges without world renowned Hungarian professors, scientists and researchers. There is a Chair for Hungarian Studies at the University of Toronto, a Hungarian Research Institute and a Hungarian-language accredited high school. As well, there are government funded week-end Hungarian-language kindergartens and elementary schools.

The HCCC, with its museum, art gallery and 20,000+ volume lending library, is the largest Hungarian cultural center in the West, giving home to lively cultural and community activities. Many leading personalities have visited or were honoured, such as László Sólyom, current President of the Hungarian Republic, Victor Orbán, former Prime Minister of Hungary, Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and John Yaremko, Immigration Minister of Ontario during the 1956 Revolution, to mention a few.

Toronto is home to Hungarian-language radio and television broadcasts available to, and enjoyed by, the entire country. The bi-lingual Kaleidoscope Magazine, North America’s sole cultural periodical, is published here, along with two Hungarian weekly newspapers, which reach readers not only in Canada and the United States but also in Hungary. The Hungarian section of the University of Toronto library is comprised of about 30,000 volumes; the Toronto city central library is about the same, its catalogue of Hungarian-language books runs to 200 pages. The National Library of Canada has several thousand volumes in its Hungarica collection.

Therefore, the Hungarian community is not threatened by imminent disintegration, having enough vitality and strength of identity to resist assimilation and disappearance. The Hungarian community of Toronto is an integral part of the Hungarian nation, which it has always helped, and still helps -- if in no other way than offering moral support. It does not, however, appreciate having its good name besmirched.

Signed by:

Katalin Szabó, President
Rózsa Dancs, Media Director

The Hungarian Community Centre
840 St. Clair Ave. W.
Toronto, Ontario
M6C 1C1
Tel.: 416 654 4726