New England Hungarians
Építés alatt
History of the Hungarian Society of Massachusetts
Early Years (18th Century - 1956)
We know about Hungarian immigrants living in New England since the 18th century. In the 19th century, even Lajos Kossuth visited Boston and met with local Hungarians. At the turn of the century, few Hungarians lived in the city, but by the 1930s, a small group of Hungarians gathered around universities and held regular meetings.
Founding of the Society (1956-1964)
After the 1956 revolution, about 250 Hungarian refugees settled in Boston. The newcomers quickly connected with each other and helped each other integrate into society. Initially, they held gatherings on Washington Street and then at the International Institute on Commonwealth Avenue. The idea of establishing a Hungarian house or association soon emerged.
In 1964, the Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Inc. (HSM) was founded at the International Institute. According to the founding document, Sándor Danó was president, and the board members were Jenő Csóka, József Szabó, Gitta Danó, and Mária Tomits.
Activities of the Society (1964 to present)
The mission of the HMS is to cultivate and foster the Hungarian language, culture, identity, and traditions. In the years following the revolution, they saw themselves as the free local representatives of the Hungarian people living under communist oppression. They commemorated national holidays, March 15th and October 23rd, with festive programs from the start.
The HSM also organized a weekend Hungarian school, for a while it organized Hungarian Scouts, lectures, Hungarian film screenings, and other cultural programs. These programs helped Hungarians in the Boston area to stay informed about important Hungarian events.
The Society Today
The HSM remains active today, still aiming to foster Hungarian language, culture, and traditions. Programs include celebrations of traditions, lectures, concerts, trips, and other cultural events.
Important Milestones:
1964: Founding of the Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Inc.
Mid-1960s: Weekend Hungarian school established (later: Boskola)
1960s: Scout troop established
1986: Dedication of the Boston monument to the 1956 revolution
The Society’s Future
The HSM aims to continue actively participating in the life of the Hungarian community and contribute to preserving and fostering Hungarian culture in Boston and the surrounding area.
Our charitable Activities
We have repeatedly collected funds for charitable causes: we partially or fully supported children from Hungary and Transylvania undergoing specialized organ transplants and heart surgeries in Western Europe, Israel, or the United States. After the fall of Ceausescu's dictatorship in 1989, we raised a significant amount, over 10,000 dollars, to help Transylvanians.
Our members dedicated many weekends and work hours to special projects. For example, we conducted a book collection that resulted in medical books worth over 1.5 million dollars, which we were to repackage and forward to Hungary. This operation required many weekends, with both young and older members actively participating.
Our Society also functions as an information resource; we are frequently approached with various Hungarian-related requests and questions. We attempt to answer these based on our capabilities or forward them to the local Hungarian community.
We maintain contact with other American Hungarian associations and our country's diplomatic representations, typically with a member representing our Society at official events. These trips are characterized by volunteer participation and personal expense.
At the board's request, our members have participated in Hungarian-related roundtable discussions and events of other Central and Eastern European groups. Conversely, representatives from neighboring European countries are regular guests at our Hungarian national celebrations and charitable concerts.
The Boston Memorial to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
In 1986, on the 30th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, our society established a committee to erect a monument in Boston. The committee selected the design of sculptor György Hollósy from 12 submissions. Funds for the creation and installation of the statue in Liberty Square were raised through donations from Hungarians and non-Hungarians, totaling $80,000.
The monument was unveiled on October 23, 1986, in a ceremony attended by the then-mayor of Boston, Senator Kennedy, and Gergely Pongrátz, commander of the legendary Corvin Lane. Since then, a small ceremony has been held every year on October 23rd to commemorate the nameless heroes and lay a wreath at the statue.
