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The pandemic has impacted the monthly gathering of the Magyar Szabadság Kör in Plant City, FL. The Hungarian Liberty Club is a celebration of the cultural, culinary, spiritual, and political values that make the Magyar (Hungarian) people unique. Food, drink, prayer, anthems, music, dancing, and conversations abound. “Isten, add meg a Magyart,” or ‘God, save the Magyars (Hungarians)’ is a prayer many nations and ethic groups share, as in “God Bless America.”
At a recent Hungarian Liberty Club gathering, we met and spoke with a gentleman who had as a youth fought against the Communists in the October Revolution of 1956. While some see that uprising as unsuccessful, because Soviet tanks and troops ultimately put down the rebellion, for a few precious days the Magyars were free again. That taste of freedom and the struggle for it were not forgotten. There was a simmering tension between Communist overlords and the faith, family, flag inspired Hungarian people. No doubt Magyars inspired the Polish and others in their struggles against Communism. Decades later, freedom finally returned to Hungary and much of Eastern Europe previously under the Communist Iron Curtain. My younger brother Tamas supported the making of the film, Torn From the Flag, which covers some of that history.
We face a rebellion in reverse in our time. Deception and treachery are the only way that socialism and communism gain a foothold in a liberty loving society, here in America, or anywhere in the world.
At its heart, socialist, Marxist, and Communist ideology are godless. They hate what Americans – Hungarians, or others who cherish true liberty – are inspired to do due to the goodness that springs and spreads from events like Christmas.
In our parents’ family, Christmas was a nearly magical time. In the Magyar tradition, there was angel hair, white lights, and silver or white ornaments on the tree. There were wrapped candies. The tree went up on Christmas Eve, the kids were sent to their rooms prior to that as parents (or later, the older youth) helped make the traditional celebration of Christmas occur. For those who know and experienced something like that, it was grand.
While presents were exchanged, ultimately, we as individuals were the gifts to one another. That was woven into the fabric of that annual celebration, because we prayed and sang songs before any gifts were opened. We went to church following the Christmas Eve celebration of a family Christmas. In hindsight, it wasn’t ‘magical,’ it was miraculous – which is what Christmas celebrates – the ongoing miracle of redemption, which is itself a liberation event.
We are grateful for those aspects of our lives, and the connections forged in family. faith, flag, and friendships.
God bless America. God bless you. God bless, guide, and inspire all people of good will around the world. Because faith, family, friendships, and flag alone are how freedom is kept or achieved. My sincere thanks and our family’s prayers and best wishes to all.
Merry Christmas, from
Tony, Soheyla and Tamas Kovach
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That message above was sent out to several friends, family, friends, Hungarian Liberty Club members, and a few professional colleagues.
Their response was touching.
A sampling of actual, unedited, replies are below, sans the name of the sender. Note that not only Christians, but Jewish and Muslim believers sent warms messages in reply.
> “Thank you for sharing this. It blessed my heart. Merry Christmas to you and your family.”
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> “Thank you for sharing your reflections, I have always admired the Hungarian spirit and resourcefulness, I am fortunate enough to be happily married to a Hungarian man from the revolution era and appreciate the way you put into words what I have always felt for these magnificent people. I have forwarded your message to several friends who might not have otherwise seen it …”
A very Merry Christmas to you and your family!!”
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“Tony,
Good morning. 21 years ago my brothers and I celebrated my youngest brother Chris’s marriage to a lovely Hungarian princess at the Estzergom Catherdal on the Danube.
It was a joyous and magical time.
He met our Anna while a guest in her family’s home while serving as a member of the Peace Corps north of Budapest.
PM Orban is showing the world what a Christian head of state looks like, God bless his brave and patriotic soul.
May the Lord give the Hungarian people peace and prosperity in the New Year, and may America follow Hungary’s example of what a patriotic and Christian nation looks like in the years ahead.
Your friend…”
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This video is of the Esztergom Cathedral mentioned in the message above. It gives a tiny sense of the beauty of Hungary and its faith-inspired rich culture.
> “Tony,
Thank you for the wonderful message.
Merry Christmas to all of you…
…Your Hungarian chef….”
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There were more. Many of those replies reflected the sender’s understanding of how important and intertwined faith, family, friendship, flag, and freedom truly are. This is teaser to the video, Torn from the Flag. “The eight-time-award-winning movie participated in the Oscar competition in the “Best Documentary” category.
Directed by Klaudia Kovacs, original footage by
Laszlo Kovacs, ASC and Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC.
Some time ago, we posted a previous message about the Hungarian Liberty Club, which included the timeless theme that freedom isn’t free.
George Washington and his volunteer soldiers crossed the freezing Delaware River on Christmas Day, in order to surprise the British in Trenton, N.J. on December 26, 1776.
Washington and his colleagues who signed the Declaration of Independence understood that rights come from God, and that freedom only comes at the cost of eternal vigilance and willingness to fight for it. Ancient Israel was delivered from the bondages of hundreds of years of slavery by God, but those Israelites were also prepared to fight as they entered into the Promised Land.
A friend of ours sent a thoughtful message that mentioned that sometimes it is believers that have been oppressors. True enough. But the Victims of Communism (VOC) nonprofit and a professor at the University of Hawaii have documented that far more people have died at the hands of Socialists, Nazis (National Socialists), Marxists and Communists in the 20th century alone than all of the thousands of years of religious wars combined.
The Magyar Szabadság Kör – Hungarian Liberty Club – does not regale their attendees with speeches. There is no need to do so. They open the formal part of their monthly function with prayer, American and then Magyar pledges, and anthems. That freedom fighter I met at the Hungarian Liberty Club was not the only one there who fought to eject the communists dictators from their beloved country.
We know people from several Latin American, Caribbean, African, and Asian countries. The vast majority of those are here in the U.S. because of the liberty we enjoy. While some Europeans and Canadians ‘get it’ that socialism, communism, and Marxism are grave threats, in my experience, those from more oppressed nations understand and cherish liberty vs. those godless ideologies far better.
Freedom is never free. Christmas itself is a reminder of the cost of freedom because the world needed a Savior. Christmas is also an inspiration of the blessings of liberty that flows from the freedom that true faith inspires. Hungarians, as well as Cubans, Venezuelans, Vietnamese, or ex-pats from any land that is oppressed learn these precious lessons. For your own sake, and that of those growing up in America, learn and apply the epic lessons of liberty in America and from nations around the world.
Merry Christmas.
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Whenever you encounter someone who just does not get it, the proper answer is not to curse the darkness of a lack of understanding. Everyone who learned something, the easy or the hard way, prior to learning – by definition – did not know. Thus, the proper response to those who ‘do not get it’ is the help them to see the light. That is true about Christmas, liberty, or any subject one cares to mention. The ideal time to preserve liberty and freedom is before it is lost.
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By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHLivingNews.com.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing. For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com. This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position, and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
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