Date: 1978-11-08
Name(s): Korponay, Nicholas, Papp-Zubrits, Susan
Description: Nicholas (Miklos) Korponay gives information about what his life was like living in Hungary. He also recalls partisan activities during World War II: ""Kopjasok."" Mr. Jager left Hungary in 1945 and moved to Austria. Mr. Korponay also mentions a Hungarian Veterans Association. He immigrated to Canada in 1951, and talks about the first jobs that he had in Toronto. He also describes Hungarian community activities in Toronto, and the establishment of Rákoczi. Mr. Korponay talks about the 1956…
Date: 1978-03-28
Name(s): Czegledy-Nagy, Nina, Zalan, Magda, 1936-
Description: Nina Czegledy-Nagy explains how she and her husband immigrated to Canada from Hungary. She talks about what life was like during their first six months in Toronto, including how they learned English. Ms. Czegledy-Nagy describes how she and her husband got the first jobs in Canada that were in their field. She also talks about where they lived in Toronto, and remembers the things that they had to leave behind in Hungary. Ms. Czegledy-Nagy decided to go back to school to continue her studies. She…
Date: 2006-01-28
Name(s): Monika Berenyi, Orosz, Pal
Description: Paul Orosz gives details of the events of the 1956 Revolution, including : the 'de-kulakization' of villages, inflation, Rákosi era, Csepel factory activity, revolution account (blood), etc. Mr. Orosz was born in Szabolcs Szatmár megye. He talks about World War II, starvation, bombs, a bread crisis, the gradual take over by Soviets, inflation, and radio. His family was black-listed for owning land. He talks about communist activity and collectivization, and Josef Stalin's death in 1953. He…
Date: 1979-10-22
Name(s): Kertesz, Paulina, Papp-Zubrits, Susan
Description: Paulina Kertesz describes how her father emigrated from Hungary to Pennsylvania, U.S., and then back to Hungary. Her husband, G. Kertesz first came to Canada in 1929 and worked in the textile mills. He also reemigrated, and the two of them met and married in Hungary. Then, together they immigrated to Canada. Ms. Kertesz describes the journey across the Atlantic. They settled in south-western Ontario and began farming tobacco. Ms. Kertesz describes their lives at tobacco farmers. She also…
Date: 1979-08-23
Name(s): Papp-Zubrits, Susan, Ruzsa, Eugene, Ruzsa, Helen, Sojnocki, Pearl
Description: Pearl Sojnocki explains why her father, Reverend Ruzsa came to Canada from Hungary. She talks about the conditions and organization of Presbyterian churches and representation of the Hungarian community. Pearl Sojnocki and Eugene Ruzsa offer personal memories about Rev. Ruzsa. Helen Ruzsa talks about immigration, life in Canada, and her parents. She gives information about her role as the wife of a minister. Helen Ruzsa talks about a trip she took to the United States to collect funds for…
Date: 1978-01-30
Name(s): Forbath, Peter, Zalan, Magda, 1936-
Description: Peter Forbath introduces himself and explains when and how he came to Canada from Hungary. While studying in Hungary in 1948, Dr. Forbath made the decision to emigrate. Finally in 1956, he was able to escape from Budapest to Vienna. From Austria, Dr. Forbath went to France. Initially wanting to immigrate to the United States, Mr. Forbath ended up in Canada, and he explains how this happened. Dr. Forbath arrived in Halifax, and made his way west, via Montreal, to Toronto. His first job in…
Date: 2006-04-07
Name(s): Karolyi, Peter, Stadler
Description: Peter Karolyi was born in Gyor. He was a young student in grade 4, when the uprising happened in 1956. Interesting opinion about Hungarians, not necessarily positive. Came by boat to Canada. Arrived in Montreal with 2 sisters and parents. He had a relatively good life in Hungary before 1956. Came to Canada with one of the first ships that arrived in December 1956 (Arosa Sun or Arosa Star). The family was interviewed by television journalists. Does not have a lot of Hungarian friends, he finds…
Date: 1978-03-21
Name(s): Teleki, Sam, Zalan, Magda, 1936-
Description: Sam Teleki talks about his childhood growing up in the region of Transylvania (present-day Romania). He describes what life was like in his native country, and why his family decided to emigrate to North America. His family came to Canada from Europe by ship. He talks about the expectations they had for their new life, and how these compared with the reality of life in Canada. Mr. Teleki describes his first jobs upon arriving in Canada, and his first professional job as a technician in a…
Date: 1978-11-28
Name(s): Kertesz, Sandor, Papp-Zubrits, Susan
Description: Sandor Kertesz explains the career that he had while living in his native country, Hungary. He talks about immigrating to Canada, and his first jobs in this country. Mr. Kertesz describes the start of Hungarian theatres in Toronto, the needs of immigrant actors, and support they received from the community. Sometimes they had guest performers from Hungary, one of the relationships that existed with the homeland. Mr. Kertesz talks about the problems of organizing theatre companies, his role as…
Date: 1977-07-22
Name(s): Mayorcsak, Steve, Susan Galos
Description: Steve Mayorcsak gives a brief description of his family background, and his parents' decision to immigrate to Canada. He talks about his life as a young boy in Ontario and also some occasions when he noticed prejudice towards him. Mr. Mayorcsak describes his enterprises and social commitments in the tobacco farming community of Delhi, Ontario.
Date: 1979-08-02
Name(s): Minacs, Steve, Papp-Zubrits, Susan
Description: Steve Minacs speaks about life in Hungary after World War I, and the attitude of villagers towards emigration. Mr. Minacs immigrated to Canada, living in Saskatchewan and Ontario. He talks about his first occupations in Windsor, Leamington, and Oshawa (Ontario). Mr. Minacs also talks about the first Hungarians in Oshawa and how the community began to organize itself. The community members founded a Hungarian House, Hungarian church, Hungarian soccer club, and produced amateur dramatic…
Date: 1979-03-14
Name(s): Ferentzy, Tibor, Papp-Zubrits, Susan
Description: Tibor Ferentzy tells the story of his emigration from Hungary to Canada. He talks about the first jobs that he had after arriving in Canada. Mr. Ferentzy became involved in a Transylvanian Association that is concerned with the conditions of the Hungarian minority in Romania. The Association sends care packages, and sponsors dance groups with performers Transylvania. Mr. Ferentzy compares the different waves of immigrants, and their future. He also talks about his affiliations with scouting…
Date: 1978-02-08
Name(s): Gervers, Veronica, Zalan, Magda, 1936-
Description: Veronica Gervers begins by explaining how she came to work at the Royal Ontario Museum, as a curator and textile scholar. She talks about her academic background and her Ph.D. Dr. Gervers also talks about her marriage and husband. She explains where she learned English, and also the sorts of difficulties that she encountered when she arrived in Toronto from Hungary. She compares a typical working day in Canada with one in Hungary, and also the types of living accommodations in both countries.…
Date: 2006-01-28
Name(s): Lamperth, Cecilia, Lamperth, Zoltan, Monika Berenyi
Description: In this joint interview, Zoltan and Cecilia Lamperth talk about their early lives in Hungary before they immigrated to Canada. Mr. Lamperth begins by describing the crisis in Hungary following World War II. He talks about Radio Sopron, the university environment, and his escape with wife to Austria, Italy, and then to Canada. Mr. Lamperth gives a detailed description of Hungarian Scouting movemen, as a a free army of Hungarian International Youth. They are free of communist contamination and…
Date: 2006-01-28
Name(s): Monika Berenyi, Petro, Zoltan
Description: Zoltan Petro is a Hungarian originally from Felvidék, present day Slovakia. He talks about Hungarian activity in the highlands during the 1956 Revolution. There existed discrimination against Hungarians within Slovak borders, and they had access to medication, no language rights. He talks about Radio, student activity is Roszno in 1956, as well as communization of schools. Mr. Petro talks about 'Slovakization'- Hungarians had no schools, language, papers, and their homes were given away. He…
