Hungarian American Coalition Celebrates 18th Annual Mikulas Dinner with Distinguished Guests Including Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and Janos Martonyi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary
Event Emcee Andrea Lauer Rice Joined Keynote Speaker Martonyi and Others In Stressing the Coalition's Common Goal of Preserving Civil Liberties Regardless of Political Viewpoints
Bajnai Thanked Hungarian Leaders for their Service and Hard Work
Washington, D.C. - December 6, 2009 -- It was a night to remember for more than 100 Hungarian American leaders and distinguished guests who attended the recent Hungarian American Coalition's time-honored Mikulas Dinner at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington D.C. While many traditions of the special event remained the same, the event -- unexpectedly attended by Hungary Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai, in Washington to meet with White House officials -- provided an opportunity to discuss issues and share different points of view.
Master of Ceremonies Andrea Lauer Rice, Coalition vice president and board member, welcomed the esteemed gathering and their guests to the traditional Mikulas Celebration and highlighted the major projects and accomplishments of the Coalition over the last 18 years.
“The first Mikulas Dinner was held in 1991, the year the Coalition was founded, as a way to celebrate this wonderful Hungarian tradition and say thank you to the many people who supported the birth of our organization,” said Lauer Rice. “Throughout the evolution of the organization and the Mikulas dinner we have hosted many distinguished guests, presented awards, and moved the event to the Hungarian Embassy. Tonight we are setting a record with 14 former and present Ambassadors in attendance, as well as our invited guest, Minister Janos Martonyi, and our surprise guest, Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai.”
Hungarian Ambassador to the United States, Bela Szombati and Mrs. Zsuzsa Szombati hosted the event and Lauer-Rice recognized many of the distinguished attendees including: Mrs. Annette Lantos; Jeff Hovenier Director for Central and Eastern Europe, National Security Council; Ms. Pamela Quanrud, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs; the Honorable Joseph Bader and Mrs. Bader; Ambassador April Foley; Ambassador and Mrs. Walker; Ambassador and Mrs. Blinken; Ambassador Andras Simonyi; Ambassador Kurt Volker and Mrs. Karen Volker; Ambassador Tom Robertson and Mrs. Robertson; Ambassador Ho-Jin Lee and Mrs. Jung-Joo Lee; János Kóka, Chairman of the Nabucco Committee of the Hungarian Parliament; Ambassador Ferenc Robak; Ambassador Viktor Polgar; Ambassador Balazs Bokor; Ambassador Gergely Prohle; the Honorable Damon Wilson Vice President and Director of the International Security Program at the Atlantic Council; Bishop Tamas Fabiny; and Hungarian General and Honorary Consuls from all over the United States.
She acknowledged Gordon Bajnai, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, and Professor Janos Martonyi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, the keynote speaker of the event.
“Tonight, we continue to demonstrate to Hungarians, Hungarian Americans and Americans alike - that although we may not hold the same political or ideological beliefs, when it comes to achieving a common goal, we CAN put those personal differences aside,” said Lauer Rice, the founder and chief executive officer of the multimedia educational firm Lauer Learning. “It is an honor to celebrate Mikulas with all my fellow Hungarian Americans.”
The evening's remarks began with Ambassador Szombati welcoming the guests and discussing the role of the Hungarian American Coalition on issues affecting Hungarian-American relations. Mr. Szombati introduced the Prime Minster Bajnai, whose official visit to Washington coincided with the Mikulas Dinner and Annual Meeting.
In his comments, the Prime Minister thanked the room full of dignitaries and guests for their many years of devoted service to Hungary and Hungarians. He emphasized the importance of U.S.-Hungarian relations and stressed that the government of Hungary is aiming to be a centralist government, steering away from extreme factions either from the right or from the left.
Before introducing the keynote speaker, Professor Martonyi, Coalition President Maximilian Teleki remarked that Hungary must “get beyond historic divisions that continue to play such a destructive role in Hungarian politics and society. In religious, social and cultural issues alike, Hungary CAN and MUST be scrupulous in embracing and defending individual civil liberties and the rule of law.”
Former Hungarian foreign minister and member of the opposing party Professor Martonyi said that Hungary's “honor, integrity, courage, love and patriotism cannot be quantified”, adding that although there continues to be deep divisions in Hungary today those can be diminished with perseverance.
“If we can agree - and I think many of us can - that in order to achieve something, we must establish a degree of national consensus in Hungary, then we should agree to discuss issues and stop labeling each other as we have done too often during our history,” Martonyi said.
As the evening festivities ended, Lauer Rice thanked those who were responsible for the event and wished everyone a Happy Mikulas Day. “What matters this evening is not our political affiliations when it comes to the United States or Hungary. What is important is that we have gathered together with the common goal of strengthening transatlantic relations between Hungary and the U.S. and, on a lighter note, to celebrate our Hungarian heritage,” she said.
During the weekend's activities, a delegation of 25 Coalition members attended the traditional White House briefing for the Coalition, hosted by Mr. Adam Sterling, director for Central and Eastern European Affairs. In addition, the Coalition's Board of Directors held their annual board meeting at the Kossuth House in Washington, D.C. They met and renewed a roster of officers, welcomed new members into the Coalition and elected executive committee members.
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Lauer Learning is a multimedia educational company that creates interactive products to teach children about foreign language, culture and history through experiential learning. Its “Pass It On…” program identifies and creates new educational approaches and multimedia tools to reach the next generation to help teach about ethnicity. Phase 1 of “Pass It On…” focuses on Hungarian history, specifically the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. In 2006, Lauer Learning launched: FF56! a historically accurate, educational computer game for teens about the Revolution; “56 Stories”, a coffeetable book comprised of personal testimonials collected through the FreedomFighter56.com oral history website and “Hungarian Freedom Fighters of '56,” a historic graphic novel about 1956. The next “Pass it on…” project highlights Southern Culture and will include a book of historical and cultural facts for kids 6-12, a community website, online game and Facebook application that teaches about the many cultural and historic contributions of the South. These educational products are expected to be available in the summer of 2009. All Lauer Learning products are available for purchase through the www.LauerLearning.com website.
The Hungarian American Coalition was founded in 1991 as an educational and cultural non-profit 501 (c)3 organization. Its Office of Information in Washington, D.C serves over 20,000 organizational and individual members across the United States. Its mission is to promote public understanding and awareness of Hungarian American issues. For further information, please go to www.hacusa.org.
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