Sajtóban és médiában/news and media

The Camp Kilmer Alumni Foundation along with St. Ladislaus Parish in the Catholic Spirit by James McEvoy

April 15, 2009       

Hungarian refugee tells tale of fleeing his country
Many came to our area during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer
Zoltan Horvath was only 15 years old in 1956 when he found himself with his parents at Camp Kilmer, a World War II-era U.S. Army post that welcomed about 35,000 Hungarian refugees who had fled their country during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Camp Kilmer, which is now the site of the Job Corps Academy at 500 Plainfield Ave. in Edison, and a U.S. Navy yard in Brooklyn, N.Y., which helped 3,000 refugees, were the two places where many Hungarians were able to start their new lives.

"My family and I were one of the last ones to cross the border before it was closed [in Hungary]," said Horvath. "I remember the camp as this large space. Leaving my homeland, I felt basically lost, but curious: I wondered what was ahead, since we had no relatives in the United States."

Within four hours, Horvath said, he and his family were heading to Fairfield and Bridgeport, Conn.

"Before we left, we had to spend the $4 that each of us were given, so we had a total of $12 to spend at the Army store," said Horvath. "We didn't know what was worth $12; it was basically a shopping spree. They kept on saying, 'What else, what else,' and we left with two huge bags of chocolate."

Horvath said the big adjustment for him and his family was adjusting to the food.

"It was so strange," he said. "I was starving, but we were lucky that we found a Hungarian butcher in Fairfield. In Hungary, we were isolated from the world. In the United States, I had cereal for the first time."

The North American Hungarian Citizens League, along with Lee Matthews, who oversees the Job Corps, recently came together and sponsored a commemoration ceremony for the former refugees.

"This was the first commemoration in 53 years," said Judit Tormasi, president of the Hungarian League, which formed last year. "There are so many stories, and so many years have elapsed that we wanted to keep the memories alive."

The league is dedicated to creating and strengthening coalitions within the Hungarian-American community.

The ceremony included a speech by Viktor Polgar, Hungary's New York-based consul general, and speeches by former Camp Kilmer refugees, including the Rev. Barnabas Roczey, former pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church of New Brunswick.

Over 25 refugees attended the ceremony.

The ceremony concluded with an unveiling of a plaque honoring those who fled to freedom after the failed uprising against Communist rule 53 years ago.

Tormasi said she dedicated the ceremony to Lee Matthews.

"If it weren't for him, this wouldn't have been possible," she said. "We appreciate the past and are looking to work together in the future."

Matthews, who has been the director at the Job Corps for 15 years, said the Job Corps opened its doors in 1964.

"Camp Kilmer was active in World War II and it closed after the Hungarian Revolution," he said. "Many of the buildings that were part of the camp have since been taken down."

Tormasi said the 'Land of the Free' has touched so many lives.

"It is heartwarming on hearing how well received the Hungarian refugees were by the United States," she said.

March 6, 2009 Hungarians thank U.S. for refuge By GENE RACZ Staff Writer An official representative from Hungary, local clergy and former refugees and freedom fighters of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution were on hand recently at the Edison Jobs Corps Academy for a ceremony commemorating them and the land that nurtured them — the United States. The Jobs Corps Academy, at 500 Plainfield Ave., is on the site formerly occupied by Camp Kilmer — a World War II-era Army post that served as initial housing for tens of thousands of Hungarian refugees who fled their country during the aftermath of the failed uprising against Communist rule. The ceremony included a speech by Viktor Polgar, Hungary's New York-based Consul General, and concluded with an unveling of a plaque honoring those who fled to freedom some 53 years ago. Former Camp Kilmer refugees also spoke at the ceremony as did Rev. Barnabas Roczey, former pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church of New Brunswick. Roczey was a Camp Kilmer refugee. Rev. Zsolt Otvos, the new pastor at the Magyar Reformed Church, gave the ceremony's final blessing. The choir from St. Ladislaus Church in New Brunswick performed a Remembrance Concert at the event, which was sponsored by the North American Hungarian Ethnic League. Formed last year, the league is dedicated to creating and strengthening coalitions within the American-Hungarian community. "The way the United States government handled the 1956 refugees was really fantastic," said Judit Tormasi, president of the league. "Nobody was really prepared for this; the influx of us was greater than originally thought. Some stayed (at Camp Kilmer) for a few hours, some stayed for even a year." Hundreds remained in Central Jersey. "The biggest issue was how to put them into the work force, because many of them were unable to communicate — they didn't speak English," Tormasi said. Events commemorating the 1956 Revolution usually normally presented in October — the month the 1956 uprising took place, but Tormasi said that for this event, her organization worked around the schedule of the Jobs Corps Academy. She noted that it remains unclear just how many Hungarian refugees passed through Camp Kilmer en route to their new lives in America. Estimates vary from 60,000 to 200,000. Tormasi said her organization hopes to research the numbers and also gather details of the community aspects of the refugees' lives in Camp Kilmer. "The camp kept these lucky survivors of the 1956 Hungarian revolution alive," said Tormasi. "Camp Kilmer managed to establish the basic necessities of a new beginning for those who left virtually everything behind and only with God's help made it through the Atlantic. We call them the fortunate ones because they actually arrived in the "land of the free and the home of the brave.' "We are so proud of the fact that the United States actually provided everything that they needed."