Hungarian organization remembers 1956 uprising

The Hungarian Cultural Association will commemorate the Revolution of 1956 at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the Indiana Memorial Union University Club 150.

The event is free and open to the public and will include authentic Hungarian dishes, poetry readings in various languages, a slideshow of photos from the revolution and a short talk about its significance.

Hungarian Cultural Association President Sara Takacs said a pianist will perform Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in honor of his 200th birthday.

The Revolution of 1956 was an anti-government rebellion led by students that lasted from Oct. 23 to Nov. 10. Oct. 23 is a national holiday in Hungary.

“It’s the finest hour of the country’s history,” Chair of Hungarian Studies Laszlo Borhi said. “It showed the world that totalitarian regimes can be challenged.”

Borhi said the memory of the Revolution of 1956 also helped overthrow communism in the Revolutions of 1989, which took place in several eastern European countries including Poland, Hungary and East Germany.

“People are willing to fight for liberty, even against all odds,” Borhi said. “Empires that don’t grant this freedom are doomed to failure.”

— Kate Thacker