Istvan Lazi, a Hungarian Dalit, speaks of struggles for a better life.
My name is Istvan Lazi. My nickname is Benu. I was born at Kazincbarcika, in Northern Hungary, in 1987. My family are gypsies. It is difficult for non-gypsies to understand what that really means. Most non-gypsies think it is a matter of race or skin colour, but it is not. To be a gypsy is a belonging. It is to be part of a community where everyone knows, ‘We are gypsies’. Gypsies are a community of people who have the same way of thinking about things. Even though skin colour is not the main point about being a gypsy, many gypsies are dark skinned. When two Buddhist friends visited us recently from India, people seeing us together thought they were my relatives. If an Indian doesn’t speak English then people in Hungary will think he is a gypsy.
In my village there are several gypsy localities, all separate from the non-gypsies. There is the gypsy locality where I live - most of these, my people, are gypsies who have been in Hungary for many centuries and speak Hungarian. There is another smaller gypsy locality for Vlach gypsies who came from Romania a century or so ago and speak the ancient gypsy language, which is quite similar to Hindi and other North Indian languages. The number of gypsies is growing in my village as more gypsy families move in and they are now in the majority. So conflicts are growing with the non-gypsies because none of them want a gypsy neighbour. The mayors of many Hungarian villages are always counting how many gypsies there are in the village - because it is obvious that they are becoming the majority and that they do not want.
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On December 1st, 2008, we will have a special guest, the Reverend Victor István, a Hungarian, Presbyterian priest. Reverend István spent his childhood in a Christian community where many Jewish people had to be rescued from Fascist persecution, in 1944.
The father of our guest, Victor János, made great efforts in 1944 – with members of his Liberty Square Temple – to rescue Jews and other persecuted people in Budapest. Before their rescue, many of these Jews resorted to hiding within the church; inside mattresses, under the church’s flooring; where ever there was safety. At times, this meant receiving false papers stating that they were not Jewish, but in fact Christian. Victor János was fully aware that he was risking the very lives of his own family…nevertheless, he perservered. Liberty Square Temple deserves its beautiful name: “Freedom,” “Place,” “Temple” – a holy space, where we can be proud of our liberty.
The Yad Vashem Institute, in Jerusalem awarded Victor János the Righteous of the World Award, in 1994.
It is a pity that nowdays the Liberty Square Temple gives shelter to ideas not in line with its original model.
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We hebben jullie school enkele malen bezocht nadat Zoltán Ulicska van Sulinova ons gezegd had dat jullie vast wel contact wilden met andere scholen omdat jullie in moeilijke omstandigheden onderwijs verzorgen. Die moeilijke omstandigheden zijn een eufemise. De stap die de zigeunergemeenschap moet zetten is gigantisch groot en de situatie is niet eenvoudig te veranderen. Zigeuners hebben het nergens gemakkelijk maar in het voormalige Oost-blok is sinds de val van de Muur de achterstand groter geworden in plaats van kleiner.
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Hungarian Supreme Court has made a historical sentence this week: segregation of Roma children is prohibited in Hajduhadhaz.
This has been the first segregation case at Supreme Court of Republic of Hungary. The students of Dr. Ambedkar High School from Hegymeg participated at this historical moment.
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Máj multyé krisjunurj sză vă gye drágu-l Domn, pátyé sî ku szănă tátyé fugă rou ká părou, vijé binyilye ká nălbinyije kit frunză-j pă szok átit kupij sză vă gye drágu-l Domn pă lá fok!
Zhutisardas o Del te resas o kerechuno, te resas les ande inke bute bershende baxtyasa, zorasa, pachasa, vojasa, sastyimasa, tumare familijanca kethane. Po rup po somnakaj te phiren. T’aven saste thaj baxtale!
Kellemes Karácsonyt és Boldog Új Évet!
शुभ नाताळ नवीन वर्षच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा!
Śubh Nātāḷ Navīn Varṣacyā Hārdik Śubhecchā!
!חג חנוכה שמח
Hag Hanukkah Sameah!
Categorized: Front Page, Students Tagged: Ghetto, Hungarian Dalit 
Istvan Lazi, a Hungarian Dalit, speaks of struggles for a better life.
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