Hungarian Americans Together
2013 Conference
Keeping in Touch:
Berkeley Magyarok Mailing List
Katalin Vörös
Microlab Operations Manager
Department of Electrical Engineering
and Computer Sciences
University of California at Berkeley
2 March 2013
2
Keeping in Touch:
Berkeley Magyarok Mailing List
ABSTRACT
After the change in the political system in Hungary, the number of Hungarian
students and visiting scientists at UC Berkeley increased noticeably. In the large,
cosmopolitan environment of Berkeley, the need arose, inevitably, to connect and
to find a community where members might feel closer to their familiar roots.
The circle of university people widened very quickly to include Hungarians from
all over the San Francisco Bay Area (and even beyond CA). This expansion was
accelerated by an increasingly ubiquitous communication capability, the use of
email and the World Wide Web. We will discuss the process of grassroots
development and the vibrant activities of a new type of immigrant community.
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Outline
1.
Introduction
2.
Hungarians in the San Francisco Bay Area
3.
Hungarians at UC Berkeley
4.
Keeping in touch through the internet
5.
Magyarok mailing list
6.
Meetings in person
7.
Organizing ourselves
8.
Summary
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Hungarians in the San Francisco Bay Area
2000 US Census 1 398 724 Hungarians
2012 Survey
1 537 205
An increase of
138 481
States with the largest Hungarian population:
2000
OH
NY
CA
PA
NJ
200 000
137 000
134 000
132 000
116 000
2012
210 608
154 465
131 741
144 441
109 305
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Map of the San Francisco
Bay Area
5
UCB
Stanford
6
Hungarians in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The 2000 Census also lists the number of those who wrote in
their parents as Hungarian:
Region
Hungarian
Ancestor
Hungarian
Parents
CA
134 000
90 000
67%
LA
SF-BA
SF
41 000
28 600
3 700
29 000
18 600
2 200
70%
65%
59%
Data: Prof. Darrick Danta, CSUN
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Hungarians in the
San Francisco Bay Area
2000 US Census, SF Bay Area:
Hungarian ancestor
28 566
of those, 18 573 indicate Hungarian parents
Rékay’s Hungarian telephone book lists
1500 addresses
with 2 persons/address
16% participation
(of 1st generation)
magyarok@silicon.eecs.berkeley.edu
Nagycsapat@yahoogroups.com
800
400
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Keeping in Touch through the Internet
Short history:
1989
Iván Weisz, Ohio State U.
radio news typed in 3x per week
1990 József Hollósi, UC Santa Cruz, automated list
HIX - Hollósi Information Exchange
http://www.hix.com/
1994
Start of the UCB magyarok list
magyarok@silicon.eecs.berkeley.edu
2001
Nagycsapat in Silicon Valley, using yahoogroups
2004
10 years later - 305 addresses on magyarok list
2013
800 addresses on magyarok list
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Keeping in Touch Through the Internet
Nagycsapat group information:
URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nagycsapat/
Members: 544
Category: Hungarian
Founded: Oct 7, 2001
Language: Hungarian
It is difficult to estimate how many of these addresses are
active SF Bay Area address, but I would estimate it to be
around 400 currently.
Data from Péter Kővári, founder of Nagycsapat
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magyarok@silicon.eecs.berkeley.edu
ƒ The original list expanded by word of mouth from a
small group of people around UC Berkeley, to the San
Francisco Bay Area.
ƒ Some people who moved away requested to remain on
the list; many asked if there is a similar list in their new
location.
ƒ Age groups: all, but mostly 20-50 years
ƒ This is a moderated list. People send postings to
voros@eecs.berkeley.edu
ƒ Language: both English and Hungarian
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Subjects Most Often Posted
2012
Total number of postings: 481
Subjects:
1.Event announcements, invitations
127
27%
2.Services offered, looking for help 115
24%
3.Invitation to group activities
76 16%
4.New member announcement
43
9%
5.Looking for work
31
6%
6.Looking for help/information
26
5%
7.News, commemoration
22
4%
8.Sell/buy
18
4%
9.Looking to hire
13
3%
10.Scholarship/fellowship announcement 10
2%
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Meetings in Person
Cyber communications do not replace
personal interaction!
ƒCoffee meetings every other Wednesday, 6-7 PM
ƒContinuous since 1994 (20 years in 2014) at a coffee
shop near UC Berkely
ƒ2009: 15-year anniversary
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15th Anniversary Celebration
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Meetings in Person
ƒSeminar instead of coffee meeting, with guest speaker
in a conference room at the University
Examples: András Roboz, Sci. and Tech. Att.,
Washington, DC.; Ödön Király, H. Inv. and Trade Dev.,
Los Angeles; Stephen Binder, photojournalist; Zoltán Illés,
Central European University; Balázs Bokor, Consul
General, Los Angeles; Sigmund Csicsery, book
introduction; Prof. Várdy Huszár Ágnes, Duquesne U.
ƒ2006: Remember Hungary 1956 Colloquium at UC
Berkeley (lectures and documentary films)
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Meetings in Person
Seminars by Hungarian Visiting Professors and
Researchers to various departments at UC Berkeley:
ƒInstitute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian
Studies
ƒMusic Department: Bartók researchers
ƒLaw School: Bálint Magyar
ƒGrad. School of Journalism: Soros
ƒZellerbach Hall: Bp. Zenekar, Fischer lván
ƒHungarian movies at the Pacific Film Archives
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Groups Activities
Small group activities organized by one or two
persons:
ƒPlay dates
ƒBabysitting for each other’s children
ƒHelping newcomers find housing
ƒCollection of household items for newcomers
ƒBuying group tickets for events
ƒRecreational activities
ƒVarious other interections of people who met through
the list
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Summary
Modern life requires new kinds of social interactions:
email,
social media
information retrieval through the internet
Yet the needs of new immigrants are the same as those of
earlier generations:
orientation in a new environment
fitting in
finding their own friends and support group
maintaining ties with the home land
Besides virtual connections through social media we need
personal interactions.
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Exerpts from Comments at
Coffee Meetings
If we maintain our personal relationships with each other,
we will maintain our Hungarian community.
(Fábián Andrea)
We are creating a new community and new friendships.
(Török Hajnalka)
The messages connect me to a special group that ties me to
my past.
(Sájber Kriszta)
The coffee meeting create for me Hungary in America.
(Bicskei Anita)
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