SOLTVADKERT, Hungary (AP) — Zoltan Sztojka, by his own account Hungary's last Roma fortuneteller, lays 36 weathered tarot cards on a table at his home in the village of Soltvadkert, and peers at them from beneath the brim of his large felt hat. As he turns the cards with his heavily ringed fingers, he presents his clients — whom he calls “patients” — details of their past, present and future, a skill of divination he says he inherited from an “unbroken family lineage” of fortunetellers dating back to 1601. “They were fortunetellers and seers,” he says of generations of his ancestors, who were “chosen by God” to practice the gift of fortunetelling. Sztojka, 47, whom friends and locals call simply “Zoli with the hat,” uses cards and palm reading to divine information about his clients, a trade he has been practicing for 25 years. His skills at seeing the unseeable, he says, were apparent from childhood. “You're either born with it or you inherit it, but to say you can learn it is humbug,” he said while seated in a room filled with burning candles and religious icons, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Sztojka is a member of Hungary's large Roma minority, which some estimates place at as many as 1 million people in the Central European country — roughly 10% of its population. Present in virtually every country in Europe, many Roma face racism, segregation, social exclusion and poverty. First migrating to Hungary in the 15th century, Roma were known historically for their skills as craftspeople and musicians. They long spoke their own language and maintained numerous dialects and customs related to their trades — metalworkers, horse grooms and traders, musicians and fortunetellers, among others. But in the mid-18th century, Habsburg empress Maria Theresa ordered the forced assimilation of the Roma, outlawing their nomadic way of life and the use of their language, Romani. Roma children were removed from their homes and placed with non-Roma families, while use of the Hungarian word for Roma — cigany — was also forbidden. They were dubbed “New Hungarians.” This and other processes of marginalization means that most Roma in Hungary are no longer able to speak the Romani language, and many of their traditional trades — like fortunetelling — were lost, said Szilvia Szenasi, director of the Uccu Roma Informal Educational Foundation. “Traditional occupations are very much on the wane,” Szenasi said. “It is important to preserve them for the next generation, because it is through them that the Roma people can live their own identity.” For Sztojka, preserving Roma culture goes beyond keeping the centuries-old art of fortunetelling alive. He dresses each day in brilliantly colored vests and shirts adorned with floral folk patterns, and wears a traditional long, dark moustache. A devout Catholic, he only removes his wide-brimmed hat — a trademark of the Gabor Roma clan of Transylvania — when eating or attending church. “It’s terribly important to preserve our culture and traditions, because if we don’t have a culture, then the Gypsy community will cease to exist," he said. “I try to pass them on to many people so they can really get to know us, because all they know is that there are Gypsies, but they don’t know anything about us." While in several cultures the word Gypsy is considered an offensive term, Sztojka prefers using it to Roma. He and his family belong to the Lovari subgroup of Roma people, and speak the Lovari dialect of Romani — something he says is “on the verge of extinction.” “People don't really want to speak the Gypsy language. Everyone assimilates as if suddenly they wanted to be Hungarian,” he said. Along with his clairvoyance, Sztojka inherited his 150-year-old tarot cards from his great-great-grandmother, who herself was a fortuneteller in a time when the tradition was a much greater part of Roma identity. Beatrix Kolompar, one of Sztojka's relatives, said that her people's traditions “can distinguish us as Gypsies, as Roma.” “Since we don’t have a country of our own, we carry on the world we live in, the Roma way of life, through our traditions,” she said. "The dancing girls, the colorful dresses, the fortunetelling and the fortuneteller, it’s proof of who we are.” But Szenasi, the director of the Uccu Foundation, says that preserving such traditions "requires cultural recognition, which is very lacking in Hungary.” Without “institutional culture” such as museums and other cultural institutions, she said, "the traditions that the Gypsy people are doing are slowly becoming lost, and these values will unfortunately disappear.” Sztojka says he has lost around half of his business during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that many of his “patients” are return visitors who are convinced of his clairvoyance. Sztojka makes his living from fortunetelling, charging 15,000 Hungarian forints ($50) per session, although he says he doesn’t turn poor people away. But he also considers it “a mission” that spiritually enriches both him and his customers. “To read cards is a total blessing for me. It’s how I can help my fellow human beings," he said. Despite the vanishing of his culture's centuries-old way of life, “Zoli with the hat” says he will never give up on carrying forward the mystical trade of his ancestors. “My parents didn’t assimilate, my grandparents didn’t assimilate, and I won’t either. If you have no past, you have no future,” Sztojka said. “I believe that I was born a Gypsy, and I will die a Gypsy.” Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Share to WhatsApp Copy Link Print Send by e-mail Share to Classroom Add to Favorites var tag = document.createElement('script'); tag.src = "https://www.youtube.com/iframe_api"; var firstScriptTag = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; firstScriptTag.parentNode.insertBefore(tag, firstScriptTag); slider=jQuery(".royalSlider").royalSlider({ controlNavigation: 'none', //bullets thumbnails // autoplay options go gere enabled: false,//true adina imageScaleMode: 'fit-if-smaller', enabled: false // ????? ?????? ????? slider = jQuery(".royalSlider").data('royalSlider'); const fullscreenButton = jQuery(".rsFullscreenBtn"); // ????? ?????? const fullscreenIcon = fullscreenButton.find(".rsFullscreenIcn"); // ????? ??????? ????? // ????? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? (?????? ???) customNavWrapper.append(prevArrow).append(customCounter).append(nextArrow); // jQuery(".royalSlider").append($customNavWrapper); jQuery(".rsGCaption").before(customNavWrapper); slider.ev.on('rsAfterSlideChange', function () { const currentSlide = slider.currSlideId + 1; // ????? ?????? const totalSlides = slider.numSlides; // ???? ??????? customCounter.text(`${currentSlide}/${totalSlides}`); slider.ev.trigger('rsAfterSlideChange'); slider.prev(); // ???? ??????? ????? slider.next(); // ???? ??????? ???? slider.ev.on('rsOnCreateVideoElement', function (e, url) { //alert("rsOnCreateVideoElement " + url); var player = new YT.Player('player', { playerVars: { 'autoplay': 1, 'wmode': "transparent", 'rel': 0, 'showinfo': 0 }, 'onReady': onPlayerReady, 'onStateChange': onPlayerStateChange function onPlayerReady(event) { event.target.playVideo(); function onPlayerStateChange(event) { if (event.data === 0) { slider.stopVideo(); slider.ev.on('rsAfterInit', function() { jQuery(".royalSlider").height("auto"); slider.ev.on('enterFullscreen', function () { // ����� ���� ����� ����� ���� ��� ��� slider.st.arrowsNav = true; // ����� ����� �� ����� ������ slider.ev.on('rsExitFullscreen', function () { // ����� ���� ����� ����� ������ ���� ��� slider.st.arrowsNav = false; // ����� ������ jQuery('.popup-gallery').magnificPopup({ tLoading: 'Loading image #%curr%...', preload: [0, 1], // Will preload 0 - before current, and 1 after the current image //temp += 'Commemorating the Murder of Jews, Avoiding Responsibility'; about to boarding a deportation train There is a strong trend in Hungary today to present the destruction of Hungarian Jewry during the Holocaust as an exclusively German crime and except for a small group of Hungarian thugs to ignore the role and responsibility of the Hungarian authorities and society of the renewal of the House of Fates Museum project in Budapest given what is known about this project's planned content and approach Yad Vashem was first approached by Hungarian authorities in the summer of 2013 to participate in an international advisory forum regarding the establishment of a new Holocaust remembrance institution in Budapest During subsequent meetings in Budapest and at Yad Vashem in 2014 our historical and educational experts studied the project's proposed concept and content and conveyed very substantial reservations and criticism including the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) – a worldwide consortium of over 30 nations No substantial response from the project's organizers was forthcoming then to the weighty issues that we raised Yad Vashem disassociated itself totally from the project in 2014 It has been confirmed that it is precisely the flawed concept that will be implemented in the new museum nothing of substance has appeared in the press or been transmitted to Yad Vashem to indicate that the detailed criticism that was conveyed to the museum planners several years ago will be addressed Yad Vashem's position regarding the House of Fates project remains unchanged The concept's core goal is to present the fate of children in German-occupied Budapest and the deportation of Hungarian Jewish children to Auschwitz  The proposed museum aims to be purely descriptive of these specific historical events but pointedly and intentionally without any relevant historical context regarding those events:  the wider Holocaust of the Jews in Europe and North Africa; the situation in Hungary before the 1944 German occupation; or the aftermath of the Holocaust Particularly missing is the role played by Hungarians in the persecution of their Jewish neighbors The museum concept clearly avoids addressing the role and responsibility of Miklos Horthy and other Hungarian leaders of that era for the plight of the nation's Jews and their eventual abandonment to the hands of Nazi Germany There is no serious presentation about the Hungarian anti-Jewish laws that began to be passed in 1938 the deportations from Hungary to Kamenets Podolskiy in 1941 by the Hungarian authorities the shootings of Jews and Serbs in Novi Sad in 1942 by the Hungarian military and the drafting of Jewish men into the Hungarian Labor Service System that began in mass in 1941 and turned lethal for the majority who were sent to the Eastern front from 1942 onward The concept proposal focuses on the period of the German occupation that began on March 19 it ignores the crucial role played by Hungarian authorities and a great many individual Hungarians in the persecution and deportation of Jews from the arrival of the Germans through the coming of the Hungarian Arrow Cross to power on October 15 It says nothing about Hungarian society in general and how a great many Hungarians sought to benefit from Jewish property left behind or expropriated from the Jews Regarding the period following the coming of the Arrow Cross to power the project concept does indeed relate to that group's role in the continued persecution Thus it essentially puts forth a narrative in which only the Germans and Arrow Cross were responsible for the murder of Hungarian Jewry visitors to the House of Fates are to be shown and taught that the citizens of Hungary were essentially blameless for what was inflicted upon their Jewish neighbors the concept's planners have added a statistically disproportional over-emphasis on rescue attempts on behalf of Jews that Hungary was actually a nation of rescuers the proposed museum's "educational approach" purposely highlights and evokes almost exclusively emotional dimensions for young visitors at the expense of the factual historical record Yad Vashem's extensive and varied experience in teaching about the Shoah worldwide indicates that this approach is unacceptable and in fact compromises the integrity and effectiveness of the entire endeavor of Holocaust education in Hungary the concept does not provide a worthy vehicle for meaningful exploration - not only of what happened to Hungarian Jewish children during the Holocaust The proposed museum might leave some sort of emotional imprint on its visitors but it would do nothing to help young people grapple with the serious issues that led to the destruction of the overwhelming majority of Hungarian Jewish children in particular and Hungary's own role in that horrible process as in a number of other places around the world recalling the murder of the Jews in the Holocaust is deemed worthwhile only if discussion based on the accurate historical record about local responsibility is avoided This blog was reprinted from the Times of Israel Blog The Yad Vashem website had recently undergone a major upgrade The page you are looking for has apparently been moved We are therefore redirecting you to what we hope will be a useful landing page For any questions/clarifications/problems, please contact: webmaster@yadvashem.org.il Roma photographer and writer Eszter Halasi travels back to her native Hungary to meet a man who embodies both Roma heritage and tradition - and the modern age I visited Zoltán "Kalapos" Sztojka in his home in Soltvadkert to find out what it's like for a Roma man who not only keeps his Roma identity in his heart but also proudly shows it in his appearance My first meeting with Zoltán and his wife was at the Csatka Farewell a gathering for Roma people from all over Eastern Europe in the Hungarian part of the Carpathian Mountains an annual event that is part-religious ceremony that Zoltán's striking traditional attire attracts considerable attention every year among the many photographers working their trade at the Csatka Farewell some of whom will sell photographs of Zoltán's traditional attire to foreign publications But Zoltán is not only unique in appearance Many people mention his ability to foresee the future Although I do not believe in such abilities I recognize that this is part of Roma culture a skill passed down from mothers and fathers to their children Because so many articles have been published about Zoltán meeting him felt like reconnecting with an old friend Perhaps a common heart beats among the Roma Recognizing this similarity in each other is a wonderful thing and what was the situation with the Roma there imagined a photo series of Zoltán in this world which shows how he manages to embody both tradition and the modern age But I must not forget to mention that Zoltán is a warm-hearted In addition to his faithful and strict adherence to Romani traditions He also maintains close relationships with non-Roma seasoned with his delicious Hungarian words sometimes interspersed with the Gypsy language The meeting with Zoltán was a journey through time where the past and the present were seamlessly intertwined tradition and modernity fit together harmoniously in one person You can read more about Zoltán in the book "Ciganylélek" (Gypsy Soul) written by Tibor Borzák with the photographs of Bahget Iskander the Hungarian government became interested in making an alliance with Nazi Germany The Hungarian Government felt that such an alliance would be good for them in that the two governments maintained similar authoritarian ideologies and the Nazis could assist Hungary in retrieving land it had lost in World War I A Hungarian gendarme checks a woman entering the Munkács ghetto German soldiers supervising the deportation of Jews The Munich Conference of September 1938 allowed Germany to annex the Sudeten region of Czechoslovakia Germany carved a piece of Czechoslovakia — territory that had formerly belonged to Hungary — and handed it back to Hungary in order to cement the relations between the two nations Germany gave Hungary possession of northern Transylvania Hungary was awarded more land in March 1941 when despite its alliance with the Yugoslav government the Jewish population in Greater Hungary had reached 725,007 not including about 100,000 Jews who had converted to Christianity but were still racially considered to be “Jews.” Approximately half of Hungary's Jewish population lived in Budapest where they were very acculturated and a part of the middle class Deportation of the Budapest Jews to the Ghetto which officially defined who was to be considered Jewish Jewish deportees before boarding the deportation train Although these anti-Jewish laws caused many hardships most of the Jews of Hungary lived in relative safety for much of the war Some 18,000 Jews randomly designated by the Hungarian authorities as "Jewish foreign nationals" were kicked out of their homes and deported to Kamenets-Podolsk in the Ukraine another 1,000 Jews in the section of Hungary newly acquired from Yugoslavia were murdered by Hungarian soldiers and police in their "pursuit of Partisans.” the Hungarian authorities became more and more entrenched in their alliance with Germany Hungary decided to join Germany in its war against the Soviet Union Hungary joined the Axis Powers in declaring war against the United States completely cutting itself off from any relationship with the West after Germany's defeat at Stalingrad and other battles in which Hungary lost tens of thousands of its soldiers began trying to back out of the alliance with Germany in order to keep the country loyal by force Hitler immediately set up a new government that he thought would be faithful Hungary's former ambassador to Germany Jews saved from deportation at the last minute in Budapest Jews accompanied by Hungarian gendarmes before boarding the transport to Auschwitz-Birkenau These negotiations are discussed in greater depth below Many Jews (perhaps up to 8,000) fled from Hungary many with the help of Zionist youth movement members The Munkács brick factory where the Jews of the town were brought before their deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau and others who provided many Jews with international protection Hungary was liberated by the Soviet army by April 1945 Up to 568,000 Hungarian Jews had perished during the Holocaust Israel (also known as Rudolf or Rezso) Kasztner was a Hungarian Zionist leader in his native Transylvania and then in Budapest after Transylvania was annexed by Hungary in 1940 In late 1944 he helped found the Relief and Rescue Committee of Budapest the committee successfully smuggled refugees from Poland and Slovakia into Hungary Once Germany invaded Hungary in March 1944 Kasztner came to believe that the best way to save Hungarian Jewry – the last Jewish community in Europe – was to negotiate with the German authorities the Rescue Committee contacted the SS officers in charge of implementing the "Final Solution" in Hungary Adolf Eichmann made his offer to exchange "Blood for Goods," whereby a certain number of Jews would be spared in exchange for large amounts of goods Kasztner negotiated directly with Eichmann and later with Kurt Becher Hungarian Jews from Carpatho-Ruthenia undergoing selection on the ramp at Birkenau Kasztner convinced Eichmann to release some 1,700 Jews Kasztner and other Jewish leaders drew up a list of Jews to be released They were transported out of Hungary on what came to be known as the "Kasztner Train." After being detained in Bergen-Belsen the members of the "Kasztner Train" eventually reached safety in Switzerland Kasztner and Becher continued negotiating for an end to the murder and later for the surrender of various Nazi camps to the Allies These negotiations may have led to the order to stop the murder in Auschwitz and to stop the deportations from Budapest in fall 1944 Kasztner moved to Palestine and became a civil servant working in the Israeli government He was accused of collaborating with the Nazis by a journalist named Malkiel Grunwald The Israeli government sued Grunwald on Kasztner's behalf in order to clear Kasztner's name but Grunwald's lawyer turned the trial into an indictment of Kasztner The judge summed up the trial by saying that Kasztner had "sold his soul to the devil" – by negotiating with the Nazis by favoring his friends and relatives on the Kasztner Train and by not doing enough to warn Hungarian Jews about their fate the Israeli Supreme Court cleared Kasztner of all wrongdoing before the new decision could be announced Kasztner was assassinated by extreme right-wing nationalists A likely “classic” tornado struck the town of Soltvadkert in Bács-Kiskun County early on 18 April according to a study published by HungaroMet Plc According to the study a passing thunderstorm system unleashed extremely strong winds and intense hail over northern Soltvadkert which quickly accelerated to hurricane force The worst damage occurred along a relatively narrow path Just a few hundred meters outside this zone the scale of the destruction dropped significantly At a meteorological station about three kilometers southwest of the damage path HungaroMet’s certified wind instruments recorded a maximum gust of only 25 kilometers per hour and no other nearby areas experienced storm-force winds a storm system made up of two large cells had entered the country’s border The first cell reached the Soltvadkert area by 1:40 a.m. while the second cell moved between Kiskunmajsa and Kiskunhalas second cell that arrived over Soltvadkert by 2 AM the two main storm cells continued their course toward the capital no reports emerged of damage elsewhere on the scale seen in Soltvadkert the storm cells resembled rotating thunderstorms — known as supercells — supported by their hook-shaped structure and long lifespan The hook pattern typically indicates rotation while the storm’s longevity is often sustained by this spinning motion The vertical cross-section of the storm over Soltvadkert also displayed the telltale signs of a supercell with clear separation between the narrower “inflow region” and the broader area of heavy precipitation The tornado likely formed within the supercell’s inflow channel According to the analysis, the damage in Soltvadkert was primarily caused by a tornado that developed within the supercell the tornado is believed to have ranked EF1—possibly EF2—on the Enhanced Fujita scale which is used to estimate tornado strength based on observed damage The report also referenced another study analyzing data from 2004 to 2012 which found that an average of around 70 supercells form in Hungary each year develop in only 10–20 percent of these supercells To read or share this article in Hungarian, click here: Helló Magyar and website in this browser for the next time I comment Y"},"category":false,"taxonomy":{"active":false,"name":"category"}},"markup":{"custom_html":true,"wpp-start":"","wpp-end":"<\/ul>","title-start":"","title-end":"<\/h2>","post-html":"{thumb} {title} {stats}<\/span>{excerpt}<\/p><\/li>"},"theme":{"name":""}} You have successfully joined our subscriber list SupportUs Newsletter © 2025 DailyNewsHungary | All rights reserved Summer is the perfect time to explore new corners of the country you have never seen before you do not even need to book a week-long vacation; a well-planned day trip can be just as rewarding Here are some excellent ideas if you want to plan a day trip in Hungary Travelo has put together a collection of destinations that visitors can explore in a day or enjoy over several – and they would be a shame to miss Stephen’s Basilica is an unmissable experience in Budapest The Basilica is one of the tallest buildings in the city with its 65-metre-high panoramic platform offering a magnificent and very unique perspective of the capital’s beauty One adult ticket for the panoramic terrace costs HUF 4,300 (EUR 10.90) a discounted ticket is available for HUF 3,400 (EUR 8.62) Another gem in Budapest is the recently renovated Japanese garden in the courtyard of the Márton Varga School of Horticulture and Geodesy The Zugló Japanese Garden has a 95-year history designed and built by Márton Varga in 1928 The Japanese Garden has extraordinary flora the garden is also available as a wedding venue is home to an impressive collection of evergreens Known as the “living pine museum,” it takes its name from the Folly family the arboretum offers individual and guided tours and its restaurant features locally-produced wines History also takes centre stage at the Village Museum in Szombathely an open-air ethnographic museum that evokes the atmosphere and spirit of the old Hungarian villages It was the second such museum in the country The original furnishings and restored buildings give a glimpse into Hungarian village life in the 18th and 20th centuries It is a perfect destination for those who would like to learn more about Hungarian traditions The Túristvándi Water Mill in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county is Europe’s only water mill of its kind and size it features a historical exhibition and is open to visitors throughout the year offers excellent recreational opportunities for both those who want to unwind and those who wish to spend their day trip in Hungary actively water sports equipment is available to rent Soltvadkert of Bács-Kiskun County also features an adventure park and camping facilities visit Egerszalók to enjoy the therapeutic thermal waters emerging from a 410-metre-deep hillside waterfall has created a stunning limestone formation reminiscent of those in Yellowstone National Park in the USA The spa is particularly beneficial for those with bone If you’re unsure which destination to pick the Mini Hungary model park in Szarvas is an ideal choice Located in the country’s largest arboretum the interactive park features replicas of famous Hungarian buildings In addition to several audio-equipped and mobile model buildings the park also houses the country’s longest outdoor model railway network where the most beautiful trains of Hungarian railway history come to life at the push of a button Guaranteed to be a memorable experience for children and adults alike a ticket to the arboretum and the Mini Hungary park costs HUF 3,600 (EUR 9.13) for adults and HUF 2,600 (EUR 6.59) for children For other tips on how to spend a day trip in Hungary: The National Centre for Public Health (NNK) reported that 94 percent of open-air bathing sites in Hungary have a good or excellent rating based on the European Union’s assessment system This means that you are perfectly safe when enjoying most of Hungary’s fun and often spectacular spas and baths there are three beaches that fell into the poor cathegory regarding their water quality Of the 279 bathing waters registered nationwide Only 3 beaches got into the category of “objectionable”: Maros Adventure Beach (Maros Kalandpart) in Makó; Vadkert Lake Baths (Vadkerti tófürdő) in Soltvadkert and Tisza Beach (Tisza-parti strand) in Tiszakécske Most of the natural bathing areas near lakes of major tourist interest like Lake Balaton Lake Velence are still classified as excellent Just 24 kilometres south of Hajdúszoboszló is the village of Földes. In the settlement, a small but charming thermal beach with three beaches has been in operation since the 1960s. The baths are almost ridiculously cheap compared to today’s prices, termalonline.hu writes As we reported, beaches this year have implemented significant price increases this year. HERE you can find the list of paid beachest at Lake Balaton and how much they have increased their ticket prices As a counterexample, the Földes Thermal Bath (Földesti Termálfürdő) offers affordable prices to all visitors this year The spa is currently open from 2 PM to 7 PM on weekdays and from 9 AM to 7 PM on weekends it is expected to be open all day on weekdays