A joint venture of the Rákóczi Foundation and the MHSO, Memorial 1956 – The Hungarian Exodus was undertaken to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival and settlement in Canada of nearly 40,000 Hungarian refugees. These refugees had been compelled to leave their homeland following the failure of the Hungarian Revolution and Soviet occupation of the country. The objective of the project was to collect, organize, and preserve personal stories and archival materials related to this important episode in the history of migration to Canada. Four hundred hours of oral history testimony along with photographs, letters, documents, and memoirs were obtained from approximately 200 individuals across the country. A highlight of the project was the production of a travelling exhibit, Hungarian Exodus – 1956. It opened at the Munk Centre for International Studies in the University of Toronto in September 2006 and then embarked on an extensive national tour. A replica of the exhibit was circulated to venues in Hungary. A trilingual (English, French, Hungarian) virtual exhibit was also produced. It is still available for viewing.
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