Education paper by Biro, Ruth [withdrawn]
Models of Prosocial Action from WWII and the Hungarian Holocaust in Hungary: Hungarian Righteous Gentiles and Researchers in the Hungarian Diaspora
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
Conference theme is addressed through prosocial behaviors of those honored as Hungarian Righteous Gentiles, designation bestowed by Yad Vashem on those who risked their lives to save Jews in the Holocaust, and from seminal contributions of two Hungarian diaspora researchers in the USA to the literature of optimal flow, positive interactions, and actions against hate. Hungarian Righteous Among the Nations women mentioned are the Csizmadia family (Malvina, Olga, Iren, Maria), immigrants to Israel, and Celestine Loewenberg-Loen and activist leader Margit Slachta, both diaspora Hungarians in USA. Military are represented by Imre Reviczky, Zoltan Kubinyi, and Bela Kiralyi, leader on the Russian front during WWII who treated conscripted Jewish men humanely and noted diaspora scholar in USA before his return to Hungary. Religious in diplomatic roles include Papal Nuncio Angelo Rotta and deputy Gennaro Verolino, whose Righteous Gentile status was promoted by Hungarian diaspora resident of Australia Frank Vajda, and immigrant Tibor Baranski who served on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council. Also featured are two diaspora Hungarians whose innovative research in the United States was influenced by their experiences abroad: in World War II by Mihalyi Czikszentmihalyi and flow theory from postwar observations, and by Erwin Staub, saved by Wallenberg at age six in the Hungarian Holocaust, author on helping behavior and altruism and imperatives for education. Presentation will conclude with ways in which prosocial actions can be encouraged in today’s world to envision and forge a better future.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Dr. Biro earned a B.A. in political science at Chatham College, an MLS and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, and two certificates in Holocaust studies from Yad Vashem. Retired from Duquesne University, she researches Hungarian and Hungarian- American children's and adolescent literature and Righteous Gentiles in the Hungarian Holocaust. Published articles include: “Representations of Budapest in 1944-1945 in Holocaust Literature,” Comparative Central European Holocaust Studies. Eds. Louise O. Vasvari and Steven Totosy de Zepetnek. Purdue University Comparative Culture Series. West Lafayette IN: Purdue UP, 2009, 3-17, and “Christian Leadership in the Hungarian Holocaust: Celebrating the Moral Courage of Righteous Gentiles,” Proceedings of the Sixth Holocaust Education Conference, 2003. Ed. Kathleen McSharry. Greensburg: National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, Seton Hill University, 2005, 39-52. Several book reviews appear in Hungarian Cultural Studies. rgbiro@gmail.com