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The Hungarian '56ers
On October 18, 2025, this plaque was unveiled at the Orbán Balázs Társaság Székler Society Ball of the Székler Hungarian Community at the Hungarian Canadian Cultural Centre at 141 Sunrise Avenue in Toronto. It was unveiled again on October 23, 2025 during a flag raising at Toronto’s Queen’s Park. It was then permanently installed at Toronto’s Matt Cohen Park on March 6, 2026. The plaque was produced in partnership with the Consulate General of Hungary, the Hungarian Canadian Cultural Centre and the Hungarian Research Institute of Canada.
The plaque reads as follows:
THE HUNGARIAN ’56ers
Hungarians came to Ontario in significant numbers during three distinct waves: the first between 1920-30, the next after the Second World War and the third following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Hungarian immigrants established communities in Toronto, Hamilton and throughout the Southwestern Ontario tobacco belt. The community grew significantly after the Hungarian Revolution, in which more than 200,000 Hungarians were forced to flee Soviet forces in their homeland, creating a refugee crisis and evoking international public sympathy. In a historic approach, the Canadian government responded by dramatically curtailing normal procedure, by not only cutting red tape but also by covering transportation costs. From 1956-57, Canada welcomed 37,565 Hungarians; more than half, 19,541, settled in Ontario. They were mainly young, from urban areas, and most had technical or university education. The newcomers established businesses and a wide variety of distinctive institutions, adding the best of their experience and traditions, and contributing to all areas of society. Their arrival marked a milestone event as Canada’s immigration policy became more welcoming to immigrants and refugees, contributing to an era when Ontario became more diverse in the postwar period.
AZ ’56-OS MAGYAROK
A magyarok három külön hullámban érkeztek Ontárióba nagyobb számban: az első bevándorlási hullám 1920–30 között, a következő a második világháború után, a harmadik pedig az 1956-os magyar forradalom és szabadságharcot követően történt. A magyar bevándorlók Torontóban, Hamiltonban, illetve Ontario délnyugati részén, dohánytermelő övezetben telepedtek le. A közösség jelentősen gyarapodott a magyar forradalom után, amikor több mint 200 000 magyar volt kénytelen elmenekülni szülőföldjéről a megszálló szovjet erők elől, ami menekültválságot eredményezett, egyben nemzetközi szimpátiát váltott ki. A kanadai kormány történelmi lépéssel felelt a helyzetre, ugyanis drasztikusan leegyszerűsítette a bevándorlást: nemcsak a bürokráciát csökkentette, hanem az utazási költségeket is fedezte. 1956–57-ben Kanada 37 565 magyar bevándorlót fogadott be, akiknek több mint fele, 19 541 fő Ontárióban telepedett le. A bevándorlók többnyire városokból származó, műszaki vagy egyetemi végzettséggel rendelkező fiatalok voltak. Az újonnan érkezők vállalkozásokat és számos intézményt is alapítottak, felhasználva hozott szakértelmüket és a hagyományaikat, így hozzájárulva a társadalom alakításához minden szinten. Érkezésük mérföldkőnek számított, amitől Kanada bevándorlási politikája befogadóvá vált a bevándorlók és menekültek irányában, ezzel hozzájárulva ahhoz, hogy Ontario a háború utáni időszakban sokszínűbbé válhasson.
Historical background
Overview
One of the first Hungarians to travel to North America was Stephen Parmenius of Buda, chief chronicler and historian for the expedition of Sir Humphrey Gilbert. Parmenius landed on the shores of Newfoundland in 1583. The young Hungarian humanist then wrote one of the earliest and most detailed accounts of the land that would become Canada.[1] That contribution would be followed by the many talented Hungarians who made their mark in the New World.
Between 1880 and 1910, one million Hungarians migrated to North America because of the combined effects of push from the homeland and pull from the New World. They were mainly agricultural labourers forced to leave Hungary because of poverty and overpopulation in the countryside. The first sizeable Hungarian settlements in Canada were founded by immigrants from the United States who had been part of this turn-of-the-century mass migration. In 1901, there were approximately 1,500 Hungarians in Canada, but by 1914 their numbers had increased to 15,000. Though Hungarian immigration to Canada began in the mid-1880s, the first Hungarian settlements in Ontario were not fully established until after the First World War. Thus, the distinct periods of immigration considered in this paper are those between 1920 and 1930, after the Second World War, and following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
In 1924, the quota system instituted in the United States limiting the number of immigrants to that country created a sharp increase in the number of Hungarians wishing to enter Canada instead. Between 1924-30, over 29,000 Hungarians were admitted to Canada as agricultural workers. They came during the interwar years because of the political and economic upheavals that followed the First World War. Some immigrated from areas partitioned from Hungary after the war: the southern parts of the newly created Czechoslovakia, Transylvania in Romania and Vojvodina in then-Yugoslavia. The majority were from small towns and rural areas. Many were skilled tradesmen: butchers, carpenters, shoemakers and blacksmiths. Most had never heard of Canada prior to emigrating.
Although they arrived as agricultural workers, by 1931 the majority had settled in other areas in Canada and more than half lived in urban centres — especially Ontario, where three-quarters of the Hungarian-born population lived in cities by 1931. By the early 1930s, the cities of Hamilton, Toronto, Welland and Windsor had Hungarian populations of over 1,000; Brantford, Kitchener, Oshawa, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Port Colborne also had hundreds of Hungarian residents. Hamilton had the largest Hungarian community in Ontario in 1931 because the city offered immigrants readily available work in the steel mills and iron foundries. Many other Hungarians were attracted by construction jobs at the Welland Canal, so they settled in the Welland and Port Colborne area, finding work in the numerous textile mills and rubber factories after the canal was built. In Windsor, the automobile manufacturing industry was a large employer. Workers first commuted daily to plants in Detroit, then worked in newly constructed plants in Windsor.
The first Hungarian associations in Ontario were sick benefit societies, created to protect immigrants from the uncertainties imposed on them by life in a foreign country at a time when no state-sponsored forms of insurance existed.[2] As well as providing some measure of financial security, these organizations often held meetings and social events where the immigrants, isolated from the host society by language and culture, could find companionship. The first Hungarian Sick Benefit Society was organized in Hamilton in 1907; the Brantford Hungarian Mutual Benefit Society was established in 1913. By the 1930s, Hungarian mutual benefit or self-help societies were active in most Ontario cities with any sizeable Hungarian population. Indeed, the principles of mutual aid informing these societies were so central to the lives of interwar immigrants that even organizations founded in the 1950s by immigrants who had lived in Canada for over 20 years instituted a funeral benefits program. This wave of immigrants also founded the first religious congregations. The first Hungarian congregations organized in Ontario were Presbyterian and were founded in Welland and Hamilton in 1926. In 1928, Hungarian Roman Catholics founded churches in Welland and Toronto. Other denominations followed, such as Baptists, Lutherans and Greek Catholics — and there were instances where four or five congregations were active in one community.
It is evident that Hungarian immigrants to Ontario during the interwar years encountered and overcame numerous obstacles in their efforts to establish viable communities. Often able to find only transient jobs, they contended with the depressed economic and labour conditions of the 1930s. Many settled in the tobacco-farming districts of Southern Ontario, attracted by the possibility of more permanent employment. The community was characterized by strong divisions and antagonisms between those on the left and the right, which often beset their community centres, organizations and religious institutions.[3]
During the Second World War, Hungarian immigration to North America was again curtailed. Hungarians in Canada were listed as “enemy aliens” and the activities of some organizations, particularly the leftist ones, were scrutinized. Hungarian communities went out of their way to demonstrate their loyalty to their adopted homeland by supporting the War Bond and Red Cross Relief programs.
After the war, Canada sought farm labourers, construction workers and domestic servants. Between 1948-52, 10,151 Hungarian displaced persons were admitted to Canada. Those who came usually had to accept a one-year contract that required that they work on farms, in logging camps and construction teams in rural areas of the province. After fulfilling the contract, most relocated to urban areas, particularly Toronto.
The postwar wave of displaced persons constituted the most politically conscious group, even when compared to the much larger group of Hungarian refugees of 1956. The organizations they founded aimed to maintain the traditions of the homeland, especially those traditions undermined by the postwar Communist government. They placed great emphasis on educating the second generation in their language as well as heritage through Saturday language schools and the Hungarian scouting movement. They founded several newspapers and their influence was felt in the leadership of community organizations. Finally, their impact on religious institutions was dramatic. A significant number of Hungarian Jesuit priests arrived in Canada after the war when the Jesuit order (and all religious orders) was disbanded by the Communist regime. The Jesuits took over Hungarian Roman Catholic congregations, mainly those in the largest urban centres in Ontario, such as Toronto and Hamilton, until then served only by Canadian-born priests.
This wave of post-Second World War refugees included many Holocaust survivors, such as Peter Munk, who later became a famous entrepreneur and philanthropist.[4] Leslie Dan also arrived as a postwar refugee. He was founder of what would later become Canadian pharmaceutical giant Novopharm and gifted the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy to the University of Toronto. John Hirsch was adopted after the war by a Canadian couple as an orphan of the Holocaust. Over time, he established the Manitoba Theatre Centre, the first permanent theatre company in Winnipeg. [5]
In October 1956, a spontaneous revolution erupted in Hungary that had dramatic effects on Hungarian immigration to Canada and the nature of Hungarian-Canadian communities. The revolution was crushed by the Soviet Union and some 200,000 Hungarians left the country, creating a large refugee crisis.
During November 1956, the procedures and formalities normally surrounding immigration to Canada were drastically curtailed by the government. Canadian officials began eliminating red tape by giving priority to applications from Hungarian refugees. Toward the end of November, the Canadian government elected to pay all costs in connection with the movement of Hungarian refugees to Canada. Immigrants no longer had to repay their passage. Senior immigration department officials flew to Austria to help speed up the processing of applicants. On December 1, the Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, J.W. Pickersgill, arrived in Vienna to take personal charge of the situation. The December 4 headline of one Toronto daily newspaper read: “Pickersgill cuts red tape — refugee applications processed One-A-Minute.” The minister was quoted as saying that Canada set no limit in accepting these refugees. Overall immigration to Canada slackened during the mid-1950s and, fortunately for the Hungarian refugees, many predicted a labour shortage on that account.
Over less than a one-year period in 1956, some 37,565 Hungarian refugees were admitted to Canada. Their arrival was historically significant. They were one of the first large groups of refugees to arrive over a relatively short amount of time who spoke neither of Canada’s two official languages.[6] Expecting to find a cross-section of the population in the Austrian camps, Pickersgill reportedly found practically no one over the age of 40. Overall, they were well-educated, and many had technical training. They came from urban areas of Hungary. Their immigration to Canada was assessed by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration as an immigration minister's dream come true. Tremendous international public sympathy and support for the group was generated , and as a result, they had less difficulty than earlier immigrants in finding employment and adjusting to life in Canada. Many enrolled in Canadian universities with the assistance of scholarship programs. The University of British Columbia (UBC) was the first to offer haven to the 285 students and 29 professors from the Faculty of Forestry at Hungary’s University of Sopron. Members of the faculty emigrated together and UBC offered them university affiliation and facilities so the Hungarian students could complete their studies without interruption.[7]
Hungarian-Canadian communities were enhanced and enriched by the refugees of the revolution simply by their sheer numbers. Many were single. St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church and the first Hungarian Presbyterian Church in Toronto were flooded with requests to perform marriages for the newly arrived refugee couples. Mass refugee weddings took place; as many as 12 couples were married at once at St. Elizabeth. Although government agencies intended to distribute the refugees across the country, the majority settled in Ontario. According to Ontario statistics between the census years of 1951 and 1961, the Hungarian-born population of the province increased by 19,541.[8]
The newcomers founded a multitude of cultural organizations, theatre companies, folk dance groups and choirs. The recently arrived Hungarians impressed Canadian audiences with their unique dance and musical cultural heritage, especially through the masterworks of internationally renowned composers such as Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartok. George Zadubán, a student of Kodály, founded the Kodály Male Choir in 1960. By 1961, the choir acquired the name Kodály Ensemble, complemented by a 30-piece orchestra and a 25-member children's choir. In 1962, a female choir and a folk-dance group were added.[9] The ensemble took part in several international tours and received wide acclaim. Sections of the children's choir eventually became part of the Canadian Opera Company choir.
Another refugee who arrived with this wave was Sándor Kertész (1911-90) — an experienced actor who founded an established theatre group, the Toronto Art Theatre, within a year of his arrival to Canada. According to Kertész, in his own words, the overwhelming need of actors and actresses to practise their profession was the underlying reason for the success of the group. Although many of the actors and actresses were cab drivers, porters, waiters and factory workers during the day, in the evening they could once again be stage players.[10] As the arts reviewer for Maclean's magazine wrote in June 1963:
The only permanent Hungarian language theatre outside of Hungary, with a permanent subscription list just like the O'Keefe Centre's and almost every seat for every performance is sold out for weeks before the curtain goes up on a new show.[11]
Many of the 1956 refugees added to the distinct tapestry of cultural institutions in Canada. To name a few, George Jonas (1935-2016) was a distinguished author, filmmaker, columnist and radio and film producer who began his career as a cab driver in Toronto.[12] Anna Porter established Key Porter Books, one of the largest publishing companies in Canada. Robert Lantos was the closest thing to a Canadian "film mogul," establishing one of the largest television companies in North America, Alliance Communications. George Hencz (1933-2011) became President and publisher of Performing Arts in Canada, an illustrated quarterly founded in 1961 and published in Toronto. The magazine became the official record of the rapidly unfolding Canadian arts scene, offering interviews on prominent musicians and articles of upcoming festivals and promising musical ensembles.[13]
Many businessmen and entrepreneurs also found their footing in the welcoming atmosphere of their newly adopted homeland. Frank Hasenfratz (1935-2022) arrived with nothing more than a technical education as a tool and die maker; he received five dollars when he disembarked from the ship in 1957. The company he founded, Linamar Corporation, today has 33,000 employees in 19 countries and is the second-largest auto parts manufacturer in Canada.[14]
The Freedom Fighters Federation of Canada, organized by immigrants of this same wave, sought to foster ideals of the revolution. In 1966, the 10th anniversary of the revolution was commemorated with a permanent monument erected in Toronto’s Budapest Park on Lake Shore Boulevard West.
In a survey of Hungarian cultural institutions, businesses and organizations in Ontario, one is struck by the variety of talent and knowledge they brought. Hungarians have in many ways offered to the multicultural mosaic of their adopted homeland the very best of their traditions. There are few areas of Canadian business, scientific, medical, engineering, academic or cultural life in which individual Canadians of Hungarian origin have not left their mark.
The Ontario Heritage Trust gratefully acknowledges the research and writing of Susan M. Papp, PhD, in preparing this paper. The Trust also thanks the Consulate General of Hungary, the Hungarian Canadian Cultural Centre and the Hungarian Research Institute of Canada for their assistance in reviewing drafts of this paper.
© Ontario Heritage Trust, 2025
[1] Susan M. Papp, "Hungarians in Ontario," Polyphony: The Bulletin of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario, Hungarians in Ontario, 1979-80, Vol. 2, No. 2-3, p. 3.
[2] Ibid., p. 8.
[3] Carmela Patrias, "Hungarian Immigration to Canada Before the Second World War," Polyphony: The Bulletin of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario, Hungarians in Ontario, 1979-80, Vol. 2, No. 2-3, pp. 17-44.
[4] https://www.chancellorscircle.utoronto.ca/members/peter-munk-and-melanie-munk
[5] Fraidie Martz and Andrew Wilson, A Fiery Soul: The Life and Theatrical Times of John Hirsch, Montreal: Véhicule Press, 2011, p. 22.
[8] Susan M. Papp, "Flight and Settlement," Polyphony: The Bulletin of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario, Hungarians in Ontario, 1979-80, Vol. 2, No. 2-3, pp. 63-70.
[9] George Bisztray, "Cultural Institutions," Susan M. Papp, ed., Polyphony: the Bulletin of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario, Hungarians in Ontario, Double Issue, 1979-80, Vol. 2, No. 2-3, pp. 70-76.
[10] Kertész Sándor, Déryné voltam Kanadában: A torontói Művész Szinház 23 éves története [Curtain at Eight: The Twenty-three-year history of the Hungarian Art Theatre of Toronto], Toronto: unknown publisher, 1981.
[11] "Hungary's loss, Toronto's gain, a theatre in the Budapest manner," Maclean's, June 1, 1963.
[12] Marc Coté, "Remembering George Jonas, 1935-2016," Quill & Quire, January 13, 2016.
[13] https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/performing-arts-in-canada-emc
[14] Rod McQueen and Susan M. Papp, Driven to Succeed: How Frank Hasenfratz Grew Linamar from Guelph to Global, Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2012.