Nature is awakening in the cemetery too; we hope that this year we will have the opportunity to renovate further graves.

Our foundation once again had the opportunity, from money raised through the private donations of its members, to renovate a dangerously deteriorated and toppled grave. The tomb of Mrs. Sámuel Surányi and Sámuel Surányi now only awaits the spring flower planting.

With grant and private support we have once again completed the renovation of further graves. We purchased a motorised brush cutter for maintaining the grounds. Alongside renovating graves and maintaining the grounds, we planted flowers and tended them. We also repaired the grave damage caused by the summer storm. What remains is to clean some of the trees in the cemetery of the parasitic ivy.

A few days ago a major storm swept through Monor, and unfortunately the cemetery also suffered damage. A large branch of a black locust tree fell into the cemetery and knocked a gravestone out of place. We have begun removing the tree; we will arrange the repair of the damaged grave later.

In 2009, our foundation renovated five more graves, in proportion to its financial means. We hope that in the coming year we will also be able to secure the financial basis for continuing our work.

 

Our foundation participated to make succesful the movement „Piano to the Town” "Zongorát a Városnak". We have bought chairs and found supporters and now we have it! Civil organizations, private people, companies supported the movement. As a result of the succesful collection also the Town of Monor contributed to the goal, so today in the big hall of Vigadó we could consecrate the Steinway piano. The first concert was performed by Károly Mocsári in honour of the contributors.

Speech of the chairman of Monor Hegyessy Lions Club

It’s my pleasure to greet you in this beautiful, pleasant evening. We all contributed to be able to organize this event here..

That’s why I would like spend this evening in the spirit of thanks, gratefulness and music.

Can a charity club have bigger happiness than when a decision reaches success? I don’t think so.We, members of Lions Club are very happy and thank you for this feeling.

You must know that our club, Monor Hegyessy Lions Club is a member of a world-wide charity organization, goal of which is to help people living in disadvantageous circumstances. 

Money, collected on charity events are used for the above purpose.

In 2007 we thought – hoping in wide contribution – the excellent acoustics big hall of renovated Vigadó would be suitable to organize charity concerts in it, income of which could be used to help needy people.

But a music instrument is needed for this purpose! A piano! But it is not all the same what piano! A concert piano, the price of which is cca. 7-10 million HUF even in used condition. It was a shocking amount then! Anyhow we initiated money collecting movement of „Piano to the Town!” We didn’t dare to think that the decision will reach its purpose within so short time.

For this great common cooperation I’d like to say thanks to first of all Dr. Burzuk Valika, idea owner and fighter of this movement 
 

Thanks to the members of Lions Club, who collected money with a lot energy and effort, using their free time.

Thanks to Károly Mocsári pianist who found the most suitable piano for us and what is very important he convinced the owner of the piano that our money collection will be successful and the money will be available within reasonable period.

Thanks and gratefulness to Monor inhabitants, economic associations, civil organizations, people, living out of Monor and everybody who belived – together with us – that they serve a good purpose with their contribution.

Last but not least many thanks and even more gratefulness to the local government of Monor, mayor Mr. Tibor Pogácsás, he contributed to our movement with the missing amount to be able to buy the piano soon. 

Now the town has got the piano!

Lions Club will borrow it to organize charity concerts 2 times a year.

About colleaction of money we make a settlement, it will be published in Monor Strázsa newspaper..

Names of the contributors will be preserved on a small board for the future generation.

We wish this beautiful and valuable instrument serves to everybody’s pleasure.

In the name of Lions Club I wish you a nice evening.

Valéria Gál

Chair-woman of Monor Hegyessy Lions Club

In line with our decision and commitment, we continue the renovation of the graves in the Jewish cemetery. The renovation of 6 graves has just been completed, including the grave of those exhumed from the old Jewish cemetery and reburied. The graves have been filled with fresh topsoil; only the planting of flowers remains.

Our advisory board has decided to join the movement of „Piano for the Town”, launched by Monor Hegyessy Lions Club. First our Foundation is buying a chair, second we’re helping also with work in order Town of Monor can have a piano and we can enjoy concertos

Damaged tombs have been renovated. Not only tomb stones have been replaced but a complete renovation of tombs has been done. Photos, taken in sunshine shows everything.

It's our pleasure having received 200 000 HUF financial support from National Civil Basic Programme upon their competition of Civil Organizations' Operating Support.

We already could think that even if slowly but we can go on step by step with renewal of our cemetery. Now our faith has faltered. Vandals „visiting” cemetery demolished four tombs, including upper part of the monument of Martyrs. When funeral of our founder, Tibor Szántó was finished and we were walking out from the Catholic cemetery we dropped in the Jewish cemetery unsuspectingly.We started looking through the well-kept cemetery when our eyes fastened on the damaged monument of Martyrs. Going through to the cemetery we saw a shocking picture, several tombstones were lying on the ground, a fallen down stone crushed the cover of a tomb. One day before the damaging, visitors from Israel went to the cemetery (Ilanit Lajtos), he was looking for tombs of relatives. He asked why the gate of the cemetery was open, we answered, so that anybody can enter to look around how the cemetery becomes better-ordered year-by-year with the help of our foundation’s activity. Answer of this question is more difficult now. Do you think a gate which is closed all the day could prevent vandal demolishing? 

It was a beautiful sunny Sunday in Spring when we visited to the new synagogue of Szeged, built between 1900 and 1903 új zsinagógába. The renewed wonderful church impressed us very much! We’d like to share this nice experience with you when you looking at photos of gallery.

  Today, József Kuti and his family supported our foundation with financial aid. Thank you for help.

We have taken the initial steps, it’s visible that the cemetery has got an owner now.
But the photos here show that there are still a lot of work, and task of renovation so that we can reach the goal we declared.
We kindly ask You dear Visitor – if you have possibility – please support our Foundation so that our target can be reached as soon as possible.

The wonderful sunny autumn weather came just at the right time so that we can show beauty of our tidy cemetery.

According to our plans contrary to the unpleasant weather we have managed to carry out the big tidying of cemetery. The heaviest work was to cut and carry away young shoots of the trees that had been cut in the past period. Thanks to our helpful friends, members of our advisory board and their families the cemetery is clean now and care is seen all around. We hope further work will lead to the picture of cemetery we planned to create. Thanks for help and persistence of Brigitta Burján, Debóra Fekete, Mária Fekete, István Fekete and József Zsíros.

It’s our pleasure that three fallen down tombstones are tidy again. With this activity we took the first step towards reconstruction of our cemetery. Soon autumn tidying of the cemetery will be carried out as well. We hope in spring the work can be continued.

It was a pleasure for us that David Admon, ambassador of Israel was our guest. On the meeting we could show him activity and goals of our foundation.
Tibor Pogácsás, mayor of our town talked about economy of Monor and about development ideas.
We visited the monument of victims of World War II and went to the Jewish cemetery.
As the finish of the visit we previewed cellars of Strázsa-hill and had a good lunch in the cellar of János Bodor grand.master.

According to the reconstruction plans, as the first step we started cutting dry, aged trees being dangerous for graves. Dry twigs from remaining trees have been cut, ivy climbing trunks of the trees have been removed.
We hope replacing of cut trees can be started in autumn.

Our application has been submitted We have submitted our application to the Hungarian Jewish Heritage Foundation for the restoration of the Jewish Cemetery in Monor. To ensure maximum effectiveness in the realisation of this project, we have made some alterations in the plan agreed by the Board.

First phase:

• Geodesy survey (of the current situation)
• Preparation of a horticultural study and plan
• Felling of dead trees endangering the graves; removal of logs
• First phase of abandoned gravestone restoration: sunk and dangerous stones
• Site improvement, surface water draining, soil improvement

• Building of the fence and gate
• Second phase of abandoned gravestone restoration: all damaged ones
• Planting trees

• Building and covering of the section of public road leading to the Cemetery
• Building road inside the Cemetery
• Erecting memorial stones to the victims of the Holocaust
• Reconstruction of the well and its surrounding area, building of a Menorah Fountain
• Placing of an information board with the history of the Monor Jewry and the Cemetery, benches and garbage cans
• Planting hedges, bushes, perennial flowers, lawn renewal
• Festival marking the end of restoration work

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We had the gravestone of Dr László Miklós (the name-father of our Foundation) restored. We thank stone-cutter Péter Kiss for his contribution.

A longtime goal has been completed by having a fence put up around our cemetery. The local Public Works Plc. provided the posts

Several gravestones have been desecrated in our cemetery. The perpetrator is still unknown. It is sad that something like this is allowed to happen today. We are thankful to stone-cutter Péter Kiss for his help in cleaning up the stones.