This is an abridged version of the original interview first published in Reformátusok Lapja on 16 June 2024 and on reformatus.hu on 24 June 2024.

Chief Elder of the West Side Reformed Church in Cleveland Zsuzsa Daróczy is a second-generation Hungarian. Following in her parents’ footsteps, she has actively participated in the Hungarian community, just as her husband and later her children did. She led the Sunday School until it existed. Six years ago, as the congregation aged and steadily dwindled, she became the Chief Elder, aiming to maintain the church—at least for as long as her parents and the elderly members of the congregation are still alive.

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How did your parents end up in America?

My parents lived in Miskolc, Hungary. They left the country after the 1956 revolution. First, they went to Vienna, Austria, and then to Salzburg. My father had graduated from Sárospatak Teacher Training College and used to preach in villages during school breaks. Even in Austria, he immediately joined the local Reformed pastor in visiting various refugee camps to assist in preaching the Gospel. My parents received a Ford Foundation Scholarship, which allowed them to attend university—something that later helped them settle into American life. In 1958 they arrived in Cleveland and lived on the same street as the Hungarian Reformed Church. Reverend Mátyás Daróczy (a namesake only) helped them in every way. My mother was eight months pregnant with my older brother at the time, and when she went into labor, the reverend arranged for her to be taken to the hospital and covered all the costs. That’s how their Cleveland life began.

Since my father spoke very little English, he found a job in a factory, where he worked for 30 years. My mother initially stayed at home to take care of us—my brother was born in 1958, and I was born in 1964. In Hungary, my mother attended business school, and after graduation, she worked in the accounting department of an agricultural company. Once we were older, she became a bookkeeper for the Cuyahoga County Auditor’s office, where she worked until the age of 70. Upon arriving in Cleveland, my father immediately became involved in the church. He became the director of the Hungarian Sunday School, joined the choir, and was an active member of the men’s fellowship. Later, he became a presbyter, then the Chief Elder. He spent day and night at the church, fulfilling various responsibilities. I eventually followed in his footsteps in these roles.

What family- and Hungarian community-related memories do you cherish from your youth?

I have wonderful memories. As a family, we spent many summers at Lake Chautauqua, known as the American Balaton. Sometimes, we’d vacation there for two weeks with my mother, then another two weeks with my father—since he only got two weeks off each summer. Back then, many Hungarians vacationed there, and the community was incredibly vibrant. It was a safe place where we could roam freely. We went kayaking, swimming, and to the beach all the time. The cultural center on the lake’s shore hosted English-language theater, music performances, and movie screenings. Sometimes, we even kayaked to get there. In Cleveland, the Hungarian organizations had many programs, and my parents attended every event they could. Besides balls, they took me everywhere. Of course, we also attended church and Sunday School.

‘The organizations I was involved with knew that they could count on my help’

I started scouting at the age of four, and by six or seven, I attended scout camps. I later became a patrol leader and then an assistant troop leader. I was actively involved in scouting, attending weekly meetings until my children got their driver’s licenses. For six years, I organized the Hungarian Scout Ball. I also trained leaders at leadership training camps and helped organize programs at the Jubilee Camps held every five years. In 2016 I accompanied 18 patrol leaders on a three-week tour of Hungary. Growing up, I attended a Hungarian school where my mother was a teacher. In the early 80s, when I was 18, a friend and I taught the kindergarten class at the Hungarian School while my mother was still teaching—so we became colleagues. I kept teaching until my children finished Hungarian school. I also participated in the Regös Scout Folk Ensemble, where I often helped organize programs. For the Gala programs held every five years, I taught the children’s dances and also danced. This year, I took part in a family dance performance. My husband was the leader of the Regös Scout Folk Ensemble, and later, so was our daughter. I even joined the three-week Regös Ethnographic research tour in Hungary as an accompanying adult and financial manager. The organizations I was involved with knew that they could count on my help.

How did you meet your husband and start your family?

I met my husband through the Regös Scout Folk Dance Ensemble. Coincidentally, we lived one street apart and even attended the same elementary school, though he was two years older than me. Károly Szélpál started courting me when I was 16, and we got married in 1988. We have two children, Tamás and Zsófia. They were also deeply involved in the Hungarian community: church, Sunday school, Hungarian school, scouting, and folk dance. 17 years ago, my now 35-year-old son studied for a year in Budapest on a Balassi Scholarship, and he didn’t want to come home. Eventually, he returned, completed his university degree here, and then moved back to Budapest ten years ago. He now lives in Vienna and works as a video producer for a nonprofit animal rights organization. My 32-year-old daughter is an accountant in Wooster, Ohio, married to a former Hungarian Scout and folk dancer. We speak Hungarian with my parents and children. This is probably why my son adapted so well to living in Hungary—although at first, his Hungarian had an English accent, and people in Budapest even commented on it. But if you add up all the hours he spent in Hungarian community programs over 18 years, it’s less than one month per year—and yet, he learned to read, write, and communicate fluently, which was enough for him to thrive in Hungary.

Let’s now talk about the West Side Reformed Church in Cleveland! Can you share its origins?

Originally, the First Hungarian Reformed Church was established on the East Side in the Hungarian neighborhood. As more Hungarians arrived and settled on the city’s West Side, they founded the West Side Reformed Church in 1906, near the Westside market—which remains an important gathering place even today, not just for Hungarians. At that time, a German congregation was already in the area, and our church purchased their building. Next to the church was a caretaker’s house, a large hall with a kitchen, and classrooms for school use. Today, that building is part of Saint Ignatius High School. The new owners carefully preserved important artifacts and historical records of all the congregations that once operated there. In the 70s, as the inner city changed, many people moved out—just as they did from the Buckeye Hungarian neighborhood. Ironically, the Ohio City area has been revitalized in recent years with renovated houses and young people moving back. It has once again become trendy to live where our church once was. The 70s saw a significant decline in public safety, which we experienced firsthand. The congregation was divided on how to proceed, but the majority voted in favor of relocating, constructing a new building, and allowing bingo games to cover our financial obligations. In 1974 we purchased a smaller church and expanded it into a larger one, adding a big hall. The bingo revenue allowed us to pay off the mortgage within five years. We also generated steady income by renting out the hall and the basement under the original building for weddings on the weekends.

‘We speak Hungarian with my parents and children. This is probably why my son adapted so well to living in Hungary’

Who was the pastor at the time, and how large was the community?

Áron Elek arrived from Pennsylvania in 1964, the year I was born. I was among the first babies he baptized. As far as I remember, he served until the late 80s. At the time of our move, our congregation consisted of about 100 Hungarian-speaking and 100 English-speaking families. When my parents arrived, the English-speaking group was stronger—about 100 children attended Sunday School, while there were fewer Hungarian-speaking children. However, after the 1956 Hungarian refugees settled and had children, the Hungarian Sunday school grew significantly in the 60s. In the following decades, after we relocated, people started moving further away, and membership steadily declined, especially among English-speaking church members, as they joined churches closer to their new homes. Over time, the English congregation shrank to half the size of the Hungarian congregation, but both continued to dwindle. Many passed away. Today, our official membership record lists 75–80 people, but far fewer attend regularly: about 25 people attend the Hungarian service, and about 15 attend the English one. However, everyone contributes to church activities. In fact, the English-speaking members are even more generous when it comes to donations, typically giving twice as much as the Hungarian-speaking church members.

When and how did you become involved in church life?

After Sunday School, I actively participated in the youth group. After confirmation, I began teaching young children in Sunday School. When my children were born, I took a break, but as soon as my son turned three, I became the director of Hungarian Sunday School—until there were no more children in the congregation. Since then, we no longer operate the school. After that, I became a presbyter and six years ago I was voted by the congregation to be the Chief Elder. There are 12 presbyters in the consistory, but our numbers have declined so much that there aren’t always enough people to fill the positions. Among the regular Hungarian attendees, only two of us are under 60 years old. Once a month, we prepare takeout dinners: chicken paprikash or stuffed cabbage. Everyone helps with the shopping, cooking, and distribution, including the presbyters, church members, and the pastor’s wife. It’s a multi-day effort, but we enjoy working together. The proceeds go to the church. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, people could eat on-site, but since then, it’s been takeout-only. We stuck with this simpler option, and the demand has actually increased this year. Some customers are locals with no connection to the Hungarian community. However, many are descendants of early 20th-century Hungarian immigrants. They only know the names of the dishes in Hungarian, but they still feel connected because the food reminds them of their Hungarian grandmothers. Of course, some Hungarians order as well, but it’s not our congregation that sustains this event—it’s the broader community. We always advertise our service times and promote them on social media, but we don’t gain new members. However, we have had a couple of former members return to the church. Also, several former church members continue to support us financially.

What other events take place in your church?

Much fewer than before. In the past, the women’s group had hundreds of members, making handmade egg noodles and cooking. We no longer have a Women’s guild. Also, the Calvin brotherhood has a few men who still identify as members. They still decorate the church—poinsettias for Christmas, lilies for Easter, palm branches for Palm Sunday, and spring flowers for Mother’s Day. Years ago, we used to have breakfast gatherings. For instance, on Easter, the English congregation would attend a 6am sunrise service, followed by a joint breakfast. Since COVID-19, there have been no more large gatherings. Before that, many Hungarian guest performers came to Cleveland. Often the programs were held at our church. We hosted many choirs, including the famous Kolozsvár Choir from Transylvania (Romania). There were lectures, dinners, dances, harvest festivals, and Mother’s Day luncheons. I also danced at the harvest festival and even taught the dances for the occasion. In the 60s there were many dancers at the harvest festival, dancing in different groups according to their age, but without children, we no longer have the festival. We also stopped hosting luncheons and celebrations because there were too few volunteers—no one to cook, serve, or set up. Even our head chef is now over 80 years old. However, we still occasionally host events like the Bocskai Radio Movie Night and worship evenings, which rotate every 2–3 months among different congregations.

What else?

We also take turns hosting major Hungarian national holidays. Last year, we hosted the 23 October Revolution commemoration. The event is organized by the United Hungarian Societies, with participation from scouts and churches that still have young members, like the First Hungarian Reformed Church.

Who is your current pastor?

Imre László was baptized Reformed but later became a Baptist. He has five children. He and his wife Klára spent 10 years in Transcarpathia (Ukraine) as missionaries in a Roma congregation. He has had an adventurous and interesting life. Since there are few pastors, different denominations have agreed to support each other. When we had no pastor, a Lutheran pastor, Éva Tamásy led our services. Five years ago, after a difficult period, our congregation was left without a pastor. We couldn’t afford a full-time minister, so we were grateful when Dr. Rev. Imre László, who was nearly 70 years old, took on the role and became our pastor. We saw it as God’s blessing. They had just returned from Transcarpathia, and Reverend László reached out to our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Csaba Krasznai, who sent him to us. Now, he holds Sunday services, leads a Bible study midweek, visits the elderly, and spends two days a week in the office. Previously, we had two Bible study groups, one in English and one in Hungarian, but after one of the Hungarian group’s members passed away, we merged them. About eight people attend regularly, and they are devoted because they enjoy the Bible studies.

What are the responsibilities of a Chief Elder?

The role has changed over the years. Previously, many people filled many roles and did the jobs necessary to run the church. Now, everything is done by a few volunteers, including me. Every Sunday, I unlock the doors, check the heating, lighting, microphones, and cameras, and prepare the communion as needed. I also help in the office, answering messages and managing finances. For years, I also organized the takeout dinners, but I have since passed that responsibility to a fellow presbyter—though I still buy supplies and help cook. My main job is maintaining the church and ensuring financial stability. Thankfully, we are in a good financial position, with savings from selling our parsonage building, which was too costly to maintain. We got a reasonably good price for it and invested the money. Now, not only can we pay our bills, but if we ever face a major financial issue, we’d be able to cover it. While expenses and income fluctuate from month to month, they are balanced, so we don’t have to dip into our reserves.

You’ve been Chief Elder for six years. How do you see the next six years?

For now, I believe things will stay the same because our elderly members are strong. Beyond that, our future is uncertain. We are trying to involve the English-speaking residents from the surrounding area, and some have started attending, but they don’t stay long-term. It’s true that our pastor has a strong accent in English, but those who regularly attend the English service genuinely appreciate him. As for the Hungarian community, the children and grandchildren have mostly moved far away or stopped attending church, and we haven’t been able to attract new members. My daughter lives an hour south and works even farther away, so she doesn’t attend either. We’ve tried to modernize, for example, by introducing more contemporary hymns, but if there are no new worshipers, and the old members don’t want change, it becomes a difficult situation. Our church is in an accessible, safe location, a single-story building, and a popular venue. We hold a traditional worship service. Most of the congregation is elderly. We deeply appreciate everything they have done for the church and the congregation, so we continue to serve them in the way they prefer. I only do all this for my parents. My father passed away last year at the age of 94, and my mother is now 89. I know how important it was (and still is) for them that there continues to be a Hungarian Reformed congregation and a Hungarian worship service, just as it has always been.

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