The Munk Family Reunion

"Csiompi" Munk (at left) and his great-uncle Josef (my great-grandfather (below)

All the Munks

On Saturday, Nori, Zsolt and I headed south to Szekzard, the home of Lipot Munk’s grandchildren—Magda (Nori’s mom), Laci (Laszlo) and Csiompi (Ishtvan/Steven). These three siblings are approximately my age and are my second cousins.

The route we took led us through the heart of Budapest along the famous Danube River. We passed the Parliament building, Gellert Hill on the Buda side of Budapest, and many more historic landmarks. It was a fine day for sightseeing in the city, but we had a more important mission: the first reunion of my side and the Hungarian side of the Munk family since 1943.

Nori’s mother later told me that the Hungarian Munks had not been together since her 50^th birthday, about 13 years ago, since it was so difficult to get everyone together. In fact, one of Laci’s sons could not be with us today since he had to work.

After 1.5 hours, we first picked up Ester, Nori’s sister, and her three-year-old son Akos and her baby son Norbert and we all squeezed into the Citroen for the final leg of the journey. We arrived in Szekzard shortly after and went to Nori’s mom and dad’s “flat” (as they call an apartment). Magda and I met for the first time last year in Krakow, so it was wonderful to see her again. I competed for her attention because her grandchildren and daughters also wanted to see their “anya” (mother) as much as I did. Ester’s oldest daughter Fanni was already there, waiting for us.

20 minutes later, Magda’s husband Barnaby returned from tending his farmlands. He is retired, but he enjoys taking care of three plots of land where he grows vegetables and tends some farm animals every day. His cheeks were sunburned and his blue eyes danced as he greeted the chaos in his living room.

I gave some gifts to everyone, but I hope the most meaningful were the family tree scrolls showing our connection and lineage. I also brought some extra pictures of Mor and Maria Munk, our common ancestors, and their two sons, Josef and Lipot, from which our two separate family lines descend. I tried to communicate with Fanni that I was entrusting her with these pictures and documents, but she is barely a teenager so this is an act of faith.

Magda’s brother Csiompi and his girlfriend Timi arrived as well. Csiompi looks so much like his uncle Josef (my great-grandfather) that I kept staring at him during our entire visit. I couldn’t help thinking that this was a weird form of déjà vu. Imagine meeting your great-grandfather when you and he are both the same age!

In less than an hour, we packed everyone up and headed to a village inn with a lovely outdoor restaurant and wine cellar, and there I met Magda’s two brothers, Laci and Csiompi. Laci brought his son Levente, a warm bear of a man. I brought Levente an American t-shirt, an extra-large, but I don’t think it’s going to fit. I’m glad that Levente was intrigued by the family trees and pictures that I gave him and his father. (Levente also was interested in Sheba’s link to the family, and commented that Sheba was very beautiful. When I showed them a picture of Sheba, Damon, and Sean, the women expressed some appreciation for Sean’s good looks as well!)

We sat down to a family-style Hungarian meal. There don’t seem to be any rules about the way food is served, so we all just dived in after a brief toast to the “Munk Csalad” (Munk family) and our common ancestors. A wonderful chicken soup was followed by several large platters of meats, potatos, carrots and other wonderful dishes. I sat between Nori and Levente, two cousins that had not seen each other for at least a decade. I was happy to be the excuse to bring everyone together.

It was a lovely setting for our afternoon together—the blue sky, 75-degree weather, rolling vineyards, noisy children, expresso coffee and plate of desserts. The afternoon was Csiomp’s gift to everyone.

I don’t know when or if I will ever see these lovely people again, but it was a dream come true to be with them even for just one afternoon.

Before we returned to Budapest, Magda surprised me at the end of the day by taking me to the studio of a colleague. She insisted that I choose one of his oil paintings as a gifts so I picked a small street scene that captured for me the area where my father used to live in Ujpest. Magda and Nori said it was her favorite painting, too.