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WHEREAS, opened in 1988, Josza Corner in Hazelwood is a Hungarian restaurant that serves more as a resource for the over 100-year-old Hungarian community of Pittsburgh, providing a space to enjoy and preserve Hungarian music, dance and language as well as provide outstanding Hungarian food; and,
WHEREAS, owned and run for the last 30 years by Alexander Bodner, Josza Corner is eclectic and unusual with no menu, a main dining room called his “Hungarian Living Room,” accessed through a narrow hallway, filled with two long tables, an upright piano and a cluttered collection of photos, paintings and knick-knacks; and,
WHEREAS, Alex Bodner and Josza Corner are synonymous as he is a spellbinding raconteur whose presence is a vital part of the meal. When Alex is not cooking, he is sitting with guests to tell them of his personal history including a dramatic escape from the Hungarian Revolution as a 14-year-old boy, joining the Resistance and escaping to England, finding his parents and coming to the United States; and,
WHEREAS, Alex is a graphic artist by trade and has been an integral part of the history and growth of Hazelwood. He was active in the Great Hazelwood Development Inc., a founding member of the Hazelwood Initiative and President of the 15th Ward Chamber of Commerce. Alex hosts the Hungarian and Central Europe Artistic and Cultural Society Dinners and is a folk dance, folk singer and a folk artist; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and commend Alexander Bodner for his commitment to preserving the Hungarian culture in Pittsburgh and congratulates him for the 30th Anniversary of Josza Corner; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Monday, July 1, 2019, to be “JOSZA CORNER DAY” in the City of Pittsburgh.