Arson at the Debrecen Synagogue

On 13 January 1995, a deliberate arson attack struck the Debrecen Synagogue, where forced entry was detected and several Torah scrolls—central sacred objects in Judaism—were stolen. Police considered the fire intentional and focused on the theft as a targeted cultural and religious violation. The far-right Keleti Arcvonal Bajtársi Szövetség (Eastern Front Comradeship Association) was suspected of involvement, reflecting the growing activity of extremist nationalist groups in the mid-1990s. The attack became one of the period’s most serious antisemitic incidents, combining vandalism, arson and the desecration of holy texts.