On May 21, 1946, a protest against an alleged speculator and “price gouger” at the local market in Kunmadaras, turned into an outbreak of antisemitic violence when the crowd attacked Jewish vendors, most of whom had recently returned from deportation. Three Jewish victims were killed, and dozens were injured.
Social tensions, antisemitism, and violence in post-war Hungary
The Kunmadaras pogrom of May 1946 was shaped by a mix of postwar social tensions, economic hardship, and resentment toward returning Jewish survivors seeking restitution, and inflamed by a grotesque blood libel rumor accusing Jews of kidnapping Chrsitian children and making sausages of them. Violence was largely carried out by members of the agrarian proletariat, particularly women and young people.
In the aftermath, the People’s Court arrested 120 people; only 59 faced formal charges. Nine were convicted, with three sentenced to death – though these sentences were commuted to prison terms.
Some scholars view the pogrom as lingering effect of fascism, others as manifestation of antisemitism used by the Communist Party, and others as a consequence of broader postwar tensions. The event has also found expression in literature, as in Pál Závada’s 2016 novel A Market Day (Egy piaci nap).
“– Why did you hurt the Jew with whom you never had any trouble? – We had no problems, but…[…]”
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A dialogue between the judge and one of the offenders
Pelle János (2020) „Nektek kell ütni a zsidókat, mert az asszonyokat nem fogja a törvény.” Az 1946. májusi kunmadarasi pogrom, új megvilágításban”. Valóság, 2020. november
Further Reading / Sources
Egy piaci nap
Závada Pál (2016). Budapest: Magvető
„Nektek kell ütni a zsidókat, mert az asszonyokat nem fogja a törvény.” Az1946. májusi kunmadarasi pogrom, új megvilágításban
Pelle János (2020). Valóság, November 2020
A népi demokrácia építése, Kunmadaras, 1946
Apor Péter (1998). Századok, 1998/3
Forradalom a hátsó udvarban
Apor Péter (2021). Budapest: Jaffa Kiadó