Pogrom in Kunmadaras

Social tensions, antisemitism, and violence in post-war Hungary

The Kunmadaras pogrom of 21 May 1946 was the result of a combination of postwar social tensions, economic hardship, and hostility – fueled in part by propaganda – toward Jewish survivors returning to reclaim their property and seek compensation. At the same time, the blood libel, a centuries-old antisemitic accusation with roots in middle ages, resurfaced. Jews were falsely accused of using the blood of Christian children to reconsecrate their synagogue or of cooking children’s body parts into food.

On 21 May 1946, a mob attacked Jewish market vendors, beating them indiscriminately with sticks and tools. Three people were killed and fourteen others were seriously injured.

Despite an increased police presence, the authorities failed to contain the violence in time. The pogrom was brought to an end only after the arrival of county police forces and troops dispatched under Soviet orders.

The People’s Court detained 120 individuals, of whom 59 were formally charged. Nine were convicted, and three received death sentences, although these were later commuted to prison terms.

Scholars have offered differing interpretations of the pogrom. Some view it as a lingering consequence of fascism, others as an expression of antisemitism exploited by the Communist Party, while still others see it as a product of the broader tensions and instability of the immediate postwar period. The incident has been depicted in several works of literature and art, most notably in Egy Piaci Nap (A Day at the Market), a 2016 novel by Pál Závada.