Hatred after the Holocaust
In 1946, in the tense atmosphere following the trauma of the World War II and the Holocaust, medieval antisemitic blood libels reappeared in Hungary. According to these deeply rooted and unfounded prejudices, Jews were believed to use the blood of Christian children in certain religious rituals. After the war, this claim shifted slightly, asserting that the blood was needed for the re-consecration of synagogues, but the economic hardships of the period also gave rise to the absurd accusation that Jews were cooking the body parts of Christian children into food.
The rumors spread at lightning speed, from Budapest to Hajdúhadház, and from Debrecen to Szeged or Dömsöd. In Budapest, angry mobs attacked Jews, damaging their homes and shops, while in several towns, manhunts were organized. Many of these attacks were brutal and, in several cases, resulted in loss of life.
“Even ordinary people with common sense did not claim that Jews committed ritual murders. But in times of serious crisis, of which there were unfortunately many in the 20th century, many saw their prejudices as justified and accepted the delusions arising from their subconscious as fact.”
Historian János Pelle in an interview with Népszava
Vérvád, hisztéria, pogrom a holokauszt után , Interjú Pelle Jánossal, Népszava, 2020.10.18.
Further Reading / Sources
Vérvád, hisztéria, népítélet – “Zsidókérdés” Magyarországon 1945-ben és 1946-ban
Pelle János (2020). Magán Kiadás
Antiszemitizmusok
Standelsky Éva (2007). Budapest: Argumentum