Hatred after the Holocaust
In 1946, in the tense atmosphere following World War II and the trauma of the Holocaust, medieval antisemitic blood libels resurfaced in Hungary.
The rumors spread like wildfire from Budapest to Hajdúhadház, Debrecen, Szeged, and Dömsöd. The accusations were entirely groundless: the Jewish community was accused of the ritual murder, poisoning, and even cannibalization of Christian children. In Budapest angry crowds attacked Jews and stormed buildings, while in the countryside, villagers launched manhunts for imagined kidnappers and besieged the homes of local rabbis. These events led to brutal assaults and attempted lynchings.
The wave of violence was fueled by chaotic post-war conditions and a catastrophic economic situation. Alongside material disputes and political tensions, irrational fears rooted in traditional anti-Semitic sentiments became the defining driving force behind the events.
“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 Pele in an interview with Népszava
Further Reading / Sources
Vérvád, hisztéria, népítélet – “Zsidókérdés” Magyarországon 1945-ben és 1946-ban
Pelle János (2020). Magán Kiadás
Antiszemitizmusok
Standelsky Éva (2007). Budapest: Argumentum