Source: szombat.org
summary of incident
On the evening of 15 March 2025, unknown perpetrators used a hammer and chisel to destroy a marble memorial plaque dedicated to Istvánné Kellner and all victims of the Holocaust.
Details of incident
On the evening of March 15 2025, unknown perpetrators vandalised a marble memorial plaque in Szigetmonostor, dedicated to Istvánné Kellner – a Jewish woman who was deported from Szigetmonostor in 1944 and later killed in Auschwitz – and all victims of the Holocaust. In response to the attack, residents of Szigetmonostor held a spontaneous and peaceful gathering on the night of the vandalism, lighting candles and leaving symbolic stones at the site in solidarity.
In the following days, the police launched an investigation based on eyewitness accounts and confirmed that the act appeared to be premeditated and likely motivated by antisemitism. The perpetrators – described as dressed in black and leaving the scene with a hammer and chisel – left two other nearby monuments untouched. Local Mayor Zsolt Molnár filed a criminal complaint immediately after the incident.
By 2 April 2025, the memorial had been fully restored with identical content. A rededication ceremony was held, featuring speeches by Mayor Molnár, Mazsihisz President Dr. Andor Grósz, and Chief Rabbi Péter Kardos. The ceremony emphasized the message that while physical memorials can be destroyed, the collective memory and unity of the community remain unshaken.
Context of incident
The vandalism occurred on the same day that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s controversial speech delivered on Hungary’s national holiday, 15 March, in which he promised an “Easter cleaning.” In the address, he referred to pro-EU politicians, judges, journalists, civil society organizations, and political activists as “bugs” and a “shadow army” to be dispersed. Observers noted that such divisive rhetoric may have contributed to an environment conducive to antisemitic acts. Hungary’s nationalist politics and state‑driven memory projects have enabled rising antisemitism and revisionism. Controversies include the House of Fates museum, the WWII memorial portraying Hungary only as a victim, and efforts to rehabilitate figures like Horthy. Weakened institutions and far‑right narratives further normalize exclusionary rhetoric.
