Antisemitism in contemporary Hungary

Antisemitism in contemporary Hungary remains a controversial topic.¹ One of its milestones was the 1882-3 Tiszaeszlár Affair , a blood libel . In the twentieth century antisemitism significantly intensified after the Béla Kun (of Jewish heritage) led short lived Spring 1919 bolshevik dictatorship and its brutal Red Terror followed by the White Terror . The hatred of Jews became operationalized in the interwar period, especially the late 1930s. There were massive deportations during World War II. During the second communist period in Hungary, after World War II , antisemitism did not manifest itself in its classic form. It was chiefly seen as part of a fascist ideology and the communist elite made sure that antisemitic literature was destroyed. Antisemitism and also anti-Zionism was practiced by the state, as in the USSR, Czechoslovakia and other Soviet satellites intensifying from 1949 to 1953, until the death of Stalin. The leaders of Hungary's interwar and World War II antisemitic and Iron Cross leaders were portrayed very negatively in Communist Hungary. After collapse of the Communist regime for many in Hungary a nostalgia for its Horthy-era was reawakened along with its symbolisms, written works by Albert Wass and Miklós Horthy whom many venerate and whose statues started to appear. During the 1989 transition from communism to democracy, and the introduction of free speech and a free press, antisemitism appeared almost immediately, and continued to re-emerge. This phenomenon has led to a heated debate as to whether economic and social changes were the cause of the sudden increase in antisemitism and the rapid spread of antisemitic views or whether covert hostility toward Jews was coming to the surface as a consequence of the new civil liberties. Post-communist new-capitalism has led to "social nationalism", implying that racism, xenophobia, fundamentalism and antisemitism constitute an identity - i.e. an identity-based pseudo-response to socio-economic problems and a culture-based pseudo-answer to real problems. It has been argued that a socio-political cleavage structure in Hungary – reflecting historical contradictions between notions of progress and nationhood – has created a situation in which high status groups attempted to transform anti-semitism into a mobilizing cultural code. In his concept of "national antisemitism" Klaus Holz emphasised the image of the Jew as a universal and vitally threatening “non-identity”, destroying particular identities and communities. That image has led to the perception of the Jew as the perpetrator and the nation as the victim. In the post-communist era antisemitism figured both on the periphery and in the mainstream. On the periphery, antisemitic and neo-Nazi groups emerged and were supported by Hungarian fascists living abroad. The ideologists of the Hungarian neo-Nazis and Hungarists included extreme-right publicists and writers. Newspapers established after the transition, Hunnia Füzetek and Szent Korona , were the first to bring back the motifs of traditional antisemitism and merge them with postwar elements, especially Holocaust denial. In the mainstream, antisemitism acquired prominence in public discourse and in central forums of public life, conducted by intellectuals such as István Csurka who had taken part in the anticommunist opposition’s activities and were prominent in political life after the 1989 transition. In the 21st century, antisemitism in Hungary has evolved and acquired an institutional framework, while verbal and physical aggression against Jews (and Roma as well) has escalated, creating a great difference between its earlier manifestations in the 1990s and recent developments. One of the major representatives of this institutionalized antisemitic ideology is the popular Hungarian party Jobbik , which received 17 percent of the vote in the April 2010 national election. The far-right subculture, which ranges from nationalist shops to radical-nationalist and neo-Nazi festivals and events, has played a major role in the institutionalization of Hungarian antisemitism in the 21st century. Contemporary antisemitic rhetoric has been updated and expanded, but is still based on the old antisemitic notions. The traditional accusations and motifs include such phrases as Jewish occupation, international Jewish conspiracy, Jewish responsibility for the Treaty of Trianon , Judeo-Bolshevism, as well as blood libels against Jews. In the past few years this trend has been strengthened by references to the supposed "Palestinization" of the Hungarian people, the reemergence of the blood libel and an increase in Holocaust relativization and denial, while the monetary crisis has revived references to the “Jewish banker class”. Christianity and the Holocaust of Hungarian Jewry (1993) pp 79–170. online Kovács, András (2012). Journal for the Study of Antisemitism . 4 (#2): 443– 469 . Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs . In Selwyn Ilan Troen (ed.). An ideology based on the idea that “Zionist crimes” are no longer limited to the Middle East but also extend to Hungary. Hence, it is argued that there are parallels between the alleged “genocide” of the Palestinians and the fate of Hungarians.²