Kunmadaras pogrom
The Kunmadaras pogrom was an antisemitic pogrom that took place shortly after the Second World War in Kunmadaras, Hungary. The pogrom took place on 21 May 1946.[1] According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, three Jews were killed and up to 20 were injured.[2]
The riot began in the marketplace as a spontaneous protest against a suspected profiteer. Since the traditional occupation of the Jews in the area was trade, the image of a profiteer was conflated with that of a Jew.[citation needed] Thus, the riot grew into an anti-Jewish pogrom.
But profiteering was only the excuse, taken from the old book of antisemitism.[citation needed] The real reason was fear that returning Jews would reclaim their property.[citation needed] After they were taken away to concentration camps, their homes were looted, and their possessions stolen as they were not expected to return alive.[citation needed] The frenzy was further instigated by the rumors that the Jews were stealing Christian children.[citation needed]
The historian Péter Apor made a peculiar observation about the subsequent trial of the pogromists: "The People's Tribunal managed to produce a narrative of an antisemitic pogrom without involving the Jewish victims."[3] The pogrom was portrayed as a resurgence of fascism pitched against the nascent people's democracy.[4]
On 26 July 1946, ten rioters were convicted of having instigated and participated in the violence. Three were sentenced to death. Two others were sentenced to 15-years in prison with hard labor each. A police officer who was involved received a 6-year sentence, while four youths were sentenced to reform schools. Several other defendants were acquitted.[5][6]
See also
References
- ^ Apor, Péter (2013). "The Lost Deportations and the Lost People of Kunmadaras: A Pogrom in Hungary, 1946". The Hungarian Historical Review. 2 (3): 566–604. ISSN 2063-8647.
- ^ "Report of Miskolc Outbreak Says Fascist Mob Utilized Workers Protest Against Profiteers". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 5 August 1946.
- ^ Apor, Péter (2013). "The Lost Deportations and the Lost People of Kunmadaras: A Pogrom in Hungary, 1946". The Hungarian Historical Review. 2 (3): 566–604. ISSN 2063-8647.
- ^ Apor, Péter (2013). "The Lost Deportations and the Lost People of Kunmadaras: A Pogrom in Hungary, 1946". Hungarian Historical Review. 2 (3): 566–604.
- ^ Kamins, Toni (17 November 1946). "Nine Convicted of Participation in Kunmadaras Pogrom Appeal to Higher Court". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
- ^ "Three Sentenced to Death for Instigating Kunmadaras Pogrom; Three Others Get Life". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2015-03-20. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- Hidas, Peter I. "Canada and the Hungarian Jewish Refugees 1956-1957". John Carroll University, AHEA Conference, 9–11 April 1999. Sympatico. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
Further reading
- Braham, Randolph L; Chamberlin, Brewster S (2004). Holocaust in Hungary: Sixty Years Later. Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies, Graduate Center of the City University of New York. pp. 167, 189. ISBN 0-88033-576-9.