Jewish Congress Reports Anti-jewish Excesses During Hungarian Revolt

Anti-Jewish excesses occurred in more than 20 Hungarian villages and smaller provincial towns during the October-November revolt, the World Jewish Congress reported today on the basis of a report received from authoritative Jewish sources in Hungary. “The situation still remains tense in some remote areas,” the report stated.

Claiming that the anti-Semitic outbursts caused many Jews to flee Hungary “in fear of their lives, “the report details incidents of physical violence against Jews, including rabbis and teachers; threats of bodily harm; the burning of Jewish property and damage to synagogues; abusive remarks and the appearance of fascist-style anti-Jewish slogans.

The report quotes eye-witnesses in the village of Hajdunnanas who saw a “mob beat up the rabbi and teacher and loot their flats.” The president and two other members of the Jewish community, which numbers 80, reported that their houses were destroyed by fire. The head of the village council warned the Jews to leave.

A Hungarian rabbi reported that a gang invaded a Jewish old-age home in Tapiogyoer-gyt, threw the inmates out of bed and abused them. In the village of Mandok, seven men went on a window-breaking spree, shattering the glass in the synagogue, the Jewish school and in all Jewish dwellings. A rabbi in Mezoecsat, whose windows were; smashed on three occasions, said that “hatred of the Jews is mounting. The Jews do not feel secure. They want to move to Budapest.”

The president of the Balkany kehilla reported that the security position of the Jews “was really desperate. The demonstrators threatened the lives of Jews irrespective of their membership in the Party.” A Jew in Doemsoed was stabbed on October 28th in attempting to ward off an anti-Semitic attack.

The situation had deteriorated to such an extent, the report continues, that on December 10, a 30-man delegation from Jewish communities in the provinces (Debrecen and district) journeyed to Budapest to consult with the Central Board of Jews in Hungary. They stated that anti-Semitism was raging in their towns and villages, and, as a result, they did not dare to return home. They reported that “the walls are covered with slogans: ‘Itzig, we shall not take you to Auschwitz.’ Windows are marked with arrow-crosses (Hungarian fascist symbols) and swastikas.

A spokesman for the World Jewish Congress in New York drew attention to the fact that the Hungarian report did not attack the leadership of either side in the recent conflict. Fascist and anti-Semitic groups had apparently seized the opportunity, presented by the absence of a central authority, to come to the surface. This had been particularly true in the remoter towns and villages. It was significant, the spokesman added, that both Imre Nagy and the present head of government, Kadar, had been the object of anti-Semitic attacks, though neither is Jewish.