“He is ugly and a Jew!“: the Hungarian socialist workers’ party and the Hungarian Jewish community in the 1960s and 1970s

Abstract

The years 1967 and 1974 seemed especially significant as the anti-Zionistic rage caused by the Israeli-Arab wars stirred up Hungary‘s internal affairs. The anti-Zionist policy adopted by the Kádár regime after 1956 meant more than 'simple' anti-Israel attitude in Hungary. The article provides some answers on the following questions: What characterized the policy of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party toward the Hungarian Jewish community? Which strategy did the Jewish Community develop in order to survive as a minority in a closed social and political system? How much was the Community able to represent special Jewish interests in the era of consolidation after 1956? Furthermore the article enrichs the picture on the topic with new documents and features with regard to the relationship of the ruling party to a minority.