The Communist regime in Hungary had an ambivalent and contradictory attitude towards Jews, people of Jewish origin, and the Jewish identity during the Rákosi era. While Zionism was tolerated previously, after the Communist takeover, it began to persecute Zionists through (amongst other means) a series of show trials. In these trials, the weight of different accusations (Zionism, anti-Semitism, cosmopolitanism) changed due to various factors, and therefore the anti-Jewish/anti-Semitic characteristics of the court proceedings also changed dynamically. This study draws on archival sources and the Hungarian historical literature to present a comprehensive view of this time and these circumstances.

During the years of Stalinism in Hungary, the communist regime had a complex and ambivalent attitude towards people of Jewish origin and Jewish identity. Whereas it had previously tolerated the increasingly popular Zionism during the post-war coalition years, after the regime change in the context of the establishment of the Jewish state and subsequent changes in Soviet policy, this tolerance almost immediately ended. It began to persecute Zionist organizations and Zionists alike, Zionist institutions were liquidated, and criminal proceedings were initiated against their leaders. To explore and present the subject, this study draws on archival sources of the period and the Hungarian secondary literature.