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.