Civil Servants, Holocaust Survivors, Non-Jews: Early Restitution in Hungary.

This article examines early post-Holocaust restitution efforts in Hungary through two case studies of Pest County towns: Ócsa, with a small Jewish population, and Újpest, a larger city with a substantial Jewish community. It highlights how survivors returning after the war faced widespread dispossession, antisemitism, and bureaucratic obstacles, with local authorities and institutions often involved both in the confiscation and the restitution processes, yet generally failing to support survivors effectively. While Újpest’s larger Jewish community was able to organize and participate in restitution negotiations, practical outcomes remained limited, and in Ócsa, survivors received little assistance. The study reveals that early restitution efforts were hindered by legal loopholes, economic hardship, and societal reluctance, resulting in most survivors being left to reclaim property on their own amid hostile conditions. Overall, the article concludes that early restitution in Hungary prioritized majority economic recovery over the needs of Holocaust survivors.