Growing anti-Semitism in Hungary inspires opera from composer-conductor Ivan Fischer.

An opera in protest of growing tolerance for anti-Semitism in Hungary has been staged in Budapest. Written by composer-conductor Ivan Fischer, the production titled The Red Heifer addresses an infamous 19th-century case in which a group of Jews were wrongly accused for the murder of a Hungarian peasant girl.

Fischer said that he had long wanted to write an opera based on the case, but it was the recent rise of the far-right political Jobbik Party that spurred him to action, a growing faction controlling 12% of the Hungarian Parliament. With policies characteristed by fierce nationalism, the Party – which is also anti-gay and anti-immigrant – is known for its frequent anti-Semitic comments and has in the past sought to minimize the impact of the Holocaust.

The production is one in a recent slew of protests towards the country’s increasingly conservative political climate spearheaded by the administration of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Since coming to power in 2010 Orbán has altered the Hungarian constitution to decrease the power of the judiciary and reduced freedoms of the press, with many labelling his leadership as authoritarian.

“I hope The Red Heifer allows the people of Hungary to see the harmfulness of...