Blood Libel

By Skyy Ross

“Blood libel, also called blood accusation, the superstitious accusation that Jews ritually sacrifice Christian children at Passover to obtain blood for unleavened bread. It first emerged in medieval Europe in the 12th century and was revived sporadically in eastern and central Europe throughout the medieval and modern periods, often leading to the persecution of Jews.

Christian attitudes toward Jews during the Middle Ages were reflected in the economic, social, and political life of medieval societies. Until about the 11th century, of anti-Semitism were relatively infrequent. In fact, in the early medieval period there were frequent contacts between Christians and Jews, who intermarried and shared language and culture.”

Jews were demonized by the term Blood Libel. With marginalization of Jew things became complicated after about the year 1000. Christians began to organize which contributed greatly to the mistreatment of Jews. There where was many unfounded accusations against Jews concerning the killing of so-called Christian children. The gruesome rumors surrounding this particular kind of ritual murder left a stain that spread throughout implicating many Jews as monsters. “In 1144 an English boy, William of Norwich, was found brutally murdered with strange wounds to his head, arms, and torso. His uncle, a priest, blamed local Jews, and a rumor spread that Jews crucified a Christian child every year at Passover. A century later an investigation into the death of another boy, Hugh of Lincoln (died 1255), sparked anti-Jewish fervor that resulted in the execution of 19 English Jews. The story of “Little Saint Hugh” soon became part of popular literature and song, and he was widely venerated as a martyr.”

During the research of Blood Libel, it was hard to understand the real context of how this ritual all began and why it was linked to Jews. Children are being murdered in strange fashions that cannot be explained. So, the blame has to shift to a certain community of people, pitting Christians against Jews. But what made the Christians believe it was the Jews in the first place and where and why did this story emerge that Jews need Christian blood for their Passover? When contrary to belief the Jews follow the bible and the teaching of doing no harm to their fellow man very strictly. “The Ten Commandments in the Torah forbid murder. In addition, the use of blood (human or otherwise) in cooking is prohibited by the kosher dietary laws (kashrut).”

 

It was a claim by the Christian community that Jews needed Christian blood in order to reenact the crucifixion of Christ. How this rumor stared, also, is a mystery. In times when things were just unexplainable a story had to be told giving explanation to the mystery. We can see that throughout history this was a much-used tactic that has been carried forward throughout time. This unfounded label placed upon the Jewish community followed and continues to follow a people that have been persecuted without just case. Much like the persecution of Blacks around the world during the Atlantic Slave Trade. An unfounded Stigma continues to haunt black people base upon unfounded labeling used to justify the treatment a people for the personal gain. At this understanding, the conflict between the Christian and the Jews helps to understand the motives Christians had in labeling, accusing, and murdering Jews. Blood Libel helps to push an agenda needed to exterminate a people.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Blood Libel.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 17 Jan. 2011, www.britannica.com/topic/blood-libel.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/blood-libel.
“Blood Libel.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 May 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel.