A Crash Course in Jewish History: Blood libel
Nothing can rationally explain the extreme Christian accusations leveled
against the Jews at this time: Jews killed babies and drank their blood!
Blood
Libel: Wikipedia
The term blood libel refers to allegations that Jews killed Christian
children or infants and used their blood to make Passover matzohs.
The Ritual Murder Accusation at Blois, May, 1171
In 1171 the Jews of Blois, France, were accused of having crucified a
Christian child during the Passover holydays and of having thrown the
corpse into the Loire. This is the first time that the accusation of ritual
murder was made in continental Europe. It is difficult to account for
its occurrence just at this time unless it is a reverberation of the William
of Norwich tale of a generation before. The accusation that Jews require
Christian blood for their Passover ritual has been made against the Jews
from that time on down to the present day in practically all lands and
has cost the lives of hundreds of innocent Jewish men, women, and children.
The Black Death and the Jews 1348-1349 CE
In 1348
there appeared in Europe a devastating plague which is reported to have
killed off ultimately twenty-five million people. By the fall of that
year the rumor was current that these deaths were due to an international
conspiracy of Jewry to poison Christendom.
A Government Blood Libel: The Beilis Affair
In March 1911 the body of a young Christian boy is found in Kiev, the
Czarist authorities seize the opportunity to revive the age-old accusation
of ritual murder.
Saudi newspaper editor 'apologizes' for Purim blood libel
A Saudi Arabian newspaper editor yesterday issued a backhanded apology
for a column published last week which resurrected the medieval blood
libel against Jews by claiming they use the blood of Christian or Muslim
"mature adolescents" to prepare special Purim pastries
Americans React to Damascus Blood Libel
The earliest collective action by American Jews on behalf of their overseas
brethren came in response to the Damascus blood libel of 1840.