Podcasts about blood libels

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Best podcasts about blood libels

Latest podcast episodes about blood libels

History for the Curious
#145 - Chanukah, the West & the ICC Judgement

History for the Curious

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2024 50:17


Unlike militant Islam, our enemies in the West don't want the Jews wiped out. But what they are aiming for is far more sinister. It is a battle between Sheker and Emess, that goes back to Biblical times and encompasses Politics, Art & Science. The quest for peace may seem elusive, but in certain ways, we hold the keys to changing the narrative.   Summary This conversation delves into the complexities of Jewish identity, the historical context of anti-Semitism, and the current political landscape in the West, surrounding Israel and the ICC. It explores the philosophical underpinnings of truth, the influence of Greek thought on Jewish tradition, and the dangers of assimilation. The podcast looks at the Soviet Union, the Church, Blood Libels and the recent US elections.   Chapters 00:00 The ICC and Its Jurisdiction Over Israel 02:52 Historical Context of Jewish Enmity 06:14 The Nature of Modern Anti-Semitism 09:06 The Role of Truth and Falsehood 11:59 The Intersection of Science and Religion 14:52 The Influence of Greek Philosophy 18:12 The Political Landscape and Jewish Identity 21:09 The Dangers of Assimilation 24:03 The ICC's Bias Against Israel 26:51 The Call to Action for the Jewish Community 29:45 The Importance of Truth in Jewish Life

Torah Cafe
The History of Blood-Libels

Torah Cafe

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2024 47:51


One of the most persistent and dangerous anti-Semitic accusations against Jews has been the blood libel. While it came in various forms, it included the claim that Jews participated in slaughtering non-Jews for ritual purposes. Despite the absurdity and offensiveness of the claim, blood libels, led to countless arrests, torture, sham-trials and massacres against Jews over our long history.  A fascinating discussion about the history of blood libels and why despite the passage of time, these dangerous myths and similar anti-Semitic libels continue today.   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Grimerica Outlawed
#246 - Sean Hanlon - The Hidden Hand of History - The Enemy Within

Grimerica Outlawed

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2024 52:23


Sean Hanlon joins us to chat about his book "The Hidden Hand of History - The Enemy Within" and the latest goings on in the UK and elsewhere. We chat about living in Columbia, what is happing in Ireland and the UK, soldiers vs refugees, the NGO problem, consistency of orders, setting up bases in Dublin, Prince Chuck at the Climate Summit, the upcoming global famine, the banking system, two tier policing, ancient Ireland and the warrior monks, the Papal Bull re the Vatican, the Templars, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and the anti Christ agenda.   In the second half we get into the Secret Societies of Ireland, the pedo's in modern secret societies, post flood Nephilim and Palestine, Blood Libels, the Orange Order, radical Islam, red haired giants, "The Great War for Civilization", WW2 and the state of Israel, the letter from Pike about the 3 World Wars, psychotronic weaponry, Trump and his Masonry, the info will be shut down, how will the America's handle this and the prediction about the US Military vs it's citizens.   https://www.the3rdtruth.com/hidden-hand-of-history   To gain access to the second half of show and our Plus feed for audio and podcast please clink the link http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support.   For second half of video (when applicable and audio) go to our Substack and Subscribe. https://grimericaoutlawed.substack.com/ or to our Locals  https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/ or Rokfin www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Patreon https://www.patreon.com/grimericaoutlawed   Support the show directly: https://grimerica.ca/support-2/ Outlawed Canadians YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlawedCanadians Our Adultbrain Audiobook Podcast and Website: www.adultbrain.ca Our Audiobook Youtube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@adultbrainaudiobookpublishing/videos Darren's book www.acanadianshame.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Other affiliated shows: www.grimerica.ca The OG Grimerica Show www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Our channel on free speech Rokfin Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans  Https://t.me.grimerica https://www.guilded.gg/chat/b7af7266-771d-427f-978c-872a7962a6c2?messageId=c1e1c7cd-c6e9-4eaf-abc9-e6ec0be89ff3   Get your Magic Mushrooms delivered from: Champignon Magique  Get Psychedelics online Leave a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/grimerica-outlawed http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/grimerica-outlawed Sign up for our newsletter http://www.grimerica.ca/news SPAM Graham = and send him your synchronicities, feedback, strange experiences and psychedelic trip reports!! graham@grimerica.com InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podcast/  Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show www.grimerica.ca/swag Send us a postcard or letter http://www.grimerica.ca/contact/ ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/  MUSIC Tru Northperception, Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com     If you would rather watch: https://rokfin.com/stream/50363 https://rumble.com/v59uxs2-sean-hanlon.-the-hidden-hand-of-history-the-enemy-within.html https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/post/5961325/sean-hanlon-the-hidden-hand-of-history-the-enemy-within

Seforimchatter
With Prof. Hillel Kieval discussing Blood Libels & Ritual Murder Trials at the turn of the 20th century

Seforimchatter

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2024 118:42


#269> Sponsored by the Bemak Family> Sponsored by Mosaica Press. For a limited time order 3 books and get a free gift, Also, use code "Chatter" for 15% off. Check out their many new titles at Mosaicapress.com> We discussed late Ritual Murder and Blood Libels and how these differed from those in the medieval period, how the trial was conducted, various specific affairs and their trials including the stories of those involved, the actual depictions of the murders and investigations, the accused and their trials, and much more. > Purchase "Blood Inscriptions: Science, Modernity, and Ritual Murder at Europe's Fin de Siècle": https://amzn.to/4cAxNtb> Subscribe to the SeforimChatter YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@seforimchatter?si=6p1a5Tvo5bpafrKb>  To support the podcast or to sponsor an episode https://seforimchatter.com/support-seforimchatter/ or email seforimchatter@gmail.com (Zelle/QP this email address)> Subscribe and read the new  SeforimChatter Substack:https://open.substack.com/pub/seforimchatter?r=91ow0&utm_medium=ios> To join the SeforimChatter WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DZ3C2CjUeD9AGJvXeEODtK

The Fifth Column - Analysis, Commentary, Sedition
#447 - Sour Lemon and the Blood Libels

The Fifth Column - Analysis, Commentary, Sedition

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 85:40


* Note to Ben Shapiro: not sure Candace Owens is a big fan of the Jews* A sick little girl needs Bruins v. Rangers tickets. I mean…sort of. She recently had Covid…* When life gives you Lemon, fire him because he's a terrible interviewer* How not to do an interview* Depression and ketamine* The Jamaican national anthem * The chocolate balls of Sweden (again) * Remembering Milo * A friend emails about Trump and democracy* Guys, pay attention to the actual bad stuff Trump has said * A wager on Biden's path forward This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wethefifth.substack.com/subscribe

The Dershow
The blood libels go back 2000 years and now we see it again with Gaza hospital.

The Dershow

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2023 30:50


Alan Dershowitz's podcast. Dershow media APPLE PODCAST: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dershow/id1531775772 SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Cx3Okc9mMNWtQyKJZoqVO?si=1164392dd4144a99 _________________________________________________________ FOLLOW ME: TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AlanDersh RUMBLE: https://rumble.com/user/Sav_says LOCALS: https://dershow.locals.com/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDershowWithAlanDershowitz _________________________________________________________ SUPPORT MY WORK: SUBSTACK: https://dersh.substack.com/   -- 

Lubavitcher Rebbe's Memoirs
Chapter 16: Blood Libels in Liozna

Lubavitcher Rebbe's Memoirs

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2023 2:07


Part 1: Chaim Shimon

blood libels
YUTORAH: R' Moshe Taragin -- Recent Shiurim
The Three Weeks: The Long View of Exile #17- What Do Blood Libels Tell Us About Exile ?

YUTORAH: R' Moshe Taragin -- Recent Shiurim

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2023 17:09


exile longview blood libels
Today In Jewish History
25 Iyar – Blood Libels – 1540

Today In Jewish History

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2022


iyar blood libels
The Caroline glick Show
Could Paliwood blood libels lead to Israel's annihilation? | Caroline Glick's Mideast News Hour

The Caroline glick Show

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2022 93:41


In this week's Middle East News Hour, Caroline Glick is joined by Amnon Lord, senior columnist at Israel Hayom and one of Israel's foremost experts on the Israeli left. Caroline and Amnon discuss the Palestinian and international community's use of blood libels to demonize Israel and legitimize the mass murder of Jews, in the context of the death of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin last week. Next, they move to the Israeli left's abandonment of Zionism and what it means for Israeli democracy, for the country's ability to withstand and defeat the political war the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and its partners are waging against it and for Israel's survival more generally. And this includes a focus on the state of Israeli politics and its influence on national security.

Caroline Glick's Mideast News Hour
Ep. 3: Could 'Paliwood' blood libels lead to Israel's annihilation?

Caroline Glick's Mideast News Hour

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2022 93:50


In this week's Middle East News Hour, Caroline Glick is joined by Amnon Lord, senior columnist at Israel Hayom and one of Israel's foremost experts on the Israeli left. Caroline and Amnon discuss the Palestinian and international community's use of blood libels to demonize Israel and legitimize the mass murder of Jews, in the context of the death of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin last week.Next, they move to the Israeli left's abandonment of Zionism and what it means for Israeli democracy, for the country's ability to withstand and defeat the political war the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and its partners are waging against it and for Israel's survival more generally. And this includes a focus on the state of Israeli politics and its influence on national security.

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein Podcast
Vayeishev & Chanukah - BLOOD LIBELS - The Haunting Revelation of Rav Chaim Filagi

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2021 40:15


THE DEFINITIVE RAP
Interview with former New York State Assemblyman and Founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, Dov Hikind, about how Linda Sarsour, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and the Hamas-supporting Squad in Congress use blood libels against Israel to incite violence a

THE DEFINITIVE RAP

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2021 36:48


VINnews Podcast
Interview with former New York State Assemblyman and Founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, Dov Hikind, about how Linda Sarsour, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and the Hamas-supporting Squad in Congress use blood libels against Israel to incite violence a

VINnews Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2021 36:48


Interview with former New York State Assemblyman and Founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, Dov Hikind, about how Linda Sarsour, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and the Hamas-supporting Squad in Congress use blood libels against Israel to incite violence against Jews in America, and why are Jewish leaders afraid to respond. We are repeatedly being told that Nazism didn't start with the gas chambers, it started with “words.” ACTUALLY, Nazism started with an agenda that later became mainstream, all while Europeans and the West remained silent. Today, we have the “free Palestine” terror movement, which includes groups like CAIR, Students for Justice in Palestine, University faculties, academia, and now the halls of Congress, which seek to dehumanize and delegitimize Israel, with the ultimate goal of severing the US/Israel relationship. LIKE in Nazi Germany, the West is silent. THEN, they could say, “we didn't know.” Today, it's “anti-Zionism isn't antisemitism,” or “we can't rock the political boat,” or we can't respond harshly to the purveyors of hate if they are female, have a tan complexion, and certainly not if they have Islamic ancestry. Yes, we are talking about Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Sandy Cortez, and Linda Sarsour.Worse. We are witnessing the utter silence and cowardice of Jewish groups who call themselves leaders. Whether it is Jewish groups with multi-million-dollar budgets or Jews elected to congress who either issue timid letters of criticism, or people like Chuck Schumer, who claim, “I am working behind the scenes.”

Jewish History Soundbites
British Royals, Baalei Tosfos & Blood Libels: The Story of London Part I

Jewish History Soundbites

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2021 40:48


Medieval Jewish London commences with the Norman conquest in 1066 by William the Conqueror. Jews were brought over from France to engage in moneylending. Officially the property of the kings, this gave them privileges and protection, while at the same time put them in a very precarious situation.  The first blood libel in history was at Norwich in 1144. The Ri of Orleans was killed in the London Massacre in 1189, in the events surrounding the coronation of Richard the Lionhearted. On shabbos hagadol, March 16, 1190 the York Massacre took place at Clifford's Tower. As the situation for English Jewry got worse, it finally came to a tragic end in 1290 when King Edward I promulgated the edict of expulsion. Leaving from the Tower of London, there ceased to be a Jewish public presence until their reacceptance under Oliver Cromwell in 1655.   For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at:  yehuda@yehudageberer.com   Subscribe To Our Podcast on:    PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/   Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at yehuda@yehudageberer.com

Today In Jewish History
25 Iyar: Blood Libels

Today In Jewish History

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2020


iyar blood libels
ThinkTorah.org
Crusades, Blood Libels and the Black Plague

ThinkTorah.org

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2019 81:38


Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz
Murdering Jews for Something They did not do: Blood Libels: German Madness and Greed in the Middle Ages Part 2

Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2019 72:34


3/6: Murdering Jews for Something They Did Not Do: Chimerical Christian Fantasies and their Lethal Results in Jewish History

Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz
Blood Libels: Murdering Jews for Something They Did Not Do-German Madness in the Middle Ages Part I

Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2019 69:09


Murdering Jews for Something Edited (2) 02 Summer Series 2014 Lecture 2 German Madness and Greed in the Middle Ages, Part I

Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz
Blood Libels: Murdering Jews for Something They Did Not Do- French Madness in the Middle Ages

Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2019 74:12


Murdering Jews for Something Edited (1) 01 Summer Series 2014 French Madness in the Middle Ages(incomplete - missing the end)

Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz
Saturday Night Lecture Series Preview- Blood Libels: Murdering Jews for Something They Did Not Do

Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2019 4:43


A history of the Blood Libel in six lectures

New Books in Jewish Studies
Edmund Levin, “A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia” (Schocken, 2014)

New Books in Jewish Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2014 67:16


There is a lot of nasty mythology about Jews, but surely the most heinous and ridiculous is the bizarre notion that “they” (as if Jews were all the same) have long been in the habit of murdering Christian children, draining them of blood, and mixing said blood into Passover matzo. We know when and where the notion of “Blood Libel,” as this myth is conventionally called, appeared (12th-century England), but we don’t know why. Indeed, given the utter absurdity of the charge (Jews, of course, are forbidden to eat, drink, or consume blood in any way, shape, or form), it may be impossible for a rational mind to grasp. Even the Christian Church was vexed and, therefore, repeatedly condemned Blood Libels over the centuries that followed its appearance. Official religious disapproval–together with what might generically called “Enlightenment”–had some effect. By the late nineteenth century at the latest, clerical and civil authorities–not to mention “right-thinking people” everywhere–understood Blood Libel to be nothing but a sick fantasy. For reasons that are not entirely clear, however, Blood Libel enjoyed a kind of renaissance at the beginning of the twentieth century, especially in the Russian Empire. And it was here that the most infamous and egregious Blood Libel of modern times occurred, the “Beilis case.” In his fascinating (and terrifying) book A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia: The Beilis Blood Libel (Schocken, 2014), Edmund Levin takes us into the complicated, contradictory world of late imperial Russia. He introduces us to radical anti-semites, Russian nationalists, inveterate criminals, well-meaning investigators, corrupt police officers, unscrupulous reporters, sycophantic courtiers, underhanded politicians, drunk ‘witnesses,’ pseudo-scientists, delusional quacks, and, of course, poor Mendel Beilis and his family. As Levin shows, the Beilis case was a farce from the beginning and everyone involved knew it. But it went on nonetheless. How, one wonders, could this have happened in a putatively “modern” state? Listen in to our fascinating discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books Network
Edmund Levin, “A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia” (Schocken, 2014)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2014 67:16


There is a lot of nasty mythology about Jews, but surely the most heinous and ridiculous is the bizarre notion that “they” (as if Jews were all the same) have long been in the habit of murdering Christian children, draining them of blood, and mixing said blood into Passover matzo. We know when and where the notion of “Blood Libel,” as this myth is conventionally called, appeared (12th-century England), but we don’t know why. Indeed, given the utter absurdity of the charge (Jews, of course, are forbidden to eat, drink, or consume blood in any way, shape, or form), it may be impossible for a rational mind to grasp. Even the Christian Church was vexed and, therefore, repeatedly condemned Blood Libels over the centuries that followed its appearance. Official religious disapproval–together with what might generically called “Enlightenment”–had some effect. By the late nineteenth century at the latest, clerical and civil authorities–not to mention “right-thinking people” everywhere–understood Blood Libel to be nothing but a sick fantasy. For reasons that are not entirely clear, however, Blood Libel enjoyed a kind of renaissance at the beginning of the twentieth century, especially in the Russian Empire. And it was here that the most infamous and egregious Blood Libel of modern times occurred, the “Beilis case.” In his fascinating (and terrifying) book A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia: The Beilis Blood Libel (Schocken, 2014), Edmund Levin takes us into the complicated, contradictory world of late imperial Russia. He introduces us to radical anti-semites, Russian nationalists, inveterate criminals, well-meaning investigators, corrupt police officers, unscrupulous reporters, sycophantic courtiers, underhanded politicians, drunk ‘witnesses,’ pseudo-scientists, delusional quacks, and, of course, poor Mendel Beilis and his family. As Levin shows, the Beilis case was a farce from the beginning and everyone involved knew it. But it went on nonetheless. How, one wonders, could this have happened in a putatively “modern” state? Listen in to our fascinating discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in Christian Studies
Edmund Levin, “A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia” (Schocken, 2014)

New Books in Christian Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2014 67:16


There is a lot of nasty mythology about Jews, but surely the most heinous and ridiculous is the bizarre notion that “they” (as if Jews were all the same) have long been in the habit of murdering Christian children, draining them of blood, and mixing said blood into Passover matzo. We know when and where the notion of “Blood Libel,” as this myth is conventionally called, appeared (12th-century England), but we don’t know why. Indeed, given the utter absurdity of the charge (Jews, of course, are forbidden to eat, drink, or consume blood in any way, shape, or form), it may be impossible for a rational mind to grasp. Even the Christian Church was vexed and, therefore, repeatedly condemned Blood Libels over the centuries that followed its appearance. Official religious disapproval–together with what might generically called “Enlightenment”–had some effect. By the late nineteenth century at the latest, clerical and civil authorities–not to mention “right-thinking people” everywhere–understood Blood Libel to be nothing but a sick fantasy. For reasons that are not entirely clear, however, Blood Libel enjoyed a kind of renaissance at the beginning of the twentieth century, especially in the Russian Empire. And it was here that the most infamous and egregious Blood Libel of modern times occurred, the “Beilis case.” In his fascinating (and terrifying) book A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia: The Beilis Blood Libel (Schocken, 2014), Edmund Levin takes us into the complicated, contradictory world of late imperial Russia. He introduces us to radical anti-semites, Russian nationalists, inveterate criminals, well-meaning investigators, corrupt police officers, unscrupulous reporters, sycophantic courtiers, underhanded politicians, drunk ‘witnesses,’ pseudo-scientists, delusional quacks, and, of course, poor Mendel Beilis and his family. As Levin shows, the Beilis case was a farce from the beginning and everyone involved knew it. But it went on nonetheless. How, one wonders, could this have happened in a putatively “modern” state? Listen in to our fascinating discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in Eastern European Studies
Edmund Levin, “A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia” (Schocken, 2014)

New Books in Eastern European Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2014 67:16


There is a lot of nasty mythology about Jews, but surely the most heinous and ridiculous is the bizarre notion that “they” (as if Jews were all the same) have long been in the habit of murdering Christian children, draining them of blood, and mixing said blood into Passover matzo. We know when and where the notion of “Blood Libel,” as this myth is conventionally called, appeared (12th-century England), but we don’t know why. Indeed, given the utter absurdity of the charge (Jews, of course, are forbidden to eat, drink, or consume blood in any way, shape, or form), it may be impossible for a rational mind to grasp. Even the Christian Church was vexed and, therefore, repeatedly condemned Blood Libels over the centuries that followed its appearance. Official religious disapproval–together with what might generically called “Enlightenment”–had some effect. By the late nineteenth century at the latest, clerical and civil authorities–not to mention “right-thinking people” everywhere–understood Blood Libel to be nothing but a sick fantasy. For reasons that are not entirely clear, however, Blood Libel enjoyed a kind of renaissance at the beginning of the twentieth century, especially in the Russian Empire. And it was here that the most infamous and egregious Blood Libel of modern times occurred, the “Beilis case.” In his fascinating (and terrifying) book A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia: The Beilis Blood Libel (Schocken, 2014), Edmund Levin takes us into the complicated, contradictory world of late imperial Russia. He introduces us to radical anti-semites, Russian nationalists, inveterate criminals, well-meaning investigators, corrupt police officers, unscrupulous reporters, sycophantic courtiers, underhanded politicians, drunk ‘witnesses,’ pseudo-scientists, delusional quacks, and, of course, poor Mendel Beilis and his family. As Levin shows, the Beilis case was a farce from the beginning and everyone involved knew it. But it went on nonetheless. How, one wonders, could this have happened in a putatively “modern” state? Listen in to our fascinating discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in History
Edmund Levin, “A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia” (Schocken, 2014)

New Books in History

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2014 67:16


There is a lot of nasty mythology about Jews, but surely the most heinous and ridiculous is the bizarre notion that “they” (as if Jews were all the same) have long been in the habit of murdering Christian children, draining them of blood, and mixing said blood into Passover matzo. We know when and where the notion of “Blood Libel,” as this myth is conventionally called, appeared (12th-century England), but we don’t know why. Indeed, given the utter absurdity of the charge (Jews, of course, are forbidden to eat, drink, or consume blood in any way, shape, or form), it may be impossible for a rational mind to grasp. Even the Christian Church was vexed and, therefore, repeatedly condemned Blood Libels over the centuries that followed its appearance. Official religious disapproval–together with what might generically called “Enlightenment”–had some effect. By the late nineteenth century at the latest, clerical and civil authorities–not to mention “right-thinking people” everywhere–understood Blood Libel to be nothing but a sick fantasy. For reasons that are not entirely clear, however, Blood Libel enjoyed a kind of renaissance at the beginning of the twentieth century, especially in the Russian Empire. And it was here that the most infamous and egregious Blood Libel of modern times occurred, the “Beilis case.” In his fascinating (and terrifying) book A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia: The Beilis Blood Libel (Schocken, 2014), Edmund Levin takes us into the complicated, contradictory world of late imperial Russia. He introduces us to radical anti-semites, Russian nationalists, inveterate criminals, well-meaning investigators, corrupt police officers, unscrupulous reporters, sycophantic courtiers, underhanded politicians, drunk ‘witnesses,’ pseudo-scientists, delusional quacks, and, of course, poor Mendel Beilis and his family. As Levin shows, the Beilis case was a farce from the beginning and everyone involved knew it. But it went on nonetheless. How, one wonders, could this have happened in a putatively “modern” state? Listen in to our fascinating discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices