massacre of jews in blois
On May 26, 1171 (20th of the Jewish month of Sivan), the Jewish community of Blois, France, was massacred after being accused of the ritual murder of a Christian child. This was the first known example of a blood libel in continental Europe
.Blois is a city in France, on the river Loire, not far from Orleans. It is not a large city (its present population is about 25,000), but it has the “distinction” of being one of the very few cities in France, or for that matter in all of Europe, where there has been no Jewish community for the past 800 years. Jews simply shunned that horrible place, where the Jewish community was so cruelly destroyed due to a false ritual murder accusation in 1171.
Many have been false accusations made by the enemies of the Jews as an excuse for killing and robbing them. But none was more wicked than the accusation that Jews require Christian blood for the Passover matzoth or other bizarre, fictitious rituals. The first such accusation was made in Norwich, England, in 1144. It was repeated in several other British cities in later years. From there, it spread to continental Europe, where the blood libel in Blois was the first of many to follow from time to time, down to the latest times (Beilis case in 1911), in practically all Christian lands. This vicious slander cost the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of innocent Jewish men, women, and children. But the hatred it bred among the Christians towards the Jews was one of the leading causes of Jewish suffering and persecution in Christian lands throughout the centuries.
Today the, blood libel charges are being made against Israel and the IDF.
The story of the burning of over thirty Jews (forty, according to some accounts), men and women, at Blois was recorded by Rabbi Ephraim of Bonn, a great Talmudic scholar (he was one of the Tosafists) and Paytan (religious poet), who lived at that time. Rabbi Ephraim ben Yaakov (born in 1132 and died about the year 1200) also witnessed the terrible massacres perpetrated against the Jews by the Crusaders. He recorded all those tragedies and the heroism of the martyrs and composed penitential prayers and lamentations in their memory. The following account of the Martyrs of Blois is taken from his historical work.
At that time there lived in Blois about forty Jews. One of them, Isaac ben Eleazar, rode up to the river one Thursday, toward evening, shortly before Pesach. It so happened that a stable servant rode up at the same time to water the horse of his master. The Jew bore on his chest an untanned hide, but one of the corners had become loose and was sticking out of his coat. When, in the gloom, the servant’s horse saw the white side of the hide, He was frightened and sprang back, and it could not be brought to the water.
The servant was a simple peasant, who had often heard the priest preach in church that Jews used Christian blood for their Passover matzo and wine. Warning all his flock to keep a watchful eye over their children during the Passover season. Now, when his horse took fright, he hastened back to his master and said: “Hear, my lord, what a certain Jew did. As I rode behind him toward the river in order to give your horse a drink, I saw him throw a little Christian child, whom the Jews have killed, into the water. When I saw this I was horrified and hastened back quickly for fear he might kill me too. Even the horse under me was so frightened by the splash of water, when he threw the child in it, that it would not drink!”
The servant knew that his master would rejoice at the misfortune of the Jews, because he hated a certain Jewess, influential in the city. He was not mistaken, for his master said, “Now I can have my vengeance on that woman and the rest of the Jews.”
The next morning the master rode to the ruler of the city, Theobald, son of Theobald, Count of Blois (son-in-law of King Louis VII of France). The Christians called him “the Good,” but he was a wicked, cruel man.
When the ruler heard the accusation he became enraged and had all the Jews of Blois seized and thrown into prison and put into iron chains. The only exception was that influential Jewish woman, Dame Pulcelina, whom the count admired for her wisdom and beauty. She had often been able to get favors from the ruler for the Jewish merchants of Blois. But now, the Count’s wife (Alix, daughter of the king) gave strict orders to the servants not to allow her to speak to her husband for fear she might get him to change his mind.
The ruler had no evidence against the Jews, except for that half-wit stable servant. The Count was ready to make a deal with the Jews and free them for a large sum of ransom money. He sent a Jew to the neighboring communities and asked them how much they would give to free their brethren. The Jews consulted with the imprisoned hostages, and the latter advised offering only one hundred pounds, in addition to their uncollected debts from Christian debtors amounting to the sum of one hundred eighty pounds. The Jews in the dungeon told their brethren in other communities not to pay a high ransom for their lives, lest the Christians should find it profitable to imprison Jews for ransom.
Beyond that, the nearby Jewish communities’ joint efforts included appeals to authorities who could prevent another such atrocity. They had a meeting with King Louis VII and another with the Count of Champagne, who also happened to be the brother of Count Theobald. The king and the court declared that they did not believe Jewish stories about Jews sacrificing Christian children. But their declarations made no difference.
However, nothing came of the [ransom] negotiations, because the Bishop arrived on the scene and insisted that the Jews should be condemned to die, and that he would “prove” their guilt.
The priest told the Count to have the witness tested by the ordeal of water, to discover if he had told the truth. The test was to be arranged as follows: A huge tank would be filled with water, and the servant who “saw” the Jew throw the child into the river would be put into it. If he floated, his words were true; if he sank, he had lied.
(…) The Jews were found guilty on the basis of that water test, and condemned to be burned alive.
At the wicked ruler’s command they were taken and put into a wooden house around which were placed thorn bushes and faggots. As they were led forth, they were told, “You can save your lives if you will leave your religion and accept ours.” The Jews refused. They were beaten and tortured to make them accept the Christian religion, but still they refused. Rather, they encouraged each other to remain steadfast and die for the sanctification of G‑d‘s Name.
At the Count’s command two of the leading Jews, both kohanim [descended from the Temple priests], Rabbi Yechiel the son of Rabbi David haKohen, and Rabbi Yekuthiel the son of Rabbi Judah haKohen, were taken and tied to a single stake to be burned in front of the others, so as to make the others convert. They were both saintly and pious men of great Torah learning, being the disciples of Rabbeinu Yaakov Tam and Rabbeinu Shmuel ben Meir, the grandson of Rashi. A third prominent Jew, Rabbi Judah the son of Aaron, was also tied with them to the stake. At the ruler’s command, fire was set to the faggots. The fire spread to the cords on their hands so that they snapped. The three Jews came out of the fire, and called to the Christians who had assembled to watch them die: “By your own laws you should let us go free, for you see that we came out alive from the ordeal by fire!” They struggled to get out, but they were overpowered and pushed back into the house, and the house was set on fire. They came out again and seized one of the executioners and dragged him along with them towards the fire. When they were right at the fire, the armed soldiers pulled themselves together, rescued the Christian from their hands, killed them with their swords, and then threw their bodies into the fire.
A certain Jew by name of Rabbi Baruch ben David haKohen was there and saw all this at that time with his own eyes. He lived in the territory of that ruler and had come there to arrange terms for the release of the Jews of Blois, but unfortunately did not succeed. However, a settlement was made by him for one thousand pounds to save the other jews of that accursed ruler. He also saved the scrolls of the Torah and other sacred books.
This terrible atrocity happened on Wednesday, May 26th, 1171 All the facts were written down by the Jews of Orleans, a city close by to that of the martyrs, and made known to Rabbeinu Yaakov ben Rabbi Meir, Rashi’s grandson and greatest Rabbi of his time.
It was also reported in that letter that as the flames mounted high, the martyrs began to sing in unison a melody that began softly but ended with a full voice. “The Christians came and asked us, ‘What kind of a song is this, for we have never heard such a sweet melody?’ We knew it well, for it was the hymn Aleinu — “It is our duty to praise the Lod of all… for He has not made us like the nations of the lands; [a line in the prayer that has since been removed was an insult to Christians “They bow down to vanity and emptiness and pray to a god who does not save them”]
Rabbi Ephraim of Bonn records the amazing fact, as, witnessed by the said Rabbi Baruch, that the bodies of the martyrs were not consumed by fire; only their souls were released. When the crowd saw it, they were amazed and said to one another, “Truly these are saints.” For a long time, the thirty one (or thirty two) martyrs of Blois were not allowed to be buried. ] It was only later that Jews came and buried their bones.
Rabbi Ephraim adds the anguished lament, “O daughters of Israel, weep for the souls that were burnt for the sanctification of the Name, and let your brothers, the entire House of Israel, bewail the burning.”
All the communities of France, England, and the Rhineland took upon themselves to observe the 20th of Sivan as a day of mourning and fasting. This was also confirmed by Rabbeinu Yaakov ben Meir, who wrote letters to them informing them that it was proper to fix that day as a twenty-four hour fast day. (Rabbeinu Yaakov Tam died in the third week after the Kiddush Hashem in Blois.)
Because of our sins these men were not even given a Jewish burial but were left at the bottom of the hill on the very spot where they had been burnt. It was only later the Jews came and buried the s bones. There were about thirty-two holy souls who offered themselves as a sacrifice to their Creator; and God smelled the sweet savor, for him whom He has chosen does He cause to come night unto Him. [The number of those burnt varies in different sources. One source lists a newborn babe. ]
Of their own free will all the communities of France, England, and the Rhineland observed Wednesday, the 20th of Siwan, 4931, as a day of mourning and fasting. This was also the command of great teacher Jacob, the son of Rabbi Meir, who wrote letters to them a informing them that it was proper to fix this day as a fast for all t our people, and that it must be greater even than the Fast of Gedaliah a ben Ahikam; it was to be like the Day of Atonement [a twenty hour fast ].
Like many anti-Semitic actions/stories, the blood libel is based on something Jews can’t do. When the Nazis put tattoos on the arms of Jews, it was because tattoos are forbidden iWhen the Jew-haters claim that Jews are making Matzo from the “blood” of children, they selected that libel s because the Torah forbids Jews from consuming blood. As is written in Leviticus 17:10-14:
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood, I will set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel: No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that taketh in hunting any beast or fowl that may be eaten, he shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For as to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with the life thereof; therefore I said unto the children of Israel: Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof; whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.
The blood libel is still used today but in a different form. It usually involves the war-mongering American Jews controlling our foreign policy and pushing the country into war or the war-mongering Jewish State of Israel deliberately trying to kill young Palestinians.
The news media participates in the blood libel also. The news coverage of the Israel war with Hamas contains elements of the “blood libel.” Palestinian civilian deaths are overstated. Some claim that Israel’s response to 50k+ Hamas rockets fired into Israel a few years was disproportionate and charge that Israel was targeting or ignoring civilians instead of the truth, which is Israel goes out of its way not to hit non-combatants/
Don’t be fooled. Bernie Sanders claimed the IDF killed 10,000 Palestinians, or a disproportionate response is nothing less than an example of the modern blood libel(what It can’t be discerned for sure whether Sanders actually feels that way or is pandering to his progressive base.
Even when Israel is attacked by terrorists, the news coverage Is usually “Israeli Police Shoot Palestinian, then in smaller letters or somewhere down in the lower part of the story is that the police shot the Palestinian” after he stabbed three Israelis and was running toward the policemen with a knife.
In a 20-minute phone call between Barack Obama snd Jewish leaders to sell the Iran deal, the POTUS said over and over, “those opponents of the Iran deal come from the same array of forces that got us into the Iraq war,” he said a “bunch of billionaires who happily finance super PACs” are “putting the squeeze on members of Congress.”
@nathanguttman @ChemiShalev @kampeas Jews are leading effort to kill #Irandeal. "Same people opposing the deal led us into Iraq war."
— William Daroff (@Daroff) July 30, 2015
The message was clear to the Jewish participants. William Daroff, Senior Vice President for Public Policy & Director of the Washington office of The Jewish Federations of North America, tweeted during the meeting, “Jews are leading effort to kill #Irandeal. ‘Same people opposing the deal led us into Iraq war,'” and he followed with “Canard: Jews got us into Iraq War:
@nathanguttman @ChemiShalev @kampeas Canard: Jews got us into Iraq War.
— William Daroff (@Daroff) July 30, 2015
While the blood libel that began in Blois, France, 851 years ago today may no longer involve Jews being burnt alive, It is still prevalent, and most Christians believe it to be disgusting. But there are still attempts to label Jews with the blood libel charge. Jews must be aware of those libel attempts today and immediately fight them with words, letters, and protests against politicians and news media.
massacre of jews in blois
