SPME Editor’s Note: Scholars for Peace in the Middle East offers these articles for the purposes of awareness with a sense of urgency that the responsible Jewish academic world must brace itself for and respond with academic swiftness and rigor. These reports will get legs and make its way into both the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel advocacy groups and media. If it hasn’t already, it will make it’s way to academia very soon. SPME is asking Jewish studies and Medieval scholars to focus on this scholarship and address it. Thank you.

By Gil Ronen, Israel National News An Israeli professor from Bar Ilan University, in a new book, gives credence to the blood libel claims that Jews murdered Christian children in the Middle Ages and used their blood in rituals.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera has published extracts of the book – “Easter of Blood,” by Prof. Ariel Toaff – causing shock and revulsion in Italy’s Jewish community, as well as around the world.

In the book, Toaff alleges that a ritual killing was carried out by members of a fundamentalist group in reaction to the persecution of Jews. He based his book on confessions he says came from Jews captured and tried for the practice. Toaff said several were executed after confessing to the crucifixion of Christian children.

The claims were denied by leading Jewish figures, including Toaff’s father Elio, the former Chief Rabbi of Rome. Rabbi Toaff welcomed Pope John Paul II to Rome’s synagogue two decades ago in a historic visit that helped ease Catholic-Jewish relations after centuries of tensions.

Rabbi Toaff and Italy’s other senior rabbis issued a joint statement condemning the book. “There has never existed in Jewish tradition any permission or custom for using human blood for ritual purposes,” they said. “Such a practice is considered with horror. It is absolutely improper to use centuries old statements, extracted under torture, to formulate singular and aberrant historical theses. The only blood shed in these stories is that of many innocent Jews.”

Jewish and Catholic scholars have denounced Toaff’s work, saying he has not presented any new documents and that he gave credence to confessions extracted under torture.

Toaff’s 91-year-old father said he was looking forward to reading his son’s book and examining the documents, but stressed that according to the Torah and tradition, the consumption of animal blood, not to mention that of humans, was strictly prohibited.

Monsignor Iginio Rogger, a church historian who led an investigation in the 1960s into the 15th-century murder of 2-year-old Simon of Trento, for which 16 Jews were hanged, said many scholars have concurred that the confessions were completely unreliable.

Hebrew University historian Professor Israel J. Yuval, a blood-libel expert, said that from the information he had received, Professor Toaff’s interpretation sounded “trumped-up.”

Abe Foxman, chairman of the Anti-Defamation League, said, “It’s hard for me to believe that someone, especially an Israeli historian, would legitimize the baseless claims of the blood libels.”

UPDATE:

Bar-Ilan University Statement on Professor Ariel Toaff’s research regarding
blood libels
(Communicated by the Bar-Ilan University Spokesman)
Following is a statement by Bar-Ilan University Spokesman Shmuel Algarbali:

“Professor Ariel Toaff is among Israel’s and the world’s senior researchers
in medieval Jewish communities and the Italian Jewish community. Bar-Ilan
University ( www.biu.ac.il/index_eng.shtml ) – like other universities –
champions freedom of academic and scientific expression as the basis for its
research activity.

However, Bar-Ilan University expresses its strongest reservations over
reports in the media regarding Prof. Toaff’s latest research regarding blood
libels against European Jews in the Middle Ages. Bar-Ilan University – its
officers and researchers – have condemned, and condemn, any attempt to
justify the awful blood libels against Jews.

According to the principles of academic research and in order to prevent the
dissemination of false accusations, the Bar-Ilan University management
believes that it would be proper to wait until the research itself and
explanations from Prof. Toaff are received before taking up the issue. As
of yet, there has been no contact with Prof. Toaff, who is traveling abroad.
Immediately upon his return to the country in the coming days, Bar-Ilan
University President Prof. Moshe Kaveh will summon Prof. Toaff and ask from him explanations regarding his research. Until then, we believe that we
should refrain from relying on baseless reports that have been denied by
Prof. Toaff himself and which, apparently, lack any connection to the
research itself. Bar-Ilan University calls on all elements dealing with the
matter to wait for precise information, which Prof. Toaff will provide to
the University administration in the coming days.”

For further details, please contact Bar-Ilan University Spokesman Shmuel
Algarbali at 03-5318121, 050-7401016, 03-6106666 #1781 or
spokesman.office@mail.biu.ac.il.