top of page
Search

When Jews Commit Blood Libel

by Ram ben Ze'ev


When Jews Commit Blood Libel
When Jews Commit Blood Libel

It is one of the most infamous lies in human history—one that echoes with the blood of the innocent and the cries of the falsely accused. The term blood libel refers to the grotesque accusation that Jews murder non-Jewish children to use their blood in religious rituals. This slander, born in Christian Europe during the 12th century, became a tool of mass hatred, inciting pogroms, public executions, and expulsions across the continent. From William of Norwich to the Beilis trial in Kiev, the blood libel was not merely a lie—it was a weapon of genocide.



Yet today, a disturbing distortion has emerged. In our own generation, some Jews, often motivated by political ideology, personal vendetta, or self-hatred, echo this libel—aimed not outward, but inward. They falsely accuse fellow Jews—especially religious Jews, Zionists, or the State of Israel—of the most monstrous crimes, invoking the very tropes once used by our enemies. This is not mere lashon hara (לשון הרע, evil speech); it is a revival of the blood libel itself.


The Origins and Consequences of Blood Libel

Historically, the blood libel was rooted in ignorance and religious fanaticism. Christianity’s separation from Torah created a vacuum filled by superstition and scapegoating. The claim that Jews use human blood in baking matzot (מצות, unleavened bread) is not only absurd but a direct contradiction of Halakhah. Torah law strictly prohibits the consumption of any blood—even from kosher animals. The verse in ויקרא (Vayikra, Leviticus) 17:10 is explicit:


וכל נפש מכם אשר תאכל כל דם ונתתי פני בנפש ההוא והכרתי אתה מקרב עמה


"Any person among you who eats any blood—I shall set My face against that person... and I will cut him off from among his people."


To imagine that Torah-observant Jews would violate one of the strictest laws in the Torah is to engage in blasphemy.



The Halakhic Prohibition Against False Accusation

Beyond the absurdity of the libel, Halakhah treats false accusation as a grievous sin. The Talmud in מסכת סנהדרין (Sanhedrin) 89b teaches that one who falsely testifies against his fellow is akin to shedding blood. The Rambam codifies this in Hilkhot Edut 18:6, warning that false witnesses are spiritually disqualified and bring destruction upon society.


The Chafetz Chaim, in Sefer Shemirat HaLashon, lists categories of speech that destroy relationships and ruin lives. But blood libel is worse—it is not mere speech; it is accusation fused with a murderous past.


The Holy Zohar and Spiritual Consequences

The Holy Zohar in פרשת ויקהל (Parashat Vayakhel), volume 2, page 199b, teaches that slander “rips apart the supernal structure,” causing harm in all the upper worlds. When a Jew slanders another Jew—particularly when aligning with the language of the Nations—it strengthens the Sitra Achra (סטרא אחרא, the Other Side), empowering forces of impurity and judgement. This is spiritual sabotage.


The Holy Zohar in פרשת משפטים (Parashat Mishpatim) warns that motzi shem ra (מוציא שם רע, bringing out a bad name) is considered on par with idolatry, adultery, and murder—the three cardinal sins for which a Jew must give up his life rather than transgress.



The Tanya’s View on Self-Hatred

The Tanya, in chapter 32, speaks of the essential unity of the Jewish soul. The nefesh Elokit (נפש אלוקית, Divine soul) within each Jew is identical, and our division stems from the ego of the nefesh habehemit (נפש הבהמית, animal soul). When a Jew slanders another Jew in such destructive terms, he is not acting from the soul, but from the basest animal instincts, having forgotten the unity of the nation and the Divine source within every Jew.


Worse still is when a Jew adopts the language of our enemies and elevates their slanders to a level of “legitimate criticism.” These are not mere disagreements. To accuse the Jewish people, the State of Israel, or its defenders of genocide, bloodlust, or ritualistic cruelty is to place oneself—chas veshalom (חס ושלום, G-D forbid)—among the worst of our historical persecutors.


Present-Day Blood Libels by Jews

Today, some Jewish academics, journalists, and activists make blood-libel-like accusations against Israel. They accuse IDF soldiers of deliberately killing children. They claim Israel harvests organs from Arabs of Gaza. They amplify antisemitic tropes under the guise of human rights. These lies are often published, retweeted, and celebrated—by Jews.


This is not criticism. This is betrayal. These individuals do not merely oppose policies; they resurrect the tropes of William of Norwich, the lies of Damascus, the cries of Kishinev. And they do so with full knowledge of our history. That is what makes it so chilling.


A Call to Teshuvah

There is still time for teshuvah (תשובה, return). The Rambam in Hilchot Teshuvah 7:5 teaches that no sin is beyond repair—except one that is repeated so often that the sinner begins to believe it is no sin at all. The Jew who utters modern-day blood libels must first recognise the magnitude of the betrayal—not only of his fellow Jew, but of his very soul, and of the covenant with G-D.



Let us be clear: it is one thing to debate policy; it is another to accuse your own people of ritual murder. That is not conscience—it is complicity.


We are a people of memory. We remember Amalek. We remember every pogrom, every false trial, every murdered child whose death was blamed on us. Let us also remember this: no Jew ever survives by betraying his people. And no lie ever serves truth, even when it wears the mask of righteousness.


>>>> BUY ME A COFFEE <<<<


###


bottom of page