Purely Commentary
The Outrageous Blood-Accusation
. Another Incident Supplement-
ing the Smolar Recollection
By Philip
Slomovitz
fluence of conventional prejudices as to the characteristics and the moral worth
of the Jews. We 71121.91: get rid of this self-contempt„ this idea that we are really
worse than all the world. Otherwise we may in the course of time become in
reality what we now imagine ourselves to be.
"This necessary means of escape the world itself, with its accepted beliefs,
affords us—through the blood-accusation. This accusation is the solitary case in
which the general acceptance of an idea about ourselves does not make us doubt
whether all the world can be wrong, and we right, because it is based on an
absolute lie, and is not even supported by any false inference from particular
to universal. Every Jew who has been brought up among Jews knows as an in-
disputable fact that throughout the length and breadth of Jewry there is not a
single individual who drinks human blood for religious purposes. We ought, there-
fore, always to remember that in this instance the general belief, which is brougV
to our notice ever and anon by the revival of the blood-accusation, is absolute
wrong; because this will make it easier for us to get rid of the tendency to bow
to the authority of 'everybody' in other matters. Let the world say what it will
about our moral inferiority: we know that its ideas rest on pure logic, and have
no real scientific basis. Who has ever penetrated into the very heart of the Jew,
and discovered his essential nature? Who has ever weighed the Jew against the
non-Jew of the same class—Jewish tradesman against non-Jewish tradesman,
persecuted Jew against persecuted non-Jew, starved Jew against
starved non-Jew, and so on—who has carried out this test, scien-
tifically and impartially, and found the balance incline to this
side or to that?
"'But'—you ask—cis it possible that everybody can be wrong,
and the Jews right?'
"Yes, it is possible: the blood-accusation proves it possible.
Here, you see, the Jews are right and perfectly innocent. A Jew
police, at the request of the local I paid a visit to police headquar-
BY BORIS SMOLAR
and blood—could there be a more complete contradiction? And
mayor, interrogated Rabbi Bren- ters for a talk with the chief of
Editor, Jewish Telegraphic Agency
yet . . . ."
(Copyright, 1965, JTA, Inc.)
glass on the horrible assumption police. I told him frankly that I
Who will dare dispute the logic of this essay? Written 73 years
Saturday late in the evening . .. that the Jews required the blood came to Massena not only as a
Sept. 22, 1928 ... Two days before of Christian children for their holy newspaperman, but specifically at ago, it retains its forcefulness even unto our time.
One would imagine that in the course of the hoped-for humaniza-
Yom Kippur . . . My home tele- days, and that this accounted for the request of Marshall, who
the disappearance of the little girl. played also an active role in politi- tion of mankind the libel would have been atoned for, never again to
phone rings.
"This is Louis Marshall . . . One of the questions the rabbi was cal affairs of New York State. be repeated. One would imagine that both Christianity and Moham-
Something very i m p o r t a n t and asked by the police chief was: The name of Marshall, it turned medanism would have made certain that any mention of such a libel_
urgent .. . I just received a long- "Is tomorrow a big Jewish holiday, out, was well known to the chief would be resented and repudiated.
Nevertheless, the medieval charge has been heard again and again
distance telephone call from Jew- a fast day?" After receiving from of police, and he knew that there
ish leaders in Massena, a small the rabbi an affirmative answer, would be consequences. He tried to —in Russia against Mendel Beiliss, in this country in the Massena Case,
town in the upper part of New the police chief asked him: "Can excuse himself for asking the rabbi in Russia, the Ukraine, the Caucasus and the Soviet Daghestan in 1960,
York State . . . The tiny Jewish you give any information as to the ridiculous questions; but seeing 1961 and 1963.
History will undoubtedly refer with a sense of shame to this
community there is in panic . . . whether your people in the old that his excuse did not impress
A Christian 4-year-old girl disap- country offer human sacrifices?" me, he made it clear that he did charge. But the fact that it has been heard in this country will prove
geared, and the Christian popula- Thereupon the rabbi, with great the questioning under instructions doubly shocking.
tion is excited . . . Ugly rumors indignation, expressed his aston- from the mayor. He tried to be
The Massena Case was not an isolated instance. Your Commenta-
are being spread that the Jews ishment that any public officer in extremely polite to me and asked for s i tempted to relate a personal experience involving the ritual
kidnaped the child for ritual pur- the United States should dare to me whether he could do anything murder charge.
poses for Yom Kippur . . . A ask such a question. The rabbi for me. I told h im that the only
It dates back to 1915. It was a month before Passover, spring had
ritual blood libel against the Jew-
was when
then the
asked
if there
was
a thing
could
time
Jewish
people
used
be to he
permit
me do
to for
use me
his would
tele- set in, and there was a booming business at the Slomovitz Department
ish community is in the making • • •
The Jews are in mortal fear . . , human blood, to which he gave a phone for a call to New York to Store on Avenue t in Bayonne, N.J. As in subsequent years, when
Can you take the first train and negative answer and stressed that Marshall. This, I pointed out that store was transplanted first to Westminster Avenue and then to
p r o c e e d immediately to Mas- the use of human blood, and also would give him the opportunity to Oakland Avenue hi Detroit, there were displays of dry goods rem-
sena? . . . " of animal blood, was forbidden by hear what I was reporting to the nants and women of all faiths and races were searching for colors and
lengths of their -preference for dresses for the approaching holidays.
Jewish leader on the ugly case.
The matter was of extreme ur- the Jewish religion.
Suddenly - there
was a shout at my father: "Murderer, Jew, blood-
-
* * *
gency. This was the first blood
Marshall was glad to hear that sucker! Yoh' . stale
my child for Passover!" The shout was in Polish,
libel accusation against American
While the rabbi was interrogated the case bad a fortunate ending, with a sprinkling of vituperative English.
Jews in the history of the United
Before an hour had passed, at least a thousand. Poles had gathered
States. (Commentator's account, by the police chief, a mob of sever- but he was greatly upset over the
fact that the rabbi had been sum- at the store, threatening, ready to kill, and the police had a difficult
above, shows it was not the first al hundred was waiting in a state moned to the police headquarters time holding the crowd back.
such incident in the U.S.) Prompt of unusual excitement outside po- and especially over the questions
Two hours later, the missing little girl was found about a block
action was necessary to check it in lice headquarters. What the Jews put there to the rabbi. To him away. She had been window shopping in neighborhood stores.
in
Massena
suffered
when
it
be-
time through a thorough investi-
The incident made front page copy, in all Yiddish newspapers, the
came known that their rabbi has the case was not ended. He asked
gation on the spot.
been taken to the police is easy me to return to New York as soon N. Y. Times. AP, UP, INS, and this Commentator, then in his teens,
Marshall, then president of the to imagine. Their mental agony as possible and to write a report more than a year before he . was to leave for Ann Arbor to enter the
American Jewish Committee, and had grown even worse when they on the case. The report was pub- U. of M.,- .,gan to receive inquiries from many Slomovitzes through-
outstanding leader of American learned of the questions the rabbi lished not only in the Jewish Tele- out the ntry, including Prof. Slomovitz of the University of Wis-
graphic Agency service, but also consin, asking whether we were related, whence we hailed, about our
Jewry, wanted me to make this was asked by the police chief.
in the general press. The New Russian background, etc.
investigation and to advise him
As I was sitting with the rabbi York Sun, an important conserva-
No, there were not too many incidents. We are fortunate: the
from Massena on what urgent at his home later, listening to what
tive afternoon newspaper which did stupidities of the Middle Ages have not invaded our land. Yet, more
steps should be taken.
happened during the police inter- not usually pay much attention to than often, in years gone by, we had non-Jews ask: is it true that Jews
The first train I could take to rogation, and telling him that I matters of Jewish interest, Went must use blood in their matzohs for Passover? Such has been the
reach Massena—a town on the came all the way from New York out of its way to feature the horrifying - situation which had made possible to infliction of tragic
American-Canadian order — was a at the request of Louis Marshall, story prominently and to carry libels upon us.
slow, night milk train which would a group of Jews suddenly burst editorial comment in it.
About a year ago, Flint residents were shocked to receive a
bring me to my destination the into his house shouting jubilantly:
mimeographed circular from an anti-Semitic organization that has
* * *
next day, after changing trains on
"The child has been found!
its 1*.avarters in New Jersey, reviving the ritual murder libel. It
the way. There was no better The child is alive ! . . . "
circillatiori could not have been limited to a Michigan communit
The culminating point of this
means of transportation, so I took
Resort to stith mediaeval insanity is an indication that the fight
It turned out that the 4 ,year-old ritual blood libel case against
this all-night train which stopped Barbara Griffith was sent by her Jews in an American community
agAnst bigotry -never ends.
at every station, changed twice mother the day before to the near- was reached when the mayor of
T17-1-Ire were ritual murder charges in other areas of - .i;ic- Western
after waiting hours at junctions, by woods to look for her brother, Massena was summoned to Albany, Hemispimre. In 1946, DAIA, the central Jewish Agentinian organiza-
and finally reached Massena the and that she was found wandering the state capital, together with tion, prothsted to the government against such accusations by Benja-
next day at about noon—the day in the woods about a mile from the rabbi, where he gave a written min F. Zaccheo, professor of history at Buenos Aires Normal School.
when JeWs were to usher in Yom her home the following day about apology to the rabbi. This was Zaccheo had lauded the activities of the Spanish Inquisition.
Kippur with Kol Nidre services. 4:30, a few hours after the rabbi done at the request of Mar-
The scurrilous ritual murder 'charge against Jews also was
made, at a street corner meeting in Chicago, on Oct. 6, 1945, by
The town was seething when I was interrogated at police head- shall who, in a letter to the mayor,
three notorious anti-Semites, including Homer Maertz.
reached the main street. Christians quarters. It was learned that, after demanded that he not only apolo-__
The horrible Kielce program in Poland in 1946 was marked by
. were gathered in groups talking failing to find her brother at the gize publicly, but that he also re-
excitedly' of the fact that the night place indicated, she went further sign from his position as mayor the blood accusation atrocity.
It was in the infamous Leopold Hilsner case in 1899 that the
search for the missing child in into the woods, lost her way, be- "for the abuse af his official posi-
the neighborhood woods, and ev- came fatigued, fell asleep, and on tion in encouraging the circulation eminent liberal, Prof. Thomas Masaryk, who was later to become the
erywhere. else, had brought no awakening continued her wander- of an unspeakable calumny." first president of the reborn Czechoslovakian Republic, after World
War I, played a vital role as the defender of the accused Jew and
results. The Jewish stores were ings until found by two young
Marshall gave the mayor a few as the advocate against the atrocious lie leveled at Jewry.
closed, and no Jew was seen on ladies who were looking for her.
But since then anti-Semites everywhere, especially Germans
days to act; otherwise he informed
the street, obviously aware of the
The joy of the Jews in town
dangerous atmosphere. There were was indescribable. Their Yom Kip- him he would institute proceedings, under the leadership of the arch Nazi Julius Streicher, used the
only 19 'Jewish families in Mas- pur prayers that evening and the as president of the American Jew- ritual murder lie as an instrument of attack against the Jewish people.
And in our own time, our youth are totally unaware of the historic
ish Committee, before the Appelate
sena.
following day had a special mean-
The first Jewish leader with ing for them. They saw a miracle Division of the Supreme Court, for incidents that resulted in pogroms, in the death of scores of thousands
who were subjected to the blood-accusation and other libels.
whom I spoke, telling him that in the fact that the child was found his removal from office "on the of Jews
Some day, our youth may be confronted with the question we
I was rushed by Marshall to Mas- just a few hours before the Kol ground of official misconduct."
just quoted: "is it true that Jews use blood . . . ?" Suppose
sena, unveiled for me the unbe- Nidre services. They were also Marshall was not only a great Jew- have
they
are
faced with it and do not know how to reply? Wouldn't that
ish
leader
but
also
a
great
lawyer,
lievable story that only that morn- grateful to Louis Marshall for
and
the
mayor
of
Massena
knew
be
as
tragic
as the charge itself?
ing—about two hours before my losing no time in taking an inter-
That is why it is so valid to repeat and repeat and repeat again
arrival — the local rabbi, Bert est in their fate at the most critical that he meant what he said. In and again, in our admonitions to our young .people: "know yourself,
Brenglass, was summoned to police moment when the small community fact, Marshall later wrote to the your people, your history; you may be caught unprepared some day
rabbi in Massena that he should
headquarters. There the chief of was in great danger.
not have accepted the mayor's and you'll be a lost, an unhappy soul; it is when you know and are
--
After seeing the rabH and some written apology without insisting prepared to demolish libels that you are strong, virile, courac,...---
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
c"
Ila
er
in
the
knowledge
that
you
can
hold
your
-
i
nj
of the Jewish community leaders, on his resignation. ha
_ -
2—Friday, October 1, 1965
There is nothing more shocking than the blood-accusation, also recorded tragically
an Jewish history as the ritual murder libel.
Mr. Smolar's recollections, in the accompanying article, will remind the elders
in our midst of the outrageous indictment in Massena, N.Y. But the elders also will
recall the Mendel Beiliss Case in Russia in 1913, and students of history will be
reminded of many other outrageous cases which were condoned by governments and
by churchmen.
There were Christians who condemned and exposed the libel. Cardinal Lorenzo
Ganganelli, who later became Pope Clement XIV, was the author of a famous state-
ment rejecting the charge against the Jews.
There were many infamous cases involving the ritual murder libel'. The Damascus
Affair of 1850, which united world Jewry under the leadership of Sir Moses Montefiore
and Adolphe Cremieux, the British and French Jewish leaders, was one of the inci-
dents that drew world attention.
One of the most moving expressions of pain, coupled with a rebuke to the non-
Jewish world for having permitted such a libel to be spread against Jewry, was written
by the famous Jewish thinker, Ahad Ha-'Am (Asher Ginsberg). In his essay, "Some
Consolation," published in 1892, he wrote:
"What we need . . . is some means of emancipating ourselves from the in-
It Happened Before Kol Nidre: Smolar's
Recollections of Massena Blood Libel Case
1
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