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A portion of the Pravda article, "The
Tribe of Satan."
Jews took children (and oth-
ers) for the sacrifices. Stab
wounds in the armpits and
groin were characteristic - of
these sacrifices."
The article further
charges that Russia is
plagued by the presence of
numerous demonic sects,
many of which supposedly
have ties to the West. It
specifically cites Chasidic
groups which, "according to
numerous researchers" con-
tinue the Levite practice of
killing gentiles for ritual
purposes.
"According to extra-secret
data of the 13th department
of the KGB, between 45 and
50 murders with the signs
of ritual tortures are corn-
mitted each year in
Russia...
"Satan lives freely today
in Russia, and we need to
talk aloud about it."
Ms. Lupyan, a Russian
immigrant who came to
Detroit four years ago, was
so incensed by the story
that she has organized a
petition campaign, protest-
ing the article to Russian
President Boris Yeltsin. She
is asking members of the
Detroit Jewish community
to help her circulate the
petitions.
The blood-libel myth
states that Jews kill
Christians, especially chil-
dren, to use their blood on
Passover and other holi-
days. Probably the most
famous case involved
Menachem Mendel Beilis. It
began in 1911 and contin-
ued for two years. The
police charged Beilis with
the murder of 12-year-old
-
Andrei Yuschinsky, found
near a cave in Kiev. During
the trial a couple, who had
at first insisted they had
seen Beilis kidnap Andrei,
admitted, "We know noth-
ing at all."
Beilis was acquitted, and
his case became the subject
of Bernard Malamud's The
Fixer and, this spring, The
Beilis Transcripts by
Detroiter Ezekiel Leikin.
The idea that Jews use
blood for ritual purposes
has circulated for thousands
of years — despite the fact
that the Torah absolutely
forbids blood sacrifices.
- Hellenistic
Greeks
charged that Jews would
kidnap a Greek to torture
him, then eat his flesh.
Christian sects in the
Middle Ages propagated a
similar lie, resulting in an
1144 case alleging that
Jews had "bought a
Christian child before
Easter and tortured him
with all the tortures where-
with our Lord was tortured,
and on Long Friday hanged
him on a rood in hatred of
our Lord."
Blood-libel cases were
reported in subsequent
years in Spain, Germany
and England. Some purport-
ed that the blood was need-
ed as a salve for circumci-
sion. Others said it was
required to arouse romantic
passions. A third rumor was
that Jews were obligated to
shed Christian blood to
honor God.
By the 17th century,
blood-libel cases had spread
throughout Eastern Europe.
Most of these charged that
Jews needed Christian
blood to make matzah for
Passover.
The Nazis further
expanded the lie (it was a
frequent subject in the Nazi
paper Der Stuermer), as did
Russian leaders. Russian
publications focused on "the
use of Christian blood by
Jewish sects for religious
purposes."
The first blood-libel case
in Russia was reported just
before Passover 1799, when
four Jews were arrested for
the murder of a Christian
woman. They were released
because of a lack of evi-
dence.
For a copy of the petition
to Mr. Yeltsin, contact
Marina Lupyin at 968-5215.0
AgNir4Ory -
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSISTAN
enjamin Hooks, for-
mer executive direc-
tor of the NAACP,
recently joined the
ranks of American leaders
denouncing the lifetime
sentence of Jonathan Jay
Pollard.
"I have recently re-
viewed the facts in the
case of Jonathan Pollard
and have concluded that
the term of his sentence is
unduly harsh and unjust,"
Mr. Hooks said in a letter
written late last month to
President Bill Clinton. "I
am, therefore, respectfully
urging you to grant Mr.
Pollard executive clemen-
cy."
In 1967, Mr. Pollard
was found guilty of spying
for Israel and was given a
life sentence, A former
Navy analyst, he received
the harshest sentence
ever in U.S. history for
espionage for a friendly
nation. He is now in soli-
tary confinement in a fed-
eral prison in Illinois.
Mr. Hooks, who is
retired and lives in
Memphis, Tenn., said he
became interested in Mr.
Pollard after hearing
friends discuss the mat-
ter.
"When I first heard
about the case I was con-
cerned," he said. Then
hearing about it again
"refreshed my memory
and whet my appetite.
"It was a miscarriage of
justice."
In his letter to
President Clinton, Mr.
Hooks said he had "rarely
encountered a case in
which government arbi
trariness was so clear-cut
and inexcusable...
"As inexcusable as Mr.
Pollard's acts were, he
was never accused of trea-
son or harming our
nation. His crime was lim-
ited to aiding a close ally
and this should have miti-
gated against such a
harsh punishment?
A lawyer and minister,
Mr. Hooks served as head
of the NAACP from 1977
until his retirement sever-
al months ago. El
Vandals Desecrate Synagogue
KIMBERLY LIFTON STAFF WRITER
V
andals last week
spray-painted graffiti
on the front and back
walls of the Down-
town Synagogue, officials
at the synagogue said.
It was the first time ever
that an incident of this
kind has occurred at the
synagogue, on Griswold
and Clifford streets in
downtown Detroit. A police
report has been filed.
"It may just be an isolat-
ed event," Rabbi Noah
Gamze said. "Or it may be
a pattern. We don't know."
According to synagogue
officials, vandals plastered
the words "F— the lies" on
the front wall of the syna-
gogue. On the back wall
was a silhouette of a body
and a circle emblem with a
cross.
"It may just be an
isolated event"
Building Manager Sam
Glass discovered the graffi-
ti on the front of the build-
ing when he arrived at 9
a.m. June 28 at the syna-
gogue.
He and the rabbi did not
notice the painting on the
back wall until later in the
day.
There was no visible
graffiti when the rabbi left
the synagogue after
Shabbat services about
noon the previous
Saturday. Rabbi Gamze
said vandals could have
struck anytime after that
time.
The synagogue, with
nearly 450 members, has
faced few problems since
moving to the current site
in 1964, Rabbi Gamze said.
"I was kind of shocked,"
he said. "At first, we
thought it was just some
drunks. But then we saw
the back wall. It looks like
there is a real sicko here." 0