Blood libel

A false accusation that Jews murder non-Jews, especially Christian children, for ritual purposes. The charge has fueled antisemitic persecution and violence across centuries.

William of Norwich: A twelve-year-old English boy whose unexplained death in 1144 became the subject of an early medieval blood-libel accusation. His death in Norwich is the earliest known case of the medieval accusation.
Ritual murder accusation against Jews in Trent: The 1475 prosecution in which local Jews were tortured and executed after the death of Simon of Trent. It illustrates the lethal consequences of an accusation supported by coerced testimony.
Torture: The intentional infliction of severe physical or psychological pain, often to punish, intimidate, or extract information. Torture produced coerced confessions in several historical prosecutions.
Kashrut: The body of Jewish dietary laws governing which foods may be eaten and how they are prepared. Jewish dietary law does not require or permit the use of human blood.
Thomas of Monmouth: A Benedictine monk who wrote a hagiography presenting William of Norwich as a Christian martyr. His account helped turn William’s death into a widely circulated anti-Jewish story.
Kielce pogrom: A 1946 attack in Poland in which 42 Jews were killed after a child’s false kidnapping allegation fueled rumors of ritual murder. A modern rumor revived the accusation and helped trigger lethal violence.
Forced confession: A confession obtained through coercion, threats, or abuse rather than freely given testimony. Confessions extracted from accused Jews were presented as proof despite their coercive origins.
Kosher slaughter: The Jewish method of animal slaughter prescribed by religious law, including requirements for draining blood from meat. Its rules directly contradict claims that Jewish ritual uses human blood.
Simon of Trent: A child whose death in 1475 led to the execution of local Jews after a blood-libel trial. The Trent case shows how an accusation could become a judicial prosecution.
Beilis trial: A 1913 Russian trial of Jewish factory worker Mendel Beilis, charged with murdering a Christian boy for ritual purposes and acquitted. The prosecution made the accusation a focus of international attention.

Linked from 15 pages