Weblog Entry for 14 March 2002

Astonishing. Patrick points out that, in this day and age, the Saudi government’s daily newspaper is repeating the blood libel against Jews. And it looks like a new version.

The traditional version of the antisemitic blood libel associates it with Passover, and holds that the blood is used to make matzoh (unleavened bread). This new version has the blood being used to make hamentashen (triangular pastries usually having a poppyseed filling, but you can also get them with apricot or raspberry fillings around here; one of the bakers selling bread and cookies at the Grand Army Plaza farmers market makes some of the best hamentashen I’ve ever had, all year ’round) for Purim. I suppose soon they’ll be saying it about Hanukah latkes (potato pancakes).

Both versions are clearly nonsense to anyone who knows anything about Judaism. Human beings aren’t kosher (an exception: babies are allowed to drink their mothers’ milk), and blood isn’t kosher even from kosher animals.

(And I’ve specified “antisemitic” and “against Jews” because blood libels have been used against other groups, including early Christians.)

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