gjniev's review against another edition
4.0
A well documented and researched piece on the hoax of the Jewish blood libel. The book itself was less about the Massena affair and more about the historical context of antisemitism in the shape of the libel.
wilson_reads's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
“The Accusation: Blood Libel in an American Town”
By Edward Berenson
“She was the victim, voices said, of ritual murder, of the Jews’ supposed need to ritually kill Christian children and harvest their blood. The legend of ritual murder, one of the ugliest and most persistent features of the antisemitic imagination…It held that Jews needed young Christian blood for matzo-making or other darkly religious needs.”
“The Accusation” is the story of a young girls disappearance in the upstate NY town of Massena and the only recorded accusation of “blood libel” in American history. It didn’t take long after Barbara Griffiths wandered into the woods for blame to be placed squarely on the local Jewish community. Berenson gives us the origin of the blood libel in medieval England, it’s prominent usage throughout the centuries, and the possible reasons this very European style of antisemitism reared its ugly head in Massena in 1928. I’d highly recommend this book for anyone interested in a case study in the history of antisemitic conspiracy theories, especially the blood libel which shares many similarities to the popular Qanon conspiracy theory.
4/5⭐️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Antisemitism
apmartinez's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this was going to be a true crime novel, but really this is a history of the blood libel inspired by the writer's own connection to such an incident in Massena, New York. It read as well researched and comprehensive, though I'd have liked more about the consequences of the blood libel on the Massena town specifically.
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