AH30 Blood Libels, Old and New

This course explores the complex intersection of history and literature through the lens of anti-Jewish narratives. The focus is the so-called “Blood Libel,” from early accusations to later legal prosecutions for ritual murder. We will examine how such narratives were constructed, transmitted, and legitimized across legal, literary, and theological contexts. The course situates these developments within broader questions of xenophobia and the fear of the Other, analyzing how Jewish communities were marked, differentiated, and imagined within surrounding societies. Finally, the course considers the historical impact of these narratives, including their role in shaping communal identity and their relationship to religious movements such as Hasidism. The Blood Libel is examined in its roots and in the foliage it produced which is still visible today.