The Accusation: Blood Libel in an American Town

NYU history professor Berenson (Europe in the Modern World: A New Narrative History Since 1500) provides a comprehensive look at a little-known episode of American anti-Semitism in this thoughtful history. In 1928, shortly after four-year-old Barbara Griffiths failed to return home from an errand, rumors circulated in her Upstate New York town that she had been the victim of Jews who intended to use her blood for ritual purposes. That baseless theory was endorsed by both the mayor of the village of Massena and the lead police investigator, who called in the local rabbi for an interrogation. The slander was rebutted when an unharmed Barbara resurfaced the next day, explaining that she’d gotten lost and had fallen asleep in the woods. Berenson uses this incident to explore the origins and history of the blood libel (accusations that Jews used Christian blood for ritual purposes) and the shifting attitudes toward Jews in American history. As this instance did not lead to other similar accusations, the author concludes that “the Massena blood libel ultimately showed that American civilization, at least in relation to its Jewish population, was stronger than many people thought.” Berenson’s study benefits from his having interviewed several people alive at the time, including Griffiths, and wisely avoids sensationalism. Readers interested in the recurrence of anti-Semitism in the U.S. will find food for thought here. (Sept.)