On 22 September 1928, four-year-old Barbara Griffith strayed into the woods surrounding Massena in New York. Hundreds of people looked for the child but could not find her; then someone suggested that Barbara had been kidnapped and killed by Jews. The mayor and local police believed the rumour and the allegation of ritual murder, known to Jews as "blood libel", took hold. Rational people in government and Jewish leaders had to intervene to restore calm once Barbara was safely found.
At first glance it seems bizarre that so many embraced the accusation but many of Massena's inhabitants had emigrated recently from Central and Eastern Europe where "blood libel" was common. The Accusation is a shocking and perceptive cross-cultural exploration of American and European responses to anti-Semitism.
- ISBN10 0393249425
- ISBN13 9780393249422
- Publish Date 14 October 2019 (first published 10 September 2019)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint WW Norton & Co
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 256
- Language English