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Anti-Semitic Incidents

The blood libel against Jews in Europe began with the death of William of Norwich in 1144

On 25 March, 1144, a boy's corpse showing signs of a violent death was found in Thorpe Wood near Norwich. The body was recognized as that of William, a tanner's apprentice. The grave was opened by William's uncle, the priest Godwin Stuart, the body recognized, the burial Office read, and the grave recovered.

Major-General Ulysses S. Grant expels Jews from his military district on December 17, 1862

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877) as well as military commander during the US Civil War (1861–1865). Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America.

The New York Times and the cover-up of anti-Semitism in New York in 1991

Ari L. Goldman in a recent article in The Jewish Week tells us about the cover-up of anti-Semitism by the New York Times in 1991. He attributes this to the importance of the “frame” (or framing) in journalism. Journalists framed the story as a “racial” conflict and failed to see the anti-Semitism inherent in the riots.

Looking Back: The Damascus Blood Libel Affair

On February 4, 1840, an Italian monk, Padre Tomaso de Camangiano, Superior of a Capuchin cloister in Damascus, and his servant mysteriously disappeared from Ottoman ruled Damascus.

Today in History: In 1171, Jews accused of ritual murder in French City of Blois

839 years ago on this date, Jews accused of ritual murder in the French city of Blois.

Today in History: The Capture of Adolph Eichmann

Fifty years ago today, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announced that Israel had captured Nazi leader Adolph Eichmann who had been hiding in Argentina.

Today in History: The Battle of Berlin

Sixty-five years ago today, Nazi forces surrendered to the Soviet Army with the conclusion of the Battle of Berlin.

Looking Back: Stuyvesant’s Failed Efforts To Prohibit Jewish Immigration

355 years ago on this day, the directors of the Dutch West India Company refused to grant Governor Peter Stuyvesant permission to bar Jews from entering New Amsterdam, essentially ending official efforts to restrict Jewish immigration into North America.

Azerbaijan's tiny Jewish minority accused of conspiring to control the country

The top religious organization in Azerbaijan claims that Azerbaijan's Jewish population, which makes up less than .1% of Azerbaijan's 9,000,000 citizens, intends to overthrow the government and gain control of the country.

MI5: Hitler Youth Tried to Infiltrate Boy Scouts

Hitler Youth cycling tours tried to infiltrate the Boy Scout movement in the UK, newly released MI5 documents say.

The Night of the Murdered Poets

The Night of the Murdered Poets was a part of Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign. The event took place during the night of 12th to 13th of August, 1952, when thirteen highly regarded Soviet Jewish cultural figures were executed in a Moscow prison.

The Beilis Affair, Blood Libel in Russia

Menahem Mendel Beilis was a Ukrainian Jew falsely accused of ritually murdering 12-year old Andrei Yuschinsky for his blood. His trial, commonly known as the “Beilis Trial” or the “Beilis Affair” (in reference to the Dreyfus Affair), was a complete sham and sparked severe criticism of anti-Semitism in Russia.

The Evian Conference

On July 6, 1938, a nine-day forum initiated—though not attended—by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt took place in the French town of Évian-les-Bains. Known as the Evian Conference, its purpose was to address the growing plight of the Jews created by the rise and expansion of Nazi Germany.

The Dreyfus Affair

Following the traumatic military defeat to the Germans in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, French society began looking for scapegoats. A few decades after the war, a cleaning woman discovered a handwritten list offering Germany confidential French military information. The person to bear the blame for this piece of paper became a French-Jewish officer named Alfred Dreyfus.

The Doctors' Plot

The Doctors Plot was an anti-Semitic incident that took place in the USSR during the last two years of Joseph Stalin's life. As the Soviet dictator was aging, he became increasingly paranoid of an assassination. While Stalin is famous for his mistrust of Jews, he was also known to be skeptical of doctors. Many doctors in the Soviet Union were Jews and they would become Stalin's direct target.