839 years ago on this date, Jews accused of ritual murder in the French city of Blois.
In 1171, two months after Passover, rumors swept Blois that Jews had committed ritual murder to steal blood to bake their Passover Matzot.
At the time, only thirty-three Jews lived in the city. One of them, Isaac ben Eleazer, took a trip on the Loire River right before Passover. During his voyage, a local stable servant spotted him with an untanned hide sticking out of his coat. When the servant’s horse saw the hide, it jumped back in fear and refused to drink from the river.
The servant, a Christian who had heard that Jews use Christian blood for their Matzot and wine, returned home and told his master, “Hear, my lord, what a certain Jew did. As I rode behind him toward the river in order to give your horse a drink, I saw him throw a little Christian child, whom the Jews have killed, into the water. When I saw this I was horrified and hastened back quickly for fear he might kill me too. Even the horse under me was so frightened by the splash of water, when he threw the child in it, that it would not drink!”
The servant knew that that his master disliked Jews, since he had a quarrel with an influential Jewish woman living in the city. His master said, “Now I can have my vengeance on that woman and the rest of the Jews.”
The following morning, the master met the ruler of the city, Theobald, son of Theobald, Count of Blois (son-in-law of King Louis VII of France). When Theobald heard the story he became enraged and ordered the imprisonment of the city’s small Jewish community.
He agreed to free the Jews in exchange for a large sum of money. He allowed one Jew to meet with Jews in a neighboring city to negotiate the exchange. The imprisoned Jews, however, insisted that a high ransom should not be paid since it would make imprisoning Jews a profitable venture.
Eventually, negations failed after the local Bishop called on the Jews to die. He insisted he could prove their guilt by a test. He said he would fill a tank with water and the servant who claimed to see the Jew throw the child in the river would be put into it. If the servant floated, the Bishop said, it would prove he told the truth. If he sank, it would prove he had lied. Theobald agreed and the Bishop implemented the test. To no ones surprise, the Jews were found guilty.
Theobald told the Jews, “You can save your lives if you will leave your religion and accept ours.” After refusing they were beaten and tortured.
Per Theobald’s order, two of the community’s rabbis, Rabbi Yechiel, the son of Rabbi David haKohen, and Rabbi Yekuthiel, the son of Rabbi Judah haKohen, were tied to a single stake and burned alive in front of the community. Again, Theobald demanded that they convert. They refused. He then tied a third Jew to the stake, Rabbi Judah the son of Aaron, and lit him on fire.
By the end of the ordeal, fifty-one Jews were burned to death, including seventeen women. As they were burning, they chanted the Talmudic hymn “Aleinu,” beginning with the line, "It is our duty to praise the Master of all.” Once news of the tragedy spread, Rabbenu Tam declared a day of fasting and prayer in England, France and the Rhineland.
Today, no Jews live in Blois.
