Blood libel

In the wake of the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, many liberal talking-heads and pundits have castigated conservatives talking-heads and pundits for their vitriol. In response to such attacks, Sarah Palin pushed back today, calling attacks on her as "blood libel."

Blood libel has a particular historical meaning: it is the anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish myth that Jews killed Christian children and used their blood to make matzoh. In modern days, the meaning has been expanded. Yet even the ADL, which tends to be rather conservative, commented that "While the term 'blood-libel' has become part of the English parlance to refer to someone being falsely accused, we wish that Palin had used another phrase, instead of one so fraught with pain in Jewish history."

Others have been less restrained in their criticism of the half-term former Alaska governor.



President of Jewish Funds for Justice Simon Greer said in a statement that "the term 'blood libel' is not a synonym for 'false accusation.' It refers to a specific falsehood perpetuated by Christians about Jews for centuries, a falsehood that motivated a good deal of anti-Jewish violence and discrimination. Unless someone has been accusing Ms. Palin of killing Christian babies and making matzoh from their blood, her use of the term is totally out-of-line. In the past two months, Ms. Palin and Glenn Beck, the most well-known media personalities on Fox News, have abused two of the most tragic episode in the history of the Jewish people: the Holocaust and the blood libel," Greer said, adding "in addition, Roger Ailes, the head of the Fox News channel, referred to the executives at NPR as 'Nazis.' Perhaps the popular news channel has such an ingrained victim mentality that it identifies with one of the most persecuted minorities in human history. But the Jewish community does not appreciate their identification, which only serves to denigrate the very real pain so many Jews have suffered because of anti-Semitic violence. It is clear that Fox News has a Jewish problem."