Rose, a medieval historian and author of “The Murder of William of Norwich,” spoke at IU Monday night about her book and her work.
The talk was presented by the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center.
“Unfortunately, anti-semitism is alive and well, especially on many college campuses,” said Rabbi Sue Silberberg, executive director of the Hillel Center. “We hope that this talk teaches people to think more carefully about what they hear.”
The lecture, titled “A Lie That Went Viral,” focused on blood libel, the false belief that the Jewish people murdered Christian children for religious purposes, Rose said.
“It sounds absurd, and we know it’s absurd,” Rose said. “But it’s a quintessential example of what happens when you tell a lie over and over.”
The first mention of blood libel can be traced back to the Middle Ages in the 12th century, Rose said, and has persisted in some form ever since the first rumor was spread.
After hearing about it in the curriculum of many medieval studies classes she took as well as taught, Rose said she decided to learn how the lie of blood libel was spread everywhere and by whom.
“The people who perpetuated this lie have always been average, everyday citizens, and that made it hard to find information,” Rose said. “It’s very hard to write about this stuff because it just wasn’t that weird to people.”
The belief in blood libel has traveled throughout Europe including Anglo-Norman England, Poland and Palestine, Rose said.
“Without addressing the roots of an accusation, one can chop off an evil fruit here or there, but it will keep coming back,” Rose said. “It’s popping up in new places with new details.”
Rose has spent her career focusing on medieval history.
She studied at Oxford, Yale and Princeton universities and teaches at Johns Hopkins, Villanova, Rutgers and Baruch universities currently.
Rose’s book was published in June and she now continues to research new cases of blood libel accusation, she said.
“When you do this kind of work, it’s very hard but very important,” Rose said. “This needs to be studied in both a Christian context and a Jewish context. Many key issues from both the Middle Ages and more recent history have roots in blood libel accusations.”
The power of government, the growth of towns and cities and the financing of military units are all important in situations of blood libel accusations, Rose said.
Moreoever, these situations still have relevance today.
Bringing in speakers and new knowledge is essential to the Hillel Center’s mission, Silberberg said.
Silberberd said this is a large contribution to IU’s culture as a whole.
“Hatred is not just a Jewish problem,” Silberberg said. “There are so many lies in this world that people do not stop to evaluate. It’s so important to pay attention to what you see, hear and read.”
