Blood Libel

            These stereotypes stem from a long tradition of branding Jews as an “other” and giving them characteristics that exaggerate their social circumstances or traditional practices. The most obvious of these is the Blood Libel which refers to “a centuries-old false allegation that Jews murder Christians – especially Christian children – to use their blood for ritual purposes, such as an ingredient in the baking of Passover Matzah (unleavened bread)” (ADL).  These rumors strongly persisted from Medieval times into modern times desite the fact that the Halakhic law that regulates Jewish behavior prohibits both human sacrifice and the consumptions of blood (Telushkin, 19, 712). The origins of this myth stems back to the longstanding erroneous interpretation of the metzitzah ritual during the circumcision ritual, or brit milah, when the rabbi or mohel sucks the blood away from the wound. This practice was meant to stave off infection before the advent of modern antiseptics and none of the blood is ever consumed. This practice is still performed purely for its traditional value as a mitzah and then only by more orthodox sects.

            This belief carries into modernity in such incarnation as Foreskin Man (Hess). In the second issue of the comic book, Foreskin Man fights off Monster Mohel who is attempting to get as many foreskins as possible and consume the blood from the wound in the name of Yahweh. This comic book was distributed as protest against the circumcisions of minors. Even though much of the stigma surrounding the brit milah has been dismissed, there are still these outliers that continue to hold to the stereotypes as true and perpetuate them ad infinitum.