Trump's Shabbat Proclamation and America's Founding Promise
5 min read
6 min read
7 min read
5 min read
A UCL lecturer revives the long-debunked Damascus blood libel, exposing how ancient antisemitic myths are resurfacing today to justify hatred, distort history, and endanger Jews worldwide.
On November 11, 2025, Dr. Samar Maqusi, a researcher at the University College London (UCL) proudly stated that in 1838 a group of Jews kidnapped and murdered a priest in Damascus and used his blood in order to make special pancakes for their Feast of the Tabernacles (Sukkot). She added that for Jewish people the blood used in their pancakes must be from a gentile. She asserted that a group of Jews admitted to murdering this priest in order to use his blood in their food.
Her lecture was hosted by UCL’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) titled “The Birth of Zionism.”
View this post on Instagram
Maqusi, an academic researcher at a reputable university, is spreading hateful lies (and butchering history and religion).
To the university’s credit, Maqusi was banned from campus and the incident was reported to the police. They also launched an investigation into how the event was approved. The matter is still under review.
Maqusi encouraged her students to “investigate, draw your own narrative.” So let’s do exactly that.
There are no rituals in Jewish observance that require human blood. Not one. In fact, kosher law states that consumption of any blood at all is prohibited. Judaism even requires one to salt all meat and chicken to extract any remaining blood. One must also check their eggs for blood spots before cooking them. If there is even one drop of blood the egg is not permissible to use. And the “pancakes” she referenced in her statement are matzot, which are eaten on Passover and have nothing to do with the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).
Maqusi chose to focus on the long-debunked blood libel known as the Damascus Affair. (Click for an in-depth article on The Damascus Affair.) Here’s what really happened: In early February 1840, in the city of Damascus, Syria, an Italian friar named Father Thomas disappeared near the Jewish quarter. The Jews were falsely accused of killing the friar and using his blood to bake matzah. This heinous lie spread like wildfire. The local French consul launched an investigation in which numerous Jews were arrested, and tortured into “confessing” to murder.
Afterwards, hateful mobs attacked the Jewish quarter of Damascus. Jews were arrested, tormented, and slaughtered. The news from Damascus sparked outrage in Jewish communities in Europe, fueling one of the first organized international Jewish relief efforts. In November 1840, after months of violence, Sultan Abdülmecid I issued an edict declaring that the blood-libel charges against the Jews of Damascus were unfounded and the remaining Jewish prisoners were set free.
You might wonder why this topic was chosen for a lecture on the history of Zionism. After all, it occurred in 1840—nearly 20 years before the birth of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism.
The answer is that in 2025, Samar Maqusi revived a long-debunked medieval libel to bolster a contemporary “white colonizer” narrative. She presents the Damascus Affair as an early example of “white,” “European,” “wealthy” Jews meddling in Middle Eastern politics.
Blood libels, ancient and modern, vilify the Jewish people, riling up violence against them. Classic blood libels, dating back to 1144, were mythical accusations falsely claiming that Jews murdered Christians, even children, and used their blood to bake matzah. These lies incited the torture and slaughter of Jews throughout the Middle Ages, despite numerous Church condemnations.
The Nazi’s used the imagery of the medieval blood libel modernizing and expanding upon it by claiming that Jews were a predatory, murderous, and corrupt force, their propaganda machine justified violence against Jews as honorable and as a form of self-defense.
Utilizing this libel in 2025 is blatant, old-fashioned antisemitism. This marks a calculated shift from antagonizing the State of Israel to fully embracing outright Jew hatred.
SJP organizers are not the only ones fabricating blood libels. Jews today are under attack from a coordinated psyop of forces—from extremist Islamist infiltration in universities and the radical left to several nefarious characters on the far-right.
Even mainstream media regularly publishes blatant falsehoods about Jews and the Jewish state, only to walk them back after the damage is done. The BBC has had to correct an average of two Gaza stories a week since Oct 2023 1 and several major news outlets initially reported that an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza killed 500 people. A subsequent investigation determined that Israel was not responsible, proving the original claims false.2
The ripple effect of these malicious lies endures even when they are debunked by factually-based evidence. Social media is flooded with influencers who parrot Hamas propaganda and a quick look at the comments section on any article about Israel makes it clear that Jew-hatred is undisguised, relentless, and shows no signs of fading.
The fact that a lecturer in today’s society had a captive audience of university students willing to believe that Jews actually use gentile blood in their “pancakes” is disgraceful. It proves that the forces trying to demonize Jews are succeeding.
We need to stand confidently in defense of our nation, our history, and the truth, even in the face of lies and libels. We are strongest when we come together to confront the corrosive ideology of antisemitism while continuing to live by the principles of our faith.
If we do not live by truth, others will gladly fill the void with lies—and history has shown that the cost of these libels is paid in Jewish blood. In the face of recycled hatred, the most important act we can take is to stand unwaveringly in truth—and refuse to let libels, ancient or modern, define our story.
Thank you for speaking up and presenting the truth regarding the Jewish people.
I am in my late 60s and have often wondered how events in Nazi Germany were able to happen with apparently little opposition. Yet today we can clearly see how it happened, as it is happening right now before our eyes.
Truth is twisted or blatant lies are presented as truth and few challenge the information. Even when challenged, it is lost in the vast amount of information flooding the digital world.
I feel very strongly that the world needs to take an honest look at itself and realise just how much we owe to the Jewish people; not only the preservation of the Holy Scripture but also the vast range of medical and scientific developments that has blessed the rest of the world.
I appreciate the research, clarity and fact checking of the authors. More than ever, we need calm, rational voices who are willing to speak up against anti-Semitism.
How does the British media get a hold of this article, to disprove the lies and propaganda of blood labels against Jews and Israel?
The blood libel lie was around since the middle ages, and according to Judaism when a egg has a blood spot we throw away the egg, also when keeping kosher we soak the meat, chicken, and broil the liver before using it, the others use blood but Jews don't, that is the irony of the blood libel, any society that believes the blood libel are a very backwards society, which stems from rabid anti semitism
It is outrageous the lies that are repeatedly used, with the illusion of them being true. There should never be an excuse to repeat these lies to the public. Even if they are then found to be vicious lies, like it was said, the damage is still there. You did a remarkable job showing in great detail and thought to bring light to this darkness.
Thank you for shedding light on an important topic! We have to fight the darkness by sharing the truth! Please keep the articles coming - it is helpful to be able to read your carefully researched and masterfully articulated points so I can share them with others.
Truly unbelievable times. A modernized 3000 year old libel. Thank you for all your work on this.
It seems that facts don't seem to do anything to improve our image in the world anymore! I guess we still have to do our best to try. Thank you for working to write the truth
Effort is certainly required, but it's also of utmost importance to wake up to the Divine message underlying the sudden upsurge in antisemitism, with its irrational, outrageous lies about Jews and Israel because—as proven throughout our history—only Hashem's will can win in a situation like this.
When we consider just two long-ago seminal events in Jewish history, it's clear that we couldn't have survived without G-d's assistance, yet our people did not always arise to the challenge of Hashem's truth:
(1) As much as 80% of the Jewish slaves preferred not to leave Egypt despite the open miracles!
(2)The vastly outnumbered Maccabees were miraculously victorious in their battle to maintain their Jewish identity, but so many Hellenized Jews were lost to us forever.
Get the picture?!
Excellent article. You explain the facts so clearly and correctly. It is a pity that lies get perpetuated over and over again. Thank you so much for exposing Dr Maqusi's propaganda
In staid, civilized Victoria BC a vandal was arrested for scrawling "Jews kill children" on our oldest synagogue. BUT FAR WORSE IS THIS: For six months the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria poisoned its visitors' minds with an "artist's statement" from U Vic prof Beth Stuart that celebrated the slaughter and atrocities of October 7 for its two hardy "harvests" since, that charged Israel with the Palestinians' explicit platforms of genocide and infanticide, implied Jewish engagement in the Armenian genocide -- and did not even mention Hamas.
Can't expect better from the blind, brittle Brits, who protect the brutes among them and will one day "enjoy" the "benefits" (just as they deserve)!
Great article and worth a read!
Well said …thank you for these clear thoughts.
Great exposition. This article highlights the hypocrisy and ignorance of our times. Thank you
This lechurer does not belong in the UK. She should be encouraged to take up a post in the University of Yemen, where her views and personality will be more appreciated.
Unfortunately, the Ugly Kingdom (UK) laps up Jew-hatred with more vigor than a Houti can hoot. That's been the case at least since Chaucer's times, and though the Brits never had a reputation for religious (Christian) frenzy, they're largely fanatics when it comes to antisemitism.