The Rhodes Blood Libel

 

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On February 17, 1840, the Blood Libel of Rhodes began.

Throughout Jewish history, Jews have been subjected to the false claim of killing non-Jewish children and consuming their blood. These accusations were often around the springtime, with allegations that the blood was baked into matzah for Passover.

For over 2000 years Jews have inhabited the island of Rhodes (modern-day Greece). While a Greek state did gain its independence in 1832, many areas of the empire still had large ethnic Greek populations. There was a return to blood libels. At first glance, these attacks could have been motivated by Jewish economic success, but a more nuanced interpretation finds a growing nationalistic and devout Greek populace would use blood libels, supported by foreign governments, to destabilize the empire.

On February 17th 1840, a Greek Orthodox boy, out for a walk, went missing. After days of the Turkish investigation, claims began to spread that the boy had been seen walking with 4 Jewish men. One of the men was Eliakim de Leon Stamboli, a lower-class vendor. Stamboli initially denied the claims as he had not been in the city on that day. However, after being tortured to near death he falsely confessed to kidnapping the boy to present him to the community's Rabbi.

This forced confession led to the local Rabbi and many leaders in the community being arrested and tortured. The Jewish quarter on the island was blockaded. Many in the community faced open antisemitism in the streets; others began to flee while other leaders sent letters to the Jews in Constantinople requesting aid. Even after the boy was found alive on a neighboring island, many Jews still faced open hostility on the streets.

Jewish leaders across Europe and the United States followed the events of Rhodes and a similar incident in Damascus closely. They lobbied their government to intervene on behalf of the Jewish population. When little was done to solve the baseless attacks, Sir Moses Montefiore led a delegation to Constantinople to meet with Sultan Abdul Medjid.

The Sultan issued a “firman”, a royal decree, denouncing the false libel placed upon the Jews of Rhodes. Included in this decree was a command for the Jews of the empire to be protected. The community's innocence was affirmed.  Over the remaining 70 years of the empire, there would be nearly 100 blood libels and the empire's forces were too weak to defend the communities – especially around Passover.

Those involved with torturing and harming the community rarely faced any consequences. By the end of the Holocaust, the community of Rhodes was all but wiped out. May we keep their memories alive.