Ariel Toaff
Encyclopedia
Ariel Toaff is a professor of Medieval and Renaissance History at Bar Ilan University. He is the son of Elio Toaff
, former Chief Rabbi
of Rome
.
Among his works are The Jews in Medieval Assisi 1305-1487: A social and economic history of a small Jewish community (1979), Il vino e la carne. Una comunità ebraica nel Medioevo ('Wine and Meat. A Jewish Community in the Middle Ages', 1989), Mostri giudei. L'immaginario ebraico dal Medioevo alla prima età moderna ("Jewish Monsters. The Jewish Imaginary from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Era", 1996) and Mangiare alla giudia. La cucina ebraica in Italia dal Rinascimento all'età moderna ('Eating Jewish style. Jewish Cooking in Italy from the Renaissance to the Modern Age', 2000).
, accusations which the consensus of scholarship has dismissed as a blood libel against Jews. The book sparked intense controversy, including calls for him to resign from or be fired from his professorship, the questioning of his research, historical method(s), and motives as they relate to his writing of the book, threats to his life, and demands that he be prosecuted.
Toaff promised not to give in to pressure and defend his work "even if crucified",, but he did pull his book from circulation. He clarified that in regard to the specific trial, dealing with Jews accused of killing Simon of Trent
for ritual purposes at Passover, there was no relationship whatsoever between the so-called 'ritual of blood' and ritual infanticide. He denied that the Jews implicated were in any way involved in the murder. On February 14, 2007, Toaff said in a statement that he ordered the Italian publisher of his book to freeze distribution of his book so that he can "re-edit the passages which comprised the basis of the distortions and falsehoods that have been published in the media." A second edition of the book appeared in February, 2008. In an afterword to this edition in defence of his book, Toaff responded to his critics. To forestall possible misinterpretations, he said that the idea that Jews practiced ritual murder a slanderous stereotype, and that ritual homicide or infanticide was a myth. That said, the possibility existed that:
The evidence supporting this hypothesis draws on confessions extracted under torture. His book examines the strong documentary evidence in medieval medical handbooks that dried human blood, traded by both Jewish and Christian merchants, was thought to be medicinally efficacious. Under the stress of forced conversions, expulsions and massacres, Toaff thinks it possible that in certain Ashkenazi groups dried human blood came to play a magical role in calling down God's vengeance on Christians, the historic persecutors of the Jews, and that this reaction may have affected certain forms of ritual practice among a restricted number of Ashkenazi Jews during Passover
.
Elio Toaff
Elio Toaff is the former Chief Rabbi of Rome. On 13 April 1986, he greeted and prayed with Pope John Paul II during an unannounced visit to the Synagogue of Rome....
, former Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Among his works are The Jews in Medieval Assisi 1305-1487: A social and economic history of a small Jewish community (1979), Il vino e la carne. Una comunità ebraica nel Medioevo ('Wine and Meat. A Jewish Community in the Middle Ages', 1989), Mostri giudei. L'immaginario ebraico dal Medioevo alla prima età moderna ("Jewish Monsters. The Jewish Imaginary from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Era", 1996) and Mangiare alla giudia. La cucina ebraica in Italia dal Rinascimento all'età moderna ('Eating Jewish style. Jewish Cooking in Italy from the Renaissance to the Modern Age', 2000).
Passovers of Blood: The Jews of Europe and Ritual Murders
Toaff's most recent book, Pasque di sangue. Ebrei d'Europa e omicidi rituali ("Passovers of Blood: The Jews of Europe and Ritual Murders"), was published in February 2007. The book analyzes the cultural and historical background to a notorious medieval trial regarding accusations of the ritual murder of a child by some Jews for the purposes of PassoverPassover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
, accusations which the consensus of scholarship has dismissed as a blood libel against Jews. The book sparked intense controversy, including calls for him to resign from or be fired from his professorship, the questioning of his research, historical method(s), and motives as they relate to his writing of the book, threats to his life, and demands that he be prosecuted.
Toaff promised not to give in to pressure and defend his work "even if crucified",, but he did pull his book from circulation. He clarified that in regard to the specific trial, dealing with Jews accused of killing Simon of Trent
Simon of Trent
Simon of Trent ; also known as Simeon; was a boy from the city of Trento, Italy whose disappearance was blamed on the leaders of the city's Jewish community based on their confessions under torture, causing a major blood libel in Europe.-Background:Shortly before Simon went missing, Bernardine of...
for ritual purposes at Passover, there was no relationship whatsoever between the so-called 'ritual of blood' and ritual infanticide. He denied that the Jews implicated were in any way involved in the murder. On February 14, 2007, Toaff said in a statement that he ordered the Italian publisher of his book to freeze distribution of his book so that he can "re-edit the passages which comprised the basis of the distortions and falsehoods that have been published in the media." A second edition of the book appeared in February, 2008. In an afterword to this edition in defence of his book, Toaff responded to his critics. To forestall possible misinterpretations, he said that the idea that Jews practiced ritual murder a slanderous stereotype, and that ritual homicide or infanticide was a myth. That said, the possibility existed that:
'certain criminal acts, disguised as crude rituals, were indeed committed by extremist groups or by individuals demented by religious mania and blinded by desire for revenge against those considered responsible for their people’s sorrows and tragedies.'
The evidence supporting this hypothesis draws on confessions extracted under torture. His book examines the strong documentary evidence in medieval medical handbooks that dried human blood, traded by both Jewish and Christian merchants, was thought to be medicinally efficacious. Under the stress of forced conversions, expulsions and massacres, Toaff thinks it possible that in certain Ashkenazi groups dried human blood came to play a magical role in calling down God's vengeance on Christians, the historic persecutors of the Jews, and that this reaction may have affected certain forms of ritual practice among a restricted number of Ashkenazi Jews during Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
.
Studies
- Sabina Loriga, "The Controversies over the Publication of Ariel Toaff's "Bloody Passovers"," Journal of The Historical Society, 8,4 (2008), 469-502.
External links
- Commentary by Johannes HeilJohannes HeilJohannes Heil is a German electronic music producer from Ober-Mörlen near Frankfurt. At the beginning of his career he collaborated with Heiko Laux creating "Item One". He began releasing his work on Kanzleramt label, which up until 2003 was still the label on which he preferred to release his albums...
of the University of Heidelberg - Commentary on Toaff's Book on Blood Libel (Haaretz)
- Article on Toaff and the Jewish-Italian Community (Haaretz)
- A blood-stained version of history (Haaretz)
- Toaff fights for his good name (Haaretz)
- MKs demand the author of blood libel book be prosecuted (Haaretz)
- Professor's Claim Of Truth To 'Blood Libel' Plays Into Hands Of Anti-Semites -- from the ADLAnti-Defamation LeagueThe Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...