The Accusation #1 - Blood Libel in an American Town

Professor Edward Berenson, Professor of History at New York University and author of The Accusation, Blood Libel in an American Town, introduces us to the background and antecedents of America's only notorious blood libel.

Professor Berenson is from the small town where the blood libel transpired; Massena, New York, a small town in upstate NY on the border with Canada.

The story had been in his family and he grew up hearing about it.

It's a strange story because the blood libel, this terrible, terrible accusation against Jews, is common in European history but essentially unknown in US history. There is this exceptional case and Professor Berenson decided this was something to investigate.

How and why did this happen?

Why was it essentially a unique event in American history?