Ukrainian University's Attempt to Revive Jewish ‘Blood Libel’ Accusations

The American Jewish Congress-Council for World Jewry expressed the strongest possible protest against the leadership of a Ukrainian university for attempting to revive the ‘blood libel’ accusations against Jews.

Leaders of Kiev’s Interregional Academy of Personnel Management, or MAUP, recently visited the grave of Andrei Yuschinsky and commemorated him, for having been "murdered by Jews with ritual purpose."

"We are dumbfounded that a university in a country that aspires to join the European Union and NATO should revive the classic ‘blood libel’ against the Jewish people and religion," said Chairman Jack Rosen.

Yuschinsky’s death in 1911 led to the arrest and trial of a thirty-nine year old Jewish man, Mendel Beilis, who was charged with killing the boy and drained his blood to make Passover matza. At the trial two years later, a jury declared Beilis innocent of all charges. Beilis was the last European Jew to defend himself against a ‘blood libel’ accusation.

"We call on the Ukrainian government to use all legal and democratic means at its disposal to counter the primitive and malicious anti-Semitism emanating from MAUP," Rosen said.