Magda Teter’s Blood Libel: On The Trail of an Antisemitic Myth wins the 2020 The JDC-Herbert Katzki Award, National Jewish Book Award in the category “Writing Based on Archival Material.”
Judges remarks:
Magda Teter’s thoroughly well-researched and meticulous account of a persistent and deadly antisemitic myth examines the blood libel from its roots in twelfth-century England to its spread across Europe over the course of centuries with the development of the printing press. This impressive volume constitutes the first comprehensive study of the blood libel’s evolution in Europe, drawing on archives in eight countries and ten languages, from the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium to Italy, the Vatican, and Poland. Teter follows a trail of rare printed material, obscure archival references, and popular artistic representations to create a highly readable account that demonstrates the enduring power of hatred and conspiracy theories all too familiar to a contemporary audience.