Blood libel claim resurfaces in Russia

Leaflets warn parents to watch over kids in case Jews try to kill them and use their blood for mMatzot.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Leaflets have been handed out in the eastern Russian city of Novosibirsk warning parents to watch over their children ahead of the Pessah holiday in case Jews try to kill them and use their blood to bake Matzot. Israel Radio reported Wednesday night that a Jewish Agency envy reported the leaflets to police and said residents of city, Russia's third largest, had expressed their shock. Local police subsequently opened an investigation into the distribution of the flyers. There has recently been a marked increase in Russian hate crimes. From December 2007 to February 2008, 37 people have been killed and 114 wounded in such offenses, as opposed to 27 murders over an identical period last year. The majority of the murders have been carried out in Moscow and most have been committed against central Asian immigrants.