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This week in Jewish history | The Damascus Blood Libel accusation begins 02 Feb 2021 share this on On 5 February 1840, a Catholic Capuchin friar, Father Thomas, and his Muslim servant, Ibrahim Amara, disappeared in Damascus. While the disappearances of the two men were likely connected to Thomas’ business dealings, a rumor began to circulate among the residents of Damascus, accusing the Damascene Jewish Community of murdering the two men and using their blood to make matzah. The rumor would lead to one of the most famous blood libels in history, the Damascus Blood Libel, better known as the Damascus Affair of 1840. Details of the affair were widely circulated across European press and many Europeans believed the accusation to be true – or at the very least, plausible. These accusations were notably embraced by the press of the Russian Empire, publishing accounts of the affair from the perspective of Syrian Orthod ....