A blood ritual murder accusation has been levelled against the Jews of Rastenberg, in the province of Koenigsberg by the Nazi organ “Preussische Zeitung” in connection with the death of an eight year old Christian boy, Benno Haffke.
The child was found with his throat cut and the Nazi organ immediately raised a hue and cry against the Jews. As a result the authorities took into custody a Jewish trader, Arndt. The Jew was subsequently released when he produced an alibi.
The accusation had a shattering effect on Arndt, who is described as being feeble-minded, and he attempted to commit suicide after the cross-examination.
The organ of the Central Union of German citizens of the Jewish Faith publishes the view of experts that the condition of the child’s body excludes the possibility that he was murdered for blood ritual purposes. The explanation is offered that Haffke was probably the victim of a gang of thieves, upon whose incendiary activities he had apparently stumbled.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
