- Q. What is the source for the mourning of the Twentieth of Sivan? (Monday 16, 2025).
A. In the year 1171 in the French town of Blois, a local Christian servant claimed to have seen a Jew throw the corpse of a child into the Loire River. Despite the fact that no child was ever reported missing, no corpse was found, and there was a lack of any corroborating witnesses, the Jews of the town were arrested and tortured.
Initially, the count of Blois, Theobald V, was willing to free them if they gave a large ransom. However, an Augustinian bishop intervened and validated the servant’s testimony by ordeal (i.e., he “tested” if the servant was telling the truth by seeing if he would float on water), and the ransom negotiations collapsed.
The count then gave the prisoners the choice to either be baptized or burned alive. All of them chose to give up their lives rather than betray their faith. On May 26, the 20th of Sivan, in the year 1171 (4931 on the Jewish calendar), 312 Jews—including 17 women as well as some children—were tied up and burned at the stake.
According to an eyewitness account, the fires weren’t consuming their bodies, so the count had the Jews beaten to death, and they then threw their bodies into the fire. As they were being killed, the Jews sang “Aleinu leshabei'ach,” "It is incumbent upon us to praise the L‑rd of all," which is usually recited at the conclusion of all daily prayers and includes praise to G‑d that we are able to recognize His true unity.
As a result of this tragedy, the Jews of England, France and the Rhineland, together with Rabbeinu Yaakov ben Meir, known as Rabbeinu Tam (grandson of Rashi and the Jewish leader at the time), declared the 20th of Sivan to be a day of fasting and atonement.
Perhaps due to the tragic news, Rabbeinu Yaakov Tam died on the 4th of Tammuz, just three weeks later.
Although this was not the first blood libel, this was the first in which the government openly participated in it, and the first time that Jews were killed due to the libel. This was ultimately seen as the harbinger of many similar tragedies and the eventual expulsion of the Jews from France. (from Ch. Org.). See next questions.
Important Numbers
