The blood libel is alive and well in certain circles in Russia. Dozens of posters have appeared of late in Russia's third largest city, warning residents to keep a close eye on their children as Passover approaches, lest they fall victim to Jews seeking to make matzah out of their blood.

The posters, adhered to the walls of houses in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, warn: "These vermin are still performing rituals, stealing small children and draining their blood to make their sacred bread."

They also link a recent spate of child disappearances and murders to Jewish ritual sacrifices.

The blood libel claims that Jews use the blood of gentiles - particularly gentile children - to make ritual unleavened bread for Passover. It has been around for centuries, prevalent primarily in Europe where it was used to stir up violence and harsh reprisals against the Jewish community.

Amos Herman, Chairman of the Jewish Agency's branch responsible for fighting anti-Semitism stated that "We are certain that the government of Russia will find the perpetrators of this crime and solve this problem once and for all."

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia recently expressed concern about the rise in attacks targeting Jews, calling it part of "a recent surge in anti-Semitic manifestations" in Russia.

In 2007, 67 people were killed and more than 550 injured in ethnically motivated attacks, according the SOVA rights center, which monitors hate crimes.

According to varying estimates, between 300,000 and 1.5 million Jews live in the nation of 142 million. After an exodus in the years before and after 1991 Soviet collapse, the Jewish community is experiencing a moderate revival, with new synagogues, schools and cultural centers being built across the country.

During the Soviet era, thousands of Jews were imprisoned or executed as part of nationwide purges, and many more were forced to conceal their Jewish identity.

Resurgence of the blood libel

Last year, Professor Ariel Toaff of Bar-Ilan University ignited a storm of controversy when he published a book in Italy alleging that there is a factual basis for some of the medieval blood libels against the Jews.

Toaff stood by his findings published in the book "Pasque di Sangue", but said he was sorry his arguments had been twisted and later released a revised edition of the book that clarified that Jews were not involved in ritualized murder in medieval Europe.

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