Does Reporting of Israeli Organ Harvesting Constitute Blood Libelous Folklore, and Why Does It Matter?

Authors

• Simon J. Bronner

Abstract

Global news reporting of “organ harvesting” by Israeli soldiers for medical institutions in the twenty-first century is analyzed as “newslore,” defined by folklorist- journalist Russell Frank as “folklore that comments on, and is therefore indecipherable without knowledge of, current events.” Built on hearsay, the reports, especially in the Arab press during the Israel-Hamas War, begun in 2023, have connections to a complex of antisemitic “blood libel” narratives in Europe about Jews violating the bodies of Christian children. The accusations of organ harvesting invoked a number of antisemitic tropes that were visually conveyed globally through memes and posts on the internet, including deicide, bloodlust, and conspiracy, and introduced new themes of prophet killing and supernatural creatures based on Muslim belief that was aimed at an Arab audience. The cultural transmission of the newslore is explained as a “soft power” strategy against Israel that draws on the psychology of antisemitism.

Recommended Citation

Bronner, Simon J. (2026) "Does Reporting of Israeli Organ Harvesting Constitute Blood Libelous Folklore, and Why Does It Matter?," Jewish Folklore and Ethnology: Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/jewishfolklore/vol5/iss1/5