The Dark Tale of Trento: A Stain in Jewish History

Nestled in northern Italy, Trento is one of the beautiful and tourist-frequented cities. It sits at the edge of the Tyrol range, stretching from southern Austria, accompanied by a beautiful river that roars nearby. A fountain adorns the main square, with stunning postcards sold in souvenir shops.

Tour guides likely avoid mentioning that this city was once the scene of one of the most malicious blood libels, sparking a wave of hatred and further blood libel accusations across Europe.

Around the Christian holiday in early 1475, Rabbi Bernardinus of Feltre, a renowned monk and preacher of his time, visited Trento. His sermon, predictably, was filled with hatred and incitement against the Jewish population. He concluded with ominous words: "You do not yet know the extent of the evil they do to you, but by Easter you will witness their true nature."

Jews had come to Trento at the request of the city's non-Jewish patrons. They served as doctors and moneylenders, two professions in demand in the relatively isolated mountain city. In total, the city was home to about thirty Jews.

On the night of the Jewish Seder, word spread about the disappearance of a child named Simon, son of Andrea. As expected, Christians saw this as the fulfillment of the wicked monk's "prophecy." The local Bishop Hindebach declared that the crime was undoubtedly perpetrated by Christianity's enemies. Police searched every Jewish home but found nothing. The next day, the body of the boy was discovered in the well at Samuel the Jew's home, after a search the previous day revealed nothing. The Jews naively believed this fact would prove their innocence, suspecting someone planted the body later, and promptly informed the authorities.

Christian authorities detained the entire Jewish community of the city, subjecting them to horrific torture for three weeks, accounts of which remain harrowing within the preserved protocol in the Trento archive. Some perished during the 'investigations,' yet none chose to convert to save themselves from brutal punishment.

Upon investigating the situation later, the Venetian Republic authorities announced the entire trial had been a devious sham, extracting 'confessions' through inhumane torture. They identified the real murderer, who roamed free. Predictably, the monks rejected these findings, accusing the Jews of bribing Venetian officials. Simon was sanctified, pilgrims flocked to his shrine, and his supposed sufferings were immortalized in paintings and prints, with miraculous stories of him spreading throughout the region.

It wasn't until about 500 years later, on October 28, 1965, that the Vatican in Rome published an official statement declaring the cult surrounding the 'saint' Simon of Trento (Trento) as devoid of legal or historical justification. His body was removed from the Trento pantheon and relocated to the cemetery. Yet, no one can undo the suffering and hate endured by our ancestors due to these malicious libels.