Sacrificial slaughter

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

I once had to attend a Jewish slaughter and see the slaughter of cattle according to the rules of the Jewish ritual. I convey the naked fact in all its nakedness.

It happened like this.

About six years ago, I, bound by the service, lived in a large center of the Southwestern Territory, three-quarters inhabited by Jews.

During my frequent trips to the countryside, my attention was attracted by a strange-looking building with long factory-type buildings, surrounded by a high dense palisade, which is customary to enclose forts and places of confinement. I soon learned that it was a city massacre and an inactive albumin plant. Being interested in the issues of urban improvement and being familiar with the setting of the capital's slaughterhouses, I decided to inspect the local city massacre, completely losing sight of the fact that the city is inhabited mainly by Jews, that all trade is in the hands of Jews, and therefore, the city massacre must be Jewish.

The Jewish gatekeeper, in response to my question: "Is it possible to inspect the massacre?" At this time, a nimble, ferocious-looking Jew jumped out of the outhouse and pounced on the gatekeeper. Understanding a few Hebrew jargon, I could make out the following phrase: “Why are you talking for a long time? You see that this is not a Jew. After all, you have been ordered to let only one of the Jews through”.

“In that case, it will be necessary at all costs to get into the slaughterhouse,” I thought, and decided to continue my walk. Returning home again past the slaughterhouse, I noticed that the doorkeeper had been changed, and decided to try my luck again. To be more convincing, I told the gatekeeper that I was involved in the veterinary supervision, that I had to go to the office on business, and therefore I ask you to take me to the office.

The doorkeeper hesitated, but then explained how I got through … The old Jew, apparently, was not in the outhouse, and I made it safely to the office. In the office I was met by an intelligent-looking Jew. I introduced myself as a veterinarian, without naming, however, my last name, and asked to take me to the slaughterhouse.

The manager began to talk in detail about the construction of the slaughterhouse, in which there is an inactive albumin plant, water supply and all the latest devices. Finally, the manager began to report where the cattle were mainly delivered from, what breed, in what quantity, etc. When I interrupted him and asked him to go to the slaughter for the second time, after a short pause he told me that he could not get him to the slaughterhouse. However, since I am "interested in the technical part of the matter," then, perhaps, he "can show me how to cut the meat."

At this time, the head was summoned, and, leaving, he shouted to me: "Now I will send you a guide." I decided that I should not wait for the guide, since he, obviously, will show me only that which does not interest me. Without much ado, I managed to get to the slaughterhouse. She represented a series of long stone sheds in which meat carcasses were buttered. The only thing that caught my eye was the extremely unsanitary condition of the premises. One of the workers explained to me that the slaughter was already over, that it was only in the last building that calves and small livestock were slaughtered. It was in this room that I finally saw a picture of the slaughter of livestock according to the Jewish rite that interested me.

First of all, I was struck by the fact that I did not see the slaughter of cattle, but some kind of sacrament, a sacrament, some kind of biblical sacrifice. Before me were not just butchers, but clergymen, whose roles were apparently strictly assigned. The main role was played by a butcher armed with a piercing weapon; he was assisted in this by a number of other servants: some held the slaughter cattle, supporting it in a standing position, others tilted their heads and clamped the mouth of the sacrificial animal.

Still others collected blood in sacrificial vessels and poured it on the floor while reading the established prayers; finally, the fourth held sacred books, from which prayers were read and ritual sacred services were performed. Finally, there were also just butchers, to whom the beaten cattle were transferred at the end of the ritual. The latter were responsible for stripping skins and cutting meat.

The slaughter of cattle struck with extreme cruelty and savagery. The sacrificial animal was slightly loosened the fetters, giving the opportunity to stand on its feet; in this position, three servants supported him all the time, not allowing him to fall when it weakened from loss of blood. At the same time, the butcher, armed in one hand with a long - half an arshin knife with a narrow blade sharpened at the end, and in the other hand with a long, six inches, with an awl calmly, slowly, calculatedly inflicted deep stabbing wounds on the animal, acting alternately with the named tools.

At the same time, each blow was checked against the book, which the boy held open in front of the butcher; each blow was accompanied by established prayers, which were uttered by the reznik.

The first blows were made to the head of the animal, then to the neck, and finally to the armpits and to the side. How many blows were delivered - I did not remember, but it was obvious that the number of blows was the same for each slaughter; at the same time, the blows were inflicted in certain order and places, and even the shape of the wounds probably had some symbolic meaning, since some wounds were inflicted with a knife, others with an awl; moreover, all the wounds were punctured, since the butcher, as they say, “spanked” the animal, which shuddered, tried to escape, tried to hum, but it was powerless: its legs were tied, in addition, it was tightly held by three hefty servants, while the fourth held its mouth, thanks to which only muffled, strangled wheezing sounds were obtained.

Each blow of the carver was accompanied by a trickle of blood, and from some wounds it slightly oozed, while from others it gave a whole fountain of scarlet blood splashing into the face, hands and clothes of the carver and servants. Simultaneously with the blows of the knife, one of the servants substituted a sacred vessel to the wounds, into which the animal's blood flowed.

At the same time, the servants holding the animal crumpled and rubbed the sides, apparently in order to increase the flow of blood. After the infliction of the described wounds, there was a pause, during which the blood was collected in vessels and, during the established prayers, poured out onto the floor, covering it with whole puddles; then, when the animal could hardly stay on its feet and turned out to be sufficiently drained of blood, it was quickly lifted, laid on its back, stretched out its head, and the butcher inflicted the last, final blow, cutting the animal's throat.

This last one was the only cutting blow inflicted by the butcher on the sacrificial animal. After that, the butcher passed on to another, while the killed animal came to the disposal of ordinary butchers, who tore off the skin from it and proceeded to butcher the meat.

Whether the slaughter of cattle was carried out in the same way or with any deviations - I cannot judge, because in my time sheep, calves and one-year-old gobies were slaughtered. This was the spectacle of the Jewish sacrifice; I say “sacrifices”, because I cannot find another, more appropriate word for everything I have seen, because, obviously, in front of me was not a simple slaughter of cattle, but a sacred rite, cruel - not reducing, but, on the contrary, lengthening the torment. At the same time, according to the well-known rules, with established prayers, some of the cutters were wearing a white prayer cloth with black stripes, which is worn by rabbis in synagogues.

On one of the windows lay the same plate, two sacrificial vessels and tablets, which, with the help of belts, each Jew winds around his hand during prayer. Finally, the sight of the butcher mumbling prayers and the attendants left not the slightest doubt. All faces were somehow cruel, focused, fanatical. Even the outside Jews, butchers and clerks who stood in the courtyard, awaiting the end of the slaughter, even they were strangely concentrated. Among them was not the usual fuss and lively Jewish jargon, they stood in silence, prayer-minded.

Tired and crushed by all kinds of torment and a mass of blood, some kind of unnecessary cruelty, but still wanting to watch the slaughter of cattle to the end, I leaned against the lintel of the door and, involuntarily, raised my hat. This was enough to finally give me away. Apparently, they have been looking at me for a long time, but my last move was a direct insult to the sacrament, since all participants, as well as outside spectators of the ritual, all the time remained in hats, with their heads covered.

Two Jews immediately jumped up to me, annoyingly repeating the same question that was incomprehensible to me. Obviously, this was a password known to every Jew, to which I also had to answer with the established slogan.

My silence caused an unimaginable hubbub. The butchers and servants abandoned the cattle and rushed in my direction. They also ran out from other departments and joined the crowd, which pushed me back into the courtyard, where I was instantly surrounded.

The crowd was gurgling, the mood was undoubtedly threatening, judging by the individual exclamations, especially since the carvers still had knives in their hands, and some of the servants had stones.

At that time, an intelligent-looking representative Jew emerged from one of the departments, whose authority the crowd unquestioningly obeyed, from which I conclude that this should have been the chief butcher - a face undoubtedly sacred in the eyes of Jews. He called out to the crowd and silenced them. When the crowd parted, he came close to me and shouted rudely, addressing “you”: “How dare you come up here? After all, you know that according to our law, it is forbidden for strangers to be present at the slaughter.” I objected as calmly as possible: "I am a veterinarian, involved in veterinary supervision and went here on my duties, so I ask you to speak to me in a different tone." My words made a noticeable impression on both the butcher and those around him. Reznik politely, addressing "you," but in a tone that could not tolerate objection, told me: "I advise you to leave immediately and not tell anyone about what you have seen."

"You see how excited the crowd is, I cannot hold it back and I can’t vouch for the consequences, unless you leave the carnage this very minute."

I just have to follow his advice.

The crowd very reluctantly, at the call of the butcher, parted - and as slowly as possible, without losing my composure, I headed for the exit. When I walked a few steps away, stones flew in pursuit, loudly hitting the fence, and I can’t guarantee that they would not have broken my skull, if not for the presence of the elder butcher and resourcefulness and self-control, which more than once helped me out in my life. Already approaching the gate, a thought flashed through my mind: “What if they stop me and demand to show my documents?” And this thought made me hurry up my steps against my will.

Just outside the gate, I sighed with relief, feeling that I had escaped a very, very serious danger. Glancing at my watch, I was amazed at how early it was. Probably, judging by the time, I stayed no more than an hour, since the slaughter of each animal lasted 10-15 minutes, while the time spent in the slaughterhouse seemed to me an eternity. This is what I saw at the Jewish massacre, this is the picture that cannot be erased from the recesses of my brain, a picture of some horror, some great secret hidden for me, some half-solved riddle that I did not want, was afraid to guess until the end. I tried with all my might, if not to forget, then to push the picture of bloody horror away in my memory, and I partially succeeded.

Over time, it faded, was obscured by other events and impressions, and I carefully wore it, afraid to approach it, unable to explain it to myself in its entirety and totality.

The terrible picture of the murder of Andryusha Yushchinsky, which was discovered by the examination of professors Kosorotov and Sikorsky, hit me in the head. For me, this picture is doubly terrible: I have already seen it. Yes, I saw this brutal murder. I saw him with my own eyes at the Jewish massacre. This is nothing new to me, and if what depresses me is that I was silent. If Tolstoy, when announcing the death penalty - even of a criminal - exclaimed: “I cannot be silent!”, How could I, a direct witness and eyewitness, be silent for so long?

Why didn’t I shout: "Help", didn’t yell, didn’t scream in pain? After all, the consciousness flashed through me that I saw not a massacre, but a sacrament, an ancient bloody sacrifice, full of chilling horror. It was not for nothing that stones were thrown at me, it was not for nothing that I saw knives in the hands of the butchers. It was not for nothing that I was close, and perhaps very close, to a fatal outcome. After all, I have desecrated the temple. I leaned against the lintel of the temple, while only Levites and priests who participated in the ritual could be present in it. The rest of the Jews stood respectfully at a distance.

Finally, I doubly insulted their sacrament, their ritual, by removing the headdress.

But why was I silent for the second time during the trial! After all, this bloody picture was already in front of me, because for me there could be no doubt about the ritual. After all, in front of me all the time, like the shadow of Banquo, stood the bloody shadow of my dear, dear Andryusha.

After all, this is the image of a youth-martyr familiar to us from childhood, after all, this is the second Dmitry Tsarevich, whose bloody shirt hangs in the Moscow Kremlin, near a tiny shrine, where lamps glow, where Holy Russia flows.

Yes, he is right, Andryusha's defender is right a thousand times, saying: “Lonely, helpless, in mortal horror and despair, Andryusha Yushchinsky took a martyr's death. He probably could not even cry when one villain clamped his mouth, and the other stabbed him in the skull and in the brain …”Yes, that was exactly the case, this is psychologically correct, I was a spectator, a direct witness, and if I was silent - so, I confess, because I was too sure that Baileys would be accused, that an unprecedented crime would receive retribution, that the jury would be asked about the ritual in its entirety and totality, that there would be no disguise, cowardice, there would be no room for a temporary at least the celebration of Jewry.

Yes, the murder of Andryusha was probably an even more complicated and blood-curdling ritual than the one I was present at; After all, 47 wounds were inflicted on Andryusha, while in my time only a few wounds were inflicted on the sacrificial animal - 10-15, maybe just the fatal number thirteen, but, I repeat, I did not count the number of wounds and say approximately. But the nature and location of the wounds are exactly the same: first there were blows to the head, then to the neck and shoulder of the animal; some of them gave small streams, while wounds in the neck gave a fountain of blood; I clearly remember this, as a stream of scarlet blood flooded my hands, the dress of the butcher, who did not have time to move away. Only the boy had time to pull back the holy book, which he kept open all the time in front of the carver, then there was a pause, undoubtedly short, but it seemed to me like an eternity - during this period of time blood was being carved out. She collected in vessels, which the boy exposed to the wounds. At the same time, the animal's head was pulled out and its mouth was clamped with force, it could not bellow, it made only stifled wheezing sounds. It beat, shuddered convulsively, but the attendants held it tightly enough.

But this is exactly what the forensic examination establishes in the Yushchinsky case: “The boy's mouth was clamped so that he would not shout, and also to increase the bleeding. He remained conscious, he resisted. There were abrasions on the lips, face and side.”

This is how a small humanoid animal died. Here it is, the sacrificial death of Christians, with a closed mouth, like cattle. Yes, in the words of Professor Pavlov, “a young man, Mr. Yushchinsky, was dying like a martyr from funny, ridiculous injections.”

But what the examination establishes with undoubted accuracy is a pause, a break that followed the infliction of cervical, profuse hemorrhage wounds. Yes, this pause, undoubtedly, was - it corresponds to the moment of grinding and collecting blood. But here is a detail that was completely missed, not noticed by the examination, and which was clearly, distinctly imprinted in my memory. While the animal was stretched out its head and tightly clamped its mouth by one of the servants, the other three vigorously crumpled the sides and rubbed the animal, apparently with the aim of increasing the bleeding. By analogy, I admit that the same thing was done with Andryusha. Obviously, he was also vigorously crushed, pressed on his ribs and rubbed his body in order to increase the bleeding, but this operation, this “massage” does not leave material traces - this is probably why it remained unrecorded by the forensic examination, which ascertained only an abrasion on his side, not giving it, obviously, due importance.

As the blood flowed, the animal weakened, and it was supported by the servants in a standing position. This is again what Professor Sikorsky states, saying: "The boy became weak from horror and despair and bowed down into the hands of the killers."

Then, when the animal was sufficiently bled, the blood collected in the vessels was poured onto the floor while reading the prayers. Another detail: the blood on the floor stood in puddles, and the butchers and servants remained literally ankle-deep in blood. Probably, it was so demanded by the bloody Jewish ritual, and only at the end of his blood drained that I, passing, saw in one of the departments where the slaughter had already been completed.

Then, at the end of the pause, there were further, also calculated, calm blows, interrupted by the reading of prayers. These shots produced very little or no blood. Stabbing blows were applied to the shoulders, armpits and side of the animal.

Whether they are applied to the heart - or directly to the side of the animal - I cannot determine. But here is some difference from the ritual described by the experts: upon applying the named injections, the animal turns over, is placed on its back, and the last, final blow is applied to it, with which the animal's throat is cut. Whether anything similar was done with Andryusha has not been established. I have no doubt that in both cases the ritual has its own peculiarities, which I explain to myself by the fact that a more complex ritual was performed over Andryusha, a more complex sacrifice was made in his person, over him, perhaps, like ours episcopal divine service, which was adjusted to the solemn moment of the consecration of the Jewish prayer house. The ritual I saw was a more elementary, simple daily sacrifice - something like our ordinary liturgy, the proskomedia. Another detail: the enemies of the ritual version point out that during the Jewish slaughter of cattle, cutting wounds are allegedly inflicted, while the forensic examination established exclusively stabbing wounds on Andryusha's body. I believe that this is nothing more than an impudent lie, calculated for our ignorance, for our complete ignorance of how ritual slaughter of cattle is carried out in Jewish slaughterhouses; And against this lie, as a witness and eyewitness to the slaughter, I protest and repeat again: I saw two weapons in the hands of the butchers - a narrow long knife and an awl, and these two weapons were used to strike alternately stabbing blows. Reznik pricked and “spanked” the animal. At the same time, the shape of the injection, the shape of the wound itself, probably had some symbolic meaning, since some blows were inflicted with the edge of a knife, others with an awl. Only the last, final blow, which cut the animal's throat, was cutting. This was probably the throat wound through which, according to the Jews, the soul exits.

Finally, the enemies of the ritual version point to a whole series of unnecessary, supposedly senseless blows inflicted on Andryusha. It pointed, for example, to “senseless” wounds under the armpits; this statement is again calculated on our ignorance, on complete ignorance of Jewish customs. On this occasion, I recall the following: once, while living in the Pale of Settlement, I ended up in a rural wilderness, where, against my will, I had to temporarily settle in a Jewish tavern, which was maintained by a very prosperous and patriarchal Jewish family of a local timber merchant. For a long time the hostess tried to persuade me to eat a Jewish kosher table with them; in the end, I was forced to surrender to the arguments of the hostess. At the same time, the hostess, persuading me, explained that all the difference between their poultry and meat was that it was “bled”, and most importantly, “the tendons were cut under the armpits of animals, and in birds - on the legs and under the wings”. This, according to the hostess, has a deep religious meaning in the eyes of the Jews, “making the meat clean” and fit for food, while “an animal with unsecured sinews is considered unclean”; at the same time, she added that "these wounds can only be inflicted by a butcher" with some special tool, and the wounds "must be lacerated."

For the above considerations, I remain with the firm and well-grounded conviction that in the person of Andryusha Yushchinsky we must undoubtedly see a victim of ritual and Jewish fanaticism. There is no doubt that this should be a more complex ritual, more qualified than an ordinary ritual, according to the rules of which the slaughter of cattle is carried out every day and a daily bloody sacrifice is brought. By the way, this is the reason why Jews open the doors of the synagogue so wide. So willingly, sometimes demonstratively, they call to themselves, as if saying: "Look, this is how we pray, here is our church, our worship - you see, we have no secret." This is a lie, a subtle lie: we are not shown a temple or a divine service. A synagogue is not a temple - it is only a school, a prayer house, a religious house, a religious club, available to everyone. A rabbi is not a priest, no - he is only a teacher chosen by society; the Jews do not have a temple; he was in Jerusalem and he was destroyed. As in biblical times, the temple is now being replaced by the tabernacle. Daily sacrifices are performed in the tabernacle. These sacrifices can only be performed by a reznik - a spiritual person corresponding to our priest. He is assisted by servants - the Levites. I also saw them in the slaughterhouse - they correspond to our clerks and clerks, who are undoubtedly subdivided into several categories. It is in this temple-tabernacle that we are not allowed and even ordinary Jews are not allowed in. Only clergymen are allowed access there, ordinary mortals can only be spectators and stand in the distance - I also saw this at the slaughterhouse. If you penetrate their secret - you are threatened with revenge, you are ready to be stoned, and if anything can save you, it’s social status and, perhaps, accidental circumstances - I also experienced this myself.

But they may object to me: but the appearance of the massacre does not correspond to the appearance of the ancient tabernacle. Yes it's true. But I explain this to myself by the fact that Jewry does not want to attract too keen attention to itself. It is ready to sacrifice the little things of the external structure, it is ready to make retreats in order to buy the secret of the ritual in all its biblical inviolability at their price.