JOURNALfor the STUDYof ANTISEMITISM

The Shunned Toadstool
In the past, fungi were often regarded with suspicion and fear. Mysterious and
magical qualities were associated with their unusual shape, and it was also well known
that many of the species could be toxic and even fatal. The fact that they thrive in dark
and wet places added to the misgivings people held about them. These weird botanical
wonders were given strange names that were supported by folklore and superstition.
Even when scientific and rational explanations emerged in time, certain stories
prevailed and still appear in their old garb. Myriads of mushrooms spring up all over the
world; they sprout, bloom, burst forth, and wither very quickly; some of them have
become well known for their poisonous deadly attributes, yet others—the edible ones—
are considered delicacies, fit to be the gold of the gods. Most mushrooms have always
been treated with great respect for these reasons, but no fungus has been considered as
vile and unholy as the edible Auricularia auricular, or, as it is known by its alternate
name, Auricula judae—Latin for Jew’s ear.
The Auricula judae grows mainly but not exclusively on dead and dying elders,
and its nickname goes back to the Middle Ages. People believed that Judas Iscariot had
betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, then grew desolate and morbid because of his
deed, discarded the money, and hanged himself on an elder tree. The fungus appeared
on the tree as a symbolic manifestation of Judas’ evil deed, a representation that his
doomed spirit cannot find rest. The toadstool is edible, velvety soft, and jelly-like, and
truly looks like a wrinkled disfigured ear. Its vicious reputation does not prevent some
people from picking it and consuming it in a stew, despite that it does not seem to add
any desirable flavor. Some who like practical jokes might enjoy the surprise and disgust
on the faces of their guests when they serve the soup that seems to have ears floating in
it.
Hatred and hostility toward Jews was widespread, deep, and illogical. People
forgot that Jesus himself had been a Jew, and that Judas, whose exact motives are
unknown, had betrayed a friend, and not a member of a different religion or race. Judas’
act is but one of the excuses for the spread of discrimination, prejudice, and intolerance.
Folklore sometimes, as in this case, reinforces the strong negative feelings of those who
chose to follow the dark paths. The unlucky Auricula judae is regarded as a curse, not
just because of its shape, but also due to its repulsive odor that was believed to have
some connection with witchcraft. It grows very quickly, and some tales connect its
unusual rapid birth and demise with the full moon and the thundering skies. Thunder is
usually followed by rain, and thus creates the ideal breeding field for mushrooms, while
the full moon exerts a certain additional gravitational pull to which fungi seem to
respond by maturing even faster.
The elder tree shares some of this toadstool’s despicable reputation, since its
flowers and leaves are commonly considered to be foul smelling. The curse fell on the
tree, reflecting that some say it was its wood that served as Jesus’ cross. The legend has
more far-reaching, dismal insinuations. It was believed that God punished the Jews for
Judas’ betrayal by inflicting on them the same putrid smell and some abominable
disease. Yet another sinister tale sprang forth, as a result of the previous one, claiming
that for the Jews the best medicine to combat those illnesses was the blood of Christian
children. Thus it became a common conviction that Jews murdered youngsters,
particularly around Passover. The proof—the brownish-reddish flakes that appear on
the surface of the baked matzo eaten during the holiday—is a sure sign that blood is
used in its making.
—From Nadine Grosser Nagarajan’s Pomegranate Seeds
(University of New Mexico Press, 2005).
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