Addressing both the debate over the “modern” nature of the German and Italian fascist regimes, and the related question of the role played by the Christian churches in making the Holocaust possible, we examine the most prominent antisemitic publications aimed at the broad public in each country: Der Stürmer in Germany and La Difesa della razza in Italy. Our study traces the heavy use of the ritual murder charge in both publications, and demonstrates the direct influence of the Nazi antisemitic campaign on the subsequent Italian one. Differences between the two publications in their use of the ritual murder charge are linked to differences between the two regimes in their relations to Christianity and the Christian churches.