Synopses & Reviews
The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion is one of the most infamous documents of antisemitism ever written. Portraying Judaism as a worldwide conspiracy dedicated to the destruction of Christian civilization, it consists of the supposed minutes of a meeting held by representatives from the "twelve tribes of Israel" to plan the conquest of the world. Despite being proven a crude forgery, the document has nevertheless managed to pervade 20th Century thinking, often twisted to suit its handlers' purposes, used to justify persecution from pogroms to the Holocaust, and has fostered antisemitism around the world. Even as recently as 2002, a documentary was aired in Egypt (despite the protests of the U.S. Government) presenting the Protocols as historical fact. In A Rumor About the Jews, Stephen Eric Bronner systematically debunks the many assertions claiming the pamphlet's legitimacy and traces the roots of antisemitism, showing how the document has surfaced since its inception. He outlines the peculiar and fascinating history of the Protocols, starting with its appearance in 1903 in Imperial Russia where it was used to blame the Jews for the Russian Revolution, and where it soon served as the clarion call for the pogrom in Kishinev, Bessarabia, which left forty-five Jews dead. Bronner illustrates how the Protocols was quickly translated into a host of languages, being published over and over again by various right-wing factions to support their antisemitic views, gaining intense popularity in a shattered Europe after WW I, and being adopted by the Nazis as required reading. A chapter containing selections from the text of the Protocols is included to provide a sense of what the fasciststhemselves considered important about the pamphlet. Finally, Bronner shows how this document fuels antisemitism even today among certain groups and movements susceptible to its message. Bronner's sharp and penetrating analysis serves as a warning not to let this hateful tract to take root again.
Synopsis
In its portrayal of Judaism as a worldwide conspiracy dedicated to the destruction of Christian civilization, the
Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion remains one of the most infamous documents ever written. Despite being proven a crude forgery, the pamphlet managed to pervade twentieth-century thinking, often being twisted to suit its handlers' purposes, and to justify the most extreme persecution of the Jews. As recently as 2002, a documentary was aired in Egypt falsely presenting the
Protocols as fact--and the
Protocols is still regarded as a historical document in many other parts of the world.
In A Rumor About the Jews, Stephen Eric Bronner systematically debunks the antisemitic assertions made in the Protocols. He also explores its history, its influence on right-wing movements throughout the twentieth century, and the ongoing appeal of bigotry. A work of intellectual history, A Rumor About the Jews takes the reader on a historical journey that provides a new and deeper understanding of an insidious ideology and its broader implications.
Bronner's sharp and penetrating analysis offers new insights into the nature of antisemitism, along with a warning against underestimating the power of this hateful tract.
About the Author
Stephen Eric Bronner is Professor of Political Science and Comparative Literature at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He is the author of numerous books on contemporary political thought and culture, including
Ideas in Action: Political Tradition in the Twentieth Century (Rowman and Littlefield, 1999) and
Imagining the Possible: Radical Politics for Conservative Times (Routledge, 2002).
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. "Antisemitism for Popular Consumption: Selections from the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion"
3. "The Text in Context: The Protocols and the Varieties of Antisemitism"
4. "The Tale of a Forgery: Inventing the Protocols"
5. "Spreading the News: The Protocols Triumphant"
6. "The Legacy of a Lie: Contemporary Antisemitism and Its Future"
Notes
Index