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A Rumor About the Jews: Reflections on Antisemitism and "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion"
"The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" is among the most infamous documents of antisemitism. A forgery created in Russia by the czarist secret police and quickly translated into a host of languages, it portrayed Judaism as a worldwide conspiracy dedicated to the destruction of Christian civilization. The appearance of the Protocols sparked a number of bloody pogroms and it helped shape the thinking of right-wing movements worldwide from Hitler's Nazis to contemporary antisemitic groups in Russia, the Middle East and the United States. A work of intellectual history, A Rumor About the Jews expresses the connection between antisemitism and the overarching political assault upon the enlightenment legacy taking the reader on a historical journey that provides a new and penetrating understanding of an insidious ideology and its broader implications.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2000
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About the author
Stephen Eric Bronner
45 books9 followersStephen Eric Bronner is an American political scientist and philosopher, Board of Governors Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, and is the Director of Global Relations for the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 1, 2016
You've probably heard of "the protocols of the elders of Zion;" and like me, you probably never knew what is in them. Why read something so removed from our time?.... something long ago discredited along with Nazism and race hatred? This book will give you the "CliffsNotes" on the Protocols, their origin and popularization.
When this book was published (in 2000), the author thought that race-based anti-semitism was a relic of right-wing fascist nationalism, exorcised by the triumph of liberal democracies. Who could have imagined then, the explosion of anti-semitism we see today? Until recently, the target was not Jews, but Israel. Yet now the old prejudice is re-emerging in its raw original forms, stimulated by the mass introduction of Muslim immigrants to Europe on one hand, and by internet conspiracy theories on the other hand.
To read the 24 "Protocols" is to recognize surprising contemporary themes from conspiracy "theories." For instance, "international bankers" may be a euphemism for "wealthy Jews." This is one reason I think we should read through the widely circulated "protocols of the elders of Zion;" so that we will recognize them embedded in contemporary commentary, opinion, and web pages. It is truly shocking how widespread is the belief in some or all of these strange "protocols." You can read them in PDF form on the internet.
The author sees Liberalism as the antidote to anti-semitism and conspiracy thinking. But Liberalism in Europe has failed this task!! He sees Liberalism as grounded in Reason, and assumes that Reason will reject the parochialism and paranoia of anti-semitism. What we see today in Europe is that reason-based Liberalism is failing. Liberalism in America is not based in Reason, but in the belief that "all men are CREATED equal, and are endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable rights." As long as this credo anchors our Liberalism, race-based discrimination cannot take root in America.
The author makes the mistake of assuming that all discrimination is rooted in anti-Liberal parochialism akin to anti-semitism. He seems to believe that modern societies will have open borders, as true cosmopolitans communities able to absorb all cultures. Because the young state of Israel has not been able to integrate fully her 20% Arab population, the author warns that Israel may exhibit the same exclusionary parochialism that inspired historic anti-semitism. He makes Arabs, whose leadership is sworn to the destruction of Israel, the "other" of an asserted Jewish prejudice. This denies the reality of a mortal threat to Jewish survival that requires some discrimination, such as checkpoints. Despite this, Israel receives no applause for the full citizenship of Israeli Arabs, their social benefits, educational levels or health care that are unparalleled in any Arab country. Thus, in an odd twist of the book's theme, the author succumbs to the latest morphing of the old blame-the-Jew solution to stubborn world problems. And Jews seeking to live as a progressive and ingenious nation are again in the crosshairs of international blame and politicized self critism.
When this book was published (in 2000), the author thought that race-based anti-semitism was a relic of right-wing fascist nationalism, exorcised by the triumph of liberal democracies. Who could have imagined then, the explosion of anti-semitism we see today? Until recently, the target was not Jews, but Israel. Yet now the old prejudice is re-emerging in its raw original forms, stimulated by the mass introduction of Muslim immigrants to Europe on one hand, and by internet conspiracy theories on the other hand.
To read the 24 "Protocols" is to recognize surprising contemporary themes from conspiracy "theories." For instance, "international bankers" may be a euphemism for "wealthy Jews." This is one reason I think we should read through the widely circulated "protocols of the elders of Zion;" so that we will recognize them embedded in contemporary commentary, opinion, and web pages. It is truly shocking how widespread is the belief in some or all of these strange "protocols." You can read them in PDF form on the internet.
The author sees Liberalism as the antidote to anti-semitism and conspiracy thinking. But Liberalism in Europe has failed this task!! He sees Liberalism as grounded in Reason, and assumes that Reason will reject the parochialism and paranoia of anti-semitism. What we see today in Europe is that reason-based Liberalism is failing. Liberalism in America is not based in Reason, but in the belief that "all men are CREATED equal, and are endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable rights." As long as this credo anchors our Liberalism, race-based discrimination cannot take root in America.
The author makes the mistake of assuming that all discrimination is rooted in anti-Liberal parochialism akin to anti-semitism. He seems to believe that modern societies will have open borders, as true cosmopolitans communities able to absorb all cultures. Because the young state of Israel has not been able to integrate fully her 20% Arab population, the author warns that Israel may exhibit the same exclusionary parochialism that inspired historic anti-semitism. He makes Arabs, whose leadership is sworn to the destruction of Israel, the "other" of an asserted Jewish prejudice. This denies the reality of a mortal threat to Jewish survival that requires some discrimination, such as checkpoints. Despite this, Israel receives no applause for the full citizenship of Israeli Arabs, their social benefits, educational levels or health care that are unparalleled in any Arab country. Thus, in an odd twist of the book's theme, the author succumbs to the latest morphing of the old blame-the-Jew solution to stubborn world problems. And Jews seeking to live as a progressive and ingenious nation are again in the crosshairs of international blame and politicized self critism.
July 14, 2017
The book does a great job describing and explaining the Protocols. Bronner traces the beginnings of the Protocols, and its popularity and growth from Czarist Russia. He ably describes the myriad inconsistencies and self-defeating nature of the Jewish cabal's supposed plan to rule the world. Most interesting to me was his description of *why* the Protocols appeals to the people that it appeals to.
However, the author uses a scapegoat of his own, mentioning numerous times how antisemitism most easily finds (and found) a home on the right. This is problematic as he touts fascists repeatedly as supporters of the Protocols - and on a left-right dichotomy, fascists would surely be on the left side - *not* the right. Control of industry and government is a hallmark of the left, not the right. He also mentions how the Nazis found scapegoats and an ideology bolstered by the Protocols. Yes, the National *Socialists*...on the right he tells us.
It's well-written, and if for not throwing away so much credibility on this repeated mistake, it would be an overall better book. Making political points isn't the main thrust of this work, but conflating the right with antisemitism so much distracts from the book. Written as an unbiased and down-the-middle book, it would have easily earned three stars, possibly four stars, but as it is, with such an issue, it receives two from me.
However, the author uses a scapegoat of his own, mentioning numerous times how antisemitism most easily finds (and found) a home on the right. This is problematic as he touts fascists repeatedly as supporters of the Protocols - and on a left-right dichotomy, fascists would surely be on the left side - *not* the right. Control of industry and government is a hallmark of the left, not the right. He also mentions how the Nazis found scapegoats and an ideology bolstered by the Protocols. Yes, the National *Socialists*...on the right he tells us.
It's well-written, and if for not throwing away so much credibility on this repeated mistake, it would be an overall better book. Making political points isn't the main thrust of this work, but conflating the right with antisemitism so much distracts from the book. Written as an unbiased and down-the-middle book, it would have easily earned three stars, possibly four stars, but as it is, with such an issue, it receives two from me.
January 29, 2021
"The Protocols" is probably the most influential piece of text in modern history; an intriguing standing for a blatant forgery. This book offers an abridgment of the protocols themselves before delving into the complex history of early modern antisemitism in Russia and Germany. Published in 2000, I think the most fascinating part about this book is the mirrors to modern America twenty years later. Antisemitism didn't end after the Nazis, but it faded to unpopularity. This shift combined with the ambiguity of "The Protocols" allowed the enemy to shift from "the Jew" to "liberals" or "Democrats." The underlying conspiracy stays the same taking on this new enemy and being promoted through QAnon. An ideology very must laden with subtle hints at Nazism. Without already knowing the content of "The Protocols," one would be apt to miss the context for modern conspiracy theories.
If anyone wishes to understand the nature of current events, I highly recommend this book as those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
If anyone wishes to understand the nature of current events, I highly recommend this book as those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
November 8, 2016
A very straightforward and precise tackling of the issue on antisemitism. Granted, this is a very emotionally charged work so I had to take constantly keep that into account as I read the book, but it was also an aspect I liked about the book since it made it feel very personal and real.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews