Demolishing the Protocols of the Elders of Zion

Too bad Martin had to write this self-promoting letter and that his accomplishment was not afforeded proper recognition in the pages of the esteemed Times Literary Supplement.

Sir, –John Klier, in his review of two new books about The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (February 24), concludes by suggesting that “more than censorship” is necessary to counter the “baleful influence” of the Protocols. While both Hadassa Ben-Itto’s and Will Eisner’s books are important contributions to the literature, my book, Dismantling the Big Lie: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (which was written with Steven L. Jacobs and published in 2003), takes another approach.

It is the first book that offers a full-length refutation, drawn from a wide range of Jewish sources, of each of the twenty-four Protocols. Although it will not sway the hard-core anti-Semite or the convinced conspiracy theorist, it does provide an answer to those who approach the Protocols ignorant of Jews and Judaism. In a world where the Protocols can be cited in article 32 of the charter of Hamas, the terrorist organization now seeking political legitimacy, or serve as the basis of statements made by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, or be exhibited as a Jewish “holy book” in the UNESCO-funded refurbished library at Alexandria (an action which was condemned by UNESCO, which helped lead to the removal of the book from the exhibition) and to be present on the internet in up to twenty translations, calls for “legal controls” might be questionable not only on philosophical but also on practical grounds.

It is thus essential that people of goodwill now have the information and willingness to confront and repudiate the malicious claims of the Protocols, before they can once again become, as in the title of Norman Cohn’s classic treatment of the subject, “A Warrant for Genocide”.

MARK WEITZMAN
Simon Wiesenthal Center, 50 East 42nd Street, Suite 1600, New York 10017.