WJC questions new publication of Mein Kampf

January 10, 2016 Agencies
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World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said an annotated edition of Hitler’s book ‘Mein Kampf’, due to hit German bookstores this week, was unnecessary.

Mein+Kampf 988×1,500 pixels 2016-01-10 09-45-32Lauder said academics should study the book, and the impact it had ought to be taught to students, but he questioned whether a new edition of the book was necessary to do so, given that the text was easily accessible for researchers and that over 12 million copies had been sold prior to 1945, making its author a rich man.

Lauder declared: “’Mein Kampf’ should have been studied properly studied 90 years ago. Hitler’s lies should have been rebutted back then. Alas, we all know that because that didn’t happen Hitler felt emboldened to embark on the biggest mass murder in the history of mankind. Hence it would be best to leave ‘Mein Kampf’ where it belongs: the poison cabinet of history.”

The WJC president added: “’Mein Kampf’ was the playbook for World War II and for the Holocaust. It continues to be widely available, both online and in second-hand book stores. Enough of this vile and toxic book have been printed. Germany rightly prohibits the publication and distribution of books that incite to hatred, and among them is ‘Mein Kampf’.

“I don’t see the need for a critical edition. Unlike other works that truly deserve to be republished as annotated editions, ‘Mein Kampf’ does not. Already, academics, historians and the wider public have easy access to this text. Yes, ‘Mein Kampf’ should be studied, and it is appropriate to teach German students about this book and the terrible impact it had.

“But the idea that to do so requires an annotated edition with thousands of pages of text is nonsense. This project may be well-intended, but the Bavarian government was right not to allow its republication until the expiry of the copyright, or to support a new edition financially,” said Lauder.

Comments

4 Responses to “WJC questions new publication of Mein Kampf”
  1. LIZZIE MOORE says:

    I suppose it of “historical interest” and “accessibility is important for scholars” however I do find it somewhat unnerving [the new edition]. Hitler was a psychopathic creep and first rate pervert. Not much to rejoice over there!

  2. Rita Schaffer says:

    History keeps ‘throwing up’ these sorts of madmen: Pol Pot, Kim Jong-un, Gaddafi etc. and they go unchecked because: “All that tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” Thomas Jefferson.

  3. Henry Herzog says:

    What’s the point of re–publishing this piece of trash which, at the time, had anormous impact: something any civilized person would have rejected as absolute crap, so why would any intelligent person want to read it. They would gain far more from reading graffity on toilet walls.

  4. David Adler says:

    The Quran and hadiths have more anti-Semitic content than Mein Kamf.

    I wonder if the WJC is content with that just because it is an ideology cloaked as a religion?

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