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A Lie and a Libel: The History of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion

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This is Richard Levy's 1995 translation of Segel's 1926 abbreviated version of his original (1924) longer, more scholarly work, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Critically Illuminated. It is a point-by-point refutation of this fraudulent document, and an indispensable reference. It is indexed, and includes a chronology of the hoax, as well as an updated bibliography. This particular edition includes an introduction by translator Richard S. Levy that would be worth a volume of its own. The following is based on that introduction.

While Segel's work is authoritative, Levy recognizes that logical, scholarly examination of this fraud has had little effect:

"The patent absurdity of the [Protocols] has had little or no bearing on its credibility for a large and varied public. ... devastating and authoritative judgments have failed to put an end to the book."

Perhaps the best example of Levy's point is Hitler's comment in Mein Kampf that Segel denying "the truth of the Protocols was the best proof of their authority." This was precisely argument employed to such effect in 1692 Salem: To doubt an accuser was to open oneself to accusation: Who but a member of the conspiracy denies it?

As outlined in Festinger's 1956 study, When Prophecy Fails, and more recently, in Susan Clancy's Abducted: how people come to believe they were kidnapped by aliens, the allure of conspiracies is well-known: Readers are "invite[d] to join the elite of those in the know." Moreover, "the [Protocols of the Elders of Zion] addresses an audience not thought capable of sustained reasoning. ... For many, the least likely explanation of great events seems the best because it is also the most effortless." Segel's arguments are therefore inaccessible to many for precisely this reason.

Would that the consequences of continued publication and belief in the Protocols were as benign as the copious literature on alien abduction and Doom's Day cults, but it is not. Levy sadly concludes:

"In the world at large, beyond the reach of the Nazis, the Protocols helped render Jews ineligible for rescue by the great majority of their fellowmen."

Words and ideas do have consequence.

Segel's attempt to discredit the Protocols is successful, as is his exposition of its origins and effects on modern society. However, his writing is wrought with sarcasm and fallacious appeals to popularity. His passion is overwhelming at times, distracting the reader from the core points with bombastic remarks. This topic should be required reading due to the serious implications of the fraud of the Protocols, but readers would be best served to find a version by a different author.

THis is one of the few books dedicated solely to exposing the hoax that is the 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion' text. This author shows definitevly how it was created by the Czars men to discredit Judaism and cause progroms against the powerful Jews of Moscow and Odessa.

This book is an importnat book in the pnathyon of books that seek to explain anti-semitism. Recently the 'Elder' text has had a comback as it has been reprinted in its most viscous form, with no introduction explasining its fabircation, in Muslim countries like Egypt and Saudi and at least one un-truthful copy can be purchased on this website. Its sad to see these anti-semetic texts are still in circulation and widely beleived to be true by the ignorant and the hateful. This book helps unmask the ignorant and shed light on the fabrication that is the 'Elders' Text

A good read, highly recommended.

Once while discussing the mythical "Religious Right" on an e-list, Ann Coulter's debunking of the myth in her book _Slander_ came up.

"Of course she'd say it doesn't exist," a young liberal observed. "She belongs to it."

We see the same reaction in neo-Nazis towards attempts to discredit the equally absurd "the Protocols are authentic" myth.

"Of course a Jew would say there's no Jewish conspiracy -- what do you expect from a Jew?"

We live in an age where Holocaust victims are dying, costing us their first-hand information. And at least one member of the House of Representatives (Cynthia McKinney, D-GA) uses the words "Jew" and "Israeli" interchangeably during her antisemitic rants (Ms McKinney has even blamed Jews for causing her to lose a primary in 2002; sadly, she's back in office).

Like books against Communism, we need to have books against antisemitism, too. And this one is a great book.

Just because Henry Ford got suckered into beleiving the Protocols hoax, doesn't mean you have to be taken for a fool. This book is a well-written, well-researched, clear explanation of the history of the Protocols, demonstrating once and for all that it was a forgery. (If you insist on reading the Protocols anyway, then buy this to go along with it.)

I have known that these damned "Protocols" were Czarist forgeries since I first heard of them. Why other people have not managed to figure this out all on their lonesome baffles me.

In case you have not read the full story, I highly recommend this book:

The Plot: The Secret Story of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion