Talk held in conjunction with Our Struggle: Responding to Mein Kampf, on view Jan 11–Jun 15, 2010 at The Contemporary Jewish Museum.
How does one read books like Mein Kampf or The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, that are not merely hateful but also have actually exerted a palpable, direct impact on the persecution of Jews? And, how does the existence of the Internet, which spreads both knowledge and falsehoods with unprecedented speed, affect the way in which we respond to the ongoing fascination with these and other malicious texts?
Steven J. Zipperstein, Koshland Professor in Jewish Culture and History at Stanford University, looked at these questions and more in a wide-ranging discussion with Daniel Schifrin, the Museums Director of Public Programs and writer-in-residence.
Recorded May 6, 2010.
The Koshland Professor in Jewish Culture and History at Stanford University, Zipperstein is the author of many award-winning books including The Jews of Odessa, Elusive Prophet: Ahad Ha'am and the Origins of Zionism, and most recently Rosenfeld's Lives: Fame, Oblivion and the Furies of Writing.
Leadership Support for digital media at The Contemporary Jewish Museum is generously provided by the Jim Joseph Foundation.
Header image: From the project Notre Combat by Linda Ellia; one of six hundred works on paper; artist: Maxime Rebière; 8 ¾ x 5 ½ inches; Paris, France; 2007. Courtesy of The Contemporary Jewish Museum. Featured in Our Struggle: Responding to Mein Kampf, on view Jan 11, 2010–Jun 15, 2010 at The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco.