A Rumor about the Jews

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxv

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Stephen Eric Bronner

   Pages 1-8

3. Antisemitism for Popular Consumption: Selections from the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion

   • Stephen Eric Bronner

   Pages 9-23

4. The Text in Context: The Protocols and the Varieties of Antisemitism

   • Stephen Eric Bronner

   Pages 25-55

5. The Tale of a Forgery: Inventing the Protocols

   • Stephen Eric Bronner

   Pages 57-82

6. Spreading the News: The Protocols Triumphant

   • Stephen Eric Bronner

   Pages 83-109

7. Intermezzo: American Populism and the Jews

   • Stephen Eric Bronner

   Pages 111-125

8. The Legacy of a Lie: Contemporary Antisemitism and Its Future

   • Stephen Eric Bronner

   Pages 127-145

9. Back Matter

   Pages 147-162

   PDF

In its portrayal of Judaism as a worldwide conspiracy dedicated to the destruction of Christian civilization, the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion remains one of the most infamous documents ever written. Despite being proven a crude forgery, the pamphlet managed to pervade twentieth-century thinking, often being twisted to suit its handlers' purposes, and to justify the most extreme persecution of the Jews. In A Rumor About the Jews, Stephen Eric Bronner provides a history of this notorious fabrication—one which has renewed salience in a “post truth” society dominated by “fake news"—and explores its influence on right-wing movements throughout the twentieth century and the ongoing appeal of bigotry. This new edition of Bronner's 2000 classic (described by Kirkus as "the best short book on anti-Semitism") expands the arguments of the first edition, bringing the work up to date in a new political context.

• Anti-Semitism
• Bigotry
• Conspiracy
• Hitler
• Propaganda
• Nazism
• Inter-War Period
• World War II
• fake news
• post truth
• The Protocols of the Elders of Zion

“A timely and important document for such a time as this. Bronner’s work is focused on the political with a strong interest in the historical, the cultural, and the religious. … From a Religious Studies perspective, Bronner’s analysis of the future of organized religion is important to consider.” (Michael Gillingham, Reading Religion, June 26, 2019)

From the reviews of the first edition:

“A coherent treatment of a complex issue and its most significant secular document. ... Bronner may have written the best short book on anti-Semitism.” (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2000)

• Department of Political Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

  Stephen Eric Bronner

Stephen Eric Bronner is Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Director of Global Relations at the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights (CGHR), and on Executive Committee of the UNESCO Chair for Genocide Prevention at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

Policies and ethics