Hitler's Mein Kampf Book To Be Republished In Germany; Jewish Groups, Holocaust Groups React

News that Adolf Hitler's racist manifesto, Mein Kampf (My Struggle) would be republished in Germany was met with mixed reactions from Jewish groups.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that many German Jews welcomed the news.

"If it is going to be released, then I prefer seeing a competent annotated version from the Bavarian state than profit-seekers trying to make money with Nazis,'' head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Dieter Graumann said. He also called the reprinting a "good idea."

The new version of Mein Kampf will include commentaries condemning Hitler's arguments.

Even so, some Jewish groups are not happy about this latest development.

"Holocaust survivors are appalled at the insensitivity and crass commercialism that would motivate the publication of Hitler's hate-filled book in the historic cradle of the Nazi terror regime," Elan Steinberg of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, told AFP.<

The Week reports that Deirdre Berger, an official with the American Jewish Committee, said no one should "underestimate the potential danger to this day of Hitler's Mein Kampf."

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Comments

[searcherkind]

08:18 PM on 07/10/2012

boreing book

[Dan Langdon]

02:59 PM on 05/07/2012

Just remember "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it"

[NickaRay]

11:51 PM on 05/03/2012

It's history and learning it and understanding it is the only way we can learn from it and use that knowledge for our future.

[Mr Anonymous]

10:42 PM on 05/02/2012

Wow......

So restricting knowledge is the best solution here? Everyone should read a copy of it and see the horrible logic and reasoning in it's pages.

[Skepticat]

09:26 PM on 05/01/2012

More than 40 years ago I took a look at a translation of Mein Kampf out of curiosity while in college. I found it meandering - boring and 30 pages was quite enough for me. That said I doubt of republishing it will create many "dangers" - because we have 80 years of history to assess the "contributions" of such thinking.

[dogpaddle47]

12:27 PM on 05/04/2012

Had the same experience with Mein Kampf. Hitler was about the most incompetent writer I have ever tried to read.

[curiousdwk]

07:34 PM on 05/01/2012

Give me a break. How can we understand its appeal if we don't have a chance to read the book. If someone were interested in Fascism, there are better books for them to read and use. This book isn't going to do any damage except to the egos of some fanatics.

[Abnormal Wrench]

01:52 AM on 05/01/2012

As an American, who cherishes freedom of speech, I'm just appalled by this. I own many books that have been outlawed by various governments, and my interest in them is driven by trying to understand the culture that drove them. It is mind boggling to me that any supposed government that cares about freedom, let alone avoiding repeating the crimes against humanity that happened in the past, by blocking the books that led up to those crimes....it is like refusing to teach relevant history, while pretending to act of not teaching the history, will prevent the history from recurring. It is the exact opposite from reality.

The tyrannical governments banned books to keep people ignorant. I don't see much positive in copying them perfectly. Ignorance will never lead to better educated citizens.

[anandabliss]

05:42 PM on 04/30/2012

My Grandparents escaped from Poland, during those times, but we as a family
did not rehash it at every opportunity, under the "never forget" banner. To listen
to some people, you would think that the past only happened to them, and that
their ancestors had no cards in the game of blame. There's more to remember
about the German backlash. http://www.realzionistnews.com/?p=40

[Djay0252]

04:52 PM on 04/30/2012

Hitler's anti-Semitism grew out of his Christian education according to Hillbilly.
He needs to be reminded that Hitler was rejected twice by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (1907-1908), citing "unfitness for painting", and was told his abilities lay instead in the field of architecture. He blamed this on the Jews on the acadamy board. He also blamed the Jewish financiers for pulling out of WW 1 too early and thus Germany losing the war....another part of the story.

[donnyraindog]

06:19 PM on 04/30/2012

Hillbilly is essentialy correct and the so called "stab in the back" revisionist thing in germany leading up to the war was directed at all those in power at the time of surrender.

[Djay0252]

10:02 PM on 04/30/2012

Yes, hillbilly is correct and so are you but I would point out to you that later on Hitler was the only one who had the power to avenge that "stab in the back" and he and he alone chose the direction for that vengence...everybody else followed along.

[Hillbilly49]

08:34 PM on 04/30/2012

Through subterfuge and concealment, many of today's Church leaders and faithful Christians have camouflaged the Christianity of Adolf Hitler and have attempted to mark him an atheist, a pagan cult worshiper, or a false Christian. However, from the earliest formation of the Nazi party and throughout the period of conquest and growth, Hitler expressed his Christian support to the German citizenry and soldiers.  Hitler may not have been a "true Christian" but he certainly espoused Christianity through out his reign in Germany.

[Djay0252]

09:50 PM on 04/30/2012

I have seen hints of that

[Djay0252]

09:53 PM on 04/30/2012

for instance in the first Indiana Jones movie they say Hitler was a nut on the subject of the occult. Himmler was. I have read of his religious upbringing and know they want to mask that aspect of his life but they can't succeed.....Peace

[soxjab21]

04:08 PM on 04/30/2012

I would love if they gave it away for free, that way you can burn it for a bonfire

[FrancisKing]

04:00 PM on 05/04/2012

"I would love if they gave it away for free, that way you can burn it for a bonfire"

Not in my country please. Those who start burning books end up burning people.

[Hillbilly49]

03:45 PM on 04/30/2012

Hitler's anti-Semitism grew out of his Christian education.

Christian Austria and Germany in his time took for granted the belief that Jews held an inferior status to Aryan Christians. Jewish hatred did not spring from Hitler, it came from the preaching of Catholic priests and Protestant ministers throughout Germany for hundreds of years. The Protestant leader, Martin Luther, himself, held a livid hatred for Jews and their Jewish religion. In his book, "On the Jews and their Lies," Luther set the standard for Jewish hatred in Protestant Germany up until World War II. Hitler expressed a great admiration for Martin Luther.

http://www.nobeliefs.com/hitler.htm

[Hillbilly49]

03:33 PM on 04/30/2012

Most Christian do not even realize that Adolf Hitler was a Roman Catholic Christian and he did his genocide in the name of God and Christianity.



I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator. 
- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Vol. 1 Chapter 2



Even today I am not ashamed to say that, overpowered by stormy enthusiasm, I fell down on my knees and thanked Heaven from an overflowing heart for granting me the good fortune of being permitted to live at this time. 
- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Vol. 1 Chapter 5 


Once again the songs of the fatherland roared to the heavens along the endless marching columns, and for the last time the Lord's grace smiled on His ungrateful children.

- Adolf Hitler reflecting on World War I, Mein Kampf, Vol. 1, Chapter 7


There are many more direct quotes by Adolf Hitler saying what he was doing was in God’s name and the Jewish people were evil, at least in part, because they helped kill Jesus.



Mein Kampf is a good book to read and realize how much Hitler co-opted protestant, as well as the Roman Catholic Church; while the vast majority of Christians cheerfully enabled mass genocide.



Hitler did what he did in God’s name!

[phal4875]

02:17 PM on 04/30/2012

A racist screed that led, in part, to World War II should be offered to those who want to learn about a monstrous evil. Few people know anymore about the book or the sub-human behind it.

[SylvreWolfe]

11:28 AM on 04/30/2012

I support the publishing of this book. Not because I support anti-Semitism or genocide, but because I want it to stop. You can't stop the hate by denying it. Teach what this guy believed to show why it was wrong, still is wrong. Learn everything you can about the villains of the past to prevent the villains of the future. Publish it.

[lefty81]

11:36 AM on 05/03/2012

Ummm... some people who are still alive, actually lived it. What do they need teaching for? The republishing of this book, is like making the Jews re-live the horror of it. It's not about denying the hate to stop it. If the book never came out again, that would mean that nobobdy would ever have to see this piece of foolishness again. You want the hate to stop, teach others about how to love their fellow man, not patronize this racist genocidal dictator. BTW, think about it: whose getting the money for this book anyway?

[freedom1947]

10:48 AM on 04/30/2012

Germans like american republicans think people are bound to forget?