Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Protocols The Elders of Zion by Protocols of the Elders of Zion: Key Dates. These key dates chronicle The Protocols of the Elders of Zion , the most widely distributed antisemitic publication of modern times. Twitter Facebook Cite Print. This content is available in the following languages. The Protocols, supposedly the record of secret meetings of Jewish leaders, describes an alleged conspiracy to dominate the world. The conspiracy and its leaders, the so-called Elders of Zion, never existed. Although the Protocols has been proven a fraud on many occasions, it continues to inspire those who seek to spread hatred of Jews. 1864 French political satirist writes The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu. Joly's book never mentions Jews, but much of the Protocols would be fabricated based on ideas contained in it. 1868 Prussian writer Hermann Goedsche publishes the novel Biarritz , in which the twelve tribes of Israel meet secretly in Prague's Jewish cemetery. Goedsche's book, like Joly's, contains ideas incorporated in fabricating the Protocols . 1897–1899 Although the origin of the Protocols is still a matter of debate, it was most likely fabricated under the direction of Pyotr Rachovsky, chief of the foreign branch of the Russian secret police ( Okhrana ) in Paris. 1903 An abbreviated version of the Protocols is published in a St. Petersburg, Russia, newspaper, Znamya ( The Banner ). 1905 Russian mystic Sergei Nilus includes the Protocols as an appendix to his book, The Great in the Small: The Coming of the Anti-Christ and the Rule of Satan on Earth. By 1917, Nilus publishes four editions of the Protocols in Russia. 1920 The first non-Russian language edition of the Protocols is issued in Germany. 1920 The Protocols is published in , France, England, and the United States. These editions blame the Russian Revolution on Jewish conspirators and warn of Bolshevism spreading to the West. 1920 Lucien Wolf, a British journalist and diplomat, exposes the Protocols as a fraudulent plagiarism in The Jewish Bogey and the Forged Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. 1920 Automaker 's Dearborn Independent publishes , an Americanized version of the Protocols . The International Jew is translated into more than one dozen languages. August 16–18, 1921 Journalist Phillip Graves exposes the Protocols as a plagiarism in series of articles in London Times . 1921 New York Herald reporter Herman Bernstein publishes The History of a Lie: The Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion, the first exposure of the Protocols as a fraud for an American audience. 1923 Nazi theorist Alfred Rosenberg writes The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Jewish World Policy. Rosenberg's book reaches a wide audience, necessitating three printings within the year. 1924 Benjamin Segel, a German-Jewish journalist, exposes the Protocols as a forgery in his Die Protokolle der Weisen von Zion, kritisch beleuchtet ( The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Critically Illuminated ). 1924 Joseph Goebbels, later the Nazi Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, writes in his diary: “I believe that The Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion are a forgery. . . . [However,] I believe in the intrinsic but not the factual truth of the Protocols .” 1925–1926 In his treatise, , Adolf Hitler writes: “To what an extent the whole existence of this people is based on a continuous lie is shown by the Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion , so infinitely hated by the Jews. . . . For once this book has become the common property of a people, the Jewish menace may be considered as broken.” 1927 Henry Ford issues a public apology for publishing the Protocols, which he admits are “gross forgeries.” Ford directs that remaining copies of The International Jew be burned, and he orders overseas publishers to cease publishing the book. Ford's directives to foreign publishers are ignored. 1933 Nazis rise to power in Germany. The Nazi Party publishes at least 23 editions of the Protocols before World War II begins. 1935 A Berne, Switzerland, court rules against a party of Swiss Nazis charged with circulating the Protocols at a pro-Nazi demonstration. Walter Meyer, the presiding justice at the trial, refers to the Protocols as “ridiculous nonsense.” 1938 US “Radio priest” Father Charles E. Coughlin serializes the Protocols in his newspaper, Social Justice. 1943 An edition of the Protocols is issued in German-occupied Poland. 1964 The US Senate Judiciary Committee issues a report titled The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: A Fabricated "Historic" Document. The committee concludes: “The subcommittee believes that the peddlers of the Protocols are peddlers of un-American prejudice who spread hate and dissension among the American people.” 1974 The Protocols is published in India under the title International Conspiracy Against Indians. 1985 An English-language edition of Protocols, published by the Islamic Propagation Organization, is issued in Iran. 1988 Article 32 of the Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) reads: “The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying.” 1993 The Protocols is declared a fraud in a Moscow trial of Pamyat, an ultra-nationalist Russian organization that published the Protocols in 1992. 2002 Egyptian satellite television broadcasts a 41-part miniseries Horseman Without a Horse, which is based largely on the Protocols. 2002 The US Senate passes a resolution urging the government of Egypt and other Arab states not to allow government-controlled television to broadcast any program that lends legitimacy to the Protocols . 2003 A 30-part television miniseries called Al Shatat ( The Diaspora ) airs on Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV. The series depicts a “global Jewish government,” as described in the Protocols . 2003 An exhibition of holy books of monotheistic religions at the Alexandria Library in Egypt includes a copy of the Protocols next to the Torah. UNESCO issues a public denunciation of the Alexandria Library exhibition. 2004 The Protocols is published in Okinawa, Japan. 2005 A edition of the Protocols published in Mexico City suggests that was orchestrated by the Elders of Zion in exchange for the founding of the State of Israel. 2005 An edition of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion , authorized by the Syrian Ministry of Information, claims that the Elders of Zion coordinated the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. 2007 A typical Internet search for the Protocols yields several hundred thousand sites. Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the most notorious and widely distributed antisemitic publication of modern times. Its lies about Jews, which have been repeatedly discredited, continue to circulate today, especially on the internet. The individuals and groups who have used the Protocol s are all linked by a common purpose: to spread hatred of Jews. Twitter Facebook Cite Print. This content is available in the following languages. "If ever a piece of writing could produce mass hatred, it is this one. . . . This book is about lies and slander." —Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Protocols of the Elders of Zion The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the most notorious and widely distributed antisemitic publication of modern times. Its lies about Jews, which have been repeatedly discredited, continue to circulate today, especially on the Internet. The individuals and groups who have used the Protocols are all linked by a common purpose: to spread hatred of Jews. The Protocols is entirely a work of fiction, intentionally written to blame Jews for a variety of ills. Those who distribute it claim that it documents a Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world. The conspiracy and its alleged leaders, the so-called Elders of Zion, never existed. The Origin of a Lie. In 1903, portions of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion were serialized in a Russian newspaper, Znamya (The Banner). The version of the Protocols that has endured and has been translated into dozens of languages, however, was first published in Russia in 1905 as an appendix to The Great in the Small: The Coming of the Anti-Christ and the Rule of Satan on Earth, by Russian writer and mystic Sergei Nilus. Although the exact origin of the Protocols is unknown, its intent was to portray Jews as conspirators against the state. In 24 chapters, or protocols, allegedly minutes from meetings of Jewish leaders, the Protocols "describes" the "secret plans" of Jews to rule the world by manipulating the economy, controlling the media, and fostering religious conflict. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, anti-Bolshevik émigrés brought the Protocols to the West. Soon after, editions circulated across , the United States, South America, and Japan. An Arabic translation first appeared in the 1920s. Beginning in 1920, auto magnate Henry Ford's newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, published a series of articles based in part on the Protocols . The International Jew, the book that included this series, was translated into at least 16 languages. Both Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, later head of the propaganda ministry, praised Ford and The International Jew. Fraud Exposed. In 1921, the London Times presented conclusive proof that the Protocols was a "clumsy plagiarism." The Times confirmed that the Protocols had been copied in large part from a French political satire that never mentioned Jews—Maurice Joly's Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu (1864). Other investigations revealed that one chapter of a Prussian novel, Hermann Goedsche's Biarritz (1868), also "inspired" the Protocols . The Nazi Era. Nazi Party ideologue Alfred Rosenberg introduced Hitler to the Protocols during the early 1920s, as Hitler was developing his worldview. Hitler referred to the Protocols in some of his early political speeches, and, throughout his career, he exploited the myth that "Jewish-Bolshevists" were conspiring to control the world. During the 1920s and 1930s, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion played an important part in the Nazis' propaganda arsenal. The Nazi party published at least 23 editions of the Protocols between 1919 and 1939. Following the Nazis' seizure of power in 1933, some schools used the Protocols to indoctrinate students. Fraud Exposed. In 1935, a Swiss court fined two Nazi leaders for circulating a German-language edition of the Protocols in Berne, Switzerland. The presiding justice at the trial declared the Protocols "libelous," "obvious forgeries," and "ridiculous nonsense." The US Senate issued a report in 1964 declaring that the Protocols were "fabricated." The Senate called the contents of the Protocols "gibberish" and criticized those who "peddled" the Protocols for using the same propaganda technique as Hitler. In 1993, a Russian court ruled that Pamyat, a far-right nationalist organization, had committed an antisemitic act by publishing the Protocols . Despite these repeated exposures of the Protocols as a fraud, it remains the most influential antisemitic text of the past one hundred years, and it continues to appeal to a variety of antisemitic individuals and groups. The Protocols Today. According to the US Department of State's "Report on Global Anti-Semitism" (2004), "The clear purpose of the [ Protocols is] to incite hatred of Jews and of Israel." In the United States and Europe, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and Holocaust deniers endorse and circulate the Protocols . Books based on the Protocols are available worldwide, even in countries with hardly any Jews such as Japan. Many school textbooks throughout the Arab and Islamic world teach the Protocols as fact. Countless political speeches, editorials, and even children's cartoons are derived from the Protocols . In 2002, Egypt's government-sponsored television aired a miniseries based on the Protocols , an event condemned by the US State Department. The Palestinian organization Hamas draws in part on the Protocols to justify its terrorism against Israeli civilians. The Internet has dramatically increased access to the Protocols . Even though many websites expose the Protocols as a fraud, the Internet has made it easy to use the Protocols to spread hatred of Jews. Today, a typical Internet search yields several hundred thousand sites that disseminate, sell, or debate the Protocols or expose them as a fraud. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (Protokoly sionskikh mudretsov) were first published by devotional author Sergei Nilus in the second edition of his 1905 book Velikoe v malom (The Great in the Small). Nilus had previously published other dubious documents, including the “conversations” between landowner Motovilov and Seraphim of Sarov, which were instrumental in the solemn canonization of Seraphim in 1903, in ceremonies led by Emperor Nicholas II. The Protocols resurfaced in 1917 and quickly spread across the globe, fueling anti-Semitic and anti-Bolshevik fervor. Their authenticity was challenged in public trials, most notably in Berne in 1934-1935. However The Protocols remain a staple of anti-Semitic ideology throughout the world and continue to be published, especially in Russia and Eastern Europe and in the Arab world. Adapting an image from the third “protocol,” some editions represent the interwoven networks of international Jews and Bolsheviks as a serpent twisting around Europe. But conspiracy requires counter-conspiracy: in prefaces and addenda, many of the editions scrupulously document their own origin, from the alleged congress of “the Elders of Zion” in 1897 to Nilus’s first publication of the protocols in 1905 and to its global spread in the wake of the Russian revolutions of 1917. The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. The general conclusion is that "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" is a fraudulent fiction, but its impact and effect in the early part of the 1900s was unquestionably real. Originating in Russia, it landed in the English-speaking world where it caused great consternation. Much is made of German anti-semitism, but in fact, there was fertile soil for "The Protocols" across Europe and even in America. In the United States, Henry Ford put his weight behind distributing the book. One of the disturbing elements of the manuscript is that, setting aside the role the Jews are said to play in the unfolding of affairs, there is a great deal described in the book that has come about. It is probably this fact that has kept "The Protocols" in the public eye. The question seems to be: "If it is not the Jews who brought this about, then who?" Considering the Russian source and what was soon to befall Russia, perhaps the most obvious candidate are the Marxists, with the "Protocols" being an attempt to deflect attention away from themselves. Perhaps "the Protocols" were not the minutes of a meeting of Zionists, but rather the minutes of a Bolshevik party meeting. Maybe, some day we will know for sure. In the meantime, for sheer historical value, "The Protocols" is essential reading. Trump, Ford and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion! A few days ago, President Trump made a very uncomfortable comment as he was visiting a Ford factory in Michigan. As he was addressing executives about the founder of Ford Motors, Henry Ford, he said, “The company was founded by a man named Henry Ford, good bloodlines, good bloodlines. If you believe in that stuff, you got good blood.” That statement was awkward at best and appeared possibly antisemitic. I say possibly because I am not convinced that President Trump is actually anti-Semitic. I don’t say this simply because he has Jewish family members, that would be too simplistic. Rather, Donald Trump has been a friend of Israel for a while and has shown great boldness in the last three years when it comes to proving his loyalty to the Jewish state. Under his administration, the United States finally moved its embassy to Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem. Under his leadership, Nikki Haley, ambassador to the U.N., was one of the strongest advocates for Israel. He was instrumental in helping reverse policy on Jewish settlements, to name just a few of his accomplishments as they pertain to Israel and the Jewish people. Trump knows a lot, but he is not omniscient. Is it possible that he doesn’t know some of the darkest details of history that have loomed over Henry Ford’s head and have severely tainted his legacy? Sure, it is! Frankly, unless you are looking for it, that information is not advertised. Today, Ford Motor Company is far removed from its original, founder and his xenophobic ideology. Today’s Ford is not yesterday’s Ford by a long shot, but a trip back to the 1920s is necessary to explain why President Trump’s comments ruffled many feathers in the Jewish community. In the early 1900s, a Russian man, Sergei Nilus (1862-1929), wrote a pamphlet titled “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion.” Sergei Nilus, a blatant anti-Semite, actually claimed that the book had been read secretly at the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland in 1897. The Protocols are the best know example of a forgery, as well as one of the earliest examples of “Conspiracy Theory.” They are filled with clichés, platitudes and ugly stereotypes on how to take over the world, while never containing any details or specifics. In the pamphlet, you could read what was appeared to be the minutes of a Jewish cabal trying to take over the world. The Protocols were a compilation of antisemitic tropes that, for a while, fueled the fires of antisemites around the world. It was quickly exposed as a hoax in 1921 and subsequently debunked. This didn’t prevent people from continuing to promote The Protocols. Henry Ford was one of them in a very strong way. Ford was also the publisher of a newspaper known as the “Dearborn Independent.” He used that medium to reprint The Protocols between 1920 and 1927. The newspaper published The Protocols , at the same time as The Times in London discredited the pamphlet, but this did not stop Henry Ford, who was quoted saying: “The only statement I care to make about the Protocols is that they fit in with what is going on.” Ford continued to promote them for 6 years and also was responsible for the financing and distribution of 500,000 copies of The Protocols . Many of the articles published in the Dearborn Independent were reprinted in a later volume, known as The International Jew . Hitler himself relied heavily on The Protocols and even quoted them in Mein Kampf, praising and validating them: “To what extent the whole existence of this people is based on a continuous lie is shown incomparably by the Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion, so infinitely hated by the Jews. They are based on a forgery, the Frankfurter Zeitung moans and screams once every week: the best proof that they are authentic. What many Jews may do unconsciously is here consciously exposed. And that is what matters. It is completely indifferent from what Jewish brain these disclosures originate; the important thing is that with positively terrifying certainty they reveal the nature and activity of the Jewish people and expose their inner contexts as well as their ultimate final aims.” As Hitler was influenced by The Protocols , it greatly helped him to rationalize the destruction of European Jewry. In many ways, The Protocols were a catalyst for the Holocaust as they became part of “The Solution to the Jewish Question.” In the twenty-first century, The Protocols continue to be published and distributed by neo-Nazi fringe groups and radical Islamist groups around the world. The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion are classified under “controversial knowledge” and are even available today on Amazon. Henry Ford didn’t care that the pamphlet was a forgery because it served his agenda of hatred. Incidentally, on his 75th birthday, Henry Ford received the Grand Cross of the Supreme Order of the German Eagle, which was the highest honor that Nazi Germany could give to a foreign person. Hitler had great admiration for Henry Ford and even mentioned him in Mein Kampf. Ford’s is indelibly printed in the chronicles of history. It cannot be denied, it shouldn’t be minimized and will not be forgotten. To this day, some Jewish people refuse to buy a Ford automobile, just like my own Holocaust-surviving mother refused to step foot on German soil for the rest of her life because of the day she saw her father taken in front of her eyes by the Gestapo in her Paris home. Let me reiterate that the Ford Motor Company of 2020 IS NOT the Ford Motor Company of 1920. Likewise, just because Martin Luther wrote a very caustic book against the Jewish people at the end of his life doesn’t negate his invaluable contribution as the father of the Reformation. So, we cannot hold today’s Ford Corporation responsible for the sins of its founder. This being said, we must tread very lightly when it comes to praising Henry Ford. The proper choice of words is going to be critical. By now, most people have realized that regardless of his accomplishments, President Trump not only doesn’t mince words, but he also isn’t the most tactful person. Using a statement such as, “The company was founded by a man named Henry Ford, good bloodlines, good bloodlines. If you believe in that stuff, you got good blood” was a very poor choice of words. It definitely can be seen as antisemitic. I do not believe that President Trump was promoting Eugenics or racial superiority in the way that Henry Ford did. Unfortunately, unless he apologizes for a very poor choice of words–and he probably won’t– his statement will be used against him by his enemies and also by those who espouse such a view, linking President Trump to a group of fringe antisemites that already are believed by some to support him. I am reminded of some very good advice from the Bible, warning us all about misusing the tongue in James 3:8-10, “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”