How effective are attempts to deny the Holocaust? What tools are employed to do so? Why are anti-Semitic invective and historical distortion so stubbornly persistent?
This volume explores these alarming questions through nine well-researched essays penned by some of the most respected Holocaust scholars studying this issue.
The book grew out of an international conference held at Northeastern University in Boston in 2001. The conference was organized around a lawsuit filed by David Irving, a Holocaust denier, against Deborah Lipstadt, an American historian, and Penguin Books, her publisher.
Edited by four professors from Northeastern, the volume of essays challenges students and professionals alike to explore the ways in which historical facts are presented, and to understand by what methods journalistic and legal proofs support their truth. Essayists move away from the Holocaust itself to challenge the underlying racism beneath it, discussing the different ways in which historical truths can become restructured and refuted over time and the methods used to support them.
The writing is sometimes somber, often colorful and always clear and cogent, and readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the threat that faces those of us who need a clear answer as to what exactly happened to the Jews in 20th century Europe.
Extensive footnotes, a thorough listing of the contributors’ credentials, and a detailed index help readers find their way around and through this slim but significant volume.
Linda F. Burghardt is a New York-based journalist and author who has contributed commentary, breaking news, and features to major newspapers across the U.S., in addition to having three non-fiction books published. She writes frequently on Jewish topics and is now serving as Scholar-in-Residence at the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County.
