"The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and the Allure of Conspiracy

Lecturer: Steven J. Zipperstein

Description:

Why has "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" managed to draw such widespread attention with countless reprints and websites in many languages -- across the political spectrum -- foregrounding its message of a mysterious Jewish cabal controlling the world's finances and politics? Professor Zipperstein will explore the reasons for its extraordinary resilience, this particularly surprising since it is definitively known to have been copied, almost word for word, from a mid-19th century attack on Napoleon III. Few better examples exist on the world stage of the resilience of "fake news."

* In preparation for this talk, Professor Zipperstein recommends reading an excerpt from his book Pogrom: Kishinev and the Tilt of History. Chapter 5: "Sages of Zion, Pavel Krushevan, and the Shadow of Kishinev."

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