for research project

1. Antisemitism and The Protocols of the
Elders of Zion: Prospectus
Trevor Oggins

2. Introduction
 Topic: Antisemitism (which is defined as hostility and prejudice
directed against Jewish people)
 Primary Source: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (or The
Protocols for short) is a historical anti-Semitic document written
between the late 1890s and early 1900s by an unknown author
and first published in Russia. The document presents a meeting of
Jewish elders discussing their plans for world domination. The
Jews in this document are portrayed as unethical and solely
focused on their own primacy in relation to Gentiles (non-Jews).
However, this document is a forgery, and the events portrayed
within it did not occur.
 I am addressing this topic because my Great-Great Grandparents
were Russian-Jewish immigrants who came from a part of the
Russian Empire known for its anti-Semitic violence.
 The document is problematic because it advances many damaging
anti-Semitic stereotypes that were based on historical myths and
was spread around the world to people who used it to justify acts
of violence against Jews.

3. Investigative
questions
 How does The Protocols’ portrayal of non-Jews as an
“other” that is oppressed by Jews create anti-Semitic
stereotypes?
 Are the stereotypes advanced eventually used to justify
anti-Semitic acts of violence (e.g. the Holocaust) as
simply a response to a perceived, yet non-existent,
oppression at the hands of Jews?
 How does the text reflect historical anti-Semitic beliefs
that were prevalent at the time?
 What in the document can be seen as rhetorical
support for violence against Jews?

4. Hypothesis
 The Protocols of the Elders of Zion falsely portrays
Jews as evil and dedicated the formation of a world
Jewish state that oppresses Gentiles (non-Jews) and
asserts Jewish supremacy. This formulation, rooted in
historical anti-Semitic myths, Orientalizes Jews as
dictatorial oppressors that exist outside of mainstream
society, and ultimately provides justification for the
discrimination against an already marginalized group.

5. Summaryof
Research
 Primary Source: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
 A forged transcript of a fictional meeting of Jewish elders
who plot to take over the world
 I will analyze how the text depicts Jews as a group
estranged from mainstream society and how this
depiction results in harm inflicted upon the Jews
 Secondary Sources: My secondary sources will address
the historical context of The Protocols and discuss how
the document depicts negative views of the Jewish
people. They will also describe how The Protocols have
been used to inflict harm on the Jewish people.
 Type of Analysis: I will be conducting a literary
analysis of The Protocols. This type of analysis will
allow me to examine the rhetorical devices that portray
the Jews as an “other.”

6. Primary Source:
TheProtocols of
theElders ofZion
 The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a document by an
unknown writer published in the late 1890s or early
1900s. The document presents a transcript of a
fictional meeting of Jewish elites. The Jews in this text
describe their strategies for world domination, which
comprises control of governments, money, the press,
and non-Jews among other societal aspects.
 However, the contents of the document are presented
as objective fact and its status as fiction is not
acknowledged
 The document advances many anti-Semitic stereotypes
that were present at the time
 I plan to examine stereotypes how the stereotypes
present Jews as being separate from mainstream
society and how they have played a role in
discrimination against Jews during the 20th and 21st
centuries.

7. SecondarySource:A
RumorAboutthe
Jews:Reflectionson
Antisemitismand
TheProtocolsofthe
EldersofZion
 A Rumor About the Jews by Stephen Eric Bronner, a professor of
Political Science at Rutgers University, is a book originally written
in 2000. The book features excerpts from The Protocols before
examining its history. The book also explains the how The
Protocols have spread and its impact on the Jewish people and
 I have cited the second edition of the book which was released in
2019. The second edition retains much of the material from the
previous edition but cites modern events such as the rise of far-
right populism throughout Europe, the increase of political
support for Palestine (at the expense of Israel), the newfound
relevance of conspiracy theories, and declining importance of the
truth as reasons why antisemitism is spreading in the 21st
Century. Because of this, the ideas within The Protocols have
gained new relevance.
 I will use this book to place The Protocols in a modern context so I
can determine why the ideas contained within the document
remain relevant today

8. SecondarySource:
Anti-Semitism:A
Historyand
Psychoanalysisof
Contemporary
Hatred
 Anti-Semitism by Avner Falk is a book that provides a
history of antisemitism and explores the reasons
behind how anti-Semitic beliefs form.
 The book examines the cognitive underpinnings of
antisemitism and psychoanalyzes various prominent
anti-Semites.
 I will use this book to provide historical background
about antisemitism and why people believed its
contents. I will also use it to assess the impact of the
anti-Semitic beliefs advanced by The Protocols

9. SecondarySource:TheMyth
oftheJewishMenacein
WorldAffairs,ortheTruth
abouttheForgedProtocols
oftheEldersofZion
 One of the first texts to refute The Protocols as
fictional
 Written in 1920
 Is worthy of inclusion because it places The Protocols in
its original context
 Discusses and rebuts the contents of The Protocols
 Describes the prevailing opinion towards Jews at the
time
 Provides information about the immediate impact of
The Protocols

10. Additional
Secondary
Sources
 The Lie That Wouldn’t Die: The Protocols of the Elders
of Zion—Hadassa Ben-Itto
 “Henry Ford and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” –
Arthur R. Goldwag
 The Paranoid Apocalypse: A Hundred-Year
Retrospective on The Protocols of the Elders of Zion—
Richard Landes and Steven T. Katz (editors)
 The Global Impact of The Protocols of the Elders of
Zion: A Century Old Myth—Esther Webman (editor)
 Note: Both The Paranoid Apocalypse and The Global
Impact of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion are
collections of essays pertaining to The Protocols by
various authors

11. Conclusion
 Where my research might take me: I would like to
further examine how conspiracy theories can spread
and be used as a justification for drastic action against
a certain group. This is relevant as we live in an era
where fake news is often disseminated through social
media and accepted as fact by many people.
 My contribution to our knowledge of the topic: The
Protocols of the Elders of Zion presents Jews as a
distinct group separate from mainstream society. This
presentation was then used by anti-Semites to justify
discrimination against Jews.