Israel Protests Planned Lithuanian Publication of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf'

Israel's embassy in Lithuania has urged the publishing house Obuolys and other parties to reconsider their decision to publish Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf," citing historical sensitivity and public responsibility. The book, slated for release in late December, is approximately 800 pages long and will include over 1,500 footnotes, annotations, and explanations by Polish historian and political scientist Eugeniusz Cezary Król. Arūnas Bubnys, head of the Center for Research on Genocide and Resistance of Residents of Lithuania, wrote the introduction and supervised the historical accuracy of the translation.

The embassy expressed deep anger over the planned publication, calling the book a "toxic manifesto" that laid the ideological groundwork for the systematic extermination of millions, including approximately 95% of Lithuania's Jewish community. In a statement, the embassy highlighted the need to address the accessibility of such a publication amid rising antisemitism, Holocaust distortion, and extremism worldwide. While acknowledging the importance of academic research, the embassy drew a distinction between controlled academic study and the commercial distribution of a hate manifesto, emphasizing that for Lithuanian Jews, the book symbolizes murderous hatred.

Conversely, Daiva Latynė, a publishing project manager, explained that the decision to publish the controversial work followed extensive deliberation. She noted that the text is already available online and in older editions without critical commentary, stressing that their publication is a critical edition, not the book itself. Latynė described "Mein Kampf" as a historically significant document whose ideas, conceived before Hitler's rise to power, later led to World War II and the Holocaust.

Lithuanian Minister of Culture Lukas Alesis commented that, in his personal opinion, it might not be the appropriate time to release the book and that controversial publications, even with critical notes, should perhaps be avoided. He stated that the academic community would examine the annotations' suitability for the current historical context after publication. Alesis added that while critical notes contribute to historical research, it's crucial not to forget that the book originates from the Nazi regime, drawing a parallel to Lithuania's critical assessment of Soviet-era books and art.