The Great Lethal Projection: Antizionism’s Debt to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion

This lecture is part of Antizionism: The History of an Ideology, a six-part series hosted by Chai Mitzvah. The series examines the historical origins, evolution, and contemporary manifestations of antizionism. Sponsored by the Institute for the Critical Study of Antizionism.

Perhaps the single most toxic Nazi trait was the projection of its own desires onto its enemies. The key text of this projection, the antisemitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, claimed to be the voice of the evil Jewish “Elders,” but instead presented the voices of those actually bent on world dominion and genocide, terrified that the Jews would beat them to it. This ventriloquism found an eager audience among the Nazis, who used it to convince their own people to attack the Jews even as they themselves worked toward world dominion and genocide. In the early 21st century, now, that projection has taken on a new configuration. Arab supremacists directly share the Nazi paranoia and projection, as Hamas and other Palestinian leaders openly declare (and pursue) their genocidal goals while accusing Israel of genocide. But what about the antizionist Left, that insists it’s progressive?  Do pro-Hamas progressives promote the great lethal projection – that Israel is committing genocide – because they fear the wrath of their Islamist allies? Or do they unconsciously share those dark desires for dominion and genocide?

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Dr. Richard Landes was trained as a medievalist at Princeton University (MA 1979, PhD 1984). His work focused on apocalyptic beliefs and millennial movements (Heaven on Earth, 2011), initially around the year 1000 (Peace of God, 1986; Relics, Apocalypse and the Deceits of History, 1996; Apocalyptic Year 1000, 2003). He developed the concept of “demotic religiosity,” an orientation that prizes 1) equality before the law, 2) dignity of manual labor, 3) access to sacred texts for all believers, and 4) moral integrity over social honor. 

But he increasingly focused on contemporary movements (Paranoid Apocalypse, 2006), especially Global Jihad, and the feckless response to its challenge, starting with the coverage of the “Al Aqsa Intifada” in late 2000. He made a series of documentaries in 2005/6 titled According to Palestinian Sources…, which document the extensive staging of footage (Pallywood), the staging of the Al Durah footage (Making of an Icon), and the impact of that fake, broadcast as “news” by Western news media (Icon of Hatred).

In 2015, he retired from Boston University where he was a Professor in the History Department. He lives with his wife in Jerusalem, where he can write free of politically correct pressures.