The official custodian of Adolf Hitler’s estate has said “Mein Kampf,” the Nazi dictator’s notorious autobiography, should continue to be banned in Germany.
Georg von Waldenfels, who also is the finance minister of Bavaria, holds the official copyright of Hitler’s writings.
The virulently anti-Semitic work has been translated into Hebrew and published in Israel.
Von Waldenfels said The Hebrew University’s decision to publish the book should be the only exception to the ban.
In an article in the newsmagazine Focus, he rejected arguments in favor of lifting the ban in the name of “freedom of expression.” The effect that the work was both inside and outside Germany also should b considered, he added.
“Mein Kampf” is the symbol of National Socialist ideology,” he wrote.
He also wrote that it would be dangerous to promote a new edition of the work.
“Can you imagine what kind of an impression one would get from bookstore windows full with the Hitler books, possible along with posters of the dictator?” he said in the article.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
