David Fisch, executive director of the Jewish Defense League, strongly criticized today the use by the publisher of JDL founder Meir Kahane’s new book, “Our Challenge,” of the phrase “A Jewish Mein Kampf,” in promotion of the book, Chilton Book Co. of Radnor, Pa., the publisher, issued a news release which included the following statement: “Our Challenge, called a ‘Jewish Mein Kampf’ by some, is a battle plan for the reshaping of Jewish destiny….”
Benton Aronvitz, publicity director for Chilton, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the phrase “some” referred to “a couple of Jewish friends in Philadelphia.” He said he could not recall whether the descriptive phrase was his suggestion or came from one of his “Jewish friends” Aronvitz disclosed that the Mein Kampf comparison also will appear on the jacket of the Kahane book, which will be published in April. He quoted from the jacket as follows: “Our Challenge is not a Jewish Mein Kampf, though some readers are sure to think so.”
Aronvitz said he did not know whether the phrase would be used in advertising the Kahane book. He said its use for the book kacket had been cleared with the JDL by Shifra Hoffman. Miss Hoffman was identified by Fisch as a JDL volunteer who, he said, had no authority to give such approval.
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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.
