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‘Mein Kampf’ proceeds ought to go exclusively to Holocaust education

This letter was first published in the Boston Globe.

MAY 18, 2016

IT IS important to keep “Mein Kampf” in print for teaching and learning purposes, and we support Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in doing so (“Keeping ‘Mein Kampf’ in print,” Opinion, May 9); however, we believe that the publisher is making a grave error in diverting funds from Holocaust education to broader educational efforts.

We are deeply troubled by the reality that Holocaust denial is alive and well, even in our Commonwealth, as the Globe reported this month regarding Methuen grammar school principal Mary Beth Donovan. She faced Holocaust denial in her school and took action to educate her students.

While Houghton Mifflin Harcourt may be well-intentioned in broadening its scope, the work of purging the world of Holocaust denial is not complete; it requires the efforts of educational organizations that use the horrors of the Holocaust to teach the dangers of hatred and intolerance. The profits from the sale of “Mein Kampf” must continue to exclusively be used for this work.

Jeremy Burton

Executive director

Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston

Boston