After the last novel that our seminar class read, our professor changed
it up a little bit. This week the class is focusing on reading works pertaining
to anti-Semitism. This reflection focuses on the text called “The Protocols of
the Learned Elders of Zion.” This text is about these Jewish men who talk about
how to overthrow governments and to dominate the world. This work was a change
of pace that I was quite interested in learning.
This text gave me an idea as to why people hated Jews in the early twentieth
century. When I was in school, I learned that Jews were despised, but I didn’t
know society’s reason for the hatred. Once I finished reading this source, I
realized the importance of doing the research. High school only taught me so
much inside its extremely small curriculum. After analyzing this text, I was
given a new perspective. I do not believe that this text is a valid reason for anti-Semitism.
However, it does show there are extremes on either side. It was interesting to
read about the other end of the spectrum.
Furthermore, this text was just as confusing as it is entertaining.
While this text is called “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,” It
does not seem to be written like protocols. In fact, it reads more like a
sermon rather than a meeting. The word choice indicates one person speaking
above everyone else instead of multiple people participating in a discussion.
Although I enjoyed reading this text, I was still appalled by what was
said. The idea of a group of people secretly trying to dominate the world is
terrifying. Some of the wording used was overly harsh and repetitive. The
seventy pages about world domination could have been slimmed down if phrases
weren’t repeated. With that being said, I was very interested in these
protocols. Hopefully, I can continue my research on the extremes on the other
side to further expand my education.