Hadassa Ben-Itto
Hadassa Ben-Itto | |
---|---|
Native name | הדסה בן-עת |
Born | Brzeziny, Poland | May 16, 1926
Died | April 15, 2018 Jerusalem | (aged 91)
Occupation | Author and jurist |
Nationality | Israeli |
Education | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
Alma mater | Tel Aviv University |
Notable works | The Lie That Wouldn't Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion |
Notable awards | Zeltner Prize |
Spouse | Gershon Ben-Itto |
Children | Orly |
Relatives | David Lipmanowicz and Dvora Broder |
Hadassa Ben-Itto (Hebrew: הדסה בן-עתו; May 16, 1926 – April 15, 2018)[1][2] was an Israeli author and jurist. She was best known for her bestselling book The Lie That Wouldn't Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Biography
Ben-Itto was born on May 16, 1926, in
After the 1948 war, Ben-Itto studied history, psychology and English literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She earned her law degree at Tel Aviv University in 1954 and took post-graduate courses in law and criminology at Northwestern University of Chicago and the University of Denver. She was admitted to the Israel Bar Association 1955. For the next five years, she worked as a lawyer in private practice, specializing in criminal law.[1] Ben-Itto was appointed as a judge in Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court in 1960. In 1970 she moved to the Tel Aviv District Court. Between 1971 and 1974 she also taught criminal law at the Bar-Ilan University law school. While conducting a bank robbery trial in July 1980, she survived a bombing attack on her home, which may have been related to the trial. In 1980 she was appointed acting judge in the Israeli Supreme Court, and in 1988 became deputy president of the Tel Aviv District Court. She took early retirement from the court in 1991 in order to write her book, The Lie That Wouldn't Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.[1]
Committees and commissions
During her tenure as a judge, Ben-Itto was appointed to head several government committees, including a committee on
From 1998 to 2002, Ben-Itto was one of the 17 international
The Lie That Wouldn't Die
Ben-Itto began to research The Protocols of the Elders of Zion during her years on the bench, using her free time and court vacations to peruse the topic in footnoted academic studies. She found that not only was the subject little-known by Jews at large, but that historical and modern-day antisemitism draws from the Protocols.[7] Desiring to write a book for the general public, she took early retirement in 1991 and spent six years writing The Lie That Wouldn't Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.[citation needed]
The book was published in
With a flair for courtroom drama, Ben-Itto centers the book on the 1934 trial in Bern, Switzerland, where the local Jewish community took the local Nazi party to court for publishing the Protocols. While the lower court judge ruled that the Protocols was a work of plagiarism and constituted indecent literature, an appeals court threw out the claim of obscenity while agreeing with the lower court that the Protocols was "absolutely unjustified and outrageous insults and defamation".[7]
Later life and death
After the publication of her book, Ben-Itto would frequently speak and write about the relationship between antisemitism and current events, such as the 2006 Lebanon War[9] and the Arab world protests of 2010–2011.[10]
Ben-Itto died on April 15, 2018, in Jerusalem, at the age of 91.[11]
Bibliography
Books
- The Lie That Wouldn't Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. London; Portland, Oregon: Vallentine Mitchell. 2005. ISBN 978-0-85303-602-9.
Selected articles
- "In This War, the Protocols are to Blame". Haaretz. August 22, 2006.
- "I Am Ashamed". Haaretz. December 15, 2008.
- "The Jewish Conspiracy: A Strategic Weapon to Demonize Jews and Delegitimize Israel". 10 (38). Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. April 27, 2011.
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References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Eliahou, Galia (March 1, 2009). "Hadassa Ben-Itto". Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Morag, Gilad (April 15, 2018). "Judge Hadassa Ben-Ato passes away at 91". Ynetnews. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
- ^ Bar Ilan University. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ISBN 0-87495-140-2.
- ISBN 978-1-59460-769-1.
- ISBN 965-218-045-9.
- ^ a b Keinon, Herb (June 3, 1998). "Conspiracy Theory". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ "The Lie That Wouldn't Die: The Protocols of Elders of Zion". Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. August 2, 2008. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
- ^ Ben-Itto, Hadassa (August 22, 2006). "In This War, the Protocols are to Blame". Haaretz. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Ben-Itto, Hadassa (April 27, 2011). "The Jewish Conspiracy: A Strategic Weapon to Demonize Jews and Delegitimize Israel". 10 (38). Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
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: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help)[permanent dead link] - ^ "Hadassa Ben-Itto, acclaimed jurist and author, dead at 91". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.