Israeli Embassy Urges Lithuania to Halt Publication of Mein Kampf

The Israeli Embassy in Lithuania has urged the Obuolys publishing house and local authorities to reconsider the upcoming publication of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf," describing the text as a toxic manifesto. According to reports, the 800-page volume is scheduled for release at the end of December, featuring more than 1,500 footnotes and commentary by Polish historian and political scientist Eugeniusz Cezary Król.

Arūnas Bubnys, head of the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania, wrote the introduction and oversaw the translation's historical accuracy. In an official statement, the Israeli Embassy expressed profound outrage over the distribution of the Lithuanian translation. The diplomatic mission emphasized that the manifesto laid the ideological groundwork for the systematic extermination of millions, including approximately 95 percent of Lithuania's Jewish community.

"Against the backdrop of rising antisemitism, Holocaust distortion, and extremism worldwide, we must address the widespread accessibility of such material," the embassy stated. While acknowledging the importance of academic and historical research, the embassy stressed a fundamental distinction between controlled academic study and the commercial distribution of a hate manifesto on bookstore shelves. For Lithuanian Jews bearing the deep scars of the Holocaust, the book remains a unique symbol of genocidal hatred.

In response, publishing project manager Daiva Latinė defended the decision, explaining that the publication followed extensive deliberation. She noted that the text is already accessible online and in older editions without critical commentary, emphasizing that the publishing house is releasing a critical scholarly edition rather than unannotated propaganda. She described the work as an important historical document outlining ideas that later culminated in World War II and the Holocaust.

Lithuanian Culture Minister Lukas Elsis, speaking in a private capacity, remarked that the timing may not be appropriate for such a release and suggested avoiding controversial books even when accompanied by critical notes. He noted that while critical commentary aids historical research, the nature of the Nazi regime must not be forgotten, comparing the situation to Lithuania's critical evaluation of Soviet-era literature and art.