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Revision as of 23:41, 5 December 2003 by Viajero (talk | contribs) (copyedit, see Talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Holocaust Industry, Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering is a book by Norman G. Finkelstein, an American political scientist. He contends that certain Jewish institutions, such as the Jewish Claims Conference, inappropriately use the Holocaust to pressure European governments for compensation, of which genuine Holocaust survivors receive little.
Finkelstein believes that many American Jews are not practising Judaism but have replaced it with mere fear of anti-Semitism and fund-raising for Jewish causes. His book has been criticised by some scholars as being exaggerated. Others have said that the ideas are mainly sound, it is the presentation of them that is contentious.
Comments on Finkelstein's book
"'The language he is using is anti-Semitic. His facts are wrong. His language is intemperate. He quotes me but he never spoke to me." --Elan Steinberg, Executive Director of the World Jewish Congress
"When I read Finkelstein's book, The Holocaust Industry, at the time of its appearance, I was in the middle of my own investigations of these matters, and I came to the conclusion that he was on the right track. I refer now to the part of the book that deals with the claims against the Swiss banks, and the other claims pertaining to forced labor. I would now say in retrospect that he was actually conservative, moderate and that his conclusions are trustworthy. He is a well-trained political scientist, has the ability to do the research, did it carefully, and has come up with the right results. I am by no means the only one who, in the coming months or years, will totally agree with Finkelstein's breakthrough." --Raul Hilberg, historian of the Holocaust, and author of The Destruction of the European Jews