About the Holocaust Denial on Trial Project

Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory (Free Press/Macmillan, 1993) by Deborah E. Lipstadt was the first full-length study of those who attempt to deny the Holocaust. David Irving sued Lipstadt and Penguin Books UK, alleging that Lipstadt libeled him when she characterized him as a denier and a right-wing extremist in this book.

Lipstadt’s book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier (Ecco/HarperCollins, 2006)—which is being reissued as Denial: History on Trial—is the story of the London libel trial against David Irving. Irving sued Lipstadt for calling him a Holocaust denier and right-wing extremist. According to the New York Times, the trial “put an end to the pretense that Mr. Irving is anything but a self-promoting apologist for Hitler.” The judge found David Irving to be a Holocaust denier, a falsifier of history, a racist, and an antisemite. In July 2001, the Court of Appeal resoundingly rejected Irving’s appeal of the judgment against him.

A film, Denial, starring Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, and Timothy Spall is based on the events outlined in History on Trial. Produced by BBC Films, Participant Media, and Krassnoff/Foster Productions, and with a screenplay by Sir David Hare, Denial will be released in North America by Bleecker Street in September 2016.

Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt is Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University in Atlanta.

Lipstadt was a historical consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and helped design the section of the Museum dedicated to the American Response to the Holocaust. On April 11, 2011, the 50^th anniversary of the start of the Eichmann trial, Lipstadt gave a public address at the State Department on the impact of the trial.

She has held and currently holds a presidential appointment to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council (from Presidents Clinton and Obama) and was asked by President George W. Bush to represent the White House at the 60^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

In addition to Denying the Holocaust and Denial: History on Trial, Lipstadt has authored several books. Her fifth book, Holocaust: An American Understanding, was recently released by Rutgers University Press.

Her previous book, The Eichmann Trial, (Schocken/Nextbook Series) commemorates the 50^th anniversary of the Eichmann trial. Publisher’s Weekly, called it “a penetrating and authoritative dissection of a landmark case and its after effects.” The New York Times Book Review described Lipstadt as having “done a great service by [ . . . ] recovering the event as a gripping legal drama, as well as a hinge moment in Israel’s history and in the world’s delayed awakening to the magnitude of the Holocaust.” The Wall Street Journal described the book as “a thoughtfully researched and clearly written account of the courtroom proceedings and of the debates spurred by the trial.”

She has also published Beyond Belief: The American Press and the Coming of the Holocaust (Free Press, 1986), which surveys what the American press wrote about the persecution of the Jews in the years 1933–1945.

We give a special thank you to the generosity and leadership of Angelica Berrie and Milton Gralla for initiating the endowment for the Holocaust Denial on Trial website. Their vision, passion and philanthropy have provided the framework for this information to be utilized by others to learn, share and combat Holocaust denial throughout the world.

Emory University is grateful to all those who have supported the establishment of this website and the educational work associated with it. The original work on the site was made possible by a generous grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation. In addition, we wish to thank Jerri-Ann Jacobs and Gary E. Jacobs, The Jewish Community Endowment Fund on behalf of The Fern E. and William J. Lowenberg Philanthropic Fund, the Howard and Leslie Schultz Family Foundation, and The Wilf Family Foundation. More recently, the generosity and hard work of Angelica Berrie and Milton and Shirley Gralla have led to the creation of an endowment to provide ongoing support for this website.

PROJECT GRANTS FROM FOUNDATIONS

The Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust
Expansion and Revision of the Holocaust Denial on Trial Website – 2006-2007 – provided for development and translation of Debunking Denial sheets.

The Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
Combating Holocaust Denial Across the World – 2008-2012 – provided for the translation of the first generation of this website content into Russian, Turkish, Arabic, and Farsi; the creation of content for Debunking Denial sheets; and the development of an education module.

The Jewish Community Endowment Fund
Holocaust Denial on Trial Lesson Plans and Technology Platform – 2008-2010 – provided for development of lesson plans on the Holocaust and the technology platform to add them to the website.

The Jim Joseph Foundation
The Translations of the Holocaust Denial on Trial Website – 2010-2013 – provided for the redesign and improvement of the technical architecture of the website and enhancements of the language translations of website content.

The Koret Foundation
Holocaust Denial on Trial – 2010-2013 – provided for a short-term salary for a project coordinator, website security services, and development of new website material.

The Marcus Foundation
Holocaust Denial on Trial Website – 2011-2013 – provided for salary for a technical coordinator for the redesign of the website and for a research for new content.

The Revson Foundation
Building the Holocaust Denial on Trial Web Resource – 2003-2007 – provided for basic support of creation of the HDOT.org website.

The Taube Foundation for Jewish Life and Culture
HDOT Podcasts – 2009-present – provided for development, recording, and posting of podcasts by Holocaust experts.