Berlin Jewish Leader Backs Publishing Annotated "Mein Kampf"
June 8, 2008
Lala Suesskind, chairwoman of the Jewish community in the German capital, said on Sunday, June 8, that publishing the banned text would no longer break any taboos.
"The text opens the eyes of many people to Hitler's intentions and provides evidence for what should have been known at the time," Suesskind told DPA news agency.
Most people could read and understand the text of Hitler's ideological book, written while he was in prison in the early 1920s, Suesskind said, but some would benefit from a commentary.
Jewish council supports publication
Stephan Kramer, general secretary of the Central Council of German Jews, has also backed publishing Hitler's book, adding that the council would be happy to provide input for the commentary.
The state of Bavaria has owned the copyright since shortly after World War II ended and has strenuously fought attempts to republish the notorious work.
The copyright expires in 2015, 70 years after the Nazi leader committed suicide in Berlin on April 30, 1945, as Soviet forces were closing in.