Letter from Steven Baum

Letter to Genocide Scholars from Steven K. Baum

5 June 2016

Dear Colleagues,

I am the editor of the Journal for the Study of Antisemitism and author of several works

on antisemitism, and I am also a genocide scholar who has published The Psychology

of Genocide: Perpetrators, Bystanders, and Rescuers by Cambridge University Press.

We have now published on the website of the journal an article, “Holocaust

Minimization, Anti-Israel Themes, and Antisemitism: Bias at the Journal of Genocide

Research” by Israel W. Charny.

This is an objective, scientific study of the opinions of some 76 genocide scholars or

students who were given summaries of seven articles in the Journal of Genocide

Research, including some quotations from the authors of each article. The respondents

were asked to rate each article separately as to whether it was a legitimate study of the

Holocaust, an article biased towards minimization of the significance of the Holocaust,

showed an anti-Israel bias, anti-Semitic bias, or none of the above. The participants

were asked to check off as many of these choices as were appropriate for them.

The subjects were then given a final question that addressed their view of the Journal of

Genocide Research as a whole based on their readings of all seven summaries. Here

too the same question was posed but now about the journal: Does the journal publish

articles that are legitimate studies of the Holocaust, minimize the significance of the

Holocaust, anti-Israel statements, show an antisemitic bias, or none of the above.

The questionnaires were sent to an established survey company who tallied all results

(and not the author of the study.) You will find the results are powerful and clear cut,

and obviously of great significance for our field. Please note at all times that the study

is reporting objectively the opinions of 76 people in the field and not simply the views of

the author.