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David Cesarani

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succeeds in demonstrating something new about the nature of Eichmann's antisemitism. Cesarani adds useful context regarding the anti-Jewish north-Austrian milieu in which Eichmann was raised, but Gewen doubts that this expands understanding of Eichmann as an individual. On why Eichmann first joined the Nazi party in 1932, Arendt says Eichmann was motivated by his personal tendencies as a joiner, while Cesarani highlights his political affection for Nazi position on the Treaty of Versailles, but both agree that antisemitism was not a large factor. The two agree on many factual details regarding Eichmann's rise in the Nazi ranks through 1941, but disagree about the psychological factors in play, which Gewen does not wish to sort out. In conclusions, too, Gewen suggests that the two agree that normal people can become monsters under the correct (or incorrect) circumstances.
219:'s "banality of evil" thesis regarding Eichmann in which Eichmann is described as a bureaucrat far removed from brutalities of the Holocaust, following orders instead of advancing ideology. Cesarani's account rejects this outline, detailing Eichmann's attachment to Nazi ideology. Cesarani argues that Arendt's account of the Eichmann trial was hindered by her prejudice towards the Eastern European Jewish background of the prosecutor, 250:
his research goes to reinforce her fundamental arguments." He characterised Cesarani's statement, "She had much in common with Eichmann. There were two people in the courtroom who looked up to the German-born judges as the best of Germany and looked down on the prosecutor as a miserable Ostjude: one was Eichmann and the other was Hannah Arendt," as a "slur" which "reveals a writer in control neither of his material nor of himself."
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that he commended Cesarani's "expert guidance through the web of lies, deceit, and contradictions built into Eichmann's various tendentious accounts of his life and career". Kershaw says that Cesarani's "revision of Arendt's interpretation is surely correct" in arguing that "Eichmann was a convinced
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Gewen dismissed what he described as Cesarani's "hostility" to Arendt and suggested that Cesarani needed to "tear Arendt down to make space for himself." He further said that "Cesarani believes his details add up to a portrait at odds with Arendt's banal bureaucrat, but what is striking is how far
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editor Barry Gewen praises the book, suggesting that "there may never be need for another biography of " on account of the book's "factual density". Though very detailed, Gewen questions to what extent this new narrative is opposed to Arendt's. The key question, for Gewen, is whether Cesarani
344:, and his childhood home was not significantly characterised by Jewish activity but many of his parents' friends were Jews with similar views and his home had a Jewish ambiance which resulted in his Jewish consciousness and to volunteering on a kibbutz. An only child, he won a scholarship to 328:, or if Palestinian lives become intolerable, but its true significance is in the total disintegration of trust between Jews and Palestinians", though he also believed some reactions to the barrier have been under-reported, for example that "some Arab towns, especially in southern 215:. It featured previously unused primary source material, including Eichmann's reports and speeches dating from 1937 in which he describes his beliefs in a Jewish conspiracy. The book aimed to dispel 775: 1188:
Stone, Dan (2019) British Jewry, antisemitism and the Holocaust: the work and legacy of David Cesarani: an introduction, Patterns of Prejudice, 53:1, 2-8, DOI:10.1080/0031322X.2018.1557962
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Cesarani, David 'Autobiographical Reflections on Writing History, the Holocaust and Hairdressing,' in Michael R. Marrus, Milton Shain, Christopher R. Browning, Susannah Heschel (eds.),
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was to be accompanied by nagging doubts that arose from this period, where he observed local Arabs were not accorded respect. He recalled the shock he felt on discovering that the
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as being unimportant, and that it is used as a photo opportunity for the world's media. Of the wall itself "it's a concern if land is misappropriated from the
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anti-Semitic ideologue in a key position where he himself could initiate action and make things happen" rather than a bureaucrat accepting orders.
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is unquestionable, and that "enying the right of Israel to exist begs some serious questions." He was strongly critical of academic and business
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and the Parkes-Wiener Series of books on Jewish Studies (published by Vallentine-Mitchell). In February 2005, Cesarani was awarded an
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for "services to Holocaust Education and advising the government with regard to the establishment of Holocaust Memorial Day".
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in London, and he was still writing ten days before his death. He had completed two works scheduled to be published in 2016:
797: 1299: 196: 999:"Obituaries: David Cesarani, Leading British scholar and expert on Jewish history who helped to shape Holocaust education" 700: 913: 1324: 533: 507: 491: 474: 705: 438: 180: 121: 1319: 1304: 383: 376: 1103: 349: 393:, Cesarani and a group of school friends together with a cousin and two of her friends spent six weeks at 1294: 1211: 282: 268: 1006: 672: 241: 321: 192: 118: 400:. Later, before starting his degree at Cambridge in 1976, he spent a gap year in Israel working at 92: 340:
Cesarani was born in London to Henry, a hairdresser, and Sylvia (née Packman). His parents were
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Cesarani died on 25 October 2015, following the previous month's surgery to remove a cancerous
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from 2004 until his death. Here he helped establish and direct the Holocaust Research Centre.
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Port Jews: Jewish Communities in Cosmopolitan Maritime Trading Centuries, 1550–1950
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had not been forthcoming about the history of the fields where he worked, near
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Holocaust Scholarship: Personal Trajectories and Professional Interpretations,
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Becoming Eichmann: Rethinking the Life, Crimes, and Trial of a "Desk Murderer"
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Becoming Eichmann: Rethinking the Life, Crimes, and Trial of a "Desk Murderer"
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for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations. He was co-editor of the journal
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Strategic Group and was once Director of the AHRC Parkes Centre, part of the
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A World Without Jews: The Nazi Imagination from Persecution to Genocide
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Page on Professor David Cesarani at the RHUL History Department website
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in London, where he was director for two periods in the 1990s. He was
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Justice Delayed: How Britain Became a Refuge for Nazi War Criminals
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Adolf Eichmann and critiquing Arendt's "banality of evil" thesis
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in the United Kingdom. However he was also critical of Israeli
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from 2000 to 2004 and research professor in history at
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Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
288: 1038:"David Cesarani: The making of a defiant moderate" 904: 902: 900: 728:"Professor David Ian CESARANI OBE MA DPhil (1975)" 524:, which was published in the USA under the title: 1260:Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London 1236: 993: 991: 989: 636:Citizenship, Nationality and Migration in Europe 897: 160:. He also wrote several biographies, including 630:"Bystanders" to the Holocaust: A Re-evaluation 608:The Final Solution: Origins and Implementation 557:Final Solution: The Fate of the Jews 1933–1949 502:(Heinemann, 1998) Reissued by the Free Press. 443:Final Solution: The Fate of the Jews 1933–1949 986: 1255:Academics of Queen Mary University of London 1162:"National Jewish Book Awards | Past Winners" 1097: 1095: 936: 934: 576:(Jewish Lives, Yale University Press, 2016) 513:The Left and the Jews. The Jews and the Left 379:, looked into aspects of the history of the 1310:Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1270:Academics of the University of Southampton 1060: 1058: 862: 860: 389:In the summer of 1974, as a result of the 258: 65:Officer of the Order of the British Empire 1092: 931: 759: 757: 638:(with Mary Fulbrook 2003, first ed. 1996) 1028: 1026: 1024: 1315:People educated at Latymer Upper School 1055: 908: 857: 839: 706:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 695: 1237: 1144:"David Cesarani, historian – obituary" 1136: 1133:Palgrave Macmillan 2015 pp.67–83 p.73. 754: 1280:Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford 1032: 1021: 940: 763: 738:from the original on 25 February 2023 655:After the Holocaust: Challenging the 371:, shaped the rest of his career. His 1275:Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge 1265:Academics of the University of Leeds 778:from the original on 26 October 2015 197:Royal Holloway, University of London 866: 810:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u10521 486:(Cambridge University Press, 1994) 430:Cesarani ran marathons and cycled. 13: 1101: 968:"Fellow: Professor David Cesarani" 253: 170: 14: 1336: 1191: 1005:. 10 October 2015. Archived from 790: 289:Israeli–Arab conflict and Zionism 515:(Labour Friends of Israel, 2004) 439:Institute of Historical Research 335: 293:Cesarani believed that Israel's 191:of Modern Jewish history at the 1154: 1121: 764:Hoare, Liam (26 October 2015). 455: 211:, a biography of Nazi official 181:Queen Mary University of London 175:Cesarani held positions at the 122:Queen Mary University of London 960: 914:"Nothing banal about his evil" 833: 720: 689: 364:, working with the scholar of 1: 682: 661:(with Eric J. Sundquist 2012) 263:Cesarani was a member of the 209:Eichmann: His Life and Crimes 16:British historian (1956-2015) 941:Gewen, Barry (14 May 2006). 734:. January 2016. p. 17. 675:in the History category for 587: 460: 7: 1300:Historians of the Holocaust 1214:of Cesarani's biography of 802:WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO 377:St Antony's College, Oxford 348:in west London and went to 10: 1341: 1183: 943:"The Everyman of Genocide" 673:National Jewish Book Award 350:Queens' College, Cambridge 242:New York Times Book Review 1017:– via Jewish Lives. 845:"David Cesarani obituary" 665: 614:Genocide and Rescue: The 484:and Anglo-Jewry 1841–1991 322:Israeli West Bank barrier 193:University of Southampton 138: 128: 119:Royal Holloway University 111: 106: 86: 78: 73: 69: 61: 49: 30: 23: 1325:Scholars of antisemitism 259:Holocaust consciousness 93:University of Cambridge 574:: The Novel Politician 545:(Da Capo Press, 2009) 528:(Da Capo Press, 2006) 450:: The Novel Politician 384:Anglo-Jewish community 269:Holocaust Memorial Day 207:In 2005, he published 44:London, United Kingdom 1320:Academics from London 1305:Jewish German history 1074:. 2007. p. 393. 701:"Cesarani, David Ian" 649:in Historical Studies 599:The Making of Modern 522:: His Life and Crimes 407:. His involvement in 278:Patterns of Prejudice 616:Holocaust in Hungary 500:: The Homeless Mind. 346:Latymer Upper School 101:University of Oxford 82:Latymer Upper School 1166:Jewish Book Council 1148:The Daily Telegraph 1036:(12 October 2004). 1009:on 17 November 2015 918:The Daily Telegraph 870:(30 October 2015). 843:(26 October 2015). 699:(10 January 2019). 358:Columbia University 177:University of Leeds 165:: The Homeless Mind 116:University of Leeds 97:Columbia University 74:Academic background 1295:English historians 1150:. 29 October 2015. 947:The New York Times 876:The New York Times 560:(Macmillan, 2016) 226:British historian 145:David Ian Cesarani 1081:978-0-7136-7527-6 841:Goldman, Lawrence 819:978-0-19-954089-1 697:Goldman, Lawrence 582:978-0-300-13751-4 566:978-0-230-75456-0 551:978-0-306-81845-5 405:Givat Haim (Ihud) 307:government policy 142: 141: 1332: 1177: 1176: 1174: 1172: 1158: 1152: 1151: 1140: 1134: 1125: 1119: 1118: 1102:Rozett, Robert. 1099: 1090: 1089: 1086:Internet Archive 1062: 1053: 1052: 1050: 1048: 1030: 1019: 1018: 1016: 1014: 995: 984: 983: 981: 979: 964: 958: 957: 955: 953: 938: 929: 928: 926: 924: 912:(25 July 2004). 906: 895: 894: 892: 890: 864: 855: 854: 837: 831: 830: 828: 826: 794: 788: 787: 785: 783: 761: 752: 751: 745: 743: 724: 718: 717: 715: 713: 693: 651:. 6 vols. (2004) 594:Port Jews (2002) 482:Jewish Chronicle 369:Arthur Hertzberg 273:Parkes Institute 151: 56: 41:13 November 1956 40: 38: 21: 20: 1340: 1339: 1335: 1334: 1333: 1331: 1330: 1329: 1235: 1234: 1194: 1186: 1181: 1180: 1170: 1168: 1160: 1159: 1155: 1142: 1141: 1137: 1126: 1122: 1100: 1093: 1082: 1072:A & C Black 1064: 1063: 1056: 1046: 1044: 1031: 1022: 1012: 1010: 997: 996: 987: 977: 975: 974:on 19 July 2012 966: 965: 961: 951: 949: 939: 932: 922: 920: 907: 898: 888: 886: 865: 858: 838: 834: 824: 822: 820: 796: 795: 791: 781: 779: 762: 755: 741: 739: 726: 725: 721: 711: 709: 694: 690: 685: 668: 590: 498:Arthur Koestler 463: 458: 421:Crusader castle 338: 291: 261: 256: 254:Public activism 233:Daily Telegraph 205: 173: 171:Academic career 163:Arthur Koestler 147: 99: 95: 54: 53:25 October 2015 45: 42: 36: 34: 26: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1338: 1328: 1327: 1322: 1317: 1312: 1307: 1302: 1297: 1292: 1287: 1282: 1277: 1272: 1267: 1262: 1257: 1252: 1247: 1233: 1232: 1229:Fathom Journal 1218: 1216:Adolf Eichmann 1209: 1203:David Cesarani 1200: 1193: 1192:External links 1190: 1185: 1182: 1179: 1178: 1153: 1135: 1120: 1091: 1080: 1067:Who's Who 2007 1054: 1020: 985: 959: 930: 896: 856: 832: 818: 789: 753: 719: 687: 686: 684: 681: 680: 679: 667: 664: 663: 662: 652: 639: 633: 627: 621: 611: 605: 596: 589: 586: 585: 584: 568: 553: 536: 516: 510: 494: 477: 462: 459: 457: 454: 398:Mashabei Sadeh 391:Yom Kippur War 354:Jewish history 337: 334: 309:, conduct and 295:right to exist 290: 287: 260: 257: 255: 252: 221:Gideon Hausner 213:Adolf Eichmann 204: 201: 185:Wiener Library 172: 169: 154:Jewish history 140: 139: 136: 135: 133:Jewish history 130: 129:Main interests 126: 125: 124:Wiener Library 113: 109: 108: 104: 103: 90: 84: 83: 80: 76: 75: 71: 70: 67: 66: 63: 59: 58: 57:(aged 58) 51: 47: 46: 43: 32: 28: 27: 25:David Cesarani 24: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1337: 1326: 1323: 1321: 1318: 1316: 1313: 1311: 1308: 1306: 1303: 1301: 1298: 1296: 1293: 1291: 1288: 1286: 1283: 1281: 1278: 1276: 1273: 1271: 1268: 1266: 1263: 1261: 1258: 1256: 1253: 1251: 1248: 1246: 1243: 1242: 1240: 1231: 1230: 1225: 1224: 1221:Book Review, 1219: 1217: 1213: 1210: 1208: 1204: 1201: 1199: 1196: 1195: 1189: 1167: 1163: 1157: 1149: 1145: 1139: 1132: 1131: 1124: 1116: 1112: 1110: 1105: 1098: 1096: 1087: 1083: 1077: 1073: 1069: 1068: 1061: 1059: 1043: 1039: 1035: 1029: 1027: 1025: 1008: 1004: 1000: 994: 992: 990: 973: 969: 963: 948: 944: 937: 935: 919: 915: 911: 905: 903: 901: 885: 881: 877: 873: 869: 868:Fox, Margalit 863: 861: 852: 851: 846: 842: 836: 821: 815: 811: 807: 803: 799: 793: 777: 773: 772: 767: 760: 758: 749: 737: 733: 729: 723: 708: 707: 702: 698: 692: 688: 678: 674: 670: 669: 660: 658: 653: 650: 648: 645: 640: 637: 634: 631: 628: 625: 622: 619: 617: 612: 609: 606: 603: 602: 597: 595: 592: 591: 583: 579: 575: 573: 569: 567: 563: 559: 558: 554: 552: 548: 544: 542: 537: 535: 534:0-306-81476-5 531: 527: 523: 521: 517: 514: 511: 509: 508:0-684-86720-6 505: 501: 499: 495: 493: 492:0-521-43434-3 489: 485: 483: 478: 476: 475:1-84212-126-X 472: 468: 465: 464: 453: 451: 449: 444: 440: 436: 435:spinal tumour 431: 428: 426: 422: 418: 414: 410: 406: 403: 399: 396: 392: 387: 385: 382: 378: 374: 370: 367: 363: 359: 355: 351: 347: 343: 336:Personal life 333: 331: 327: 323: 319: 314: 312: 308: 304: 300: 296: 286: 284: 280: 279: 274: 270: 266: 251: 247: 244: 243: 238: 235: 234: 230:wrote in his 229: 224: 222: 218: 217:Hannah Arendt 214: 210: 200: 198: 194: 190: 186: 183:, and at the 182: 178: 168: 166: 164: 159: 158:the Holocaust 156:, especially 155: 150: 146: 137: 134: 131: 127: 123: 120: 117: 114: 110: 107:Academic work 105: 102: 98: 94: 91: 89: 85: 81: 77: 72: 68: 64: 60: 52: 48: 33: 29: 22: 19: 1290:English Jews 1227: 1222: 1187: 1169:. Retrieved 1165: 1156: 1147: 1138: 1129: 1123: 1114: 1107: 1084:– via 1066: 1045:. Retrieved 1042:The Guardian 1041: 1011:. Retrieved 1007:the original 1002: 976:. Retrieved 972:the original 962: 950:. Retrieved 946: 921:. Retrieved 917: 910:Kershaw, Ian 887:. Retrieved 875: 850:The Guardian 848: 835: 823:. Retrieved 801: 792: 780:. Retrieved 769: 746:– via 740:. Retrieved 731: 722: 710:. 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London: 923:6 November 889:2 November 782:26 October 732:Latymerian 683:References 342:communists 88:Alma mater 37:1956-11-13 1003:The Times 884:0362-4331 588:As editor 461:As author 373:doctorate 320:over the 189:professor 79:Education 1047:19 April 952:27 April 804:. 2007. 776:Archived 736:Archived 647:Concepts 644:Critical 572:Disraeli 520:Eichmann 448:Disraeli 381:interwar 362:New York 301:against 299:boycotts 167:(1998). 1184:Sources 1111:Studies 409:Zionism 402:Kibbutz 395:Kibbutz 366:Judaism 330:Galilee 1212:Review 1078:  978:6 July 882:  825:5 July 816:  671:2006: 666:Awards 632:(2002) 626:(2002) 620:(1997) 618:, 1944 610:(1994) 604:(1990) 580:  564:  549:  541:Farran 539:Major 532:  506:  490:  473:  303:Israel 62:Awards 748:Issuu 417:Qaqun 179:, at 1207:IMDb 1173:2020 1117:(1). 1076:ISBN 1049:2011 1015:2015 980:2012 954:2012 925:2015 891:2015 880:ISSN 827:2021 814:ISBN 784:2015 744:2024 714:2024 657:Myth 578:ISBN 562:ISBN 547:ISBN 530:ISBN 504:ISBN 488:ISBN 480:The 471:ISBN 445:and 50:Died 31:Born 1205:at 806:doi 427:". 375:at 356:at 283:OBE 149:OBE 1241:: 1226:– 1164:. 1146:. 1115:44 1113:. 1106:. 1094:^ 1057:^ 1040:. 1023:^ 1001:. 988:^ 945:. 933:^ 916:. 899:^ 878:. 874:. 859:^ 847:. 812:. 800:. 774:. 768:. 756:^ 730:. 703:. 452:. 386:. 360:, 267:' 223:. 1175:. 1088:. 1051:. 982:. 956:. 927:. 893:. 853:. 829:. 808:: 786:. 750:. 716:. 39:) 35:(

Index

Alma mater
University of Cambridge
Columbia University
University of Oxford
University of Leeds
Royal Holloway University
Queen Mary University of London
Jewish history
OBE
Jewish history
the Holocaust
Arthur Koestler
University of Leeds
Queen Mary University of London
Wiener Library
professor
University of Southampton
Royal Holloway, University of London
Adolf Eichmann
Hannah Arendt
Gideon Hausner
Ian Kershaw
Daily Telegraph
New York Times Book Review
Home Office
Holocaust Memorial Day
Parkes Institute
Patterns of Prejudice
OBE
right to exist

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