author
Herman Bernstein
1876–1935
A restless and wide-ranging writer, he moved from immigrant beginnings in the United States into journalism, fiction, translation, and public life. His work was shaped by a strong sense of justice, especially in defending Jewish communities and challenging antisemitic falsehoods.
1 Audiobook
The History of a Lie: "The Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion"
by Herman Bernstein
About the author
Born in 1876 on the Russo-German border, Herman Bernstein emigrated to the United States with his family in 1893. He built a remarkably varied career as a journalist, poet, novelist, playwright, and translator, writing in both English and Yiddish and becoming known for bringing international issues to a broad readership.
Bernstein was deeply engaged in the political and moral questions of his time. He wrote forcefully about the persecution of Jews in Eastern Europe and is remembered as one of the early public voices to expose The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a forgery. His interests were broad, but again and again his work returned to questions of truth, propaganda, and human rights.
Later in life, he also served as a U.S. diplomat in Albania. That mix of literary ambition, reporting, activism, and public service gives his career an unusual energy: he was not simply an observer of history, but someone determined to argue with it.