Reprint Mein Kampf, Urge German Jews

Hitler's autobiography-manifesto Mein Kampf has been strictly banned in Germany since the end of World War II, but a proposal to reprint it has the endorsement of the country's leading Jewish organization, among other groups, reports the Independent. "A historically critical edition needs to be prepared today to prevent neo-Nazis profiting from it," said the head of the Central Council of Jews. But politicians and many academics oppose the effort.

The government of the state of Bavaria, which owns the rights to Mein Kampf, says any published version "may play straight into the hands of the right." Several scholars say that the rambling book "does not provide any important answers to questions about how the Nazi regime was possible." Yet Jewish groups believe a critical edition is indispensable, particularly since the Internet has made its censorship impossible. (More Mein Kampf stories.)