Curr Iss Zoom: New Age of Censorship and Book Banning

Censorship and Book Bans: Then and Now
Two Zoom Sessions
Wed., May 1, 8, 2024, 6:30-8:30 pm MT

Censorship of Judaica in Eastern Europe and Third Reich Germany

In this two-part course, examine both the history of censorship and the current state of book banning. In the first session, archivist David Fasman takes you on a journey to 19th century Eastern Europe where Jewish publishing houses flourished and where censorship soon followed. In 1933, with the rise of the Nazi party, came legislation and violence against Jews and their cultural objects. “The burning of books was a minuscule part of Nazi ideology toward literature,” Fasman says. “In fact, far more books were stolen and kept by the Nazis than were burned.” The class finishes with a discussion of restitution taken on by the Jewish Cultural Reconstruction group at the war’s end.

The Face of Modern Censorship

Then in part two of the course, librarian specialist Katherine Kates surveys book bans in America. She says the American Library Association (ALA) reports that there were 1,269 documented demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries. Kates explores how these attacks affect libraries in Colorado and examines real-world encounters faced by library staffers. She also surveys the complexities of navigating these issues while balancing professional commitment to serving patrons. Kates ends with strategies that patrons can use to advocate for libraries.

David Fasman is an archivist at the Beck Archives of Rocky Mountain Jewish History. His research focuses on the exchange, theft and provenance of Nazi-era looted books.

Katherine Kates has worked in public and school libraries. She spent the past 13 years in school libraries supporting technology integration, literacy and intellectual freedom.