David Cesarani
Encyclopedia
David Cesarani OBE
(born 1956) is an English
historian
who specialises in Jewish history, especially the Holocaust
. He has also written several biographies, notably Arthur Koestler
: The Homeless Mind.
and became a member of the Israel
i peace movement.
His academic career includes periods at the University of Leeds
, where he was Montague Burton Fellow in Modern Jewish History; at Queen Mary, University of London
; the University of Southampton
; and, most recently, as Research Professor of Jewish History at Royal Holloway, University of London
. Between working at Southampton
and Royal Holloway he was Director of Studies at the Wiener Library
, Britain's largest Holocaust library.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Strategic Group and has been Director of the AHRC Parkes Centre, part of the Parkes Institute
for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations. He is co-editor of the journal Patterns of Prejudice and the Parkes-Wiener Series of books on Jewish Studies (published by Vallentine-Mitchell).
In recent years, Cesarani has campaigned against David Irving
, the prominent and controversial Holocaust denier, alongside fellow academic Peter Longerich
.
In February 2005, Cesarani was awarded an OBE
for "services to Holocaust Education and advising the government with regard to the establishment of Holocaust Memorial Day".
area, as a research professor of history at Royal Holloway College, University of London
.
He is married and has two children.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1956) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
who specialises in Jewish history, especially the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. He has also written several biographies, notably Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler CBE was a Hungarian author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria...
: The Homeless Mind.
Early life
In his teens, Cesarani, himself a Jew, went to work on a kibbutzKibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
and became a member of the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i peace movement.
His academic career includes periods at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, where he was Montague Burton Fellow in Modern Jewish History; at Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
; the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
; and, most recently, as Research Professor of Jewish History at Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
. Between working at Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Royal Holloway he was Director of Studies at the Wiener Library
Wiener Library
The Wiener Library is the world's oldest institution devoted to the study of the Holocaust, its causes and legacies. Founded in 1933 as an information bureau that informed Jewish communities and governments worldwide about the persecution of the Jews under the Nazis, it was transformed into a...
, Britain's largest Holocaust library.
Recent Work and Politics on Holocaust
Cesarani is a member of the Home OfficeHome Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
Holocaust Memorial Day
Holocaust Memorial Day (UK)
Holocaust Memorial Day is a national event in the United Kingdom dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of The Holocaust. It was first held in January 2001 and has been on the same date every year since...
Strategic Group and has been Director of the AHRC Parkes Centre, part of the Parkes Institute
Parkes Institute
The Parkes Institute is a research centre for the study of Jewish and non-Jewish relations, based at the University of Southampton in England. It includes an extensive archive of books, journals, official documents and other resources donated by James Parkes, a Christian theologian who sought to...
for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations. He is co-editor of the journal Patterns of Prejudice and the Parkes-Wiener Series of books on Jewish Studies (published by Vallentine-Mitchell).
In recent years, Cesarani has campaigned against David Irving
David Irving
David John Cawdell Irving is an English writer,best known for his denial of the Holocaust, who specialises in the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany...
, the prominent and controversial Holocaust denier, alongside fellow academic Peter Longerich
Peter Longerich
Professor Peter Longerich is a German historian.In 2002-03, Professor Longerich was the third holder of the Visiting Chair at the Fritz Bauer Institute in Frankfurt. In 2003-04, he was J.B...
.
In February 2005, Cesarani was awarded an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for "services to Holocaust Education and advising the government with regard to the establishment of Holocaust Memorial Day".
Private life
David Cesarani currently lives and works in the Greater LondonGreater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
area, as a research professor of history at Royal Holloway College, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
He is married and has two children.
As author
- Justice Delayed: How Britain Became a Refuge for Nazi War Criminals (1992)
- The Jewish Chronicle and Anglo-Jewry 1841-1991 (1994)
- Arthur KoestlerArthur KoestlerArthur Koestler CBE was a Hungarian author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria...
: The Homeless Mind. (1998) - Citizenship, Nationality and Migration in Europe
- EichmannAdolf EichmannAdolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
: His Life and Crimes, which was published in the USA under the title: Becoming Eichmann: Rethinking the Life, Crimes, and Trial of a "Desk Murderer" (2006) - Major Farran's Hat: The Untold Story of the Struggle to Establish the Jewish State (2009)
As editor
- The Making of Modern Anglo-Jewry (1990)
- The Final SolutionFinal SolutionThe Final Solution was Nazi Germany's plan and execution of the systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II, resulting in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust...
: Origins and Implementation (1994) - Genocide and Rescue: The HolocaustThe HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
in HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, 1944 (1997) - Port Jews: Jewish Communities in Cosmopolitan Maritime Trading Centuries, 1550-1950 (2002)
- "Bystanders" to the Holocaust: A Re-evaluation (2002)
External links
- Review of Cesarani's biography of Adolf EichmannAdolf EichmannAdolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
- Page on Professor David Cesarani at the RHUL History Department website