page_title: Der Giftpilz
section_title: Antisemitism
hierarchical_section_title: Der Giftpilz / Antisemitism
context_page_description: Der Giftpilz is a children's book published by Julius Streicher in 1938. The title is German for "the poisonous mushroom/toadstool". The book was intended as antisemitic propaganda. The text is by Ernst Hiemer, with illustrations by Philipp Rupprecht; the title alludes to how, just as it is difficult to tell a poisonous mushroom from an edible mushroom, it is difficult to tell a Jew apart from a Gentile. The book wants to "warn" German children about the dangers allegedly posed by Jews to them personally, and to German society in general.
  In some instances, it is implied that Jews will try to molest children; one little girl escapes a Jew offering her sweets only when her brother calls the police, and when Inge's mother sends her to a Jewish doctor, despite Inge's protests of what she learned in the League of German Girls, Inge barely escapes. Communism is portrayed as being led by Jews who wish to sacrifice Germany to Russia's good – this being put in the mouth of a former Communist, whose loyalty to Germany brought him to the National Socialist German Workers Party. Jews are portrayed as abusing their German servants.
context_section_description: The book claims that the Talmud discourages Jews from performing manual labour, and that Jews should engage in trade instead, and that non-Jews are meant to be slaves, that Talmudic law allows Jews to cheat non-Jews, and asks Jews to enslave the non-Jewish population. 
  The book was sometimes used in German schools.
  A copy of the book is on display at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D. C. An English-language translation of the book was produced by U.S. neo-Nazi activist Gary Lauck, and thereafter marketed on his website for $10. Lauck also produced an Estonian language translation in 2007, and claims to be working on translations into many other languages. The Estonian Internal Security Service have investigated the case under the section of Estonian penal code criminalizing incitement to social hatred, but concluded that it is unlikely to have the jurisdiction or means to prosecute the author, as under American law, websites are covered by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  In March 2020 the online retailer Amazon removed the book, along with Hitler's Mein Kampf and several other Nazi publications, from sale on its platform.
caption: Julius Streicher in custody at Nuremberg. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity, and hanged in 1946
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