ABSTRACT
Human rights history and Jewish history have been inextricably intertwined. The history of Jews’ persecution as an ethnic and religious minority, especially the Nazis’ systematic deprivation of Jews’ rights, became a standard reference for postwar activists after 1945 who argued for a global system limiting states’ power over their citizens. Many Jewish activists saw a commitment to international human rights as the natural outgrowth of traditional Jewish values. Jews could be especially active in advocating for universal rights protections not only because their suffering conferred moral standing on their cause but also because they could plumb a rich religious and philosophical tradition to fi nd support for a cosmopolitan worldview and because they nurtured generations of experienced organizers.
