# Why do many people repeat the urban legend myth that Hitler was part Jewish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 6, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064 "2012-05-06T13:29:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GermanicPride](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@GermanicPride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GermanicPride)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/1 "2012-05-06T13:29:53Z")
It seems this is repeated all over the internet, do people really believe rumours over truth? The third possibility is that Adolf Hitler’s grandfather was Jewish. Rumours to that effect circulated in Munich cafes in the early 1920s, and were fostered by sensationalist journalism of the foreign press during the 1930s. It was suggested that the name `Huttler' was Jewish, `revealed’ that he could be traced to a Jewish family called Hitler in Bucharest, and even claimed that his father had been sired by Baron Rothschild, in whose house in Vienna his grandmother had allegedly spent some time as a servant. But the most serious speculation about Hitler’s supposed Jewish background has occurred since the Second World War, and is directly traceable to the memoirs of the leading Nazi lawyer and Governor General of Poland, Hans Frank, dictated in his Nuremberg cell while awaiting the hangman. So no Hitler wasn’t Jewish, he was a full blooded Austrian! MODERATOR NOTE==I’ve deleted a large block of copyrighted text and will link to the original, a scholarly book by IAN KERSHAW(1998) [http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/k...aw-hitler.html](http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/k...aw-hitler.html) I’ve also moved the thread from General Questions to Comments on Cecil’s columns \*\* samclem\*\*, Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/2 "2012-05-06T13:36:58Z")
Did you read [Cecil’s column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/797/was-hitler-part-jewish) about this? If so, and you want to discuss it, posting in the proper forum would be a good idea. We have a forum just for [Cecil’s columns and staff reports.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/797/was-hitler-part-jewish) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/3 "2012-05-06T13:37:02Z")
Hitler had genes that implied he could be Jewish or African. > **[DNA Study Suggests Hitler 'Had Jewish And African Roots'](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hitler-jewish-dna-tests-s_n_693568)** > > DNA Study Suggests Hitler 'Had Jewish And African Roots' I want to see how this thread turns out. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/4 "2012-05-06T13:41:57Z")
> [@GermanicPride](#): > > So no Hitler wasn’t Jewish, he was a full blooded Austrian! I see. There are no Jewish Austrians. So Hitler couldn’t be Jewish. Well there’s no arguing with logic. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/5 "2012-05-06T13:46:13Z")
**GermanicPride,** It looks like most or all of your post is [copied from here.](http://chgs.umn.edu/histories/myths.html) You might want to read our [FAQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/faq.php) about how to post before you run afoul of our local constabulatory. Basically, links are fine, copying large blocks of text is verboten. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/6 "2012-05-06T13:46:21Z")
> [@GermanicPride](#): > > So no Hitler wasn’t Jewish, he was a full blooded Austrian! Um… thanks for history lesson, mister…(“ **GermanicPride** ” is it?). :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/7 "2012-05-06T14:21:41Z")
But he did only have one ball. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/8 "2012-05-06T14:27:12Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > But he did only have one ball. Yeah, but it was shaped like a dradle. ---
**Author:** ![SubaRhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@SubaRhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SubaRhubarb)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/9 "2012-05-06T14:33:00Z")
This is like arguing if a turd contains corn and peanuts, or just corn. It is a turd no matter the contents. ---
**Author:** ![GermanicPride](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@GermanicPride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GermanicPride)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/10 "2012-05-06T14:44:25Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Hitler had genes that implied he could be Jewish or African. > > [Hitler Jewish? DNA Tests Show Dictator May Have 'Had Jewish And African Roots' | HuffPost The World Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/25/hitler-jewish-dna-tests-s_n_693568.html) > > I want to see how this thread turns out. “This data clearly show that just because one person belongs to the branch of the Ychromosome referred to as haplogroup E1b1b, that does not mean the person is likely to be of Jewish ancestry,” said Professor Hammer. Mulders confirmed the misinterpretation of his account with the following statement to haplogroup E1b1b, that does not mean the person is likely to be of Jewish ancestry,” said Professor Hammer. Family Tree DNA: “I never wrote that Hitler was a Jew, or that he had a Jewish grandfather. I only wrote that Hitler’s haplogroup is E1b1b, being more common among Berbers, Somalian people and Jews than among overall Germans. This, in order to convey that he was not exactly what during the Third Reich would have been called ‘Aryan.’ All the rest are speculations of journalists who didn’t even take the trouble to read my article. Knack is a weekly Belgian news-magazine published by the Roularta Media Group. The results of the study are inconclusive until further verification by a scientific source. The descendant accordingly a relative to Hitler was also a great nephew so he could have gotten the results from the non-Hitler side and the sample was from a napkin from the floor… very reliable. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![GermanicPride](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@GermanicPride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GermanicPride)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/11 "2012-05-06T14:49:27Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > But he did only have one ball. Propaganda, no evidence. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/12 "2012-05-06T14:52:48Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > But he did only have one ball. Göbbels Had no balls at all. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/13 "2012-05-06T15:11:00Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Yeah, but it was shaped like a dradle. More likely, a [dreidel.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreidel) > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Göbbels > Had no balls at all. Not even a Senior Prom? A Freaker’s Ball? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/14 "2012-05-06T15:17:28Z")
> [@GermanicPride](#): > > Propaganda, no evidence. :smack: I know. Hitler’s been so unfairly maligned by these false claims about his Jewish ancestry and lack of a testicle. I mean, take those away, and what are you left with to complain about? ---
**Author:** ![GermanicPride](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@GermanicPride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GermanicPride)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/15 "2012-05-06T16:02:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I know. Hitler’s been so unfairly maligned by these false claims about his Jewish ancestry and lack of a testicle. I mean, take those away, and what are you left with to complain about? All the other rubbish myths, rumours about him. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/16 "2012-05-06T16:13:06Z")
I haven’t heard those. Can you share some other rumors or myths about him? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/17 "2012-05-06T16:17:38Z")
I thought it was assumed to be true because most paper hangers were jewish. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/18 "2012-05-06T17:01:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I haven’t heard those. Can you share some other rumors or myths about him? It’s not going to work, dude. Germans have no sense of humor. Only Austrians do. That’s how you can tell them apart. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/19 "2012-05-06T17:23:42Z")
Did Hitler have a sense of humour? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064/20 "2012-05-06T17:46:22Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Did Hitler have a sense of humour? Yes, but it was only seasonal. In the Springtime. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064.md?page=2)