A leading historian of antisemitism, he countered the prevailing narrative of Jewish victimhood and later pushed back against efforts to diminish the Holocaust’s significance.
Author: Clay Risen
Nell McCafferty, Larger-Than-Life Irish Journalist, Dies at 80
Her pugnacious writing on women’s rights, gay rights and other issues helped turn her country into one of the most progressive in Europe.
Virginia Ogilvy, Confidante to Queen Elizabeth II, Dies at 91
Born into New York wealth and married to a Scottish earl, she was the only American-born lady-in-waiting to the queen, serving for nearly 50 years.
Wayne S. Smith, a Leading Critic of the Embargo on Cuba, Dies at 91
A former State Department official, he resigned in protest in 1982 over Cuba policy, then spent decades trying to rebuild relations with the island nation.
Barry Kemp, Who Unearthed Insights About Ancient Egypt, Dies at 84
An archaeologist, he wrote widely on everyday life under the pharaohs and did much of his fieldwork at Amarna, considered the Egyptian version of Pompeii.
Rose Dugdale, Heiress Turned Irish Independence Fighter, Dies at 82
Born into English wealth and Oxford-educated, she left it all behind for a life of radical and often violent activism.
Giandomenico Picco, Diplomat Who Freed Hostages in Lebanon, Dies at 75
As the “chief troubleshooter” for the United Nations, he spent months shuttling around the Middle East to secure the release of 11 captives.
Frank Kitson, 97, Dies; Helped Shape the Conflict in Northern Ireland
A British general whose specialty was counterinsurgency, he was accused of using unduly hard-edge tactics against Irish Republican forces during the era known as the Troubles.
Arno J. Mayer, Unorthodox Historian of Europe’s Crises, Dies at 97
A Jewish refugee from the Nazis, he argued that World War I, World War II and the Holocaust were all part of a “second Thirty Years’ War.”
Antonio Negri, 90, Philosopher Who Wrote a Surprise Best Seller, Dies
He became famous twice: first in 1979, for his imprisonment related to the murder of a former Italian premier, and then 20 years later, for his influential book “Empire.”