|
"On the Internet today, everybody knows you’re a dog." |
UPDATE: VIEW LEGAL FILINGS IN THE CASE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK VS. RAPHAEL GOLB |
|
Raphael Golb (left) is the son of University of Chicago historian Dr. Norman Golb. Image: Steven Hirsch/New York Post available from: http://www.nypost.com/seven/03082009/photos/news014b.jpg |
|
Who Is Charles Gadda? or The compiled by Dr. Robert R. Cargill |
| Thanx to all of you who have contributed items you have received from the various aliases. If you would like to contribute a link to this page, or if you have received emails or letters similar to the ones displayed here and would like to add them to this page, please contact: Robert R. Cargill at bob@bobcargill.com. |
If you'd like to skip to the good parts, see the Introduction, Conclusion, Press, and Trial. |
IntroductionFor the past two years, I have quietly and rigorously chronicled the activity of an unknown individual who has dedicated himself (or herself) to the criticism of the traveling Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition presently touring North America. The focus of this criticism surrounds the theories of Professor Norman Golb, who believes the Dead Sea Scrolls were not written at Qumran, but were the product of multiple libraries surrounding Jerusalem. Because this view is not widely accepted, this individual has undertaken a systematic campaign of promotion and defense of the academic views of Dr. Golb. In addition, this individual has perpetrated an unrelenting campaign of criticism, defamation, and accusation of scholars involved in the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibitions and other Dead Sea Scrolls scholars that accept a view of the scrolls that links them to a group of Jewish sectarians at Qumran. I make no accusations on this page, and I draw no conclusions. In fact, I am under advisement not to do so. This page is nothing more than an accumulation of data surrounding a particular use of anonymous internet personalities and aliases dedicated to the propagation of Dr. Golb's views, and the criticism of all those who disagree. I have finally decided to organize this data here until I decide what to do with it next. Until such a time as this, please consider this page a work in progress... Below is but some of the evidence I have logged. If you'd like, you may skip to the conclusion. Shalom, Robert R. Cargill, Ph.D. |
Who is Charles Gadda?The alias "Charles Gadda" is one of over 80 known anonymous internet aliases dedicated to the advocacy and defense of the academic theories of Dr. Norman Golb, the Ludwig Rosenberger Professor of Jewish History and Civilization at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute. The puppet master behind alias "Charles Gadda" and the other aliases is engaged in a scorched earth campaign to criticize, libel, and defame scholars involved with the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls who do not accept the theories of Dr. Golb. Additionally, the puppet master has dedicated himself to an organized and systematic campaign of criticism of the traveling Dead Sea Scrolls exhibitions presently touring North America. While the alias "Charles Gadda" was not the puppet master's first alias, he became the central alias due to his presence on the NowPublic web site. |
The Dead Sea Scrolls ExhibitionsThe following is a list of Dead Sea Scrolls exhibitions since 1993. |
| City | Venue | Date | Web Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington DC | Library of Congress | Apr 29 to Aug 1, 1993 | http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/scrolls/ |
| Charlotte, NC | Discovery Place | Feb 17 to May 29, 2006 | http://www.wsoctv.com/news/5100529/detail.html |
| Kansas City, MO | Union Station | Feb 8 to May 13, 2007 | http://www.unionstation.org/deadseascrolls/ |
| Seattle, WA | Pacific Science Center | Sept 23, 2006 to Jan 7, 2007 | http://www.pacsci.org/dss/ |
| San Diego, CA | San Diego Natural History Museum | June 1007 to Jan 5, 2008 | http://www.sdnhm.org/scrolls/index.html |
| Seoul, South Korea | Memorial Hall | Dec 5, 2007 to Jun 4, 2008 | http://www.scrolls.co.kr/english/main.html |
| Raleigh, NC | North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences | Jun 28, 2008 to Jan 4, 2009 | http://www.naturalsciences.org/exhibits/special_exhibits.html |
| New York City, NY | The Jewish Museum | Sep 21, 2008 - Jan 4, 2009 | http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/DeadSeaScrolls |
| Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Royal Ontario Museum | Jun 27, 2009 to Jan 3, 2010 | http://www.rom.on.ca/exhibitions/special/deadseascrolls.php |
History of the CampaignBeginnings of CampaignThe campaign began with a common internet alias used by an individual on multiple message boards and discussion lists. The alias was engaged in academic debates concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in caves near the site of Khirbet Qumran. The puppet master engaged in debates concerning the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and regularly offered detailed and highly knowledgeable articulations of the theories of Dr. Golb, who argued in his book Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, that the Dead Sea Scrolls did not originate at Qumran, but from various libraries throughout Jerusalem. This theory challenged the traditional theory that argues that the scrolls were the product of Jewish sectarians living at Qumran. Dr. Golb's theories were discussed for a time by various scholars, but the academy largely rejected the theories of Dr. Golb, preferring the traditional Qumran-Essene theory. Multiplication of Sock PuppetsBecause few scholars accept Dr. Golb's views, debates on message boards and discussion groups often became rather one-sided, with the alias defending the views of Dr. Golb, while others argued for more widely accepted theories for the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls. At some point, the puppet master began to create other aliases in order to create the illusion of a widespread support for Dr. Golb's views. The aliases often appeared immediately after one another on comments made by the original alias, and would often argue with the same vocabulary, grammar, style, and intimate knowledge of Dr. Golb's views. While this could be simply interpreted as two different individuals arguing on behalf of Dr. Golb, the evidence soon began to support the fact that one individual was logging in as multiple aliases in order to support Dr. Golb's ideas. Now PublicThe campaign to promote and defend the views of Dr. Golb reached a new level when alias "Charles Gadda" began to write items on the NowPublic web site. NowPublic is a hybrid news site where individuals can contribute "news items" as one would contribute posts to a blog. These news items are collected by editors and then used to populate the NowPublic home page, thus living up to their slogan, "crowd powered media." NowPublic offered the puppet master the advantage of having his "articles" picked up by Google News alerts. Thus, despite the bloggish nature of NowPublic's posts, they are passed on as legitimate news items on the internet. Alias "Charles Gadda" began to utilize NowPublic as his central posting area. He then used emails, comments, and blogs to refer back to the "articles" he posted on NowPublic. Below is a chart of the various NowPublic articles written by aliases "Charles Gadda" and "Peter Kaufman", followed by the date of the initial posting, the URL of the post, and the aliases mentioned by or commenting on the article: |
|
BlogsThe puppet master has created a series of blogs in support of his NowPublic articles and letter writing campaign. The blogs offer another venue to promote and defend Dr. Golb's theories, and provide the added benefit of allowing the puppet master to harvest the IP addresses of those who happen to respond in the "Comments" section of the blogs. The known blog sites appear in chronological order below:
|
Message BoardsThe puppet master continued his attacks against all who opposed the views of Norman Golb by promoting his efforts on the NowPublic site through paralleling the arguments on a number of message board sites. A list of the message boards and relevant posts are listed below. |
| Board | Alias | String | URL | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Profile Page | http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/member.php?u=34264 | This is alias Charles Gadda's IIDB/FRDB profile page. | |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Lost Tomb of Jesus and Essene Toilet Hoax | http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=199716 | Mar 11, 2007 | |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Virtual Qumran | http://www.iidb.org/vbb/showthread.php?p=4578265 | Jun 19, 2007 | |
| Free Republic | Charles Gadda | Dead Sea Scrolls at the San Diego Natural History Museum: the Christian fundamentalist connection | http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1876910/posts | Aug 3, 2007 | This post links readers to alias “Charles Gadda's” NowPublic story. It is an attempt to spread the story in to the Free Republic boards. |
| Free Republic | Charles Gadda | Stephen Spielberg Holocaust foundation gives $100,000 for biased Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit | http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1881083/posts | Aug 14, 2007 | This post links readers to alias “Charles Gadda's” NowPublic story. It is an attempt to spread the story in to the Free Republic boards. |
| Free Republic | Charles Gadda | http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:charlesgadda/index?tab=comments;brevity=full;options=no-change | This is a log of everything alias “Charles Gadda” has ever said on Free Republic. | ||
| Discarded Lies | Paul Kessler Charles Gadda |
Christian Fundamentalists Push Jewish Scholars Out of Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit | http://discardedlies.com/entry/?33674 | Sep 23, 2007 | This string links to the NowPublic story by alias “Charles Gadda”. |
| Discarded Lies | Paul Kessler Charles Gadda |
Did Christian Agenda Skew Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit? | http://discardedlies.com/entry/?34080 | Oct 7, 2007 | This string links to the NowPublic story by alias “Charles Gadda”. |
| Democratic Underground | View from Here | Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit controversy continues in San Diego | http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=228&topic_id=36047&mesg_id=36047 | Nov 19, 2007 | This post attempts to discus alias “Charles Gadda's” NowPublic article and links to Dr. Norman Golb’s OI DSS articles here and here. “Ronda” is an alias of alias “Charles Gadda”. |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Jesus, Judas, and the DSS | http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=231139 | Dec 11, 2007 | |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Article on SBL, ASOR | http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=231889 | Dec 16, 2007 | |
| Discarded Lies | Paul Kessler Charles Gadda |
Charity fund, ASOR, SBL implicated in Dead Sea Scrolls scandal | http://discardedlies.com/entry/?36428 | Dec 20, 2007 | This string links to the NowPublic story by alias “Charles Gadda”. |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Bible scholar at UCLA also teaches at "University of the Holy Land"? | http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=238881 | Mar 9, 2008 | This string is a link to “Charles Gadda’s” NowPublic story and is an attempt to create discussion within the IIDB boards. |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Virtual Qumran: the "unwritten" version | http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=239497 | Mar 18, 2008 | This string is a reformatted copy of a NowPublic story by alias “Charles Gadda's” entitled 3-D film dogged by "unwritten" story of misleading claims and is an attempt to create discussion within the IIDB boards. |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Korean public gets to learn all about the Dead Sea Scrolls | http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=240579 | Apr 2, 2008 | This string is a link to alias “Charles Gadda's” NowPublic story and is an attempt to create discussion within the IIDB boards. |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Evangelical scholar suspended from Seminary for scholarship | http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=240770 | Apr 4, 2008 | This string was begun by a moderator. Comments made by alias “Charles Gadda” linked to his NowPublic article and attempted to link this string to William Schniedewind. |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Charles Gadda attacks the SBL split from SBL did not accept Malachi's paper | http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=241630 | Apr 15, 2008 | This string was split from another string. Alias “Charles Gadda” had begun criticizing the SBL. |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Defenders of Qumran-Essene theory attack Jewish Museum exhibit reviews MERGED | http://www.freeratio.org/showthread.php?t=255308 | Oct 2008 | This message board shows alias “Charles Gadda” criticizing Robert Cargill and Stephen Goranson. |
| IIDB/FRDB | Charles Gadda | Antisemitism and the Dead Sea Scrolls | http://www.freeratio.org/showthread.php?t=255308 | Oct 2008 | This post alerts FRMB readers to alias “Charles Gadda's most recent NowPublic article entitled Antisemitism and the Dead Sea Scrolls. |
| Democratic Underground | View from Here | Charges of ethical misconduct at Society of Biblical Literature, ASOR | http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=214x160056 | This post links to a NowPublic article by alias “Charles Gadda” and is posted by “View from Here,” which makes mention of the views expressed on the “View from Number 80” blog. | |
| ANE-2 | Paul Kessler | Qumran Controversy | http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ANE-2/message/8002 | This posting in the ANE-2 Yahoo group is by alias “Paul Kessler” and links to the argument between alias “Charles Gadda” and other IIDB members (including Jeffrey Gibson). |
In addition to making comments on news items, the puppet master used aliases to initiate and propagate a series of anonymous email campaigns designed to discredit and disparage scholars involved in the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibitions. These emails were sent to scholars, university faculties, museum boards of directors, and various journalists and news organizations as demonstrated below. This is an ongoing campaign; the aliases are presently saturating the Toronto area with emails ahead of the arrival of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Royal Ontario Museum.
In addition to making comments on news items and sending emails, a number of typed letters were sent to each of the museums that hosted the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibitions. The letters were similar in substance, grammar, and vocabulary to several of the NowPublic postings made by alias "Charles Gadda" and Norman Golb on the Oriental Institute web site. Each of the letters were mass mailed to each of the members of the museum board of directors and administrators. The letters criticized the exhibition primarily for not inviting Dr. Golb to speak as a part of the "Distinguished Lecturer Series", and for their 'one-sided approach' in their portrayal of the scrolls. Effectively, the letters cited several posts by Dr. Golb and alias "Charles Gadda", and accused the museums of presenting exhibitions that did not take into consideration Dr. Golb's claims. This phenomenon has occurred at every museum exhibiting the Dead Sea Scrolls dating back to as early as the Seattle exhibition.
The puppet master's campaign reached full force when he began to write letters to various journalists, freelance writers, and media outlets touting the "controversy". Building on previous NowPublic posts, blogs, local newspaper stories, and the timely posts of Dr. Norman Golb, the puppet master began to write letters to media outlets encouraging them to investigate the controversy surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition that was soon coming to their local community. Many of these journalists ran stories that were largely informed by the writings of Dr. Golb and alias “Charles Gadda”. Once published, the local stories were touted by alias “Charles Gadda” in his subsequent posts. This process continued in every town usually until someone pointed out to the media organization publishing the story that it had become the victim of a media manipulation scheme perpetuated by the puppet master. Many media outlets responded by pulling their online stories or redaction portions of them (see Edited or Retracted Internet Items).
At some point, the puppet master began to adopt the names of known scholars and university alumni as aliases. The puppet master adopted several versions of the name of NYU Professor of Lawrence H. Schiffman, including , "larryschiffman", "Larry Schiffman", and "plagiarist-schiffman". The puppet master then used alias Peter Kaufman to create a NowPublic site entitled Plagiarism and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Did NYU department chairman pilfer from Chicago historian’s work? on Aug 4, 2008. The site oddly accused NYU Professor Lawrence Schiffman of plagiarizing from Norman Golb's work, despite the fact that the two completely disagree on the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Creating the NowPublic site was not enough. The puppet master then emailed Larry Schiffman from email steven.fishbane@gmail.com drawing Dr. Schiffman's attention to alias "Peter Kaufman's" Now Public story and attempting to bait him into responding. When Dr. Schiffman did not respond, the puppet master tried another tactic. The puppet master created the gmail account larry.schiffman@gmail.com and emailed Dr. Schiffman's graduate students, pretending to be Dr. Schiffman. The email pointed out alias "Peter Kaufman's" Now Public story, and asked his four graduate assistants "not to mention the name of the scholar in question to any of our students, and every effort must be made to prevent this article from coming to their attention". Once the graduate students pointed out the suspicious email to Dr. Schiffman, Dr. Schiffman reported the matter to NYU officials.
As more and more scholars, universities, museums, and organizations were attacked by the puppet master and his aliases, several individuals began to track the campaign. (This how I came to begin tracking the puppet master and the aliases.)
As media outlets, bloggers, and journalists were made aware of the puppet master's campaign, several entities (often prompted by letters from scholars, lawyers, or both) began to retract their posts on the internet.
The puppet master attempted to infiltrate several articles on Wikipedia in order to promote his campaign. Since Wikipedia is a popular reference site for members of the public to learn about just about anything, the puppet master began to edit several articles pertaining to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibitions. These articles include the Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran, Norman Golb, and the San Diego Natural History Museum. Additionally, the puppet master attempted to spread his arguments on the pages of scholars involved in the exhibitions, including UCLA professor William Schniedewind (and his talk page), and even my personal user page, IsraelXKV8R and my talk page.
However, Wikipedia has very strict regulations against sock puppetry and meat puppetry. As a part of the appeals process, several administrators with the power to check the IP addresses of users (a power unavailable to non-admins) began to check the IP addresses of the suspected sock puppets of the puppet master. Once the Wikipedia administrators confirmed that the same IP addresses were being used to sign in as multiple aliases and to promote and defend the views of Norman Golb, and to defame and criticize scholars with opposing views and those Wikipedia users who contested the actions of the puppet master's aliases, the Wikipedia administrators banned the aliases from participation on Wikipedia.
Over the course of their investigation (ticket #2007112710018004), wikipedia administrators determined that in addition to the aliases the puppet master used on the internet, the puppet master created a number of aliases for explicit use on Wikipedia. Many of the aliases were deleted by the puppet master in an attempt to cover his tracks, while others were later deleted by wikipedia. However, since Wikipedia preserves everything ever entered in its pages, records of these aliases remain. These aliases include:
In addition to the use of IP addresses to confirm some of the puppet master's Wikipedia aliases, literary criticism was employed to demonstrate that alias "Rachel.Greenberg" was an alias of alias "Charles Gadda". As a part of a sock puppetry investigation, the following evidence was presented to the Wikipedia administrators.
update - just in case you need more proof, here's more from today: if you needed any further evidence that rachel.greenberg is a sock puppet of critical reader, who in turn is a sock puppet for 'charles gadda' and his pro-golb/scorched earth/manufacture and stir controversy/smear all scholars that disagree with golb campaign, look no further. just above, rachel.greenberg said he was quoting an article from the jewish museum. just above, rachel.greenberg quotes the article as such (i cut-and-pasted it as he wrote it):
when we actually follow the link and go to the jewish museum page that rachel.greenberg offers above, we find that very paragraph. it reads as follows (again, i cut-and-pasted it):
when we compare the two quotes, we notice three distinct differences.
therefore, rachel.greenberg put the words 'two basic theories' in bold, replaced the words 'that probably lived' with the bracketed word 'living', and replaced the words 'described in the writings of ancient historians' with an ellipsis. this is quite interesting, given the fact that i've seen this exact same edit before. but it is not on the jewish museum page, it's on 'charles gadda's' article on the new york exhibit. there you will notice the exact same edits: the same words are put in bold, the same word 'living' replaces the words 'that probably lived,' and the same phrase 'described in the writings of ancient historians' is replaced by an ellipsis. 'charles gadda's' article reads as follows (again, i have cut-and-pasted it):
thus, this is pretty basic literary-critical evidence that rachel.greenberg is not just some random nyu student with an amateur interest in the dead sea scrolls, but is being directly informed by the work of 'charles gadda', who has already been confirmed as the puppet master behind confirmed sock puppet critical reader. |
The methodology used to track and link the aliases is straightforward. Because the puppet master used the same aliases in multiple formats (i.e., email, written letters, blog posts, etc.), it was possible to compare the names and IP addresses to those used by other aliases. A strong case can be made by examining the posts, emails, and letters as literature. Written items that possess the same subject matter, make the same argument of defense, possess intimate knowledge of the argument, use the same language and vocabulary, employ the same grammatical tendencies and punctuation (use of double or emasculated dashes, e.g. vs. i.e., [brackets], paragraph spacing and numbering, etc.), argue with the same litigious fervor, link to the same documents (posts by alias "Charles Gadda" and Norman Golb), possess a knowledge of every media item of discussing the controversy (especially those that discuss or favor Norman Golb), and claim authorship by an author employing a "first_last" name structure of a traditionally Jewish sounding name all suggest that the aliases can be linked together with some degree of certainty. However, those items that can be traced to an IP address can be said to be definitely linked together by hard evidence.
An IP address is a number that is unique to every computer used on a given network. These IP addresses accompany every internet post made, email sent, or web page viewed. While the puppet master has gotten better at disguising his IP addresses today, he seems to have been unaware of IP addresses early in his campaign. If two emails discussing the same subject matter from the same point of view and linking to the same articles by alias "Charles Gadda" and Norman Golb are sent from two different email accounts, but from the same unique IP address, and often within a few minutes of each other, then there is hard evidence suggesting that the same individual employed two different aliases and email accounts. This is done to create the illusion that several people are promoting and defending the argument or ideology, when in reality, there is only one person responsible for all of the aliases. This tactic is also employed by individuals who want to remain anonymous perhaps due to the fact that were it known that he or she was promoting his or her own views or those of a relative, it would be interpreted as shameless self-promotion. Additionally, because many of the posted items are vicious or attacking in nature, and many attack their victims in a personal, libelous, defaming, anti-religious, unprofessional, and perhaps illegal manner, the exposure of the individual behind the aliases may lead to numerous law suits and legal proceedings.
Three tools available online were used to trace the IP addresses used by the puppet master.
The results were confirmed against a map of the NYU Bobst Library indicating the location of the 24-hour "Productivity" computing lab. The Bobst Library is located here.
The following IP addresses have been confirmed by multiple methods to have been used by the puppet master in his campaign against those scholars who happen to disagree with the views of Norman Golb. The IP addresses are listed and linked to a "traceroute" utility that actually maps the IP address to a physical address. As you will note, many of the IP addresses were used by multiple aliases, and all of the IP addresses trace to within a block from the NYU Bobst Library, if not from inside it.
69.86.34.90 (= user-12lc8iq.cable.mindspring.com)
<UserAgent>Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)</UserAgent> <RemoteHost>127.0.0.1</RemoteHost> <RemoteAddr>127.0.0.1</RemoteAddr> <ForwardedFor>69.86.34.90</ForwardedFor> </RemoteInfo> </ItemProperties>
128.122.88.28 (=productivity-17.bobst.nyu.edu)
128.122.88.131 (= respc3.bobst.nyu.edu)
128.122.89.50 (= productivity-4.bobst.nyu.edu)
128.122.89.83 (= imac03-bobst-a.pubterm.nyu.edu)
128.122.89.93 (= static2.bobst.nyu.edu)
128.122.89.191 (=imac24-bobst-a.pubterm.nyu.edu)
216.165.95.64 (=nyufga-nyupriv-01.natpool.nyu.edu)
The following is a list of confirmed aliases. The aliases have been traced by IP addresses taken from emails, blog posts, or administrators of web sites, and have been cross-linked against an IP address used by at least one other alias.
|
| "Unless I'm unaware of something, there wouldn't appear to be any copyright violation here at all, since one can only presume that Golb, by the basic principle of fair use, was perfectly entitled to cite the script to discuss the claims that were being read out loud to some 450,000 people at a six-million-dollar museum exhibit, as well as the ethics of that exhibit itself. (Incidentally, what enables you to say this script was "unfinished," when it was being read aloud every day to all those people? And if there are certain things that Robert is careful "never to write down," how could he ever truly "finish" the script?)" |
<UserAgent>Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)</UserAgent> <RemoteHost>127.0.0.1</RemoteHost> <RemoteAddr>127.0.0.1</RemoteAddr> <ForwardedFor>69.86.34.90</ForwardedFor> </RemoteInfo> </ItemProperties>
"Critical Reader" User_talk:Critical_Reader (created Oct. 5, 2006)
"Ethical concern" User_talk:Ethical_concern (created 10:30, Aug. 1, 2007)
"Harold Milton" User_talk:Harold_Milton (created 21:32, Nov. 16, 2007)
"Phillip Kirby" User_talk:Phillip_Kirby (created 14:12, Nov. 19, 2007)
"David Saunderfeld" User_talk:David_Saunderfeld (created 19:02, Nov. 21, 2007)
"Jacob Stein" User_talk:Jacob_Stein (created 10:10, Nov. 24, 2007)
"Myriamyst" User_talk:Myriamyst (created 20:39, Nov. 29, 2007)
"Extratheologian" User_talk:Extratheologian (created 12:48, November 29, 2007)
"Rachel.Greenberg" User_talk:Rachel.Greenberg (created 12:22, February 9, 2009)
|
|
|
I'm amazed the editors agreed to censor this article, responding to spurious, undemonstrable claims based on some wikipedia squabble that didn't even concern the author in question.
The classic tactic of people engaged in a smear campaign: use sockpuppet aliases, and accuse your victims of doing the same thing.
That traditional "Qumran-Essene" scrolls scholars and their graduate students would resort to such phony tactics to try and discredit a point of view they disagree with, says a lot about current academic standards in this area.
"Raphael" and "Joel" happen to be the names of family relations of Hebrew manuscripts scholar Norman Golb, who are active professionals with their own jobs and lives. The smear campaign against a distinguished Jewish historian and his family thus continues, right here on this site, while the third-rate scholar who plagiarized Golb has been honored with an invitation to lecture at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.
by Albert White
|
START HEADER
Microsoft Mail Internet Headers Version 2.0 Received: from eaex3.support.ucla.edu ([164.67.112.24]) by eaex4.support.ucla.edu with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.6713);
Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:59:16 -0700
Received: from eagateway.support.ucla.edu ([164.67.112.3]) by eaex3.support.ucla.edu with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.6713);
Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:59:16 -0700
Received: from web38111.mail.mud.yahoo.com ([209.191.124.138]) by eagateway.support.ucla.edu with MailMarshal (v6,1,5,586)
id <B4678196a0001>; Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:59:06 -0700
Received: (qmail 29466 invoked by uid 60001); 19 Jun 2007 17:59:05 -0000 DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws;
s=s1024; d=yahoo.com;
h=X-YMail-OSG:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Message-ID;
b=TeEaMZhqC3RVUSRvQBEbRtW32QniULejg0MUp4gBT3TOYEmcTGAEeYTm4Un4AMhSPHOcGp6DJSYiFU6kK2f3/7x+luNJYbOjmZiYrKXoYnt6Lksl+yz2MsZqUHwQOvBra0G8LsYfoX+75ohtn4MvSxIMwJv5yuzUx4lmTjUE9yA=;
X-YMail-OSG: A_whb3IVM1kwNu6J.Frbbd8xUzfuCtb7csHAM3I29d6TDwSMoHsy8U7uom3zG4vH8dyPpuJpTS9AhQfDGTVf6f5PMgtVHe7oKmVnct7LxNm9Ehl1hfrONoeKQBQ_Qw-- Received: from [69.86.34.90] by web38111.mail.mud.yahoo.com via HTTP; Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:59:05 PDT Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:59:05 -0700 (PDT) From: Carlo Gadda <carlogadda@yahoo.com> Subject: Your article on the "Virtual Qumran" film To: msullivan@support.ucla.edu MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0-1213145433-1182275945=:29418" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Message-ID: <786708.29418.qm@web38111.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Return-Path: carlogadda@yahoo.com X-OriginalArrivalTime: 19 Jun 2007 17:59:16.0627 (UTC) FILETIME=[8D74DE30:01C7B29B] --0-1213145433-1182275945=:29418 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit --0-1213145433-1182275945=:29418 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
|
END OF HEADER
From: Carlo Gadda [mailto:carlogadda@yahoo.com] Dear Ms. Sullivan, I have read your article on the "Virtual Qumran" film, and I regret to inform you that it gives a seriously misleading impression to anyone who might not be familiar with the current state of scholarship on Qumran. (1) To begin with, Norman Golb did not publish an "article" in 1996; he published a 400-page book entitled "Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?" (2) Your sources (no doubt Cargill and Schniedewind themselves) failed to inform you that the thesis they are defending has been rejected not only Golb, but by an entire series of major archaeologists since 1990. These include most notably the Donceel team (officially appointed by the Ecole Biblique to review and finish de Vaux's work); Yizhar Hirschfeld (see his book Qumran in Context); and the officially appointed Israel Antiquities Authority team led by Yizhak Magen and Yuval Peleg, who, after ten seasons of digs at Qumran, have published their conclusions that the site was never inhabited by any sect and that the Dead Sea Scrolls are the remnants of libraries from the Jerusalem region. These facts are well known to Qumran scholars, and your article gives a distinctly misleading impression to the reader by not mentioning them. Dr. Schniedewind is known to be a radical defender of the disputed Qumran-Essene theory, and he has a right to defend his views, but it was highly inappropriate of him to use $100,000 in grants to mislead the public in this film by failing to mention the conclusions of the Magen and Peleg team, and it was inappropriate for you to advertise the film without informing people of the actual facts. (3) Your article also fails to mention that the film has already been subjected to biting criticism by Norman Golb (see his article "Fact and Fiction in Current Exhibitions of the Dead Sea Scrolls--A Critical Notebook for Viewers," available on the University of Chicago website at http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/projects/scr/). In the wake of Golb's criticism, one commentator has suggested that "the goal of this film is simply to indoctrinate visitors, before they see the rest of the [San Diego Scrolls] exhibit, into believing in the old, Qumran-Essene theory, despite the fact that it has now been rejected by virtually all of the major archaeologists in the field." I have left aside the clear manipulation of evidence in the film itself, e.g., the way it argues that Qumran was inhabited by a group of male Essenes, despite the fact that the remains of women were found in the cemetery--since Pliny states that the Essenes of the Dead Sea were celibate, the makers of the film were obliged to distort, ignore or explain away the actual evidence to support their view. And so on and so forth with the other claims they make. In the hope these observations will have given you fruit for thought, I am Yours sincerely, Charles Gadda |
BEGIN HEADER
From - Tue Apr 29 06:49:36 2008 X-Account-Key: account1 X-UIDL: 124878-1059787389 X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 X-Mozilla-Keys: Return-path: <frankel.steve@yahoo.com> Received: from iron3-mx.tops.gwu.edu (iron3-mx.tops.gwu.edu [161.253.152.114])
by prime.tops.gwu.edu
(Sun Java System Messaging Server 6.2-7.04 (built Aug 17 2006))
with ESMTP id <0K02002ABJ8LQS10@prime.tops.gwu.edu> for ehcline@gwu.edu; Tue,
29 Apr 2008 00:03:08 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from n66.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com ([98.136.44.50])
by iron3-mx.tops.gwu.edu with SMTP; Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:03:08 -0400
Received: from [216.252.122.219] by n66.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:03:07 +0000
Received: from [69.147.65.156] by t4.bullet.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP; Tue,
29 Apr 2008 04:03:07 +0000
Received: from [127.0.0.1] by omp404.mail.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP; Tue,
29 Apr 2008 04:03:07 +0000
Received: (qmail 58197 invoked by uid 60001); Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:03:07 +0000 Received: from [128.122.89.83] by web45803.mail.sp1.yahoo.com via HTTP; Mon,
28 Apr 2008 21:03:06 -0700 (PDT)
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:03:06 -0700 (PDT) From: steve Frankel <frankel.steve@yahoo.com> Subject: ANE-2: Jeffrey Gibson's mission To: e2waxi@gmail.com, editor@ancientneareast.net, ehcline@gwu.edu,
EHEINR007@aol.com, ehud.benzvi@ualberta.ca, eliotbraun@yahoo.com,
finckean@yahoo.com, frankha@post.tau.ac.il, fscalf@gmail.com,
garygreenberg@nyc.rr.com, gdelmonte@lunet.it, gdoudna@msn.com,
george.athas@moore.edu.au, gfsomsel@yahoo.com, gkiraz@gorgiaspress.com,
gklingbeil@aiias.edu, gmills4248@msn.com, grammatim@verizon.net,
groups@yare.org, gtosiris@mpx.com.au, gwoodgeno@yahoo.com
Message-id: <298168.58170.qm@web45803.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: YahooMailRC/975.23 YahooMailWebService/0.7.185 Content-type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0-1195165182-1209441786=:58170" DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=yahoo.com;
h=X-YMail-OSG:Received:X-Mailer:Date:From:Subject:To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Message-ID;
b=LzW0na+Z5abKvt1FEciUuWWw4ERc9Myhx2a51xwSFrNTRZY7LWBtDZFEPXV8bbTuUlZB6jpbG7m/JsC2zk6ke4lZUhQJe6z6qQrrubgH+Km0CajtztwjNF4R8rXQpNNjEpQFzZdFdRB72RDN/qOvtCrlSHP/8ulXxRJkAxhtyLo=;
X-SenderBase: 2.6 X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Filtered: true X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Result: AtMBAJY6FkhiiCwyfmdsb2JhbACCNTaOcgEBCwUCBAkRmh4 X-IronPort-AV: E=Sophos;i="4.25,720,1199682000";
d="scan'208,217";a="256307539"
X-Yahoo-Newman-Property: ymail-3 X-Yahoo-Newman-Id: 410695.55985.bm@omp404.mail.sp1.yahoo.com X-YMail-OSG:
UOT3IqMVM1lfudE2bKZl3XAXvUFHKQabP6CLNT_AKgXUwUp1Nasgtzpe2K_Dvwy52ntex_MaPpGKjWV8c2RpbSoHahRolyVAoQ--
Original-recipient: rfc822;ehcline@gwu.edu --0-1195165182-1209441786=:58170 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii |
END OF HEADER
Today, Jeffrey Gibson (owner and moderator of ANE-2) sought to reassure list members that a number of important security measures have been taken to prevent the charlatanry of certain contributors from being exposed. (See Gibson's statement below.) According to these measures, everyone will be held to a rigid, impenetrable standard of personal identification based on "social location and/or academic affiliation." No infiltrators will be allowed to publish comments with "false" names, "handles," or forbidden "locators." These, it is announced, are the protocols of the list, with which all list members agree to abide. As I read the statement, I could not help but wonder whether this sudden urge to "clamp down" could have something to do with the nauseating quarrel between Dr. Gibson and another internet blogger that has been going on for the past couple of weeks, during the course of which Gibson has repeatedly accused University of Chicago historian Norman Golb of "illegal actions." See the full exchange here: http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=239497 and see also http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=241630 where the epic struggle between Gibson and his interlocutor reaches climaxes of anger almost unheard of since the fall of the Dead Sea Scrolls monopoly. How ironical, that a list which began as a service set up by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, has been taken over by an adjunct teacher in the Chicago city college system who spends much of his time leveling angry accusations of "illegal conduct" against one of the Oriental Institute's most respected members. Was it right that Gibson should hitch a ride on the ANE brand, and then convert the list into a mouthpiece for the likes of Joe Zias and Robert Feather? Steve Frankel (socially located and affiliated with a variety of major archaeological organizations, including the American Society for Biblical Exposure) |
BEGIN HEADER
From - Tue Apr 29 19:16:26 2008 X-Account-Key: account1 X-UIDL: 125026-1059787389 X-Mozilla-Status: 0011 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 X-Mozilla-Keys: Return-path: <frankel.steve@yahoo.com> Received: from iron4-mx.tops.gwu.edu (iron4-mx.tops.gwu.edu [161.253.152.118])
by prime.tops.gwu.edu
(Sun Java System Messaging Server 6.2-7.04 (built Aug 17 2006))
with ESMTP id <0K0400CZU0LSYB00@prime.tops.gwu.edu> for ehcline@gwu.edu; Tue,
29 Apr 2008 19:15:56 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from n77.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com ([98.136.44.45])
by iron4-mx.tops.gwu.edu with SMTP; Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:15:44 -0400
Received: from [216.252.122.217] by n77.bullet.mail.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP;
Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:15:40 +0000
Received: from [69.147.65.153] by t2.bullet.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP; Tue,
29 Apr 2008 23:15:40 +0000
Received: from [127.0.0.1] by omp401.mail.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP; Tue,
29 Apr 2008 23:15:40 +0000
Received: (qmail 80327 invoked by uid 60001); Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:15:40 +0000 Received: from [128.122.88.131] by web45814.mail.sp1.yahoo.com via HTTP; Tue,
29 Apr 2008 16:15:39 -0700 (PDT)
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:15:39 -0700 (PDT) From: steve Frankel <frankel.steve@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: ANE-2: Jeffrey Gibson's mission |
END OF HEADER
Original Message Subject: Re: ANE-2: Jeffrey Gibson's mission Oh wow, U. of C. alumnus "Frankel" has been exposed as Golb's son (how could anyone with a modicum of respect for such a schmuck be anything else!), by U. of C. alumnus Peter Daniels, the great linguistic genius. While we're honoring the air-tight security of ANE-2 -- Heil Gibson! -- let's send the schmuck professor to prison for stealing books you needed for your precious investigations. Shave your pompous beard and send it to ANE moderator Gibson -- but don't bother reading his nauseating debate with "Charles Gadda" on IIDB, http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=239497 http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=241630 because you already know all the answers. |
BEGIN HEADER
From - Thu Dec 27 12:06:49 2007 X-Account-Key: account1 X-UIDL: 113628-1059787389 X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 X-Mozilla-Keys: Return-path: <d_matthews52@yahoo.com> Received: from iron1-mx.tops.gwu.edu (iron1-mx.tops.gwu.edu [128.164.127.227])
by prime.tops.gwu.edu
(Sun Java System Messaging Server 6.2-7.04 (built Aug 17 2006))
with ESMTP id <0JTH0027C2XOBA20@prime.tops.gwu.edu> for ehcline@gwu.edu; Sat,
22 Dec 2007 17:39:24 -0500 (EST)
Received: from n9.bullet.re3.yahoo.com ([68.142.237.94])
by iron1-mx.tops.gwu.edu with SMTP; Sat, 22 Dec 2007 17:39:24 -0500
Received: from [68.142.237.88] by n9.bullet.re3.yahoo.com with NNFMP; Sat,
22 Dec 2007 22:39:24 +0000
Received: from [216.252.122.217] by t4.bullet.re3.yahoo.com with NNFMP; Sat,
22 Dec 2007 22:39:24 +0000
Received: from [69.147.84.107] by t2.bullet.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP; Sat,
22 Dec 2007 22:39:24 +0000
Received: from [127.0.0.1] by omp202.mail.sp1.yahoo.com with NNFMP; Sat,
22 Dec 2007 22:39:24 +0000
Received: (qmail 22082 invoked by uid 60001); Sat, 22 Dec 2007 22:39:24 +0000 Received: from [128.122.89.50] by web44801.mail.sp1.yahoo.com via HTTP; Sat,
22 Dec 2007 14:39:23 -0800 (PST)
Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 14:39:23 -0800 (PST) From: Don Matthews <d_matthews52@yahoo.com> Subject: ASOR meeting rigged? To: ehcline@gwu.edu Message-id: <138192.20730.qm@web44801.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0-877797122-1198363163=:20730" Content-transfer-encoding: 8bit DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=yahoo.com;
h=X-YMail-OSG:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Message-ID;
b=yhWw05bBKj43kg/XVp0u0R0/eJejZhXCATzy6dG+8sbtR2/be6C/z1nsNVfSU0gBABOF2McuCdFYBrRIeQYy9J5NL5q8OjJK1lkD4RAlU/ThJ78u6cCfzCF4wevhQDHoTSxXWwJ4eIj1PgWEEmzGUYGplAuweA/JGJZScXTZQtw=;
X-SenderBase: 2.4 X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Filtered: true X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Result: AgAAAEghbUdEju1efGdsb2JhbACBaYEGjRoBAQkCBhETBYEWmBI X-IronPort-AV: i="4.24,199,1196658000"; d="scan'208";
a="605826613:sNHT22147376"
X-Yahoo-Newman-Property: ymail-3 X-Yahoo-Newman-Id: 367304.61315.bm@omp202.mail.sp1.yahoo.com X-YMail-OSG:
f3ds2sUVM1lVFPMNlOIOexHxnQpE4fXPl4aVo0kgLpkMqPhsjM3pZUbzXOkeueukufqRDXoCtZZI7vo60TbUmeJFJFSOmjMxhKI6
Original-recipient: rfc822;ehcline@gwu.edu --0-877797122-1198363163=:20730 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit |
END OF HEADER
Dear Dr. Cline, You are mentioned in this article, I'm wondering if there is any truth to the allegations? http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/charity-fund-involved-dead-sea-scrolls-conflict D. Matthews |
On Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 7:55 PM, Emily Kaufman <kaufman.emily1@gmail.com> wrote: Dear Professor Carter, A student in your department, who prepared a film being shown in Dead Sea Scrolls exhibits, is now involved in deleting information about the controversy surrounding those exhibits from wikipedia articles. He uses the pen-name "XKV8R" to this end -- see his user-page at http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:IsraelXKV8R, and compare his edits and statements at http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Sea_scrolls&action=history <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Sea_scrolls&action=history> This activity is inappropriate for a Ph.D. candidate at UCLA. It is also inappropriate for the student in question, because he has a conflict of interest, having been personally involved in preparation of material used in the exhibits. I hope you will take measures to stop "XKV8R" from inappropriately interfering in the contributions I and other authors have been making to the wikipedia article on the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is annoying to us to see our work suddenly disappear under one pretext or another, simply because "XKV8R" is trying to suppress any discussion of a controversy surrounding exhibits in whose preparation he has played a role. Yours sincerely, Emily Kaufman |
From: "kaufman.emily1" <kaufman.emily1@gmail.com>
So that you can see exactly what is going on, here is the text in question: Controversy involving recent and upcoming Dead Sea Scroll exhibits The Royal Ontario Museum <http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Ontario_Museum> of Toronto will host an exhibition on the scrolls from June 27, 2009 to January 3, 2010[7] <http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_scrolls#cite_note-6> . A National Post article entitled "Controversy surrounds exhibit of Dead Sea Scrolls" states: "The Royal Ontario Museum could find itself unearthing old controversies when it opens its $3-million, would-be blockbuster Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition next June." The article explains that a "history professor in the U.S. has accused an earlier, related project in San Diego of deliberate bias, scholarly incompetence and [has] suggest[ed] that its curator, who is also assembling the ROM exhibition, was unqualified for the job." The article indicates that the professor in question, University of Chicago historian Norman Golb, "attacked the San Diego show by circulating a 24-page critique of the exhibition catalogue highlighting what he called 'a great many factual errors and unprovable assertions presented as truths.'"[8] <http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_scrolls#cite_note-7> In a letter published in the National Post, Michael Hager, director of the San Diego Natural History Museum, defends the quality of that museum's exhibit, stating that the "ideas presented in the San Diego Dead Sea scrolls exhibition were thoroughly researched by a team of accredited biblical scholars, with several alternative theories for their origin presented."[9] <http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_scrolls#cite_note-8> In another letter also published in the same newspaper, Golb states that the "controversy now unfolding about the scrolls arises out of the fact that the debate between the two salient theories of Scroll origins -- the Qumran-Essene theory and the theory of Jerusalem origin -- is featured in a current exhibit at the Jewish Museum in New York. By contrast, most museums in past exhibits have largely concealed this debate from the public. The Royal Ontario Museum, which has a reputation for scientific integrity, now is faced with the problem of presenting a balanced and accurate exhibition."[10] <http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_scrolls#cite_note-9> The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers reported on the featuring of the scholarly debate over the Scrolls' origins in the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit held at the Jewish Museum in New York in the Autumn of 2008.[11] <http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_scrolls#cite_note-10> Why does a student in your department, who was personally involved in the exhibit at the center of this controversy, keep deleting this information? Is this normal conduct for a UCLA doctoral candidate? |
From: "kaufman.emily1" <kaufman.emily1@gmail.com>
And one of you apparently forwarded these messages to him, because he's talking about them too with his usual arrogance. Are you familiar with the concept of tyranny? Didn't any of you ever hear of standing aside when you are personally involved in a controversy? Don't you consider this your responsibility, that a student in your department is engaged in such conduct? Don't you feel you should sit down with him and have a gentle word or two about the matter? And he will succeed, of course, in blocking the information with his false and abusive claims. Does that make you feel good? Is that what UCLA is all about? Petty loyalties at the expense of basic principles of academic responsibility? |
Original Message
Incidentally, on your bio page, I would recommend that you say where you received your degrees, otherwise it does not sound serious (cf. what I had to say about Zias and Fields in the article, although their cases are much worse). http://www.nowpublic.com/christian_fundamentalism_and_dead_sea_scrolls_san_diego |
The following letter was sent from alias "Robert Dworkin" to a member of the board of the San Diego Natural History Museum.
The return address was:
362 32nd St. Union City, NJ 07087
The letter was not signed, but listed the sender as:
Robert Dworkin
robertdworkin@gmail.com
CLICK HERE FOR A .PDF OF ALIAS "ROBERT DWORKIN'S LETTER TO A SDNHM BOARD MEMBER
| Dear Mr. XXXXX, I was dismayed to learn, from comments made by two popular biblical studies websites, that the San Diego Natural History Museum has chosen, in its upcoming Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, to give short shrift to the prominent Jerusalem theory of Scroll origins--one of two salient theories defended today in scholarly publications. Turning to the Museum's website in the hope of seeing these statements refuted, I was stunned to see that not a single known supporter of the Jerusalem theory has been invited to participate in the lecture series accompanying the exhibit. Adding insult to a decision that can only have been motivated by the personal animus of the exhibit's curators, one of the scheduled lectures is entitled "Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?" This, of course, is the title of historian Norman Golb's well-known book; yet, as stated, neither professor Golb nor any other supporter of the Jerusalem theory has been invited to speak. The description of the scheduled lecture makes it clear that the speaker will, in part, be describing Golb's views and no doubt commenting on them, yet neither Golb nor any other supporters of those views will have the opportunity to tell their side of the story. I believe it is the Board of Trustee's duty to judge whether this course of conduct is appropriate, and to act accordingly. I am sending you the enclosed documents in case you wish to try and understand the anger that I and other informed people are now feeling towards your Museum. They are divided into three categories: (1) Two articles by Golb posted on the University of Chicago website concerning the manner in which the Dead Sea Scrolls are being presented in current exhibits (in one of which articles the specifically questions the Natural history Museum's scientific conduct); for background, the preface, by the editor of the Aspen Institute Quarterly, to an earlier article by Golb (on the "Ethics of Museology") also posted there; and some other material concerning this remarkable scholar. (2) A review of Golb's book by Professor Gregory Armstrong, including his statement that "what is most distressing here is the reluctance [described by Golb] of so many parties to the scrolls controversy... to engage in a full and free discussion of the many questions [involved]." This statement was meant to apply to the situation described in Golb's book, but it is equally applicable to what appears to be happening today in San Diego, in an institution ostensibly devoted to "educating" the public. (3) A sampling of comments published on several news and biblical studies websites concerning the Museum's conduct. Finally, I have added a few other items that are largely self-explanatory. Throughout, I have added some marginal markings to point your attention to the most significant details. In the hope you will find fruit for thought in this material, I am Sincerely yours, Robert Dworkin robertdworkin@gmail.com |
From: Steve Frankel [ mailto:steve.frankel2@gmail.com ]
Gentlemen, A short while ago, I mailed the following to the chairman of your department from a friend's email address, with a blind copy to all of you. Please address any correspondence to me at the above email. Now we will see if Dr. Carter takes any action on this matter or hushes it up. Best, S. Frankel
As an alumnus of UCLA, I write to you concerning an important, but delicate matter. It has come to my attention that Robert Cargill, a graduate student of Dr. William Schniedewind in your department, recently produced a "virtual reality" film on Khirbet Qumran, which was shown to some 450,000 visitors attending the San Diego Natural History Museum's controversial exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls. According to published accounts, this film (funded with $100,000 from Stephen Spielberg's Holocaust fund) presents Dr. Schniedewind's views on Qumran, and in doing so distorts the current state of research in this field of studies, making many demonstrably false claims, treating disputed interpretations as facts and defending an old, and widely disputed, theory of Dead Sea Scroll origins without informing the public of the reasons why an entire series of major researchers, including the officially appointed Israel Antiquities Authority team led by Drs. Yitzhak Magen and Yuval Peleg, have now rejected that theory. This becomes abundantly clear in a review of the film by Universityof Chicago historian Norman Golb, published on the Oriental Institute website (see http://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/san_diego_virtual_reality_2007.pdf). My concern is as follows. I have scoured the internet in vain for any response by Dr. Schniedewind or Mr. Cargill to this detailed critique of their film. But I have read that the preparation of the film has been a key focal point of Mr. Cargill's work towards his Ph.D. The accumulation of transparently erroneous and mendacious statements made throughout the film, documented in Dr. Golb's article and clearly designed to mislead the public, can hardly be called an example of ethical conduct on the part of a doctoral candidate. If it were merely a question of Dr. Schniedewind failing to answer criticisms of his views, one could write it off as another example of a typical academic dispute, but in this case we are dealing with a graduate student, and with basic standards of scholarship that obviously must be met; questions that those who adhere to such standards would rightly expect to be raised at a dissertation defense; etc. For example, in marginal correspondence that is apparently part of his unpublished film script, Mr. Cargill refers to a "reason" justifying one of his statements that he is careful "never to write down" (see Dr. Golb's article for details). One cannot but wonder whether those attending Mr. Cargill's dissertation defense will carefully question him as to precisely what this reason is that, in violation of all canons of scholarship, he never writes down. Ultimately, I feel that I have no choice but to ask: What is UCLA going to do to ensure that Mr. Cargill provides a candid explanation of his behavior with respect to this film? Will steps will be taken to ensure that he responds to Dr. Golb's criticisms, corrects his false statements and issues a public apology for having misled 450,000 people? Will Mr. Cargill be allowed to receive a Ph.D. for work of this quality, in the face of an unanswered refutation published for all to see by an influential historian teaching at theUniversity of Chicago? I conclude that we appear to be dealing with a serious issue here that should be dealt with forcefully and responsibly, to avoid the risk of its being raised by various parties at Mr. Cargill's dissertation defense, as well as the even more upsetting likelihood of hearing that it has been raised with the university administration and local newspapers. With best regards, Steve Frankel |
From: Joshua Reznick To: Professor Elizabeth Carter, Chair, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages, UCLA Dear Professor Carter, I learned today, from a pair of postings on the ANE-2 site, as well as from an article posted on the IIDB site, that the members of a research team working out of your department have been using ideas and techniques initially developed by Ferdinand Rohrhirsch (Katholische Universität Eichstaett) without giving him credit, claiming instead that they have made "the world's first" computer-generated film on Khirbet Qumran. See the postings at http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=239497, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ANE-2/message/7746 and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ANE-2/message/7749. This impression seems to be confirmed by UCLA's "Virtual Qumran" website (see http://www.nelc.ucla.edu/qumran/about.html As indicated on ANE-2, Dr. Schniedewind's student Robert Cargill received $100,000 from the Righteous Persons foundation in 2006 to cover the production costs of the UCLA film. Given the way this film has been presented to the public, are we to assume that Mr. Spielberg, when he consented to the grant, was under the impression that the UCLA project would be the "world's first" of its type? What is more, a similar film dated 2002 (four years before the Spielberg grant) is also available on the University of the Holy Land (UHL) site. This film, too, is not mentioned on the UCLA site, but it is not clear if it is the work product of someone at UHL or of some collaboration between UHL and Dr. Schniedewind, since the latter is known to have been affiliated with UHL (an affiliation which itself, I might add, appears to violate UCLA regulations). Allow me to express my hope that your department will come forward with a candid statement on the appropriateness of the Schniedewind/Cargill presentation ("world's first", no mention of either of the previous films), providing, if necessary, details on the substance and dates of any correspondence that Dr. Schniedewind may have had with Dr. Rohrhirsch and/or anyone at the University of the Holy Land concerning these films, so that the public can form a proper understanding of the sequence of events and claims being made. With best wishes, Josh Reznick |
From: Steve Frankel [ mailto:steve.frankel2@gmail.com ] Dear members of the Department of Near Eastern Languages, As a follow-up to my recent letter, I must now write to point out that a member of your department, Dr. William Schniedewind, apparently served on the board of advisors (and as adjunct professor) at the University of the Holy Land (UHL) until just a few months ago. See this web page and scroll down: http://cached-holy-land.blogspot.com/2007/10/did-william-schniedewind-serve-on-board.html Furthermore, while it seems that Dr. Schniedewind's name has now disappeared from UHL's website, the "Virtual Reality" film being promoted on your departmental website, co-authored by Dr. Schniedewind and his student Robert Cargill, is still being promoted on the UHL site as well, see http://www.uhl.ac/Qumran3D/Qumran3D.html All of this obliges me to ask: is it appropriate for a UCLA faculty member to have such an affiliation with an Evangelical Christian educational institution? After all, UCLA is a secular, state-run institution, and UHL is an academic organization (and not simply a church); doesn't this pose a problem with respect to the United States Constitution and UCLA's own policies? Has Dr. Schniedewind's affiliation with the University of the Holy Land been the subject of an investigation in your department? With best wishes, Steve Frankel |
From: larry schiffman <larry.schiffman@gmail.com <mailto:larry.schiffman@gmail.com>
Apparently, someone is intent on exposing a minor failing of mine that dates back almost fifteen years ago. You are not to mention the name of the scholar in question to any of our students, and every effort must be made to prevent this article from coming to their attention. This is my career at stake. I hope you will all understand. http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/plagiarism-and-dead-sea-scrolls-did-nyu-professor-snitch-chicago-historians-work <http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/plagiarism-and-dead-sea-scrolls-did-nyu-professor-snitch-chicago-historians-work> Lawrence Schiffman |
From: Steven Fishbane <steven.fishbane@gmail.com> Dear Dr. Schiffman, I have read the "plagiarism and misrepresentation" allegations concerning you on the Nowpublic site, at http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/plagiarism-and-dead-sea-scrolls-did-nyu-department-chairman-pilfer-chicago-historian-s-work. If, as I suspect, the author of this outrageous piece is Jeffrey Gibson of Chicago, then you are dealing with an agent provocateur driven by his own academic failure, whose basic motivation is hatred of Golb, and whose aim is simply to stir further resentment among scholars. As someone who has had a certain amount of experience with such matters in the past, may I offer a word of advice? You may wish to register with the Nowpublic site (it's free, takes just a few minutes and you can use any alias you like) and contact the author by private email, proposing to issue a statement of some sort if he is willing to take down the article and discontinue his efforts. This type of suggestion often does the trick, because those who produce such pieces are usually frustrated individuals looking for some type of personal recognition. You may wish to propose saying, for example, that these are times of great developments in scrolls research; that the time has come for scholars to put their quarrels behind them; that you yourself, in the heat of great polemics, said certain things that you regret; that we must recognize the contribution of all scholars, etc. I know this may be an unpalatable suggestion, but I recommend it nonetheless because I have seen these things start with a few hundred readers and boomerang all over the internet until they are picked up by mainstream news sources. If you are indeed dealing with Gibson, this is even more likely, given the man's skill at using aliases, the contacts he seems to have around the country, and his in-depth knowledge of the internet. With best wishes, |
From: David Kaplan [ mailto:david88kaplan@gmail.com ] Dear Dean Stowell, As an alumnus of Berkely who has a great deal of respect for UCLA, I feel it is my duty to draw your attention to a polemic<http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:IsraelXKV8R/Sandbox>directed against a Jewish scholar, posted on the internet by one Robert Cargill, who presents himself as an adjunct professor and recent recipient of a Ph.D. from the UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages. Dr. Cargill's curriculim vitae, posted on his website<http://www.bobcargill.com/>, states that he is a Christian minister and former senior manager at Christianity.com, and that he currently teaches not only at UCLA, but also at a Christian college called Azuza Pacific<http://www.apu.edu/about/faith/>. The curriculum explains that Dr. Cargill received his doctoral degree not for research of a philological, linguistic or historical nature (as one might perhaps expect in a department of Near Eastern Languages), but for a computer-generated modeling project presenting a reconstruction of the archaeological site of Qumran. Now if you look at the polemic posted by Dr. Cargill, you will see that it presents itself as a serious investigation into a variety of internet postings, all of which -- or so Dr. Cargill claims, without any clear substantiating proof that I can make out, apart from the mere fact that he has assembled them -- are the writings of one individual. But when one begins to give this material a closer read, it quickly becomes apparent that Dr. Cargill's true aim is to attack, by association and innuendo, a well-known Jewish scholar. Thus, Dr. Cargill's central claimi is that "the alias 'Charles Gadda' is one of over 60 anonymous internet aliases dedicated to the advocacy and defense of the academic theories of Dr. Norman Golb, the Ludwig Rosenberger Professor of Jewish History and Civilization at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute." Then he concludes that "all of the material you see here is the product of one individual. This puppet master is highly knowledgeable of the theories, life, history, and publications ... of Dr. Norman Golb of the University of Chicago's distinguished Oriental Institute. This individual has created over 60 aliases that have all been employed in the defense and promotion of the views of Dr. Norman Golb. Additionally, this individual has spared no effort in attempting to defame, discredit, and attack any and all scholars that disagree with Dr. Golb." The problem with these assertions, is that they are nearly all quite visibly unsubstantiated and untrue. For example, follow Dr. Cargill's links to the page of articles <http://www.nowpublic.com/user/111280/assignments> posted by "Charles Gadda." This author is apparently concerned with various manifestations of anti-semitism in our intellectual culture. There is, for example, an article entitled Antisemitism and the Dead Sea Scrolls<http://www.nowpublic.com/health/antisemitism-and-dead-sea-scrolls>, which briefly cites an editorial by Dr. Golb among other sources, but can hardly be described as "dedicated to the advocacy and defense of the academic theories of Dr. Norman Golb." Another article by the same author is entitled Full-page New York Times Ad Sneers at Jews<http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/full-page-new-york-times-ad-sneers-jews>, and does not appear to cite Dr. Golb at all. Idem for the Peddling of Religious Sensationalism in America<http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/jesus-judas-and-dead-sea-scrolls-peddling-religious-sensationalism-america>. One article is critical of Sarah Palin. Still others appear to be critical of a series of exhibitions dealing with the Dead Sea Scrolls; the point the author is apparently seeking to make is that, in his view, the exhibitions have failed to accurately present "current research" -- not merely of Dr. Golb, but of all kinds of Israeli scholars as well, who the author enumerates and to whose writings he provides links and references. What is not clear, is how any of this amounts to a "dedication to the defense and promotion" of Dr. Golb's views, or how it demonstrates a knowledge of Dr. Golb's "life" and "history." Unfortunately, Dr. Cargill's distorted presentation of the information he has gathered makes it quite clear that his goal here is not to establish the truth, but specifically to smear the reputation of one of our nation's principal Jewish scholars, by somehow associating him, through unproven innuendos and suggestions, with controversial internet postings. I for one find it peculiar and discomfiting to read material in such poor taste, coming from a person who presents himself as a Christian scholar associated with both UCLA and Azuza Pacific. Furthermore, since the attack is of a gratuitous, obsessive and indeed somewhat irrational nature, one must wonder whether the zealous young man who posted it has not risked damaging his career in doing so. What were his motivations? In this regard, it must be hoped that Dr. Cargill, the former senior manager at Christianity.com, did not post this information for a member of the Near Eastern Languages department at UCLA, and that his departmental advisers will counsel him on whether he should associate himself, and by consequence UCLA, with this type of hateful personal polemic. Finally, I also feel obliged to point out to you that Azuza Pacific has issued a "faith statement," which you can read at the link I provided above. Here is a brief excerpt: "We believe in the ... total moral depravity of humanity, resulting in our exceeding sinfulness and lost estate, and necessitating our regeneration by the Holy Spirit." The statement says that Azuza "expects faculty and staff not only to believe in such tenets, but to practice them in daily living." I assume that UCLA takes steps to ensure that Christian ministers such as Dr. Cargill do not "practice" such tenets in their adjunct classes at UCLA, but you may wish to consider this as well. Yours sincerely, |
From: Jonathan Seidel Dear Dr. Kohn, I believe you may find this item of interest: http://michaelhagerspeaks.wordpress.com/ and, in particular, the article from Le Monde linked at the bottom of the page, which concludes with the sentence: "The ties between the Essenes … and Qumran have now been reduced to nothing, just as the major American historian and paleographer Norman Golb had already written." I would be curious to know your opinion: did the Jewish Museum in New York get it wrong about the "two basic theories"? Are all these news items about the "two principal theories" simply wrong? I would also be interested in knowing if you are planning to answer Golb's critique of your catalogue, which I read last night. See his review of the Jewish Museum exhibit too. It's all linked there on that page. Hoping to hear from you, With best wishes, Jonathan Seidel |
Dr. Norman Golb was written many items with regard to the traveling Dead Sea Scrolls exhibitions. He regularly posts these items on the Oriental Institute's website. Links to the website and the relevant items are listed below.
The Oriental Institute's THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS AND OTHER HEBREW MSS PROJECT
| Title | Author | Date Removed |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Article: A Readers' Guide To The Current New York Exhibition Of The Dead Sea Scrolls | by Norman Golb | |
| 2008 Article: A New Wrinkle in the Qumran “Yahad” Theory | by Norman Golb | |
Feb 26, 2009 |
||
| 2007 Article “The Dead Sea Scrolls As Treated In A Recently Published Catalogue” | by Norman Golb | |
| 2007 Article “Observations on the Ancient Tunnel Recently Discovered in Jerusalem” | by Norman Golb | |
| 2007 Article “Fact And Fiction In Current Exhibitions Of The Dead Sea Scrolls – A Critical Notebook for Viewers” | by Norman Golb | |
| 2007 Article: The Qumran-Essene Theory And Recent Strategies Employed In Its Defense | by Norman Golb | |
| 2006 Article: The Dead Sea Scrolls at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center | by Norman Golb |
In addition to the items posted on the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute website, Dr. Golb has also sent many signed letters in connection to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibitions. A select number of the obtained letters are listed below (and some are not). The contents of the letters are transcribed here on this page, and the link above the letter links to an image of the original letter.
CLICK HERE FOR A .PDF OF NORMAN GOLB'S SIGNED LETTER TO THE SDNHM
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations 26 October 2007 Dr. Michael W. Hager Dear Dr. Hager, The "virtual reality" show being presented at the current Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit contains several obviously misleading assertions. In addition, however, there is one passage that falsely attributes to other parties the view first explicated by me, that the Khirbet Qumran site was a Hasmonean fortress. I enclose herein a xerox copy of the first chapter of my book, Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? (Simon & Schuster, 1995/1996), wherein I developed this interpretation at length. (I had presented the skeletal form of this interpretation in an article published in the Proceedings of the American Philological Society in 1980.) While this interpretation was later on developed by Prof. Hirschfeld in several articles and in his 2004 book entitled Qumran in Context, and by other writers as well in recent years, all of the fundamental elements in the identification, as well as those elements leading up to it, can be found in my 1995 book. I do believe that this book is available in the San Diego libraries, the museum shop has also been carrying copies of it, and your staff in preparing the "virtual reality" show could surely without too much difficulty have determined whether there is any truth in the statement made by the script's author (p. 5 of the text) that Prof. Hirschfeld "developed Golb's suggestion into a theory." This obviously distorts the actual course of events, in effect hiding the fact that the original identification was made by an historian (myself) long before archaeologists came to it. Please note another statement of the author, at thie particular point in his corrective notes, apparently reflecting some secrecy or confidential agreement in the matter. I obviously have to protect myself against the efforts of those individuals who have foisted a wholly one-sided exhibit on the museum and in the process suppressed and distorted the facts concerning my research, and that of others, on the Scrolls. The other mendacious elements in this "virtual reality" show can be taken up later. Would you, in the meanwhile, be good enough to inform me of the Museum's intention respecting these statements -- not innocent mistakes but, as shown by the notes, demonstrably intended to misinform the public as to the nature of my research -- which I've now regrettably been obliged to bring to your attention? Cordially yours, Norman Golb |
CLICK HERE FOR A .PDF OF NORMAN GOLB'S SIGNED LETTER TO THE UCLA PROVOST
16 Nov. 2007 n-golb@uchicago.edu Prof. Scott L. Waugh Dear Prof. Waugh, According to the President and CEO of the San Diego Natural History Museum, a "Virtual Reality Tour," which is appended to the exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls now being presented there, was prepared not at the museum but entirely by unnamed parties at UCLA. (See attached copies of [a] my letter to the president and [b] his reply of 29 October.) I would be most grateful if, with the assistance of your staff, you or the appropriate staff member designated by you would indicate to me who were the university parties engaged in preparing this presentation, and if it was indeed totally created at UCLA without active cooperation between the two institutions. Insofar as my name appears in the working copy of the text now in my possession, and in a way which demonstrably distorts my role in the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship, I have no choice but to deal with the ethical implications of the initiative in question. I am dismayed to learn that efforts of the kind necessarily implied in the working text of the presentation at issue (copy enclosed) may have been carried out at such a distinguished graduate university as UCLA is. With cordial good wishes, and in the hope of receiving further information on this matter through your collegial aid, I am Very cordially yours, Norman Golb |
More Dead Sea Scrolls controversy Re: Controversy Dogs Dead Sea Scrolls, letter to the editor, Nov. 19. Michael W. Hager, the president and CEO of the San Diego Natural History Museum, claims that "untraceable e-mails" sent to the museum's board made "unfounded claims [about the Dead Sea Scrolls] ... citing Norman Golb as an expert" and that I "ignited [a] "controversy" at that museum which "was quickly seen for what it was." I am unaware of any facts supporting these unusual assertions. My own work on the Scrolls has to do with their philological and historical analysis based on the present accumulation of tangible evidence. My only contributions to the debate over the San Diego exhibit were my analysis, found on the University of Chicago Web site, and an appendix. Regrettably, the museum chose to remain silent in the face of the various criticisms raised in those documents, which I offered as a gesture of public service and concern over the scientific legitimacy of the exhibit. The genuine controversy now unfolding about the scrolls arises out of the fact that the debate between the two salient theories of Scroll origins -- the Qumran-Essene theory and the theory of Jerusalem origin -- is featured in a current exhibit at the Jewish Museum in New York. By contrast, most museums in past exhibits have largely concealed this debate from the public. The Royal Ontario Museum, which has a reputation for scientific integrity, now is faced with the problem of presenting a balanced and accurate exhibition. Norman Golb, author of Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?, Rosenberger Professor of Jewish History and Civililzation, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. |
All of the material you see here is the product of one individual. This puppet master is highly knowledgeable of the academic life, theories, history, and publications - both in print and online - of Dr. Norman Golb of the University of Chicago's distinguished Oriental Institute. This individual has created over 80 aliases that have all been employed in the defense and promotion of the views of Dr. Golb. Additionally, this individual has spared no effort in attempting to defame, discredit, and attack scholars that disagree with Dr. Golb. Using wild accusations and ad hominem attacks, the puppet master has attempted to cast aspersions upon all scholars disagreeing with Dr. Golb, always careful never to formally accuse, but always to frame each insinuation in the form of a hypothetical or question.
The puppet master lives in New York City, New York, and regularly utilizes the NYU Bobst Library to continue his campaign online. Additionally, the original IP address traces to a building very near to NYU. Thus, it is clear that alias "Charles Gadda" is not Dr. Norman Golb (who lives in Chicago). Therefore, the questions one must ask are as follows:
These are questions I cannot answer with my simple public domain tools. These questions must be left for those with far greater authority than I possess to answer. Until then, I make no accusations. I shall simply continue to document the overwhelming evidence that points to the simple conclusion that alias "Charles Gadda" and the other aliases are all the product of a single individual committed to the defense and promotion of the views of Dr. Norman Golb and to the systematic defamation of all scholars who oppose him.
The page above takes special caution not to accuse anyone of anything. The purpose of this site is to present evidence demonstrating that all of the above named aliases are, in fact, the product of a single individual. No accusation is made regarding the identity of the individual.
![]() Raphael Golb rejects no-jail plea offer in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday, Aug. 6, 2010. |
On Mar 5, 2009, the Manhattan District Attorney's office issued and executed a search warrant for the home of Raphael Haim Golb, University of Chicago Professor Norman Golb's son. According to a news release form the District Attorney's office, "RAPHAEL HAIM GOLB was arrested on charges of identity theft, criminal impersonation and aggravated harassment. The crimes in the Criminal Court Complaint occurred during the period of July to December of 2008." Thus, New York authorities have decided that they have compiled enough evidence to charge Norman Golb's son, Raphael Golb, with the criminal impersonation of Dr. Lawrence Schiffman. If this is the case, then based upon the evidence above, which links the alias "Larry Schiffman" (which was involved in the impersonation of the real Larry Schiffman) to all the other aliases (including earliest known alias, "Raphael"), the puppet master committed to the promotion and defense of the theories of University of Chicago Professor Norman Golb may very well be none other than his own son, Raphael Golb. However, for the purposes of this page, Raphael Golb will be considered innocent until proven guilty.
Raphael Golb was released on his own recognizance on Mar 6, 2009.
- "I am unaware of any facts supporting these unusual assertions."
Rather than addressing whether or not he had knowledge of or participation in the puppet master's campaign, Dr. Golb carefully stated that he was unaware of any evidence supporting the assertion that he might be involved with the campaign.
Reached at his office in Chicago on Thursday afternoon, Professor Golb said he was shocked at the allegations leveled against his son, who is a real estate lawyer and has a Ph.D in comparative literature from Harvard.
“My son is an honorable person,” Professor Golb said. “He could not have done such a thing.”
Professor Golb said that opposing scholars had tried to quash his views over the years through tactics like barring him from Dead Sea Scrolls exhibitions. He said he saw the criminal charges as another attack on his work.
“Don’t you see how there was kind of a setup?” he said. “This was to hit me harder.”
Norman Golb defended his son, who has a doctorate in literature from Harvard and a law degree from NYU.
"I don't think he's guilty of anything besides telling the truth about the Dead Sea Scrolls," said Norman Golb, adding that he has been blackballed from the lecture circuit.
"This has everything to do with the politics of the scrolls"
"The fact of the matter is that if I understand it, Raphael was responding to the attacks on me," Golb said from his university office. "I suppose my son felt it was important to get things straight." He added: "This has everything to do with the politics of the scrolls."
Golb's father became short of breath when he was told of his son's arrest yesterday. "I can't believe this. I can't. This is horrible," he said on the phone from Chicago.
He said his son, who has a law degree from NYU and a Ph.D. from Harvard, "would never impersonate professor Schiffman or anyone else."
"My dear son. He's such a brilliant young man. He wouldn't lie like this, first of all. There is something that's been trumped up here," he said.
Golb said he knew his son was a vigorous proponent of his views and would write blogs defending him and disagreeing with Schiffman.
"It was honest, straightforward debate," he said.
|
|
|
When taken in conjunction with Dr. Golb's posts on the Oriental Institute web site, it appears that Norman Golb and his son were working in a coordinated manner; Norman Golb would post a critical article on the Oriental Institute web site, alias "Charles Gadda" would then post an article on NowPublic pointing to Norman Golb's Oriental Institute post, and then Raphael Golb would use other aliases to smear and criticize his fathers opponents, drawing attention to both the NowPublic articles and to Norman Golb's Oriental Institute posts. Likewise, Norman Golb would write signed letters to museum officials and university personnel in his own name. These letters would be supplemented by letters from his son, Raphael, using various aliases described above. The Manhattan District Attorney's office has again declined to comment as to whether or not Dr. Norman Golb is also under investigation in the case against his son, Raphael. It bears repeating that everything stated above regarding the identity of the puppet master comes not from the present author, nor from any investigation, nor from the New York District Attorney's office, but from the very mouth of Norman Golb in interviews to the press. That is, University of Chicago Professor Norman Golb has allegedly admitted in his own words to knowledge of the identity of the puppet master behind alias "Charles Gadda", and knowledge of his son's campaign, including his use of aliases - a campaign which he has continued to defend in interviews with the press to this day. |
Further response from Norman Golb will be logged here. This site is a work in progress. |
Press about the Arrest of Raphael GolbNew York County District Attorney's Office |
| PRESS ABOUT THE ARREST | ||||
| Publication | Author | Title | URL | Date |
| Manhattan DA's Office | News Release | http://manhattanda.org/whatsnew/press/2009-03-05.shtml | Mar 5, 2009 | |
| Newsday | Samuel Maull | Dead Sea Scrolls scholar's son arrested in NY | http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--arrest-deadseascr0305mar05,0,4034633.story | Mar 5, 2009 |
| Jim West's Blog | Jim West | The Cargill Strikes Back | http://jwest.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/the-cargill-strikes-back/ | Mar 5, 2009 |
| Washington Square News | Sergio Hernandez | NYU alumnus arrested on charges of impersonating NYU prof | http://www.nyunews.com/news/university/nyu_alum_arrested_for_impersonating_nyu_prof-1.1598042 | Mar 5, 2009 |
| Thoughts on Antiquity | Chris Weimer | Charles Gadda/Raphael Golb Arrested! | http://neonostalgia.com/weblog/?p=537 | Mar 5, 2009 |
| NY Times | John Eligon | Identity-Theft Arrest in Dispute Over Dead Sea Scrolls | http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/nyregion/06scrolls.html?_r=1 | Mar 5, 2009 |
| New York Daily News | Melissa Grace | Dead Sea Scrolls stir cyberhoax: West Village attorney in forgery rap | http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/03/05/2009-03-05_dead_sea_scrolls_stir_cyberhoax_west_vil-1.html | Mar 5, 2009 |
| National Post | Adrian Humphreys | 'Curse of the scrolls' | http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=1362889 | Mar 5, 2009 |
| Associated Press | Dead Sea Scrolls scholar's son arrested in US | http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=884804&lang=eng_news | Mar 5, 2009 | |
| BBC News | NY arrest in Dead Sea Scrolls row | http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7927484.stm | Mar 6, 2009 | |
| Jim West's Blog | Jim West | The Arrest of Raphael Golb | http://jwest.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/the-arrest-of-raphael-golb/ | Mar 6, 2009 |
| Reuters | Edith Honan | Man charged with impersonating Dead Sea Scroll experts | http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKTRE52503E20090306 | Mar 6, 2009 |
| Jerusalem Post | Marilyn Henry | Dead Sea Scrolls scholar's son harasses rival | http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1236269357365&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull | Mar 6, 2009 |
| Chronicle of Higher Education | Steve Kolowich | Harassment of Dead Sea Scroll Scholars Leads to Arrest of Professor's Son | http://chronicle.com/daily/2009/03/13090n.htm | Mar 6, 2009 |
| Higgaion | Chris Heard | Online harassment and the Dead Sea scrolls | http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=1214 | Mar 6, 2009 |
| Culture, Music, and Language | Michael Carroll | Identity Theft and Morons: Raphael and Norman Golb Seek the Dead Sea Scrolls | http://culturemusiclanguage.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/identity-theft-and-morons/ | Mar 6, 2009 |
| National Post | Chris Boutet | Transcript: Q&A with Dr. Risa Levitt Kohn on Dead Sea Scrolls controversy | http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2009/03/06/transcript-q-amp-a-with-dr-risa-levitt-kohn-on-dead-sea-scrolls-controversy.aspx | Mar 6, 2009 |
| New York Post | Laura Italiano | 'Dead' Man Walking from Jail | http://www.nypost.com/seven/03072009/news/regionalnews/dead_man_walking_from_jail_158382.htm | Mar 7, 2009 |
| Chicago Tribune | Jodi S. Cohen | U. of C. scholar's son charged with identity theft, harassment | http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-dead-sea-scam-07-mar07,0,6586030.story | Mar 7, 2009 |
| New York Post | Ginger Adams Otis | Parting 'Dead Sea': Mystery Web Gadfly May Be Scholar's Busted Son | http://www.nypost.com/seven/03082009/news/nationalnews/parting_dead_sea_158606.htm | Mar 8, 2009 |
| Jim West's Blog | Jim West | Norman Golb's Shocking Excuse | http://jwest.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/norman-golbs-shocking-excuse/ | Mar 12, 2009 |
| Chronicle of Higher Education | Steve Kolowich | Academic 'Cyberbully' Is Accused of Harassing Judaic Researchers | http://chronicle.com/daily/2009/03/13632n.htm | Mar 12, 2009 |
| Mark Goodacre's NT Blog | Mark Goodacre | The Ethics and the Practicalities of Blogging in the wake of the Raphael Golb affair | http://ntweblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/ethics-and-practicalities-of-blogging.html | Mar 13, 2009 |
| Ha'aretz | Ofri Ilani | Dead Sea Scrolls scholar defends son arrested for impersonating rival | http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070455.html | Mar 13, 2009 |
| Chicago Maroon | Sara Jerome | Dead Sea Scrolls Scandal | http://www.chicagomaroon.com/2009/6/1/dead-sea-scrolls-scandal | June 1, 2009 |
| Newsday | Associated Press | Dead Sea Scrolls scholar's son indicted in NY | http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--deadseascrolls0611jun11,0,1859353.story | June 11, 2009 |
| New York Post | Laura Italiano | 'DEAD SEA SCAMMER' IN DEEP | http://www.nypost.com/seven/06122009/news/regionalnews/dead_sea_scammer_in_deep_173828.htm | June 12, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | new online legal tool helps you track criminal cases | http://robertcargill.com/2009/07/28/new-online-legal-tool-helps-you-track-criminal-cases/ | July 28, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | top 10 strangest cases of identity theft | http://robertcargill.com/2009/09/06/top-10-strangest-cases-of-identity-theft/ | Sept. 6, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | update in the new york vs. raphael golb identity theft case | http://robertcargill.com/2009/09/24/update-in-the-new-york-vs-raphael-golb-identity-theft-case/ | Sept. 24, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | 8 months later: bar finally ‘reports’ on the golb scandal | http://robertcargill.com/2009/10/30/8-months-later-bar-finally-reports-on-the-golb-scandal/ | Oct. 30, 2009 |
| Associated Press | Lawyer claims parodies, pranks at risk in Dead Sea Scrolls case | http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=22283 | Nov 6, 2009 | |
| New York Times | Jim Dwyer | 2,000-Year-Old Scrolls, Internet-Era Crime | http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/nyregion/08about.html | Nov 6, 2009 |
| Associated Press | Jennifer Peltz | NY case spotlights Dead Sea Scrolls, fake e-mail | http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091107/ap_on_re_us/us_dead_sea_scrolls | Nov 7, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | on recent news about the ‘cloak and browser’ case against raphael golb | http://robertcargill.com/2009/11/08/on-recent-news-about-the-cloak-and-browser-case-against-raphael-golb/ | Nov. 8, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | update: golb’s motion to dismiss the charges against him available online | http://robertcargill.com/2009/11/09/update-golbs-motion-to-dismiss-the-charges-against-him-available-online/ | Nov. 9, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | new aliases popping up surrounding the criminal investigation of raphael golb | http://robertcargill.com/2009/11/10/new-aliases-popping-up-surrounding-the-criminal-investigation-of-raphael-golb/ | Nov. 10, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | oh... so you were just kidding this whole time | http://robertcargill.com/2009/12/10/oh-so-you-were-just-kidding-this-whole-time/ | Dec. 10, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | on false accusations of anti-semitism in the academy | http://robertcargill.com/2009/12/15/on-false-accusations-of-anti-semitism-in-the-academy/ | Dec. 15, 2009 |
| Bible and Interpretation | Robert R. Cargill | On False Accusations of Anti-Semitism within the Academy | http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/false3141515.shtml | Dec. 15, 2009 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | if you’re not guilty, why offer to plead guilty? | http://robertcargill.com/2009/12/17/if-youre-not-guilty-why-offer-to-plead-guilty/ | Jan 17, 2010 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | text of raphael golb’s police interview immediately following his arrest | http://robertcargill.com/2009/12/17/text-of-raphael-golb-police-interview-immediately-following-his-arrest/ | Jan 17, 2010 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | highlights from raphael golb’s initial police interview | http://robertcargill.com/2009/12/18/highlights-from-raphael-golbs-initial-police-interview/ | Jan 18, 2010 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | court documents say norman golb may have been involved in the raphael golb dead sea scrolls scandal | http://robertcargill.com/2009/12/18/court-documents-say-norman-golb-may-have-been-involved-in-the-raphael-golb-dead-sea-scrolls-scandal/ | Jan 18, 2010 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | details of raphael golb’s impersonation of lawrence schiffman | http://robertcargill.com/2009/12/18/details-of-raphael-golbs-impersonation-of-lawrence-schiffman/ | Jan 18, 2010 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | bombshell: ny da’s response to raphael golb’s motion to dismiss charges and suppress evidence | http://robertcargill.com/2010/01/28/bombshell-ny-das-response-to-raphael-golbs-motion-to-dismiss-charges-and-suppress-evidence/ | Jan 28, 2010 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | court docs detail raphael golb’s harassment of robert cargill | http://robertcargill.com/2010/01/29/court-docs-detail-raphael-golbs-harassment-of-robert-cargill/ | Jan 29, 2010 |
| Inside Higher Ed | Quick Takes: New Twist in Dead Sea Scrolls Case | http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/02/01/qt/new_twist_in_dead_sea_scrolls_case | Feb 1, 2010 | |
| Chicago Maroon | Ilana Kowarski | E-mails in Scrolls case may implicate prof | http://www.chicagomaroon.com/2010/2/16/e-mails-in-scrolls-case-may-implicate-prof | Feb 16, 2010 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | chicago maroon: e-mails in dead sea scrolls case may implicate prof norman golb | http://robertcargill.com/2010/02/16/chicago-maroon-e-mails-in-dead-sea-scrolls-case-may-implicate-prof-norman-golb/ | Feb 16, 2010 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | denied! golb case heads to trial | http://robertcargill.com/2010/02/25/denied-golb-case-heads-to-trial/ | Feb 25, 2010 |
| THE CHARGES AGAINST RAPHAEL GOLB (available at ecourts) | ||||
CHARGE |
DATE |
CHARGE |
SUMMARY |
VERDICT (Sept. 30, 2010) |
| 1. | 7/1/2008 - 12/31/2008 | PL 190.79(3). Identity theft in the second degree (E-CLASS FELONY) (1 count) |
Assumed identity of Lawrence Schiffinan and committed/attempted to commit felony of Scheme to Defraud 1st Degree. (**TOP CHARGE**) | GUILTY |
| 2. | 7/1/2008 - 12/31/2008 | PL 190.79(3). Identity theft in the second degree (E-CLASS FELONY) (1 count) |
Assumed identity of Lawrence Schiffinan and commited/attempted to commit felony of Falsifying Business Records 1st Degree | GUILTY |
| 3. | 8/1/2008 - 12/31/2008 | PL 240.30(l)(a) Aggravated harassment in the second degree (1 count) |
Aggravated harassment of Dr. Lawrence Shiffman | GUILTY |
| 4. | 8/3/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Created larry.schiffman@gmail.com email account | Dismissed |
| 5. | 8/3/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Created larry.schiffman@gmail.com email account | GUILTY |
| 6. | 8/4/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffrnan@gmail.com to Dr. Schiffman's students | Dismissed |
| 7. | 8/4/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffrnan@gmail.com to Dr. Schiffman's students | GUILTY |
| 8. | 8/4/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffrnan@gmail.com to Dr. Schiffman's students | GUILTY |
| 9. | 8/5/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to multiple NYU email addresses | Dismissed |
| 10. | 8/5/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to multiple NYU email addresses | GUILTY |
| 11. | 8/5/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to multiple NYU email addresses | GUILTY |
| 12. | 8/5/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to NYU Dean Stimpson | Dismissed |
| 13. | 8/5/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to NYU Dean Stimpson | GUILTY |
| 14. | 8/5/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to NYU Dean Stimpson | GUILTY |
| 15. | 8/5/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 Counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to NYU provost | Dismissed |
| 16. | 8/5/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to NYU provost | GUILTY |
| 17. | 8/5/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to NYU provost | GUILTY |
| 18. | 8/6/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 Counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to NYUNews.com, forwarding email from Provost office. | Dismissed |
| 19. | 8/6/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to NYUNews.com, forwarding email from Provost office. | GUILTY |
| 20. | 8/6/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from larry.schiffman@gmail.com to NYUNews.com, forwarding email from Provost office. | GUILTY |
| 21. | 11/22/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Created email account seidel.jonathan@gmail.com | Dismissed |
| 22. | 11/22/2008 | PL 190.25(4) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (E-CLASS FELONY) (1 count) |
Created email account seidel.jonathan@gmail.com | Dismissed |
| 23. | 11/22/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Created email account seidel.jonathan@gmail.com | GUILTY |
| 24. | 11/22/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com to Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) | Dismissed |
| 25. | 11/22/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com to Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) | GUILTY |
| 26. | 11/22/2008 | PL 190.25(4) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (E-CLASS FELONY) (1 count) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com to Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) | Dismissed |
| 27. | 11/22/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com to Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) | GUILTY |
| 28. | 11/24/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com to Risa Kohn (ROM's curator for Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit) | Dismissed |
| 29. | 11/24/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com to Risa Kohn (ROM's curator for Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit) | GUILTY |
| 30. | 11/24/2008 | PL 190.25(4) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (E-CLASS FELONY) (1 count) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com to Risa Kohn (ROM's curator for Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit) | Dismissed |
| 31. | 11/24/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com to Risa Kohn (ROM's curator for Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit) | GUILTY |
| 32. | 11/24/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com regarding Norman Golb | Dismissed |
| 33. | 11/24/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com regarding Norman Golb | GUILTY |
| 34. | 11/24/2008 | PL 190.25(4) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (E-CLASS FELONY) (1 count) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com regarding Norman Golb | Dismissed |
| 35. | 11/24/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com regarding Norman Golb | GUILTY |
| 36. | 12/6/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com regarding Stephen Goranson internet post | Dismissed |
| 37. | 12/6/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com regarding Stephen Goranson internet post | GUILTY |
| 38. | 12/6/2008 | PL 190.25(4) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (E-CLASS FELONY) (1 count) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com regarding Stephen Goranson internet post | Dismissed |
| 39. | 12/6/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from seidel.jonathan@gmail.com regarding Stephen Goranson internet post | GUILTY |
| 40. | 7/1/2008 - 12/31/2008 | PL240.30(l)(a) Aggravated harassment in the second degree (1 count) |
Aggravated Harassment of Stephen Goranson | GUILTY |
| 41. | 8/7/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Created email account steve.goranson@gmail.com | Dismissed |
| 42. | 8/7/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Created email account steve.goranson@gmail.com | GUILTY |
| 43. | 7/20/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Created email account frank.cross2@gmail.com | Dismissed |
| 44. | 7/20/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Created email account frank.cross2@gmail.com | GUILTY |
| 45. | 7/20/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from frank.cross2@gmail.com regarding Bart Ehrman and the Jewish Museum | GUILTY |
| 46. | 7/20/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Sent email from frank.cross2@gmail.com regarding Bart Ehrman and the Jewish Museum | GUILTY |
| 47. | 7/20/2008 | PL 170.05. Forgery in the third degree (18 counts) |
Sent email from frank.cross2@gmail.com regarding Bart Ehrman and the Jewish Museum | GUILTY |
| 48. | 6/1/2007 - 3/1/2009 | PL 240.30(l)(a) Aggravated harassment in the second degree (1 count) |
Aggravated harassment of Robert Cargill | GUILTY |
| 49. | 6/15/2008 | PL 190.78(2) Identity theft in the third degree (21 counts) |
Created email account gibson.jeffrey2@gmail.com | Dismissed |
| 50. | 6/15/2008 | PL 190.25(1) Criminal impersonation in the second degree (21 counts) |
Created email account gibson.jeffrey2@gmail.com | ACQUITTED |
| 51. | 7/1/2008 - 3/1/2009 | PL 156.05 Unauthorized use of a Computer (1 count) |
Unauthorized use of NYU computers to commit criminal offenses and otherwise in violation of NYU computer use policy | GUILTY |
Legal FilingsAs the trial proceedings progressed, Raphael Golb appeared to be taking advantage of the protected speech afforded him by the court process (witnesses cannot sue the defense for libelous, defamatory, and/or false claims made during the trial), and began making explicit, false claims against Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, whom he explicitly called a plagiarist, and Dr. Robert Cargill, whom he explicitly called anti-Semitic. Raphael Golb attempted to use his trial defense to put Dr. Schiffman on trial for plagiarism, as a referendum on his father's views on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and to further attack Dr. Cargill's character. Below are the legal filings made by the prosecution and the defense. |
| LEGAL FILINGS | ||||
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF A SEARCH WARRANT - WARRANT/ORDER SUPPORTED BY PROBABLE CAUSE | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/affidavit_support_search_warrant_jan12_golb.pdf | Jan 12, 2009 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | GRAND JURY OF THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK INDICTMENT OF RAPHAEL GOLB | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/grand_jury_indictment_golb.pdf | |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF AN APPLICATION FOR A SEARCH WARRANT | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/affidavit_support_application_search_warrant_mar2_golb.pdf | Mar 2, 2009 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | EXHIBIT B: SUMMARY OF DEFENDANT'S VIDEO STATEMENT |
http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/exhibit_b_summray_video_statement_golb.pdf | Mar 5, 2009 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | EXHIBIT C: PEDIGREE INFORMATION AND MIRANDA WAIVER FORM |
http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/exhibit_c_pedigree_miranda_golb.pdf | Mar 5, 2009 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | EXHIBIT D: SEARCH WARRANT RECEIPT/INVENTORY FORMS | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/exhibit_d_search_inventory_golb.pdf | Mar 5, 2009 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF A SEARCH WARRANT - WARRANT/ORDER SUPPORTED BY PROBABLE CAUSE | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/affidavit_support_search_warrant_apr16_golb.pdf | Apr 16, 2009 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | PEOPLE'S VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE FORM | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/peoples_voluntary_disclosure_golb.pdf | July 8, 2009 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | AFFIRMATION IN RESPONSE TO THE DEFENDANT'S OMNIBUS MOTION | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/affirmation_in_response_omnibus_golb.pdf | Sept 23, 2009 |
| Law Offices of Kuby and Breitbart | Ron Kuby | MOTION TO DISMISS | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/golb_motion_to_dismiss.pdf | Nov 7, 2009 |
| Law Offices of Kuby and Breitbart | Ron Kuby | MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE - SEARCH WARRANTS OF JAN 12, MAR 2, AND APR 16, 2009 | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/motion_to_suppress_search_warrant_golb.pdf | Dec 2, 2009 |
| Law Offices of Kuby and Breitbart | Ron Kuby | MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/motion_to_suppress_evidence.pdf | Dec 2, 2009 |
| Law Offices of Kuby and Breitbart | Ron Kuby | MOTION TO DISMISS COUNTS 3, 40, 48, and 51 | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/motion_to_dismiss_3_40_48_51.pdf | Dec 2, 2009 |
| Law Offices of Kuby and Breitbart | Ron Kuby | REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION ASKING WHETHER RAPHAEL GOLB MAY CREATE AND USE AN ALIAS TO RESPOND TO ROBERT CARGILL ANONYMOUSLY WITHOUT VIOLATING THE ORDER OF PROTECTION AGAINST HIM | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/golb_may_i_use_alias_to_talk_about_cargill.pdf | Dec 2, 2009 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | AFFIRMATION IN RESPONSE TO THE DEFENDANT'S MOTIONS TO DISMISS, MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE RECOVERED VIA SEARCH WARRANT, AND REQUEST FOR AN ADVISORY OPINION | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/nyda_response_to_golb_motion_to_dismiss.pdf | Jan 19, 2010 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | EXHIBIT B: SUMMARY OF COUNTS CHARGED BY INDICTMENT 2721/2009 | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/summary_of_counts_golb.pdf | Jan 19, 2010 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | EXHIBIT C: SUMMARY OF, AND EXCERPTS OF, CERTAIN EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/exhibit_c_summray_excerpts_email_golb.pdf | Jan 19, 2010 |
| Law Offices of Kuby and Breitbart | Ron Kuby | DEFENDANT'S REPLY MEMORANDUM (TO THE NY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S RESPONSE TO THE DEFENSE'S MOTIONS TO DISMISS AND SUPPRESS EVIDENCE) | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/golb_reply_response_motion_dismiss.pdf | Jan 26, 2010 |
| New York District Attorney's Office | NYDA | ORDER OF PROTECTION (RESTRAINING ORDER) AGAINST RAPHAEL GOLB PROTECTING DR. ROBERT CARGILL | http://www.bobcargill.com/Gadda/op_golb_1-27-2010.jpg | Jan 27, 2010 |
New Alias Activity After the Arrest of Raphael GolbImmediately after the arrest of Raphael Golb, all alias activity stopped...at least for a while. Gradually, as Raphael Golb began to prepare his defense, new aliases began to pop up online. Aliases like 'fitter' and 'meow' began to appear on FRDB and make legal arguements in defense of Raphael Golb. Elsewhere, Raphael Golb began leaking the contents of his defense filings (like motions to dismiss the charges against him and motions to suppress the evidence collected) by posting them to an anonymous blog (http://scrollmotions.wordpress.com). Note that only the defense's motions were posted there. As the trial proceedings progressed, the press began to report on the case again. |
According to legal filings by the New York District Attorney's office, there is email evidence that demonstrates that Raphael Golb's father, University of Chicago Oriental Institute historian Dr. Norman Golb, as well as Raphael Golb's brother, Joel, may have been involved in the smear campaign. The evidence was gathered from emails obtained from computers siezed during a police search of Raphael Golb's New York City appartment. The publicly accessible 'Affidavit in Support of an Application for a Search Warrant' contains a section entitled 'Potential Involvement of Others' (§72-81, p. 20-21) that offers evidence in the form of emails sent between father and son that show that Dr. Norman Golb and his sons discussed:
There is also evidence suggesting that Raphael Golb's online activities, which were designed to attract media attention and solicit inquiries by journalists, were directed back to Dr. Norman Golb at the University of Chicago. An excerpt of the document reads as follows:
|
POTENTIAL INVOLVEMENT OF OTHERS 72. Because I request that the search warrant authorize the search for evidence involving potential accomplices or co-conspirators, I provide the following facts in support of this request. 73. As indicated previously, bank records indicate that Raphael Golb received payments from Dr. Norman Golb. It is not known what the payments were for. The father-son relationship means that there are many innocent explanations for these payments. 74. Email records of certain alias email accounts associated with Raphael Golb indicate communication with Joel Golb (his brother) and Norman Golb (his father). 75. For example, a June 17, 2008 email between j.friedman47@gmail.com (an alias of Raphael Golb) and j.golb@snafu.de (the Germany email account of Joel Golb) indicates discussion about the use of proxies,10 and discusses a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit that was opening in North Carolina. 10 The use of an internet proxy is a method of disguising one's IP address. 76. Another example is a November 4, 2007 email between robertdworkin@gmail.com (an alias of Raphael Golb) and j.golb@snafu.de (the Germany email account of Joel Golb) which contains discussion about an outline to use concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls, with the subject "scrap last outline—use this instead (dad phoned with some suggestions)". Since Norman Golb is the father of both Joel Golb and Raphael Golb, this email implies that Norman Golb called Joel Golb, gave suggestions to the outline, which Joel Golb passed on to Raphael Golb in this email. This also implies that both Joel Golb and Norman Golb know that Raphael Golb is using at least some internet aliases.11 11 Again, this affidavit does not imply that the mere use of internet aliases constitutes a criminal offense. 77. Another example is a January 18, 2008 email between robertdworkin@gmail.com (an alias of Raphael Golb) and j.golb@snafu.de (the Germany email account of Joel Golb) which discusses keeping emails anonymous and untraceable, and some confusion about which alias will be used to send emails from NYU computers. 78. There is email correspondence between Raphael Golb's alias accounts and Dr. Golb, however it never overtly acknowledges a partnership. However Raphael Golb alias accounts have forwarded to Dr. Norman Golb email exchanges that the alias account (or another alias account) had with third parties. 79. For example, on August 15, 2007, email account robert.dwokin@gmail.com (an alias of Raphael Golb) sent email account n-golb@uchicago.edu (email account of Dr. Norman Golb) an email that forwarded a communication between robertdworkin@gmail.com and an employee at the LA Times concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls. A search of the internet, including Dr. Norman Golb's faculty webpage, indicates that n-golb@uchicago.edu is Dr. Norman Golb's email account. 80. On March 31, 2008, email account joshua.reznick@yahoo.com (an alias of Raphael Golb) sent three successive emails to email account n-golb@uchicago.edu (email account of Dr. Norman Golb). These three successive emails appear to be revisions of the prior emails, and while formal in tone, the successive emails do not reference the preceding emails. In otherwords, if they did not know each other well, one would expect some sort of acknowledgment or apology for sending successive similar emails. These March 31, 2008 emails invite Dr. Norman Golb to correspond with the individual that email account joshua.reznick@yahoo.com had been corresponding with, and includes a copy of the prior correspondence. 81. On July 15, 2008, email account j.friedman47@gmail.com (an alias of Raphael Golb) sent email account n-golb@uchicago.edu (email account of Dr. Norman Golb) an email that forwarded a communication between jerome.cooper2@gmail.com (another alias of Raphael Golb) and a professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This email pertained to the Dead Sea Scrolls. |
The emails described in the 'Affidavit in Support of an Application for a Search Warrant' are detailed in the form of transcripts in the District Attorney's January 19, 2010 'Affirmation in Response to the Defendant's Motions to Dismiss, Motion to Suppress Evidence Recovered via Search Warrant, and Request for and Advisory Opinion.' The emails suggest that Dr. Norman Golb not only knew about his son's online activities, but that he alsomay have participated in the campaign against other scholars by coordinating the publishing of his materials on the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute website, coodrinating language and timing of letters and emails to others, and by providing talking points via phone and email to his sons. Court documents show that Dr. Norman Golb's other son, Joel, as well as Dr. Norman Golb's wife, Ruth, also discussed Raphael Golb's online activities. The transcripts suggest that Dr. Norman Golb went so far as to use his wife, Ruth's, email account to disguise his involvement in the event that his email was ever compromised.
Highlights from the document below include:
"By the way, if Dad has some comment on the latest Charles Gadda exchange, he can send it through your email, that way there would be no trace of it in his account." - Raphael Golb
"...they know Gadda is Golb's son, meaning they are faced with a dedicated, in-the-know adversary who is out to get them, and there's simply nothing they can do about it." - Raphael Golb
"we can't send via Dad's email so we'll send via mine" - Ruth Golb (Norman Golb's Wife, Raphael Golb's Mother)
"Dad thinks that if Crawford was invited it's because she's Frank Cross's student and someone must have been in back of it since she's the least competent of all of them." - Ruth Golb
"... Mom and I also found of interest the latest item you sent us, i.e. the one from the writer living in Raleigh (or thereabouts). The recent blogs by Dworkin et al. are obviously having effect," - Norman Golb
"Schiffman is such a sleaze and behaves as though he has nothing to fear -this makes sense to me. Love, Mom" - Ruth Golb
"Would you like me to inform them using an alias, or do you prefer to contact them yourself?" - Raphael Golb in email to Norman Golb
"your contribution was posted 2 minutes after my own posting--wouldn't it have been better to wait a while to avoid the impression that we are collaborating or are indeed one and the same person?" - Joel Golb to Raphael Golb
"I really don't think I ruined anything by coming on -- the tone of my thing was quite different from yours, along with links. It's part of Gadda's persona to always come on late at night with jabs at these people, quoting the New York Times and similar sources. Why shouldn't he have picked up on Ignorant Gnostic's statement?" - Raphael Golb in response to Joel Golb
"... So I think Dworkin should be extremely careful to make sure the mail is totally untraceable--even going so far as to mail from an internet cafe--and it might actually be time in the next few weeks to simply throw out his old computer and replace it with one of those extremely inexpensive PCs one can now get..." - Joel Golb to Raphael Golb alias "Robert Dworkin"
AFFIRMATION IN RESPONSE TO THE DEFENDANT'S MOTIONS TO DISMISS, MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE RECOVERED VIA SEARCH WARRANT, AND REQUEST FOR AN ADVISORY OPINION EXHIBIT C Summary of, and Excerpts of, Certain Email Communications These emails are provided to help demonstrate defendant's intent and motive. EMAILS BETWEEN THE GOLBS CONCERNING THE UPCOMING JEWISH MUSEUM EXHIBIT, THAT ASSIST IN DEMONSTRATING DEFENDANT'S INTENT AND MOTIVE REGARDING HIS SUBSEQUENT IMPERSONATION OF DR. SCHIFFMAN On July 24, 2008 at 11:57 PM Raphael Golb (raphael.g@mindspring.com) wrote to Ruth Golb (ruthgolb@gmail.com), his mother: ... I saw Dan F. today. Unfortunately, he's probably not going to be able to accomplish anything [at the Jewish Museum]... Thus, he has no influence over them. He does, however, know the curator (Susan Braunstein), and will speak to her about it (but she might be on vacation). She will probably resist, however, and then he will be able to do nothing. This makes it all the more important that Dad try and do something about this via Benny Kedar. There is no shame in asking to see the list of lecturers ("Look, I don't want to tell you who to invite and not to invite, but I would be curious to see who you have invited") and pointing out that they could have had the courtesy to invite him, after everything he has done to help them improve the exhibits. By the way, if Dad has some comment on the latest Charles Gadda exchange, he can send it through your email, that way there would be no trace of it in his account. [emphasis added] Raph On July 26, 2008, Raphael Golb (raphael.g@mindspring.com) wrote:... what must be truly maddening to them is that they know Gadda is Golb's son, meaning they are faced with a dedicated, in-the-know adversary who is out to get them, and there's simply nothing they can do about it. I believe the blogging campaign has put pressure on them and possibly contributed to what we are seeing now with the Jewish Museum. [emphasis added] On July 28, 2008, at 9:32am, Raphael Golb (raphael.g@mindspring.com) emailed Dr. Norman Golb (n-golb@uchicago.edu) a link to a Nowpublic blog by Gadda concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Jewish Museum, with subject "new nowpublic item on new york exhibit" and text "Dad -- there's a new article out by Gadda -- http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/dead-sea-scrolls-coming-new-york" On July 28, 2008, at 2:56pm, Ruth Golb emailed Raphael Golb and indicated "we can't send via Dad's email so we'll send via mine" On July 30, 2008, at 2:08pm, Raphael Golb emailed his family with a proposed email to be sent to Susan Braunstein, curator of the Jewish Museum. On Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 2:08 PM, wrote: "No, no, no for a few reasons. But let Dad write to B. K. tomorrow. " [indicating Benny Kedar] On July 30, 2008, at 3:46pm, Raphael Golb responded:Okay, but we are very quickly running out of time on this one. [emphasis added] New York is far away from Jerusalem and I suspect it is not a primary concern of Benny Kedar's. Incidentally, is Dad on good terms with anyone at the Jewish Theological Seminary? In Dad's letter, he should perhaps point out that the Jewish Museum is one of Judaism's most prominent cultural institutions (hinting that its reputation is at stake), and ask if Katz will be taking steps to ensure that the decisions taken at the meeting will be concretely applied to the exhibit there. On July 30, 2008, at 4:07pm, Raphael Golb wrote to Ruth Golb:[,]I just called Dan about this and he immediately said there was no way Braunstein would ever meet with me, because she's a "big shot." He insisted that she must indeed be "au courant" because she is very clever, and that nothing he tells her will make any difference anyway because she will simply do what she wants. (Meanwhile, she has not returned his calls, because she must be busy setting up the exhibit and she probably assumes that he is just calling her for social reasons.) My conclusion: the only way of getting through to her would be to directly inform her of the meeting. Ideally, Benny Kedar would call her himself, but again, I can understand Dad's reluctance to be pushy. The only realistic possibility is for Kedar to instruct Katz to call Braunstein with a request that the additional information be added to the exhibit. On July 30, 2008, at 6:18pm, Raphael Golb wrote to Ruth Golb:I just spoke with Dan R; I could tell that basically he didn't have the courage to ask Braunstein to invite Dad; he kept suggesting that I come to the lectures and ask questions afterwards to rebut the speakers; when I explained why that wouldn't work, he suggested that Dad himself show up at Schiffman's lecture (at Dan F.'s expense, hotel and everything); when I explained why Dad wouldn't do that, he suggested that Dad write to Braunstein, pointing out that the speakers are not balanced and that he would be willing to give a talk at his own expense to rebut them... On July 30, 2008, at 9:04pm, Ruth Golb wrote Raphael Golb:Dad thinks that if Crawford was invited it's because she's Frank Cross's student and someone must have been in back of it since she's the least competent of all of them. Now, if Dad is to use the Schiffman thing, he needs the exact quote of Schiffman's and page number. Dad doesn't have a copy of the book here. The following email thread indicates the Golbs' interest in who was speaking at the Jewish Museum, and refers to the fact that Dr. Schuller and Dr. Crawford were both students of Dr. Frank Cross. On July 31, 2008 Raphael Golb wrote Ruth Golb and wrote: I doubt if this has anything to do with Cross -- it could easily have come from the usual Katz recommended list, and simply result from the fact that Braunstein is a woman and that the idea of the lecture ("Women at Qumran") seemed interesting and different to her -- something that would interest the audience. On July 31, 2008, Ruth Golb wrote to Raphael Golb:Poor Dan. He means well, but the politics of this is beyond him. His suggestions would not be appropriate, of course.
Dad thinks that if Crawford was invited it's because she's Frank Cross's student and someone must have been in back of it since she's the least competent of all of them. Now, if Dad is to use the Schiffman thing, he needs the exact quote of Schiffman's and page number. Dad doesn't have a copy of the book here. Ph.d. Harvard, student of Cross just like the other one. On August 06, 2008, 7:06pm, Raphael Golb wrote to Norman Golb:Dad --
You will be amused to learn that the announcement of Schuller's lecture has disappeared from the Jewish Museum website, at least for now. I have a feeling they have decided to try and keep it a secret for as long as possible... ... Mom and I also found of interest the latest item you sent us, i.e. the one from the writer living in Raleigh (or thereabouts). The recent blogs by Dworkin et al. are obviously having effect, On August 10, 2008, 1:32am, Raphael Golb wrote to Norman Golb:... Would you like me to inform them using an alias, or do you prefer to contact them yourself? I'm sure they will ignore this anyway (perhaps not Orion, but the others certainly will). On August 4, 2008, Raphael Golb wrote (apparently to Ruth Golb):I was wrong in my assumption about the woman lecturer -- it is Eileen Marie Schuller, Professor, Department of Religious Studies, McMaster University -- no doubt just as bad as the other one, but nonetheless not the same. Hi Raph,
Dad is still sleeping but I think you're on to something here. Schiffman is such a sleaze and behaves as though he has nothing to fear -this makes sense to me. Okay -- we absolutely need to speak on the phone before Dad gives his lecture. Weston Fields responded to Friedman with a "thank you very much for this information!" note. I have a hunch Fields and Broshi might try and set him up, with people here and there in the audience shouting out things like "why don't you write a Nowpublic article on that, or will you have your son do it for you?" to try and rattle him. He needs to be very seriously prepared for that sort of thing -- he should write down a few notes on what to say if that should happen, and bring them along with the text of the lecture so that he doesn't feel caught off guard. (Possible responses: "you think I care about internet junk? I don't know which of my sons you're referring to, but they both have jobs, and if they chat on-line, they're entitled to their opinion. now are you going to keep interrupting my talk, or can we go on?") He must also prepare himself for a more "scientific" set up, people here and there in the audience attempting to point out every little weakness they can find. EMAILS AMONG THE GOLBS THAT DEMONSTRATE COORDINATION OF DEFENDANT'S SOCK PUPPET ACTIVITIES AND MAINTAINING ANONYMITY, WHICH ASSIST IN DEMONSTRATING DEFENDANT'S INTENT AND MOTIVE On July 2, 2008, Golb/Gadda alias Jesse Friedman wrote to Joel Golb (j.golb@snafu.de) I am sorry -- I forgot to "activate" the phillipcoleman@yahoo.com account yesterday -- mea culpa. Try again on the site, I think it will work now. Phillip_Coleman. Where they ask you for your city and phone number, try Philadelphia, 19134 is zipcode and invent a phone number -- area code is 215. You can always be on vacation if they inquire (but so far none of my aliases have received the slightest hint of attention). http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1123440.html You should also try posting on the other site again. The woman has returned from vacation, and look how she has updated her original posting! -- with a quote from the latest comment by "Dead Sea Scrolls student"... http ://blog.news-record.com/staff/frontpew/archives/2008/06/dead_sea_scroll.shtml On August 3, 2007, defendant (using personal email account raphael.g@mindspring.com) emailed Joel Golb and wrote: I see you called--was at the library all day--Gadda has now published a definitive attack against these people--please let me know if you see any typos, etc., I will pass the info on to him if I see him-- http://www.nowpublic.com/christian_fundamentalism_and_dead_sea_scrolls_san_diego On Jul 25, 2008, 5:54am, Joel Golb wrote to Raphael Golb: your contribution was posted 2 minutes after my own posting--wouldn't it have been better to wait a while to avoid the impression that we are collaborating or are indeed one and the same person? You want me to help on this--then please preserve Gnostic's outward integrity as an independent contributor On July 25, 2008, 11:27am, Raphael Golb wrote to Joel Golb: Relax -- it would have been unusual if I hadn't posted anything -- they would have started insinuating I was using another alias. 2 minutes -- actually it was more like an hour or two, but if it says 2 minutes that's good -- how can I be in two places at the same time? On July 25, 2008, 4:58pm, Raphael Golb wrote to Joel Golb: I'm just getting home from stuff. From your exchange with Dad, I see that he apparently didn't get my other emails which would explain why he never got back to me. I really don't think I ruined anything by coming on -- the tone of my thing was quite different from yours, along with links. It's part of Gadda's persona to always come on late at night with jabs at these people, quoting the New York Times and similar sources. Why shouldn't he have picked up on Ignorant Gnostic's statement? The following emails further demonstrate the coordination between Raphael and Joel Golb, and confusion about the volume of anonymous blogs: On September 17, 2008, 12:55pm, Joel Golb emailed Raphael Golb: there has been a new comment added to the Now Public site.... Raphael Golb responded with: which article, the plagiarism thing? let them fight it out, whether someone plagiarized dad isn't my concern, i am focused on the institutional problem, i'm around now if you can call. On Sep 18, 2008, at 2:43am, Joel Golb wrote to Raphael Golb: the Now Public article On September 18, 2008, 2:45am, Raphael Golb responded to Joel Golb and stated: look, i don't know which article you're talking about, there are nine of them -- just give me a call, i need to tell you something anyway A June 17, 2008 email from j.friedman47@gmail.com (a Golb/Gadda alias) to j.golb@snafu.de (the email account of Joel Golb in Germany) indicates discussion about the use of proxies, and discusses a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit that was opening in North Carolina. The use of an internet proxy is a method of disguising one's internet protocol address, the identifier that indicates which computer is accessing a computer at a given place and time. "they are clearly accepting messages submitted through proxies, it must be some kind of glitch in their system -- we are now up to 17 comments (see latest by sandy greenberg and martin elderling)..." A November 4, 2007 email between robertdworkin@gmail.com (a Golb/Gadda alias) and j.golb@snafu.de (the email account of Joel Golb) contains discussion about an outline to use concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls, with the subject "scrap last outline--use this instead (dad phoned with some suggestions)". This email implies that Norman Golb called Joel Golb, gave suggestions to the outline, which Joel Golb passed on to Raphael Golb in this email. This also implies that both Joel Golb and Norman Golb know that Raphael Golb is using at least some internet aliases. A January 18, 2008 email between robertdworkin@gmail.com (an alias of Raphael Golb) and j.golb@snafu.de (the email account of Joel Golb) discusses keeping emails anonymous and untraceable, and some confusion about which alias will be used to send emails from NYU computers. Subject: Re: revised version .... So I think Dworkin should be extremely careful to make sure the mail is totally untraceable--even going so far as to mail from an internet cafe--and it might actually be time in the next few weeks to simply throw out his old computer and replace it with one of those extremely inexpensive PCs one can now get... There is email correspondence between Raphael Golb's alias accounts and Dr. Golb, however it never overtly acknowledges a partnership. However Raphael Golb alias accounts have forwarded to Dr. Norman Golb email exchanges that the alias account (or another alias account) had with third parties. For example: On August 15, 2007, email account robert.dwokin@gmail.com (a Golb/Gadda alias) sent email account n-golb@uchicago.edu (email account of Dr. Norman Golb) an email that forwarded a communication between robertdworkin@gmail.com and an employee at the LA Times concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls. On March 31, 2008, email account joshua.reznick@yahoo.com (a Golb/Gadda alias) sent three successive emails to email account n-golb@uchicago.edu (email account of Dr. Norman Golb). These three successive emails appear to be revisions of the prior emails, and while formal in tone, the successive emails do not reference the preceding emails. In other words, if they did not know each other well, one would expect some sort of acknowledgment or apology for sending successive similar emails. These March 31, 2008 emails invite Dr. Norman Golb to correspond with the individual that email account joshua.reznick@yahoo.com had been corresponding with, and includes a copy of the prior correspondence. It is reasonable to infer that the successive emails represent successive revisions, with the final version being what Dr. Norman Golb would show to the person that the Golb/Gadda had been corresponding with. On July 15, 2008, email account j.friedman47@gmail.com (a Golb/Gadda alias) sent email account n-golb@uchicago.edu (email account of Dr. Norman Golb) an email that forwarded a communication between jerome.cooper2@gmail.com (another alias of Raphael Golb) and a professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls. On December 16,2008, defendant (using email address raphael.g@mindspring.com) emailed Dr. Golb (at n-golb@uchicago.edu) under the subject line "Canadian Jewish academic site links museum controversy" http://www.cijr.com/Israzine/israzine_Home.htm You will see that they make a mistake (referring to you several times as "Norman Golb and Ludwig Rosenberger") to which I believe someone has alerted them in case they can (or desire) to change it. Nonetheless, this arguably puts greater pressure on the museum. Notice that they have also linked one of Gadda's articles
|
Based upon the emails described in the 'Affidavit in Support of an Application for a Search Warrant, which are detailed in the District Attorney's January 19, 2010 'Affirmation in Response to the Defendant's Motions to Dismiss, Motion to Suppress Evidence Recovered via Search Warrant, and Request for and Advisory Opinion,' the evidence demonstrates that Dr. Norman Golb not only knew about his son's online activities, but appears to have also participated in the campaign against other scholars by coordinating the publishing of his materials on the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute website with his sons' activities, coodrinating language and timing of letters and emails to others with his sons' activities, and by providing talking points via phone and email to his sons for use in their online campaign. Instructions from Raphael Golb including, "By the way, if Dad has some comment on the latest Charles Gadda exchange, he can send it through your email, that way there would be no trace of it in his account," along with written confirmation from Ruth Golb's email account stating, "we can't send via Dad's email so we'll send via mine," appear to indicate a deliberate attempt to disguise the true nature of Dr. Norman Golb's involvement in the campaign.
Thus, while Dr. Norman Golb may not have known about Raphael Golb's impersonation of other scholars, including Dr. Larry Schiffman, Dr. Stephen Goranson, Dr. Frank Moore Cross, and Dr. Jonathan Seidel, the evidence does suggest that Dr. Norman Golb knew about and participated in the activities that may have contributed to the aggravated harassment charges against Dr. Schiffman (Count 3), Dr. Goranson (Count 40), and Dr. Robert Cargill (Count 48).
| PRE-TRIAL NEWS | ||||
| New York Daily News | Melissa Grace | Manhattan lawyer Raphael Golb charged with impersonating Dead Sea Scrolls expert rejects plea offer | http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/08/06/2010-08-06_manhattan_lawyer_raphael_golb_charged_with_impersonating_dead_sea_scrolls_reject.html | Aug. 6, 2010 |
| New York Post | Laura Italiano | Accused Dead Sea Scrolls identity thief rejects plea deal, plans trial | http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/accused_dead_trial_scrolls_identity_EGuHNd1T8NVwbZlU5L1oOJ | Aug. 6, 2010 |
| robertcargill.com | Robert R. Cargill | to trial we go: golb formally refuses plea bargain | http://robertcargill.com/2010/08/06/to-trial-we-go-golb-formally-refuses-plea-bargain/ | Aug. 6, 2010 |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|---|
|
Video excerpts from Raphael Golb's initial police interview following his March 5, 2009 arrest.
|