US: Case spotlights Dead Sea Scrolls, fake e-mails

14 November 2009

Students and university officials started getting e-mails last year in which a prominent Judaic studies scholar seemed to make a startling confession: he had committed plagiarism. The messages, it turned out, were a hoax. Prosecutors filed criminal charges in New York, saying a lawyer sent the messages to tarnish the professor, his father's rival, writes Jennifer Peltz in The New York Times.

The court case has drawn attention to issues both ancient (the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls) and decidedly modern (phony online identities).

The more than 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1940s in Israel. Their origin is the subject of a heated academic debate. Many scholars say the scrolls were assembled by an ancient Jewish group, the Essenes. Others, including University of Chicago professor Norman Golb, say the writings were the work of a range of Jewish sects and communities.

Authorities say Golb's son Raphael was so incensed by the disagreement that he decided to take aim at his father's adversaries, particularly New York University Judaic studies chairman Lawrence Schiffman. Raphael Golb, a 49-year-old attorney, opened an e-mail account in Schiffman's name and used it to send messages to students and officials in which Schiffman purportedly acknowledged plagiarising and misrepresenting Norman Golb's scholarship. Golb faces charges including with identity theft and criminal impersonation. He has pleaded not guilty.
Full report on The New York Times site

Receive UWN's free weekly e-newsletters

Sponsored Article

Getting to net zero, one community at a time

University of Victoria staff

Accelerating Community Energy Transformation is a University of Victoria-led collaborative initiative that brings together over 40 partners, including Indigenous knowledge keepers and community leaders, to create innovative place-based solutions for energy system transformation.

Promoted by the University of Victoria.

Sponsored Article

Africa pays a premium for global climate change sluggishness

Stellenbosch University staff

Africa needs to stop paying the price for the rest of the world’s recalcitrance to act fast enough in response to the irrefutable conclusions that climate change is real and that the impact of global warming could be devasting, says Professor Guy Midgley, interim director of the School for Climate Studies at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Promoted by Stellenbosch University.

Sponsored Article

Innovations to ensure energy savings in a hot, arid climate

UAE University staff

Researchers from the United Arab Emirates University have shown that the potential benefits of building energy savings and a cooler indoor environment, as well as improved cooling effect on air temperature at pedestrian level, strongly indicate that a cool roof with high solar reflectance and albedo is a promising strategy for buildings in regions with hot, arid climates.

Promoted by United Arab Emirates University.

Sponsored Article

A new global university ranking with an ethical mission

Aftab Dean

A new university ranking system aims to serve as a catalyst for positive transformation in higher education, ensuring that universities create an environment grounded in integrity and sustainability that inspires and supports students and staff in the development of novel solutions to global challenges.

Promoted by Globethics.net.

Sponsored Article

SDG progress report launches university into new territory

University of Pretoria staff

In the publication of its first progress report on its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, the University of Pretoria is navigating new territory at the same time as it is acknowledging its clear stewardship role in protecting the environment and biodiversity.

Promoted by the University of Pretoria.