Yosef Goldman (1942 – August 4, 2015) was a
scholar
A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researc ...
of
American Jewish history
''American Jewish History'' is an academic journal and the official publication of the American Jewish Historical Society. The journal was established in 1892 and focuses on all aspects of the history of Jews in the United States. The journal was ...
and the co-author of the two-volume reference work, ''
Hebrew Printing in America 1735-1926: A History and Annotated Bibliography'' (2006). This work is usually cited by
auctioneers and
rare-book dealers. His collection of early American
Judaica and
Hebraica
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved th ...
is said to be one of the most comprehensive in the world.
Biography
Goldman was born in 1942 in
Újpest
Újpest (; german: Neu-Pest, en, New Pest) is the 4th District in Budapest, Hungary. It is located on the left bank of the Danube River. The name Újpest means "New Pest" because the city was formed on the border of the city of Pest, Hungary i ...
(also known as Newpest), a District of
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
, Hungary, into a
Hasidic family. His father, Rabbi
Lipa Goldman, was a Chief Rabbi and ''
Av Beis Din'' of an
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
community in Újpest. In 1950, his family emigrated to the United States and lived in the
Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City. Goldman studied at
Beth Medrash Elyon of
Monsey, New York
Monsey (, yi, מאנסי, translit=Monsi) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Airmont, east of Viola, south of New Hempstead, and west of Spring Valley. The ...
, at the time an elite
Rabbinical seminary
A Jewish seminary is a Jewish educational institution. See Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Reform), Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative), Yeshiva University (Orthodox), Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Academy for ...
.
By profession, Goldman was a dealer of rare Jewish/Hebrew books and
manuscripts and was known as a leading figure in this field.
On August 4, 2015, he died from complications of
melanoma.
In 2018, a large part of his book collection and stock was acquired by Mizrahi Bookstore.
"Hebrew 52" lawsuit
In May 2000, Goldman bid on and purchased a 13th-century
Biblical manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...
for $358,000 from the
auction house,
Christie's of New York. In May 2006,
Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France) filed
suit against Goldman, claiming ownership of the manuscript and demanding its return. This lawsuit was filed after a former chief
curator
A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...
of the library's Hebrew collection, Michel Garel, was convicted in March 2006 of stealing ‘Hebrew 52’, a Biblical manuscript known among experts. After pleading innocent, Garel was ultimately convicted, fined $500,000, and given a two-year
suspended sentence. The lawsuit against Goldman alleged that the manuscript Goldman purchased was the one known as ‘Hebrew 52’. In July 2006, Goldman sued Christie's in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
Supreme Court, saying the auction house knew before consignment that the manuscript was stolen, that it should never have accepted consignment of it for auction, and that he should be refunded $358,000 in return for the manuscript.
In January 2007, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' reported that a settlement had been reached. After complex negotiations between French officials, Christie’s and Goldman, the manuscript was returned to the library, and Goldman received a refund. Library officials said that Goldman purchased the manuscript in
good faith and had resold it before its theft was discovered. France reportedly agreed to cover some of Goldman’s legal expenses.
In January 2007, Michel Garel, the former chief curator, was sentenced to 15 months in jail. He was convicted on appeal and immediately taken into custody. He was also handed an additional 15-month suspended sentence and fined 75,000
euros (100,000 dollars) for "aggravated theft".
References and sources
*Levine, Yitzchak
"Hooked On American Jewish History" ''
The Jewish Press
''The Jewish Press'' is an American weekly newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York, and geared toward the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. It describes itself as "America's Largest Independent Jewish Weekly".
''The Jewish Press'' has an online ...
'', December 6, 2006. Accessed 2008-01-02.
A New York art dealer is locked in a legal battle with France and auction house Christie's over a 13th Century Jewish manuscript">"Court battle for stolen artefact; A New York art dealer is locked in a legal battle with France and auction house Christie's over a 13th Century Jewish manuscript''
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'', August 6, 2006. Accessed 2008-01-02.
*Riding, Alan
'', January 10, 2007. Accessed 2008-01-02.
'' - Volume 91, Number 4, December 2003, pp. 509–512. Accessed 2008-01-02.
''The Seforim Blog'', March 5, 2007. Accessed 2008-01-02.