Bullying Exposed: A Pattern of Defamation!

A few months ago, I was having dinner with my good friend, Hershel Shanks, the legendary editor of Biblical Archeology Review (BAR) and he asked me if I really need my libel lawsuit against former Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) curator, Joe Zias. I told Hershel that it wasn’t a question of need, it was a question of principle.

As a journalist and filmmaker, I’m used to being in the eye of storms of controversy. There is a difference, however, between disagreement and defamation. In a democracy, your right to express yourself is protected by the law. But that right ends where libel begins. Joe Zias has been Internet stalking me for over a decade. Among his many charges is that I sold online anti-Christian thong underwear with pictures of ossuaries on them (I kid you not!). Some of this might be funny if it didn’t cause damage, and if he wasn’t used by academics with theological and ideological agendas such as the hardcore anti-Israel Christian minister, Jim West, and the softcore divinity type, Bob Cargill, who encourages his fans to “metaphorically” beat me up.

As a result of all this, and so as to demonstrate to others who have unpopular facts to report that bullying must be stopped, I sued Zias in an Israeli court. For all those who have shown interest in the progress of that lawsuit, I refer you to this week’s front-page article by veteran journalist, Michael Posner, in the Canadian Jewish News.

See also “Crossing the Line on Defamation: The Joe Zias Lawsuit“, by Prof. James Tabor.