The Ukrainian Association for Jewish Studies cordially congratulates Professor Norman Golb on his 90th birthday.
Over many decades, Norman Golb served as a professor in the Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Chicago. He is a distinguished expert in the field of ancient and medieval Jewish history with focus on Hebrew manuscripts. He formulated the Jerusalem’s theory of the Dead Sea scrolls’ origin. His books were published in English, Hebrew, French, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, and Russian.
In 1962, in the Cambridge University Library, Professor Golb discovered a unique document – the so-called Kievan letter from the Cairo Geniza. This source narrated about the Jewish community in Kyiv and, in fact, became the oldest authentic document mentioning Kyiv and an important testimony to the Jewish presence in Kievan Rus. His further long-term cooperation with prominent American-Ukrainian orientalist Omeljan Pritsak gave birth to the book Khazarian Hebrew Documents of the Tenth Century (1982).
In 2006, with the support of the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America, Professor Golb, whose ancestors lived in Ukrainian territory until the 20th century, along with his wife Ruth, visited Ukraine. He has presented three lectures at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. One of the lectures was published in English and Ukrainian.
Since 2012, Norman Golb is a member of Judaica Ukrainica, an academic journal in Jewish Studies published by the UAJS together with the NaUKMA.
The UAJS honors Professor Golb and wishes him a joyful birthday. Mazal tov!
Photo: UChicagoNews
