Jeffrey Goldberg
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Mark Goldberg is an American journalist. He is an author and a staff writer for The Atlantic
, having previously worked for The New Yorker
. Goldberg writes principally on foreign affairs, with a focus on the Middle East
and Africa
. Michael Massing
, an editor of the Columbia Journalism Review
, called Goldberg "the most influential journalist/blogger on matters related to Israel".
, and raised in Malverne
, New York
.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania
, where he was editor-in-chief of The Daily Pennsylvanian
. While at Penn he worked at the Hillel
kitchen serving lunch to students. He left college to move to Israel
, where he served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a prison guard during the First Intifada
. He later returned to the United States
to continue his journalism career, and now lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and three children.
, where he was a police reporter. While in Israel, he worked as a columnist for The Jerusalem Post
, and upon his return to the US served as the New York bureau chief of The Forward
, a contributing editor at New York
magazine, and a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine
.
. Two of his articles for the magazine have won awards.
His 2002 article "The Great Terror" won the Overseas Press Club
's Joe & Laurie Dine Award for international human rights reporting. "The Overseas Press Club stated: "A former CIA
director, James Woolsey
, called the story 'a blockbuster.'"
In 2003 Goldberg's two-part examination of Hezbollah, "In the Party of God," won the National Magazine Award
for reporting.
to write for The Atlantic. Bradley had tried to convince Goldberg to come work for The Atlantic for nearly two years, and was finally successful after renting ponies for Goldberg's children.
. In the late 1990s he wrote the magazine's "Shopping Avenger" column. In 2004 he was a member of the Sopranos "TV Club." Four years later he contributed to the "TV Club" once again, this time for the dialogues on The Wire.
military prison camp as well as his dialogue with Rafiq, a prisoner whom Goldberg would later befriend in Washington, DC.
American critics received the book positively as The New York Times
, The Washington Post
, and The Los Angeles Times all named it one of the best books of 2006. The book sold 7,600 copies in hardcover and 3,200 in paperback, according to Nielsen Bookscan.
is significant. The article opens with a vivid description of Hussein
's Al-Anfal Campaign
, including his regime's use of poison gas at Halabja
. Goldberg goes on to relate detailed allegations of a close relationship between Hussein
and Al Qaeda, which Goldberg claims he "later checked with experts on the region." Goldberg argues that: "If these charges are true, it would mean that the relationship between Saddam’s regime and Al Qaeda is far closer than previously thought." Goldberg concludes his article with allegations about Hussein's supposed Weapons of Mass Destruction
:
In a late 2002 debate in Slate
, Goldberg described Hussein as "uniquely evil" and advocated an invasion on a moral basis:
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, having previously worked for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. Goldberg writes principally on foreign affairs, with a focus on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Michael Massing
Michael Massing
Michael Massing is a contributing editor of the Columbia Journalism Review. Michael Massing received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard and an MS from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He often writes for the New York Review of Books concerning the media and foreign affairs...
, an editor of the Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
, called Goldberg "the most influential journalist/blogger on matters related to Israel".
Background
Goldberg was born in Brooklyn, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and raised in Malverne
Malverne, New York
Malverne is a village in the town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 8,514 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.-History:...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where he was editor-in-chief of The Daily Pennsylvanian
The Daily Pennsylvanian
The Daily Pennsylvanian is the independent daily student newspaper of the University of Pennsylvania.It is published every weekday when the university is in session by a staff of more than 250 students. During the summer months, a smaller staff produces a weekly version called The Summer...
. While at Penn he worked at the Hillel
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally...
kitchen serving lunch to students. He left college to move to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, where he served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a prison guard during the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
. He later returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to continue his journalism career, and now lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and three children.
Journalism career
Goldberg began his career at The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, where he was a police reporter. While in Israel, he worked as a columnist for The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English-language broadsheet newspaper, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers do not approach those of the major Hebrew newspapers....
, and upon his return to the US served as the New York bureau chief of The Forward
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
, a contributing editor at New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine, and a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
.
The New Yorker
In October 2000, Goldberg joined The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. Two of his articles for the magazine have won awards.
His 2002 article "The Great Terror" won the Overseas Press Club
Overseas Press Club
The Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member...
's Joe & Laurie Dine Award for international human rights reporting. "The Overseas Press Club stated: "A former CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
director, James Woolsey
R. James Woolsey, Jr.
Robert James Woolsey Jr. is a foreign policy specialist and former Director of Central Intelligence and head of the Central Intelligence Agency .-Early life:...
, called the story 'a blockbuster.'"
In 2003 Goldberg's two-part examination of Hezbollah, "In the Party of God," won the National Magazine Award
National Magazine Award
The National Magazine Awards are a series of US awards that honor excellence in the magazine industry. They are administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City...
for reporting.
The Atlantic
In 2007, he was hired by David G. BradleyDavid G. Bradley
David G. Bradley is the owner of the Atlantic Media Company, which publishes several prominent news magazines and services including The Atlantic Monthly, National Journal, The Hotline and Government Executive...
to write for The Atlantic. Bradley had tried to convince Goldberg to come work for The Atlantic for nearly two years, and was finally successful after renting ponies for Goldberg's children.
Slate
Jeffrey Goldberg has also written sporadically for SlateSlate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
. In the late 1990s he wrote the magazine's "Shopping Avenger" column. In 2004 he was a member of the Sopranos "TV Club." Four years later he contributed to the "TV Club" once again, this time for the dialogues on The Wire.
Books
Goldberg's book, Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide (New York: Knopf, 2006), describes his experiences in Israel working at the KetziotKtzi'ot Prison
Ktzi'ot Prison is an Israeli detention facility located in the Haluza sand dunes region. It is Israel's largest detention facility in terms of land area, encompassing ....
military prison camp as well as his dialogue with Rafiq, a prisoner whom Goldberg would later befriend in Washington, DC.
American critics received the book positively as The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, and The Los Angeles Times all named it one of the best books of 2006. The book sold 7,600 copies in hardcover and 3,200 in paperback, according to Nielsen Bookscan.
Iraq
In "The Great Terror", the article that Goldberg wrote for the New Yorker in 2002 during the run-up to the Iraq war, Goldberg argues that the threat posed to America by Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
is significant. The article opens with a vivid description of Hussein
Hussein
Hussein , is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", "handsome" or "beautiful"...
's Al-Anfal Campaign
Al-Anfal Campaign
The al-Anfal Campaign , also known as Operation Anfal or simply Anfal, was a genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people in Northern Iraq, led by the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein and headed by Ali Hassan al-Majid in the final stages of Iran-Iraq War...
, including his regime's use of poison gas at Halabja
Halabja poison gas attack
The Halabja poison gas attack , also known as Halabja massacre or Bloody Friday, was a genocidal massacre against the Kurdish people that took place on March 16, 1988, during the closing days of the Iran–Iraq War, when chemical weapons were used by the Iraqi government forces in the Kurdish town of...
. Goldberg goes on to relate detailed allegations of a close relationship between Hussein
Hussein
Hussein , is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", "handsome" or "beautiful"...
and Al Qaeda, which Goldberg claims he "later checked with experts on the region." Goldberg argues that: "If these charges are true, it would mean that the relationship between Saddam’s regime and Al Qaeda is far closer than previously thought." Goldberg concludes his article with allegations about Hussein's supposed Weapons of Mass Destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
:
Saddam Hussein never gave up his hope of turning Iraq into a nuclear power ...
There is some debate among arms-control experts about exactly when Saddam will have nuclear capabilities. But there is no disagreement that Iraq, if unchecked, will have them soon ...
There is little doubt what Saddam might do with an atomic bomb or with his stocks of biological and chemical weapons.
In a late 2002 debate in Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, Goldberg described Hussein as "uniquely evil" and advocated an invasion on a moral basis:
There is consensus belief now that Saddam could have an atomic bomb within months of acquiring fissile material. ... The administration is planning today to launch what many people would undoubtedly call a short-sighted and inexcusable act of aggression. In five years, however, I believe that the coming invasion of Iraq will be remembered as an act of profound morality.
External links
- Jeffrey Goldberg's personal website
- Jeffrey Goldberg's Blog at The Atlantic
- Voices on Antisemitism Interview with Jeffrey Goldberg from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum