Author Naomi Ragen has appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court against a judgment finding her guilty of plagiarism.

In December, the Jerusalem District Court found that Ragen had knowingly copied sections of her book “Sotah” from a book by Sarah Shapiro. In her appeal, Ragen’s attorney wrote that this verdict destroyed her life. “The ruling branded her as a thief and shattered her honor, both as a person and as a well-known and respected author both in Israel and worldwide,” it said.

The appeal also accused the court of “sensationalist” rhetoric that magnified Ragen’s offense. Even if the court’s findings were correct, it said, an ordinary person reading the verdict’s heated language would never guess that her offense consisted of, at most, “transformative use of 29 sentences, which constitute less than 0.18 percent of the work.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Aside from the personal harm to Ragen, the appeal argued, the verdict’s stringent approach to intellectual property rights “deals a death blow to artistic freedom and to authors’ ability to create and enrich literary culture,” while also violating Israeli court precedents and, in some cases, even the language of the law. “These legal mistakes are devastating not only to the appellant, but to authors, creators and artists in general,” it charged.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount