שובו של שלדון טיטלבאום

1. I was a member of the editorial board of Fantazia, as well as a columnist.

2. I covered the Israeli SF scene in a number of publications, including the renowned British Journal Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction, Science Fiction Chronicle, and the Hugo-winning fanzines Alien Critic, Holier Than Thou and a French Canadian literary journal whose name escapes me.

3. I wrote the entry on Israeli SF for the authoritative Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, edited by Nicholls and Clute.

5. I was the first writer in Israel to have a regular column in a major Israeli newspaper — The Jerusalem Post — on science fiction, That column, which ran monthly, was the result of a feature article published in the Post's weekend magazine about how SF writers attending a convention in Denver, Co., regarded Israel. The magazine Nahal Hof wrote an article about my activities as an SF fan both in Israel and in my native Canada where, according to SF researcher David Ketterer (in the introduction to his 1992 book, Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy), I was responsible for helping open up the field of research and in inspiring the book.

6. I was involved, lamentably, in the abortive attempt to organize the 1982 Jerucon conference.

7. I began writing for the renowned magazine Cinefantastique, for which I was eventually appointed West Coast Bureau Correspondent, while in Israel.

8. I have covered the SF scene assiduously for the Los Angeles Times, and have published in the New York Times, in Entertainment Weekly, Premiere, and a wide variety of front-ranking American and Canadian newspapers and magazine.

9. I have covered Jewish and Israeli SF for the Jerusalem Report since 1991, when I was appointed Los Angeles-based senior writer and correspondent. I have written dozens of articles on the subject for them.

10. Had I not written the entry on SF and Fantasy for the Encyclopedia Judaica on spec, it would never have occurred to them to publish one. Sometimes you simply have to take initiative to get things done. There are no committees or tribunals that select authors based on standing, prestige or other accomplishments.

I would also like to add the personal observation that the material I supposedly absconded with — and as you know too well, I can happily prove in any forum, legal or otherwise, that I did not — consisted of assorted bibliographical references — lists of authors and titles, some with short plot synopses — not of prose or analysis or original ideas.

The sad thing is that you know all this to be true and reasonable, and you know that I have made a good faith effort to find out what happened, why, and how t best remedy the situation. But apparently, you would rather persist with this danse macabre, perhaps because you get a perverse kick out of being a victim. I find this sad and pitiable, and I am beginning to be more than a little annoyed. If you feel you have a case, I would urge you to by all means file suit in a court of law either here or in Israel. If not, I would suggest you look up the word "grace" in a dictionary, and try to manifest some. If you persist in maligning me, be very careful you do not cross the line into slander or defamation, lest I consider pursuing legal redress myself.

Sincerely,

Sheli Teitelbaum