Cairo Genizah : Letter

Cairo Genizah

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Recto: Judaeo-Arabic letter, addressed to 'the Ḥaver' (i.e. Abū Kaṯīr Ephraim al-Ḥaver b. Maḥfūẓ al-Ḡazzī, also known as Ephraim b. Šemarya, the head of the Jerusalemite congregation in Fusṭāṭ) from the Yešiva in Jerusalem. The letter has been torn along the right-hand side, removing the first few words of each sentence. The letter is reporting that 'our lord the Gaʾon (i.e., Solomon b. Judah) had not received the funds from the renting of a building belonging to the heqdeš in Fusṭāṭ (the exact sum in dinars is no longer preserved) nor the extra contribution usually sent for the holiday, on which many of the poor depend. Verso: address written in Arabic script, which reads, 'to Abī Kaṯīr Ephraim al-Ḥaver b. Maḥfūẓ al-Ḡazzī, May God prolong your life...'. It mentions at the end, in a different hand, al-Bayṭār (‘the veterinarian’ – apparently the postal agency involved in forwarding the letter).</p>