EZRA BEN ABRAHAM BEN MAZHIR — (c. 12th century), rosh yeshivah in damascus . benjamin of tudela , who met Ezra, lists the officials of the yeshivah, the leader being Ezra s brother Sar Shalom, who bore the title of father of the yeshivah. Like his father, who had preceded him … Encyclopedia of Judaism
IBN EZRA, ISAAC — (Abu Saad, ca. 1109–after 1163), Hebrew poet. Born in Spain, the son of abraham ibn ezra , he was raised in Andalusia, probably in Córdoba, Seville, and Almeria, as a member of the cultivated young Jewish elite. He was very close to judah halevi … Encyclopedia of Judaism
GAON — (pl. Geonim), formal title of the heads of the academies of Sura and Pumbedita in Babylonia. The geonim were recognized by the Jews as the highest authority of instruction from the end of the sixth century or somewhat later to the middle of the… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
DAMASCUS — DAMASCUS, capital of Syria; in olden times a caravan center at an oasis in Southern Syria, on the principal crossroads between Mesopotamia Syria and Palestine Transjordan. In the Bible The name appears as דַּמֶּשֶׂק Dammesek (but once as… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
SYRIA — SYRIA, state in southwest Asia. Although constantly subject to changes, the country s boundaries were primarily: Ereẓ Israel to the south, Asia Minor (Turkey) to the north, Mesopotamia to the east, and the Mediterranean to the west. Biblical and… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
