Ephraim ben Shemariah — (c. 980 1060) Egyptian rabbi. He was leader of the Palestinian community in Fostat (Old Cairo). Although he was engaged in commerce, he became the community s rabbi in about 1020. He corresponded with the gaon Solomon ben Judah for many years … Dictionary of Jewish Biography
SOLOMON BEN JUDAH — (d. 1051), Palestinian gaon and academy head in Jerusalem and in Ramleh from 1025 to 1051. It appears that R. Solomon was the son of a family of scholars from Fez. He married into the family of Solomon b. Joseph ha Kohen, who preceded him in the… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
ALI BEN AMRAM — (second half of the 11th century), religious head of the Palestinian community in Fostat (Old Cairo), Egypt. Ali was the colleague and eventually successor of R. ephraim b. shemariah , who bore the honorary title of he ḥaver ha me ulleh ( most… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
JOSIAH BEN AARON HE-ḤAVER — JOSIAH BEN AARON HE HAVER (fl. 11th century), Palestinian gaon. Josiah belonged to the family of the gaon, aron b. meir . He was the head of Yeshivat Geon Ya akov in Jerusalem, and later in Ramleh, to which the yeshivah was transferred,… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
ISAAC BEN ASHER HA-LEVI — (known as Riba, initials of Rabbi Isaac Ben Asher; second half of 11th and beginning of 12th century), talmudist of Speyer, the first of the German tosafists. He was a pupil of rashi and the son in law of Rashi s colleague Eliakim b. Meshullam ha … Encyclopedia of Judaism
GENIZAH, CAIRO — Introduction The term genizah is a word shortened from the rabbinical Hebrew phrase bet genizah (see also genizah ). Its counterpart in late biblical Hebrew is genez (pl. genazim, ginzei) which in Esther evidently means a treasury, as well as the … Encyclopedia of Judaism
CAIRO — CAIRO, capital of egypt . The presence of Jews in Cairo can be traced to a very early date. Fustat (old Cairo) was founded in 641 by the Arab conqueror of Egypt, ʿAmr ibn al ʿÂṣ, near the Byzantine fortress Babylon. It is almost certain that Jews … Encyclopedia of Judaism
PIYYUT — (Heb. פִּיּוּט; plural: piyyutim; from the Greek ποιητής), a lyrical composition intended to embellish an obligatory prayer or any other religious ceremony, communal or private. In a wider sense, piyyut is the totality of compositions composed in … Encyclopedia of Judaism
LITERATURE, JEWISH — Literature on Jewish themes and in languages regarded as Jewish has been written continuously for the past 3,000 years. What the term Jewish literature encompasses, however, demands definition, since Jews have lived in so many countries and have… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
ALIYAH AND ABSORPTION — GENERAL SURVEY Introduction Aliyah, ascension or going up, is the coming of Jews as individuals or in groups, from exile or diaspora to live in the Land of Israel. Those who go up for this purpose are known as olim – a term used in the Bible for… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
