ALI BEN AMRAM

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 excellent scholar"). In a letter, written about 1060, that was found in the Cairo Genizah, Ali addressed the court physician Abraham b. Isaac ha-Kohen b. Furat, informing him that on Sabbaths and holidays he would receive public recognition in the synagogue for his virtuous acts. Two letters addressed to Ali from Palestine concerning the Jews in Tiberias and one introducing Moses b. Joseph, a Spanish scholar on diplomatic assignment, were also discovered in the Genizah. Ali was the author of a lengthy poem, extant in manuscript, dedicated to one Ali b. Mevasser. Two letters from the gaon Daniel b. Azariah to Ali have been preserved: in one, the gaon expresses his great confidence in Ali and gratitude for his kindnesses; in the other, the gaon asks Ali to hand over to the bearer contributions that had been collected in Fustat, probably for the yeshivah in Jerusalem. Ali was also in close touch with samuel ha-nagid and his sons Jehoseph and Eliasaph in Granada. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mann, Egypt, 2 (1922), index; idem, in: HUCA, 3 (1926), 279, 283–8; Mann, Texts, 2 (1935), index; Ashtor, Korot, 2 (1966), 82–83. (Moshe Nahum Zobel)