Geniza Lab

Marriage contract written by Eliyyahu Gaon, Ramla, probably 1064.

Karaite ketubba (marriage contract), Ramla. Ca. 1030.

Fragment of a deed of gift, given in Ramla, approximately 1030.

Letter from Eli Ha-Kohen B. Ezekiel, Jerusalem, to two persons in Ramla.

Letter from Avraham ha-Ḥaver b. Amram from Jerusalem to an Andalusian merchant staying in Ramla. Ca. 1050.

Lease of a ruin belonging to the Great Synagogue of Ramla, ca. 1038. The "people of the Great Synagogue," i.e. the representatives of the congregation of the Palestinians, in Ramla, lease one half of a ruin owned by the synagogue, to a certain Sedaqa b. Yefet al-Shiraji. The lease is for a period of 20 years, at the price of hald a dinar yearly, to serve for repairs and other needs of the synagogue. The lessee intends to repair the ruin. His investments in stones and timber will be considered as covered after that period. He will then have to decide whether he wants to live there and pay rent at the prices then current or to live elsewhere; in either case, if there is a balance from his investment which will not have been covered, the congregation will return it to him. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 147 #5)

Letter of recommendation sent from Ramla, presumably to Fustat. In Hebrew. On behalf of Moshe b. Shemuel. His father Shemuel died this winter, as there was a great epidemic (dever) in Ramla this winter, in which many died 'of our Jewish brethren.' Shemuel left a widow, his son Moshe, and a 7-year-old daughter.

Letter from Shelomo b. Yehuda, Ramla, to Efrayim b. Shemarya (=Abū Kathīr Efrāyim b. Maḥfūẓ), Fustat. Dating: 1040 (after Kislev). It is about a father who is constantly "complaining" (קובל בכל עת) to Shelomo b. Yehuda about his daughter, an aguna, who is constantly "screaming" (צועקת בכל עת) to be released from her condition. See Zinger's dissertation, pp. 319, 322.

Letter from Sadoq Ha-Levi b. Levi, Head of the Court of the Yeshiva of the Land of Israel, in Ramla to Efrayim b. Shemarya, probably 1029.

Get (bill of divorce) written in Ramla, beginning of 1026.

Letter from Shelomo b. Semah, Ramla, to Efrayim b. Shemarya, ca. 1030.

Ketubba for the remarriage of a couple, Ramla, 1052. This ketubba is cancelled, implying that the couple later divorced for a second time. Verso: Calculations and notations. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from the community of Rabbanite Jews, in Ramla, to the community of Rabbanite Jews in Fustat. Dating: ca. 1050 CE. In a mixture of Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in Arabic script. Discusses the following matters: (1) praises for the congregation of Fustat (r1–12); (2) greetings (r12–17); (3) acknowledging the letter received from the Fustat congregation (r17–20); (4) apologies for the brevity of this letter (which is at least 50 lines and half a meter long), as the community is being persecuted and the Av Bet Din is wanted by the government (r21–24); (5) reporting that when Daniel b. ʿAzarya passed through Ramla en route to Egypt, they honored him, but they hadn't realized that Daniel had previously gone to Jerusalem, where the Gaon Shelomo b. Yehuda and his son Avraham ha-Reviʿi prayed for him and declared him the heir-apparent to the gaonate (r25–30); (6) when Daniel arrived in Ramla, he "took control" of the marketplace and appointed a Maghribī as deputy; there was a dispute over kosher slaughter, and the community of Ramla decided to boycott meat (r30–36); (7) a new kashrut supervisor was appointed, which was even worse; Daniel b. ʿAzarya gained further power (r37–47); when the conflict worsened, Daniel asked Ibn ʿAllūn, an influential Jew in Ashqelon, to intervene with the amīr to have Yosef Av Bet Din fired and banished. The amīr wanted the approval of the gaon before doing this, so Daniel wrote to the gaon (l. 50), who granted approval. The amir then required further approval from... (the fragment ends here) (r47–54). One of the important new pieces of information contained in this letter is that when Daniel b. ʿAzarya assumed the gaonate in 1051 CE, this was exactly as planned by Shelomo b. Yehuda and his followers. (Information from Goitein's published edition, index card, Mediterranean Society, IV, p. 442, and CUDL.)

Colophon from [Ramla located near] Lod from the month of Heshvan year 4802 = 1041

Letter in Arabic script. Addressed to a certain Isḥāq in Ramla. Needs examination.