Geniza Lab

Letter from an unknown writer, either in Gaza or near Jerusalem, to Yishmaʿel, in Fustat/Cairo. In Hebrew. Dating: Second half of the 16th century. The writer describes his persecution at the hands of judges and police in Palestine, specifically in the city of Gaza. It began with a debt owed to the writer by a shāwīsh/çavuş, who denied owing anything (r10–12). The matter came before a judge from Jerusalem, who came to Gaza (r10), and, thanks to bribes and false witnesses, ruled against the writer (r12–15). The shāwīsh continued persecuting the writer, trheatening him with imprisonment or extradition to Damascus for the sake of bringing the case before the Basha there (r15–18). The shāwīsh maintained that the writer owed him 427 Venetian gold coins (peraḥim banādiqa) (r32–33). But the community of Gaza came to the rescue of the writer and agreed to stand security for the loan (r28, v14) that he would need to take out in order to pay off various people to avoid being dragged off to Damascus (r19–31). The writer is now in unbearable financial straits (r31, v6) and asks the addressee to help defray his debts to the community of Gaza (v7–38). The writer has also turned to Yaʿaqov de Villareal and Moshe Porekh(?) for help in transferring the money (v22–25). Information from Avraham David's edition on FGP.

Letter to Eliyya Levi. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Ottoman-era. Recto consists of greetings. On verso the writer relates various types of bad news (violence, financial losses) inolving relations with the Rabbanites and with the local Ottoman rulers (al-Chelebi, Kaykhiya al-Basha/Kaykhiya al-Shāwīshīyya, Turjumān al-Bāsha). Needs examination