Melonie Schmierer-Lee | University of Cambridge (original) (raw)
Interviews by Melonie Schmierer-Lee
Q&A Wednesday of the Genizah Research Unit, 2021
Interview by Melonie Schmierer-Lee
Blog of the Genizah Research Unit, 2021
https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/genizah-fragments/posts/qa-wednesday-zina-cohen-inks-fustat
Blogs by Melonie Schmierer-Lee
Genizah Fragments Blog, 2022
Interview from the "Genizah Fragments" blog with Melonie Schmierer-Lee about different types of p... more Interview from the "Genizah Fragments" blog with Melonie Schmierer-Lee about different types of paper found in the Cairo Genizah.
Papers by Melonie Schmierer-Lee
The Cairo Genizah is not only the most important source for medieval Jewish history but also pres... more The Cairo Genizah is not only the most important source for medieval Jewish history but also preserves a wealth of texts to and from the Islamic chancery, with numerous petitions addressed to influential Fatimid and Ayyubid dignitaries. High ranking – judges, military leaders, and even the great Saladin himself – held public audiences in which aggrieved individuals could petition for the support, assistance, or intervention of the great and powerful. Petitions were delivered to the dignitary in writing or set down by court secretaries after the petitioner had voiced his request in person. They have a highly formulaic structure, wishing blessings on the dignitary (e.g. ‘may God cause his days to endure and make eternal his rule’) and use obsequious terminology (e.g. ‘the slave [i.e. the petitioner] kisses the ground’).
I am now here since three weeks. After making the acqai acquaintance of the Chief Rabbi here and ... more I am now here since three weeks. After making the acqai acquaintance of the Chief Rabbi here and the president of the Jewish community I set to work on the "Genizas" where I spent spend the most of my time in the dust of centuries. The beadel & other infernal scoundrels are helping me to clear away the rubbish and the printed matter. I have constantly to bakeshish them, but still they are stealing many good things and sell them to the dealers in an antiquities. I cannot possibly prevent it, but I found out the said dealers and bought from them the fragments which have interest for me. In the Genizah itself which is dark dusty and full of all possible in insects there is no opportunity of Add.6463(e)3416: Breathing the 'dust of centuries' By Melonie Schmierer-Lee This letter was written three weeks after Solomon Schechter arrived in Egypt. He writes to Francis Jenkinson, the University Librarian, describing his work in the Genizah chamber and his dealings with the local men who were assisting him. His main purpose, however, is to notify Jenkinson that he plans to send the first batch of manuscripts on ahead, and, as he intends to offer the manuscripts to the Library, would the Library look after them until Schechter's return. The letter was preserved among Jenkinson's papers, and eventually deposited in the University Library itself.
Exhibition catalogue, containing translations of medieval Hebrew, Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic manusc... more Exhibition catalogue, containing translations of medieval Hebrew, Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic manuscripts, of a major 2017 exhibition on the Cairo Genizah Collection of Cambridge University Library.
Books by Melonie Schmierer-Lee
Gorgias Press, 2024
Almost one thousand years ago, the Jews of Old Cairo began to place their worn-out books and scro... more Almost one thousand years ago, the Jews of Old Cairo began to place their worn-out books and scrolls into a hidden storage room – a genizah – of their synagogue. Over the years, they added all sorts of writings to the pile, sacred and secular texts alike. When the chamber was emptied at the end of the 19th century, it held hundreds of thousands of paper and parchment fragments. Now known as the ‘Cairo Genizah’, it has become one of the most important sources of knowledge for the history of the Middle East and the Mediterranean world. This book offers the first illustrated introduction to the unique collections of Cairo Genizah manuscripts at Cambridge University Library.
Join Genizah experts Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee as they take you on a journey of discovery through more than 125 years of research at the University of Cambridge, showcasing over 300 stunning, full-colour manuscript images across 12 thematic chapters. From ancient Bibles to medieval magic and Renaissance printing presses, 'The Illustrated Cairo Genizah' reveals the forgotten stories of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities at the centre of a millennium of world history.
This is a free sample file. The full book is available here: https://linktr.ee/CambridgeGRU
Q&A Wednesday of the Genizah Research Unit, 2021
Blog of the Genizah Research Unit, 2021
https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/genizah-fragments/posts/qa-wednesday-zina-cohen-inks-fustat
Genizah Fragments Blog, 2022
Interview from the "Genizah Fragments" blog with Melonie Schmierer-Lee about different types of p... more Interview from the "Genizah Fragments" blog with Melonie Schmierer-Lee about different types of paper found in the Cairo Genizah.
The Cairo Genizah is not only the most important source for medieval Jewish history but also pres... more The Cairo Genizah is not only the most important source for medieval Jewish history but also preserves a wealth of texts to and from the Islamic chancery, with numerous petitions addressed to influential Fatimid and Ayyubid dignitaries. High ranking – judges, military leaders, and even the great Saladin himself – held public audiences in which aggrieved individuals could petition for the support, assistance, or intervention of the great and powerful. Petitions were delivered to the dignitary in writing or set down by court secretaries after the petitioner had voiced his request in person. They have a highly formulaic structure, wishing blessings on the dignitary (e.g. ‘may God cause his days to endure and make eternal his rule’) and use obsequious terminology (e.g. ‘the slave [i.e. the petitioner] kisses the ground’).
I am now here since three weeks. After making the acqai acquaintance of the Chief Rabbi here and ... more I am now here since three weeks. After making the acqai acquaintance of the Chief Rabbi here and the president of the Jewish community I set to work on the "Genizas" where I spent spend the most of my time in the dust of centuries. The beadel & other infernal scoundrels are helping me to clear away the rubbish and the printed matter. I have constantly to bakeshish them, but still they are stealing many good things and sell them to the dealers in an antiquities. I cannot possibly prevent it, but I found out the said dealers and bought from them the fragments which have interest for me. In the Genizah itself which is dark dusty and full of all possible in insects there is no opportunity of Add.6463(e)3416: Breathing the 'dust of centuries' By Melonie Schmierer-Lee This letter was written three weeks after Solomon Schechter arrived in Egypt. He writes to Francis Jenkinson, the University Librarian, describing his work in the Genizah chamber and his dealings with the local men who were assisting him. His main purpose, however, is to notify Jenkinson that he plans to send the first batch of manuscripts on ahead, and, as he intends to offer the manuscripts to the Library, would the Library look after them until Schechter's return. The letter was preserved among Jenkinson's papers, and eventually deposited in the University Library itself.
Exhibition catalogue, containing translations of medieval Hebrew, Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic manusc... more Exhibition catalogue, containing translations of medieval Hebrew, Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic manuscripts, of a major 2017 exhibition on the Cairo Genizah Collection of Cambridge University Library.
Gorgias Press, 2024
Almost one thousand years ago, the Jews of Old Cairo began to place their worn-out books and scro... more Almost one thousand years ago, the Jews of Old Cairo began to place their worn-out books and scrolls into a hidden storage room – a genizah – of their synagogue. Over the years, they added all sorts of writings to the pile, sacred and secular texts alike. When the chamber was emptied at the end of the 19th century, it held hundreds of thousands of paper and parchment fragments. Now known as the ‘Cairo Genizah’, it has become one of the most important sources of knowledge for the history of the Middle East and the Mediterranean world. This book offers the first illustrated introduction to the unique collections of Cairo Genizah manuscripts at Cambridge University Library.
Join Genizah experts Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee as they take you on a journey of discovery through more than 125 years of research at the University of Cambridge, showcasing over 300 stunning, full-colour manuscript images across 12 thematic chapters. From ancient Bibles to medieval magic and Renaissance printing presses, 'The Illustrated Cairo Genizah' reveals the forgotten stories of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities at the centre of a millennium of world history.
This is a free sample file. The full book is available here: https://linktr.ee/CambridgeGRU