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About

The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research of the Cairo Genizah was founded in 2012. The centre aspires to foster interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the Genizah, and to strengthen the public awareness of the precious treasure of Cairo.  
With the discovery of the Cairo Genizah one hundred and twenty years ago, researchers from diverse disciplines and fields gained access to a considerable collection of rare and original documents. This storehouse of primary sources and information shed a new light on medieval Mediterranean society as a whole and particularly on Jewish history and culture from ancient to early modern times. Today, the Cairo Genizah continues to provide an inexhaustible source for interdisciplinary research involving scholars from an array of disciplines, spanning from India to Western Europe. This research includes the fields of social, economic and intellectual history; Jewish literature from ancient times through the Middle Ages in the realm of Piyut, Talmud, Midrash, and Halakha; Philosophy; Semitic languages (Hebrew, Judaeo-Arabic, Aramaic); and the study of daily life, medicine, and trade.
In recent years the Friedberg Genizah Project has digitized documents from almost all of the Genizah collections, granting researchers around the world access to these primary sources and enabling them to catalogue them in a systematic manner.   Genizah study now stands at a watershed point in time which is likely to inspire considerable new research thereby illuminating yet more of the Genizah’s innumerable facets. Interdisciplinary research by its nature involves those few who engage in multiple fields of research.  Whilst a vast amount of the results of such research has been displayed and publicized on the podium of various academic institutions, in most cases it has not permeated public awareness.  
In order to address these challenges we have established the Haifa Centre for the Broader Application of Genizah Research. The Centre aims to encourage interdisciplinary research in the Genizah, bring the Genizah to the notice of the public and integrate it into various educational frameworks in Israel and around the world.
As part of its outreach activities the center has produced an exhibition which include three elements: The first is an introduction to the Cairo Genizah and the two others cover two areas of research in the center: Midrash and Materia Medica.  Exhibits have been displayed at Limmud 2012, The Universities of Haifa and Conneticut, in Geneva, Berlin and Mexico city. They have been translated into German, Spanish, French,  English and Hebrew.

Events

The Genizah Centre coordinates, hosts and participates in various events throughout the year for the benefit of the academic community and general public, including lectures, workshops and conferences. 

 For videos of the lectures click here

  For more events click here

 

Exhibition

The Genizah Centre has produced an exhibition which presents an introduction to the Cairo Genizah, and posters showcasing the different areas of our research.

They have been translated into German, Spanish French English and Hebrew. It has been displayed in Israel and throughout the world.

 For more info, click here. For pictures, click here.

 

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Publications

The Staff of the Genizah centre include several scholars, lecturers and research students who regularly publish the results of their individual research and collaborations.

Our latest publications

Dr Roni Shweka: Was the Torah Given ‘One Scroll at a Time’ or ‘Sealed’?   Sidra 30

Dr Moshe Lavee, Dr Oded RosenblumDr Shana Schick: 
The fifth of six articles on the TheTorah.com.

Earlier articles: "The Egyptian Midwives"  "The Inner Workings of a Genizah Midrash on the Symbolic Value of Orlah", "Contesting the Identification of Elijah", A Monogamous Isaac Prays for His Barren Wife 

More Publications: Midrash , Medicine