A geniza recently found in Cairo’s ancient Jewish cemetery has been seized by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority, ignoring the opposition and outcry from the Jewish community.
The seizure of the genizah has prevented Jewish scholars from examining its contents.
The most famous Cairo genizah, found in 1864 by Jacob Saphir and studied for generations since, had close to 280,000 manuscript fragments dating from 870 to the 19th century and gave vast insight into the history of the Jewish communities in the Middle Ages.
The ancient Jewish cemetery in Cairo has been undergoing cleaning and preservation efforts in recent years, leading to the discovery of the new genizah in one of the burial wards.
According to the Jewish community in Cairo, the genizah contains documents and other materials which require careful examination and could potentially have significant historical and cultural value.
The Jewish community has been seeking assistance to get the genizah back, but so far their efforts have failed and the fate of its contents is unknown.
פרסמנו לראשונה ב-#הבוקר_הזה של @ReshetBet – בחודש האחרון נמצאה גניזה חדשה בבית הקברות היהודי העתיק בקהיר. אלא שבימים האחרונים, כפי שדיווחנו, אנשי רשות העתיקות המצרית נכנסו לבית הקברות והחלו לרוקן אותה בעשרות שקים למרות ההתנגדות של אנשי הקהילה היהודית בקהיר וללא רשותם >> pic.twitter.com/P8H8jqzJax
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) March 24, 2022
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2 Responses
Egypt has become very jealous of any antiquities (after the Europeans looted much of the best stuff).
The real question is preservation and cataloging them, not ownership.
How is it stealing for the Egyptian Antiquities Authority to assert their authority over Egyptian antiquities?