The Cairo Genizah: A Historical Analysis

What was life like for medieval Jews living under Islamic rule? The momentous discovery of the Cairo Genizah–a storage room for fragments of sacred texts, meant to be destroyed by means of ritual burying, or “sacred trash” as some historians have describe it–in the late nineteenth century allows for a unique perspective into this question. The documents found in the Genizah are unique in that, unlike many medieval primary sources, which have been carefully preserved throughout the centuries, the Genizah documents were not meant to be preserved. What this means is that while the Genizah documents require interpretation, they offer a more candid insight into the lives of ordinary Jews. One such example is a petition written between 1084 and
In this way, the legal status of the Jews and more importantly, their protection was guaranteed. However, while they were able to practice their religion and were granted authority to organize their communities, they were subjected to special annual taxes, also known as jizya, and discriminatory laws. For example, according to the Pact of Umar, believed to have been written between 634-644 CE, dhimmis were not allowed to build new houses of worship or to repair old ones and were supposed to wear distinctive clothes so that they would not be confused with Muslims. However, these legal discriminations were not equally applied throughout the Islamic world; for example, Jews, under the Fatimid caliphate (909–1171 CE), were able to bypass many of these discriminatory laws. Evidence from that time period suggests that it was difficult to tell Jews and Muslims apart and that despite the ban on dhimmis from positions in the state, Jews held some of the highest positions in the courts. The author of the petition, Yahya of Alexandria, lives under the Fatimid era, but like many of the Jews, he was part of the “working poor” class and did not have a place in the state service. Therefore, while it was possible for Jews to gain high positions during some eras of Islamic rule, for the most part, Jews led ordinary lives and were involved in various trades and crafts. The petition reveals the delicate position the Jewish community had within the Islamic society–while the Jews were legally protected and had self-autonomy to deal with local and private affairs, they also recognized the precarious position they were in if they failed to pay their taxes or if they were unable to repay a