"Gripping.... With descriptive flair, [this] is a page-turner, a fast-paced archaeological mystery, a globe-trotting adventure, and a wonderful story. Highly recommended!"Dr. Ron Wolfson, Fingerhut Professor of Education, American Jewish University; president, Synagogue 3000; author, The Seven Questions You're Asked in Heaven: Reviewing and Renewing Your Life on Earth
"Brings this adventure vibrantly to life, taking the reader on a fascinating journey…. Accessible and engaging … a great introduction to a complex story of scheming, scholarship, and sensation."Dr. Rebecca J. W. Jefferson, head of the Price Library of Judaica, University of Florida; former researcher, Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit, Cambridge University
"Fascinating ... well researched and enthusiastic, [it] offers a wonderfully enjoyable introduction to a subject that deserves far more attention than it has received thus far."Donald P. Ryan, PhD, division of humanities, Pacific Lutheran University
“If there were a religious wonders of the world list, the Cairo Genizah would be near the top of it; and Rabbi Mark Glickman its indispensableeloquent, wry and knowledgeableguide.”Melissa Fay Greene, author, The Temple Bombing
“With an exhilarating enthusiasm and an eye for curious detail, Mark Glickman relates the tale of the recovery of this momentous archive and examines its impact on our interpretation of the Jewish past.”Ben Outhwaite, director, Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit, Cambridge University
“Traces with page-turning enthusiasm the discovery, study, and significance of the Cairo Genizah. Recommended for Jewish studies classes, book groups, and synagogue adult study classes. A joy to read!”Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, professor of rabbinic literature, The Jewish Theological Seminary; author, Sage Tales: Wisdom and Wonder from The Rabbis of the Talmud
The story of the Cairo genizah (synagogue storage room) is an absorbing one. The Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo had been in existence for nearly 800 years, suggesting that it might offer possibilities for challenging discoveries, when in 1896 enterprising Cambridge rabbi Solomon Schechter conjectured that Ben Ezra's genizah might hold interesting manuscripts. What he found was a treasure trove of original manuscripts whose mysteries scholars are still unpacking to this day. Schechter unearthed a massive find replete with sacred Torah scrolls, pages of Talmud, original documents from Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides' hand, poetry, love letters, and even centuries-old Hebrew school primers. Glickman, a rabbi in Washington State who contributes a religion column to the Seattle Times, shares the history as well as the politics behind this find. (For example, why is the Cairo genizah given so little public attention and the Dead Sea Scrolls so much more?) VERDICT For bibliophiles as well as historians; this is the kind of story that will set their hearts aflutter. Recommended also for special Jewish and Middle Eastern history collections.—Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh