In the 11th century the most important synagogue in Jerusalem and major site of pilgrimage was ‘the Cave’. It was damaged following a devastating earthquake across Palestine. Among Solomon son of Judah’s duties as Head of the Academy of Jerusalem was the upkeep of Jewish property there. In this letter, Solomon solicits help from the wealthy members of the Egyptian Jewish community to help restore ‘the Cave’. He describes work that has already been undertaken including the removal of rubble and the use of 62 beams and 600 planks.

Jerusalem, 1035 CE

Hebrew, paper

T-S 13J34.2