Cultural | Historical Documents | Middle Eastern Jewry | Religion | SocialOnline Cairo Genizah Collection The Cairo Genizah Collection is a publicly accessible research collection housed in the Cambridge University Library. Its collection of manuscripts contains information on Jewish history, religion, and culture. Archive Description The Cairo Genizah Collection is an enormous collection of medieval and early modern Jewish manuscripts, formed principally from the Taylor-Schechter Collection of more than 193,000 fragments removed from the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fustat, Old Cairo, by the Cambridge scholar Solomon Schechter in 1896–7. Further fragments have been added from the Lewis-Gibson Collection (jointly owned with the University of Oxford) and the Jacques Mosseri Genizah Collection, currently on loan in Cambridge. The material has been cleaned, conserved, and digitised. It is accessible both online and for consultation and viewing in person. The collection contains a broad array of texts, encompassing all genres of literature, from sacred to profane, as well as a remarkable documentary archive of letters, legal deeds and other writings of everyday life, allowing us to reconstruct in great detail the literary, economic and social history of the Jews of Egypt over centuries. Particular treasures include not only the earliest known copies of many Jewish sacred texts, but also the autograph writings of major medieval figures such as Moses Maimonides and Judah ha-Levi. Access Information The collection can be accessed for research purposes in the Manuscripts Reading Room by holders of a University Library reader’s card. More information about the University Library readers card can be found on the Cambridge University Library website, as can University Library opening hours. Members of the general public can view the collection as part of a pre-booked visit, hosted by a member of the Genizah Research Unit. These visits can be arranged Monday-Friday during office hours (9.30–5.30) and Saturdays and Bank Holiday access is also sometimes possible. These visits should be scheduled at least two weeks in advance, and the collection can be contacted at: genizah@lib.cam.ac.uk. More information on access requirements can be found on the collection’s website. Online Accessibility The Cairo Genizah collection is almost completely digitised, and can be accessed online via The Friedberg Jewish Manuscript Society web portal following a free registration. Digital catalogues of the material can be found on the Cambridge University Library website in two collections: The Genizah Collection and the Lewis-Gibson Collection Street Address Cambridge University LibraryWest RoadCambridgeCB3 9DR https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/departments/taylor-schechter-genizah-research-unit
Commercial | Family History | Historical Documents | Holocaust | ImmigrationPartially online The National Archives The National Archives are the official archive and publisher for the UK Government, located in Kew, South West London. They hold documents covering every aspect of Jewish life in Britain. Archive Description The National Archives looks after and makes available to the public a collection of historical records dating back more than 1,000 years, including records as diverse as the Domesday Book and MI5 files. They are also a cultural, heritage and academic organisation which promotes public accessibility to iconic documents while ensuring preservation for generations to come. Subject guides are available to help users locate the information they are looking for. The two most relevant ones are on Jews and Jewish Communities, and this collection of guides for family history research. The Archives’ historic records also cover the history of Medieval Jewish communities, as well as the return of the Jewish community to England in the mid-1650s. Access Information The National Archives is open to all members of the public. In order to view files at The National Archives, you will need to book your visit and order documents at least a week in advance. You will also need a reader’s ticket, which you can register for when you book online. In order to obtain or renew your reader’s ticket you must bring two forms of identification with you: a proof of name with a valid signature and a separate proof of address. A photograph will be taken for your reader’s ticket. The National Archives are open 9am – 5pm, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and until 7pm on Tuesday and Thursday. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Currently, visits must be booked at least a week in advance, and slots will be made available two weeks before the date of the visit, on a rolling weekly basis every Monday morning. Additional information can be found here. Online Accessibility The National Archives’ online catalogue, Discovery, lists records held by the Archive as well as more than 2,500 other archives in the UK. Over five percent of the Archives’ records have been digitised and are available online. These can be found by searching on the online catalogue and filtering for ‘available for download only’. Depending on the document these may not be free to view, and require a payment to either the National Archive or one of it’s commercial partners. Street Address Bessant Dr,Kew,RichmondTW9 4DU https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Communal Records | Family History | Historical Documents | Jewish LifeOnly online We Were There Too British Jews in the First World War – We Were There Too is a digital project created to capture, save and share the story of Britain’s Jews in the First World War Project Description We Were There Too celebrates the lives of both Jewish soldiers and citizens on the home front, providing historical context to key events and centering on the Jewish experience of the period. The archive is active and adding material on a weekly basis. It includes some 2,500 personal records and 90 History Windows which relate different aspects of British Jewish life at this time. The site also hosts some 50 collections from Institutions and private collections, with in excess of 15,000 images. Digital Accessibility The project is fully available online, for free, with searchable collections including the only open, digital source of the 1922 Jewish Book of Honour, as well as records and personal accounts of Jewish combatants in the First World War. For more information the archive can be contacted by emailing cntactus@jewfww.uk https://www.jewsfww.uk