THE BEN-ZVI INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN THE EAST

Director: Prof. Avraham Grossman
Assistant Director: Dr. Meir M. Bar-Asher
Academic Secretary: Michael Glatzer

RESEARCH PROJECTS

1. Oriens Judaicus-Sources for the History of the Jews in Muslim Lands:
The purpose of this long-term project is to collect all the sources pertinent to the history of the Jews in Muslim lands, and to edit and publish them in volumes arranged by region and period. Project director: Prof. A. Grossman; Project coordinator: Prof. M. Ben-Sasson. Funding: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities; The Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture (New York).

A number of volumes in the series have been published to date (see below). Forthcoming volumes include:
Syria 650-1250, ed. Prof. H. Ben-Shammai.
Egypt in the 11th Century, ed. Dr. E. Bareket.

2. Ethiopian Jewry Project:
Initiated before the mass aliya from Ethiopia, this project undertook to preserve the cultural heritage of Ethiopian Jewry through both written and oral documentation. Three special issues of the Institute's quarterly journal, Pe'amim, were devoted to the subject; an annotated bibliography was published; a volume of articles in English was prepared for publication; numerous studies have been conducted among the Ethiopian community in Israel; seminars and conferences were held. The Institute also provides the Secretariat of the Society for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry (Falasha), an international association of researchers. Project director: Prof. S. Kaplan.

3. The Expulsion of the Jews from Spain:
In commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain (1492-1992), the Institute initiated a number of ongoing research projects:

The Communal Regulations (Taqqanot) of Sephardi Communities: This project aims to collect the communal regulations that were adopted by Jewish communities in Spain itself and throughout the Sephardi diaspora. The study of these regulations will contribute to a deeper understanding of Jewish communal life in the Sephardi diaspora. Project directors: Profs. H. Beinart, D. Carpi, J.R. Hacker, Y. Kaplan, S. Schwarzfuchs.

An Educational Project for the Diaspora: The Institute, with the help of the Pinkus Fund, prepared materials for the formal and informal teaching of the Expulsion and its ramifications to Jewish youth abroad during the years in which the anniversary was commemorated. Project coordinators: M. Glatzer and M. Yaron.

Spanish and Portuguese Jews in the Caribbean: The project seeks to document the presence of Jewish emigrants from Spain and Portugal in the Caribbean. Researcher: M. Arbel.

The Expulsions from Spain and Portugal as Reflected in Kabbala, 1492-1572: This project explores the reactions to the traumatic events of the late 15th century and early 16th century, as reflected in Kabbalistic literature of the period. Researcher: Prof. M. Idel.

4. Byzantine Jewry:
This project entails the preparation of volumes of sources on the history of the Jews in the Byzantine Empire from the beginnings of that empire until the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Project director: Prof. R. Bonfil.

5. The Karaite Jews:
Several aspects of the history and culture of the Karaite Jews are being investigated by the Institute:

Encyclopedia of Karaite Personalities: Preparation for publication of a manuscript from the literary estate of S. Poznanski. Researchers: Prof. H. Ben-Shammai, Dr. D. Sklare.

Bibliography of Karaism: B. Walfish

The Monument Inscriptions of Karaite Jews in Crimea: An epigraphic study Researcher: M. Ezer.

6. The Writings of Rabbi Itzhak Luria:
This project is intended to form the foundation for the reconstruction of the writings of R. Itzhak Luria, the leading figure in 16th century Kabbala. Researcher. J. Avivi.

7. The Writings of Nathan of Gaza:
A comprehensive study. Researcher: R. Elqayyam.

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RECENT PUBLICATIONS

ABITBOL, M . Tujjar al-Sultan --Une elite economique judeo-marocaine au XIXeme siecle (Oriens Judaicus, Series IV, vol.3,) 1994, 242 pp. (Hebrew).

ALTSHULER, M. The Jews of the Eastern Caucasus. 1990, 640 pp. (Hebrew). published in conjunction with the Institute of Contemporary Jewry

ATTAL, R. Les Juifs d 'Afrique du Nord: Bibliographie (Edition Refondue et Elargie). 1993, 788 pp. (Hebrew and French).

ATTAL, R. and AVIVI, J. Marriage Register of the Portuguese Jewish Community of Tunis. (Oriens Judaicus, Series 4, Vol 1)- 1991, 210 pp (Hebrew and French editions).

AVIVI, J. Manuscrits des Juifs des Maghreb a l 'Institute Ben-Zvi. vol. 1, 1993, 159 pp.

BEN-SASSON, M. The Jews of Sicily 825-1068. (Oriens Judaicus, Series I, vol,l), 1991, 742pp. (Hebrew)

BOKSENBOIM, Y. Letters of Jews in Italy; Selected Letters from the Sixteenth Century. 1994, 382pp. (Hebrew)

ELIZUR, S. Poet at a Turning Point: Rabbi Yehoshua bar Khalfa and His Poetry . 336 pp. (Hebrew).

FLEISCHER, E. The Proverbs of Sa'id ben Babshad. 1990, 320 pp. (Hebrew).
HASAN-ROKEM, G. Adam Le-Adam Gesher- The Proverbs of Georgian Jews in Israel. 1993, 212 pp. (Hebrew).

KAZZAZ,N, The Jews in Iraq in the Twentieth Century. 1990/91, 368pp.(Hebrew).

SHAKED, S. and NETZER, A., eds. Irano-Judaica III; Studies Relating to Jewish Contacts with Persian Culture Throughout the Ages. 1994, 192 pp. (English and French).

SHTOBER, S. "Sefer Divre Yosef " by Yosef Sambari. 1994, 460 pp. (Hebrew).
TOBI, Y. The Community of Rad'a' Yemen, Eighteenth Century. (Oriens Judaicus, Series III, vol. 1). 1992, 189 pp. (Hebrew).

ZOHAR,Z. Tradition and Change: Halakhic Responses of Middle Eastern Rabbis to Legal and Technological Change (Egypt and Syria, 1880-1920). 1993, 336 pp. (Hebrew).

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