Talk by Rebecca J. W. Jefferson: Rescue or Ransack? Unraveling the Complexities of the Cairo Geniza Chain of Custody, 28 February 2024

How did the transfer of Cairo Geniza fragments from Egypt to Western institutions impact our understanding of the Jewish practice of geniza, of storing away unused documents? What does the Cairo Geniza discovery story reveal about Eastern and Western attitudes toward Jewish heritage materials? And how did the subsequent treatment of geniza fragments by libraries and museums obfuscate their chain of custody and perpetuate myths about this storied repository?


OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Andreas Lehnertz (February 24, 2024). Talk by Rebecca J. W. Jefferson: Rescue or Ransack? Unraveling the Complexities of the Cairo Geniza Chain of Custody, 28 February 2024. medievalJewishStudiesNow! Retrieved February 14, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/vwh8


About Andreas Lehnertz

As Juniorprofessor of medieval history with a specialization in Jewish history at the University of Trier, Andreas Lehnertz studies the social, cultural, and religious history of Europe. His academic pursuits focus on the nuanced dynamics of everyday Christian-Jewish relations, the study of marginal Hebrew and Yiddish deeds, the study of Jewish and general sealing practices, and the in-depth study of Jewish craftspeople. He wrote a book on "Jewish Seals in the Medieval German Empire: The Authentication and Self-Representation of Jewish Men and Women". His expertise has been further honed through his roles as a postdoctoral fellow in the ERC project "Beyond the Elite - Jewish Daily Life in Medieval Europe" at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and as a member of the Martin Buber Society in the Humanities and Social Sciences, also at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Currently he writes a book about "Jewish Craftspeople in Medieval Germany". Through his research and publications, he aims to make a meaningful contribution to the academic discourse surrounding medieval history and to provide valuable insights into the rich tapestry of European history during this pivotal period.