Among the interesting documents from Hebrew literature that touch upon Slavs are those of the so-called Cairo genizah (storage room – this one in the attic of the Fustat-Misr synagogue on the southern outskirts of Cairo). Although close to 2,000 documents exist that were rescued from the genizah (and are now at Cambridge), two have been studied more than others. Both contain references to Slavic places and other mentions of interest.
Cambridge Document
The first is the so-called Cambridge Document – a letter from the Khazarian Jewish community probably in response to Hasdai bin Shaprut detailing the rise of the Hebrew Khazars.
The letter (also known as the Schechter Letter, by reason of having been discovered among the Genizah documents in 1898 by Solomon Schechter) has a number of interesting aspects. First, it mentions several names that are of interest:
- the Rus (RWSY), and
- their leader Oleg (HLGW – probably);
Second, the document starts with a reference to the Khazarian Jews having escaped from the yoke of Armenian idolaters. It is difficult not to connect this event with what we know of the legend of Gisane and Demetr as related to us by Zenob Glak:
“Armenia, and [our] fathers fled before them […] for they were unable to bear the yoke of idol-worshippers, and the people of Quazaria received them.”
Third, the Schechter letter mentions rather curiously a name that may stand for the Pechenegs, PYYNYL (perhaps PSNYK) but perhaps, we think, could stand for the Polans of Kiev:
Kievan Letter
This (manuscript T-S (Glass) 12.122) is a letter from the Jewish community of Kiev describing the affair of one Mar Jacob ben R. Hannukkah who guaranteed a debt incurred by his brother “to gentiles”. Since Jacob’s brother was then killed by brigands, Jacob was put in a debtor’s prison for a year. The Jewish community then paid off 60 coins of the debt but 40 coins still remained. The letter was apparently sent to some other Jewish community to seek cash to repay the remaining debt.
The Kievan Letter was discovered in 1962 by Norman Golb. What is interesting about it is that:
- it mentions the city of Kiev by name; and
- some of the signatories might have non-Jewish, precisely, Slavic names.
The name Kiev is written as follows: קייובי (QYYWB):
The names of interest are the following:
- GWSTT bar KYBR Kohen – perhaps Gostata (or Gostyata) bar Kiabar (name similar to various “Gasts”, “Gosts” and “Hosts”):
- Judah/Yehuda, called SWRTH – perhaps Sawarta or Severyata (see Severyans):
- QWFYN bar Joseph – perhaps Kupin:
Finally, we note that the letter begins with the invocation of the name of God by the words, “He Who is adorned with the diadem ‘Final and First'”. This is essentially the “Alpha & Omega” title of the New Testament found, interestingly, also among the Gnostics in the form IAΩ with reference to Abraxas.
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