From Cairo to the Cloud

Film Screening followed by Zoom Conversation with JTS Librarian Dr. David Kraemer

In 1896, Talmudic scholar Solomon Schechter entered the geniza (sacred storeroom) of the ancient Ben Ezra synagogue in Cairo and discovered a vast collection of manuscripts that has revolutionized our understanding of Jewish history. These archives are now accessible to everyone in the cloud.

Filmmaker Michelle Paymar’s new documentary “From Cairo to the Cloud” explains how the cache of materials was uncovered by Dr. Schechter and ultimately was divided between Cambridge University and The Jewish Theological Seminary in NY.  JTS Librarian Dr. David Kraemer is featured in the documentary.

 David Charles Kraemer Ph.D. is a professor of Talmud and Rabbinics and the Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. As director of the Library, Dr. Kraemer oversees the most extensive collection of Judaica—rare and contemporary—in the Western hemisphere