Introduction

In this preamble, historical introductions are presented that immerse the reader into the realm of Jews in the Eastern Mediterranean at the end of the 15th century, the writers of the documents published in the book.

The first three introductions present three perspectives on the Jews in the Mamluk state: the communal aspect, the organizational aspect, and the economic aspect.

The first section focuses on the Jewish community in Alexandria. In this part, various aspects of communal life during the Mamluk period are being discussed, including the size of the community, its social composition, leadership structure, as well as the intellectual life.

The second part extends beyond the community to the entire Mamluk territory. In this section, the Jewish leadership in the Mamluk state, known as the Nagidate, is presented. The discussion focuses on the three Negidim (heads of the Jews) who served in the second half of the 15th century: Joseph ha-Nagid and his son Solomon, and Nathan Sholal. The latter two are among the writers of letters published in the book.

The third part expands beyond the borders of the Mamluk state and delves into the Mediterranean trade in which Egyptian Jews engaged, alongside Jews in other countries. The protagonist of the book, Moses ben Judah, was a wealthy merchant, and this introduction provides a brief background to his commercial activities. This part does not claim to cover the subject comprehensively, but it is hoped that the commercial documents published in the book may stimulate further research on Jewish maritime trade in the Mediterranean during this period.

The fourth and fifth parts of the introduction delve into the central figure of the book, Moses ben Judah, and his extensive library. Moses was a bibliophile, and in this section, there is a attempt to partially reconstruct the list of books he acquired and read, and perhaps also engaged in their trade.