Letter: Moss. II,124.1

Description

Fragment of a letter in the hand of Natan ha-Kohen b. Mevorakh concerning the disagreement about the Jewish community's leadership in Ashkelon. Describes how a group of community members appointed a new cantor (hazzan) without the approval of David b. Daniel, the Jews' leader. Avraham b. Ḥalfon b. Nahum, the official hazzan, tried to get to a compromise between both sides but failed. The writer describes that Avraham b. Ḥalfon (Ibrāhīm b. Khalaf) is not accepted by the community, nor even by the leadership in Fustat. The hazzan is not from Ashkelon, but Gaza, and they ask the head of the Jews in Egypt to appoint a new hazzan and leader in Ashkelon. (Information from M. Cohen, Shalem, 3, pp.103-105) VMR