Letter from Alexandria from the 21st of October 1219, a short time before the crusaders' assault on Damietta. A man who had to flee Cairo to Alexandria due to debts writes to his sister, who still resided in Cairo, to ask for her help. The letter reflects the difficult situation in Alexandria. The Jewish community cannot manage to support all those in need, since it has only recently paid a large sum to the ruling authorities, a kind of a war tax (tabarru' and ju‘l). (Information from Frenkel). See additional information in Goitein, Med. Soc. 1:98-99 and the detailed discussion in V:55-56. Goitein adds that the letter was sent from Alexandria by a former official of the imperial mint of Fustat to his rich sister. The writer describes how he had lost his post, his house and all his possessions. He hired out his boy to a tailor who paid him half a dirham per week. He lists ten reasons why he cannot possibly come to Cairo; the tenth and "most stringent reason for not making the trip to Cairo was the certainty that his enemies seeing him in such a state of humiliation would rejoice over his misfortune." "Despite the careful enumeration of all his afflictions he forgot one, possibly the worst of all, which he added as a postscript ot his long letter: 'Because of my worries I got dry pimples and my skin peeled off my bones.' Of all concerns, bad health is most apt to move hardhearted relatives" (Med Soc V:56). See also T-S 8J20.26.
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אלגלילה אדאם אללה עזהא ונעמאהא וכבת באלדל אלמהין
חסאדהא ואעדאהא ומן חסן אלתופיק לא אכלאהא גמע
אללה אלשמל בהא קריב גיר בעיד במנה וגודה אן שא
אללה תעאלי וסוי דלך לא תסאלו מא אנא פיה מן אלשדאיד
אלעצימה ולו וצפת לך למא חואה אסטר ולא וסעה
כתאב ומא מנעני אן אטלע אלי ענדך אלא עשרה אשיא
אולהא אלערי מא עלינא תוב ואלב אן מא מעי שי
אתספר בה ואלג אמר אלגאליה לאני אדא טלעת ודוני
ללחבס כמא אנא ואלד אני נטלע לך בהדה אלפאידה
ת . . . נא פי אלחבס תתנכדי ואלה אן מא ענד אל
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