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ife's ComplaintDate: 15th–16th century
MATERIAL: Paper
LANGUAGE: Hebrew
CONTENT:
A woman calling herself ‘Doña Soro’ writes to her husband, the scribe Solomon, complaining about his absence from home, his failure to respond to her letters, and his plans to travel to Turkey. If he is worried about tax problems, she suggests the name of a local doctor who can assist in this respect. She is very outspoken in her criticisms and claims to be writing the letter not only for herself but also on behalf of all the wider family.
IMPORTANCE:
The hand is a Sefardi one and may even be that of the woman herself. It would appear that the family were among those who fled from Spain after the expulsion of 1492 and perhaps settled in Cairo. Some men used the excuse of business to stay away from their families for lengthy periods but many of them remained in contact through correspondence. The Hebrew is an outstanding example of a late medieval style that is lofty in tone but mundane in content.
QUOTE: "You will also adversely affect the fortunes of your adult daughter, Rachel, who is a beautiful, fine and modest woman, for people will draw attention to the fact that a scribe of character and seniority has abandoned his wife and daughters for a number of years, preferring to travel to distant parts, and has apparently gone out of his mind"
READING: ‘Spanish Ladies from the Cairo Geniza’, by Joel Kraemer, Mediterranean Historical Review 6 (1991), pp. 247–48