É. Apor (ed.): David Kaufmann Memorial Volume: Papers Presented at the David Kaufmann Memorial Conference, November 29, 1999, Budapest.

ORMOS, István: David Kaufmann and his Collection

DAVID KAUFMANN AND HIS COLLECTION He was among those who first wiped off the pitch-black dust of a thousand years from the papyrus leaves of the Cairo Genizah. And it was only the careless Hungarian connection that handed over these precious items to the University of Cambridge. The scholar's only consolation for the lost treasures was to admit that they went to a good place. " It is worth noting that Goldberger is referring to a Hungarian connection, while Kaufmann uses the expression "Oriental friend" in his letter published by Schmelzer in his contribution to the present volume. Was he perhaps a Hungarian Jew? Scheiber succeeded in tracing Kaufmann's letters to Schlechter in the possession of a dealer in London in 1975, where some clues to the solution of this question might have been found, but had no time to read them. 1 Scheiber acquired xerocopies of fifteen letters of Schlechter written in London and Cambridge between 24 November 1889 and 15 December 1898 and sent to Kaufmann to various addresses in Budapest, Kojetein, Heringsdorf (Ostsee), Seebad Kolberg and Karlsbad ([Hotel] Belle Alliance). From these it appears that a very friendly relation existed between these two outstanding scholars. Schechter regularly informed Kaufmann of confidential matters. When following the death of Schiller-Szinessy the post of Reader in Rabbinic Literature became vacant at Cambridge University and Schechter applied for it in 1890, he requested Kaufmann for a letter of recommendation, a "testimonial," to attest his scholarly qualities and achievements and recommend him to this post. Kaufmann seems to have fulfilled this request because somewhat later Schechter thanked him most devotedly for the kind and appreciative "testimonial." Schechter supplied Kaufmann also with data concerning the family Gomperz. After the discovery of the Genizah, Schechter repeatedly informed Kaufmann of the richness of the material. Kaufmann seems to have requested Schechter to send him fragments - probably for inspection - but Schechter declined this request on the ground that the Trustees would not agree to a dispatch of the fragments overseas. Now and then Schechter requested copies of passages from Kaufmann's Mishnah codex. There were also many complaints against Adolf Neubauer, whom neither Kaufmann nor Schechter seemed to be particularly fond off" Both of them were very keen on that Neubauer [Research on the Kaufmann Genizah and its importance.] In: SCHEIBER Sándor, Folklór és tárgy történet. Budapest 1977-1984. III. 501-502. Alexander SCHEIBER, The KaufmannGenizah: Its Importance for the World of Scholarship. In: Jubilee Volume of the Oriental Collection 1951-1976. Papers presented on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Oriental Collection of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. F.d. by Eva APOR. (Keleti Tanulmányok - Oriental Studies 2). Budapest 1978. 176-179. 2.

1 GOLDBERGER 1900. 19. 2.

2 S

CHF.IBER 1977-1984. III. 501-502. S

CHEIBER 1978. 176. 21

2 Cf. REIF 2000. 74-78, 83, 240. 171