List of Contributors to Pay the Poll Tax for the Poor (Egypt)

This document from the Cairo Geniza furnishes a list of contributors who aided poor Jews in the payment of the jizya (annual poll tax, a tax on non-Muslims mandated by Islamic law). Many texts describe the hardships that some Jews endured in order to discharge this duty, and this list testifies to attempts by the Jewish community to aid its poorer members. The heading appears to indicate that this list enumerates those who had discharged their duty, while many others may have pledged but failed to offer their contributions. The small sums provided by many individuals illustrate the hardships that the poor faced. The ellipsis indicates a lacuna in the manuscript.