On December 3, 2024, the Consul General of Israel in Saint Petersburg, Mr. Ran Gidor, visited the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts.

Irina F. Popova, Director of the IOM RAS, Corresponding member of the RAS, showed Mr. Gidor the Museum of the History of Russian Oriental Studies and the Department of Manuscripts and Documents with its spectacular exhibition of precious manuscripts from the Asiatic Museum collection.

Ekaterina M. Belkina, Hebrew studies scholar, junior researcher at the Institute, presented a small exhibition of manuscripts that was especially prepared for the visit. Mr. Ran Gidor examined the Ashkenazi Codex of the Torah (D85, large format, mid. 14th c.), the “Canon” by Avicenna (D66, Spanish manuscript, late 15th c.), a divorce document (D55/2, Cairo Genizah, 11th c, Egypt), an illustrated prayer book (C121, Tunis, 1773) and other works in Hebrew and Yiddish.

At the conclusion of the visit to the Institute, I.F. Popova and E.M. Belkina showed Mr. Gidor the IOM RAS Library’s new storage facility (the renovated space of the former horse stable of the Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace) and works from the Jewish Early Printed Books collection (“Bibliotheca Friedlandiana”).

The Consul General of Israel visited the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts for the first time and showed deep and sincere interest in its history, collections and research conducted by scholars devoted to the study of the Oriental manuscript heritage.

Photos are available on the Russian website.