Nahrai ben Nissim

Nahrai ben Nissiam was a community leader of the Iraqi Jews in Cairo. Nahrai who was native of Kairouan, Tunisia, settled in Egypt where he became a wealthy merchant. He had commercial ties with several countries and was specialized in the export of such precious goods as spices, pearls, and indigo to Tunisia and Sicily. He was also a scholar and was referred to as “The eminent Rabbi, the greatest of the yeshivah.” Nearly 200 letters addressed to him were found in the Cairo Genizah, dated between 1048 and 1095.