The Aleppo Codex by Matti Friedman

A thousand years ago, the most perfect copy of the Hebrew Bible was written. It was kept safe through one upheaval after another in the Middle East, and by the 1940s it was housed in a dark grotto in Aleppo, Syria, and had become known around the world as the Aleppo Codex. Journalist Matti Friedman's true-life detective story traces how this precious manuscript was smuggled from its hiding place in Syria into the newly founded state of Israel and how and why many of its most sacred and valuable pages went missing. It's a tale that involves grizzled secret agents, pious clergymen, shrewd antiquities collectors, and highly placed national figures who, as it turns out, would do anything to get their hands on an ancient, decaying book. What it reveals are uncomfortable truths about greed, state cover-ups, and the fascinating role of historical treasures in creating a national identity. 

Our book group meets quarterly to discuss the book of the quarter! Each quarter's book is from Book Club in a Box, a program of the Jewish Community Library of San Francisco.

NEW! Due to COVID19, we will be switching to eBooks. Each member needs to sign up for borrowing privileges with the Library and then download their copies individually. 

To apply for eBook borrowing privileges, you can apply by filling out the Application for Jewish Community Library borrowing privileges. 

Once the Library receives your application, you will be sent your user name and password. You'll then be able to download eBooks and audiobooks through their ebook supplier, OverDrive.