Acknowledgement

In the course of the period in which I was engaged in the preparation of this book, I enjoyed the support and kindness of numerous individuals, institutions and foundations. First and foremost I would like to express my sincere thanks to my good friends at the board of the Graduate Society Foundation (Jame'eh-ye Daneshvaran) of Los Angeles. As part of their commitment to research, documentation and publication related to !he history and cultural heritage of IranianJewry, they provided me with a generous grant which assisted me in collecting and studying the sources that are being presented here to the reader. I was fortunate to enjoy their trust and support at every stage of the preparation and publication of this work.

David Yeroushalmi