Following a historic trip to Cairo, Egypt, Rabbi Mark Glickman, leader of Congregation Kol Shalom on Bainbridge, has written a book about his discoveries. He will read from “Sacred Treasure: The Cairo Genizah,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, at Eagle Harbor Book Co., 157 Winslow Way.

Glickman, who leads both the Bainbridge congregation and another in Woodinville, tells of his archeological adventures retracing the steps of Rabbi Solomon Schecter of Cambrige University.

In 1897, Schechter discovered the largest treasure trove of medieval and early manuscripts ever discovered: nearly 300,000 individual documents, many over 1,000 years old, in the attic of a synagogue in Cairo. It included early copies of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Bible manuscripts and other sacred literature. The synagogue’s genizah – its repository for damaged and destroyed Jewish texts – is considered one of the most important discoveries in modern religious history.

His book, published by Jewish Lights Publishing in October, is based on Glickman’s study of the documents.

In February, Glickman traveled to Cambridge with his 15-year-old son Jacob, to study many of the documents discovered by Schecter. Then they flew to Cairo where they visited the Ben Ezra synagogue where the documents were found.

He is the first westerner in many years to enter the genizah, located above the Ben Ezra synagogue.

Glickman writes a column for The Seattle Times and has contributed to several scholarly works about the genizah. This is his first book.

For more information, call 842-5332 or visit www.eagleharborbooks.com.

For a previous story about Rabbi Glickman, visit www.pnwlocalnews.com.