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"A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible" (Encore presentation.)

The uprising in Syria continues to be a cause of great concern around the globe as fighting intensifies between rebel forces and pro-government soldiers, with much of the combat occurring in and near the ancient trading city of Aleppo, in northwestern Syria. On this installment of ST, as we listen back to an interview that first aired in late May, we offer another story of Aleppo --- and of one of Judaism's most sacred texts. Our guest is the journalist Matti Friedman, a correspondent for the Associated Press who grew up in Toronto and now lives in Jerusalem. Friedman's new book, a highly engaging hybrid of history, mystery, biblical scholarship, and good old suspense-driven storytelling, is called "The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible." As has been written of Friedman's book in a starred review in Booklist: "Written in the tenth century, the Aleppo Codex is the most accurate copy of the Hebrew Bible. Named for the Syrian city in which it was kept, the codex is also known as the Crown of Aleppo and was said to protect those who cared for it and curse those who defiled it. Friedman, a Jerusalem journalist, came across part of the Crown in a museum and decided he wanted to write about it --- in doing so, he opened a treasure box of history, mystery, conspiracy, and convolutions that would do any biblical thriller proud. There are several intriguing strands in play here. First, there is the history of a vibrant Syrian community, under siege when Israel became a state. Add a cast of academics, spies, merchants, refugees, and bureaucrats, high and low, whose roles in getting the Crown out of Syria and into Israel loop and reloop throughout the narrative. Then there is the ever-evolving topic of the underground market for antiquities, fascinating in itself, but Friedman shows us, in addition, just how much is lost when the very rich purchase rarities and remove them from the public eye.... Friedman has done a remarkable job --- finding sources and digging through archives --- of getting the Crown's fascinating story out of the shadows and into the light. In the process, he's become the latest in the long line of the Crown's protectors."

Rich Fisher passed through KWGS about thirty years ago, and just never left. Today, he is the general manager of Public Radio Tulsa, and the host of KWGS’s public affairs program, StudioTulsa, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary in August 2012 . As host of StudioTulsa, Rich has conducted roughly four thousand long-form interviews with local, national, and international figures in the arts, humanities, sciences, and government. Very few interviews have gone smoothly. Despite this, he has been honored for his work by several organizations including the Governor's Arts Award for Media by the State Arts Council, a Harwelden Award from the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, and was named one of the “99 Great Things About Oklahoma” in 2000 by Oklahoma Today magazine.
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