Jump to content

Crimean Karaites

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Drmies (talk | contribs) at 21:46, 2 October 2012 (Drmies moved page Karaims and Karaylar to Crimean Karaites: rv controversial move). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the Turkic Karaims/Karaylar. For the Jewish religious movement, see Karaite Judaism. For the Karaylar Mongolian tribal confederation, see Kerait.
Karaims/Karaylar
 Crimea
Hacı I Giray tamga كرايلر‎ national emblem.
File:Karaims.jpg
Karaims/Karaylar's symbol including Ephod, Tallit, Сэнэк (spear), and Къалкъан (shield).[1]
Total population
Unknown
Regions with significant populations
 Ukrainec.1200[2]
 Crimeac.800[3]
 Lithuania273[4]
Languages
Karaim language
Religion
Karaite Karaism
Related ethnic groups
Qaraei Kypchak Tatars

Karaims/Karaylar (Crimean-Karaim language: sg. Къарай - K'aray, pl. K'rym-K'araylar; Trakai-Karaim language: sg. Karaj, pl. Karajlar) are an endangered Kypchak minority ethnic group. Traditional homelands where Karaims and Karaylar were once well established include Transylvania, and Halychyna (Lviv, Halych, Lutsk), as well as other parts of Ukraine like Crimea and later also the area of Trakai in Lithuania from late medieval times which had the greatest population before the Holocaust.[5] Significant numbers now only remain in Ukraine. Due to cultural assimilation and secularization most of the community are uncircumcised and do not speak the ancient clerical Karaylar's Karaim languages. Neither do they remember anything much from the Torah beyond the Decalogue. Secularised lay congregations such as these call themselves by various similar terms (Russian: Караимы, French: Karaïmes, Polish: Karaimi, Lithuanian: Karaimai, Turkish: Karaimlar) all normally translated into English as "Karaims". The terms "Karaylar" ("Къарайлар" pl.) and Karay ("Къарай" sg.) are often reserved for clerics serving as the more knowledgeable custodians of their cultural heritage.

Geographic distribution

Local communities of Karaims have long existed in Lithuania (where they live mostly in Panevėžys and Trakai regions) and Poland (now mainly around Wroclaw). Lithuanian Karaims Culture Community was founded in 1988. According to the Lithuanian Karaims website the Statistics Department of Lithuania carried out an ethno-statistic research "Karaims in Lithuania" in 1997. It was decided to question all adult Karaims/Karaylar and mixed families, where one of the members belongs to the Karaims/Karaylar. During the survey, for the beginning of 1997, there were 257 people of the Karaims/Karaylar according to nation, 32 of which were children under 16. The 1979 census in the USSR showed 3,300 Karaims.[citation needed]

Present condition

The Karaim-Karaylar are on the verge of extinction.[2] Chief Gahan Mark Michaelovich Lavrinovich passed away on Christmas Eve 2011, leaving only David Teriyaki as the last qualified Chief cleric.[6][7]

Culture

Language

Karayce is a Kypchak Turkic language being closely related to Crimean Tatar, Armeno-Kipchak etc.. It used Herbrew Alphabet in the past, with some religious texts were also translated to Latin[8] and Classical Arabic.[9] Three different dialects have developed. Differ northern (Trakai), Southern ( Galich ) and Crimean dialects. While the first two dialects have not changed over the past five centuries, the latter has been subject to a great extent influenced by the Turkish language during the Turkish rule in the Crimea in the XV-XVIII centuries, there is also the hypothesis of their independence from each other origins. The Troki dialect, used in Trakai and Vilnius (Lithuania), the Lutsk or Halych dialect spoken in Lutsk (until World War II), and Halych, and the Crimean dialect. The last forms the Eastern group, while Troki and Halych Karaims belong to the Western group. Currently Lithuanian Polish and French Karaims use Latin Alphabeth while the Karaims of Ukraine and the rest of the CIS use Cyrilian Alphabet. Among the many different influences exerted on the Karaim language, those of Arabic and Persian were the first to change the outlook of its lexicon (Zajaczkowski 1961). Hebrew has also had some influence mainly due to liturgical vocabulary. In fact, the Crimeam Karaim Language is differs from Crimean Tatar mainly through its Hebraisms.[10] Later, due to considerable Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian influence, many Slavic words entered the language of Polish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and Russian Karaims. The Hebrew alphabet remained in use for liturgical purposes until relatively recent times[citation needed]. Following the Ottoman occupation of Crimea, Turkish was used for business and government purposes among the Karaims living on the Crimean peninsula which also left its mark[citation needed].

Folklore

Karaim Karaylar have a rich and diverse folklore which according to modern[11] Karaylar publicists is the most important component of spiritual culture rather than liturgy. Valuable information on the attitudes and the old way of life were handed down with folk-crafts to modern times. The publications date the origins of this folklore back to the time of the Crimean Khazars and the preceding period of history defining them as modern time preservation of Khazar themes echoing not only Turkic usages in the distant Altai but also the Levites of Simeon whose fortress adorns their coat of arms. The Karaim language word for God "Ten'ri" is a perfect example of this. Tymbyla (тымбыла), thick round gear sun-like Easter cakes are interpreted as still preserving representations of the moon and the stars venerated in their Sabian pre-history[12] and Purim masquerading that includes animal masks are also interpreted as ancient Khazar folk-craft. A devil called Kargaev Ata (Father of Curses) features in children's stories. These authors also claim that only Sima Babovich introduced the 19-year Rabbinical calendar, overriding the older 52 week folk calendar attributed to Prophet Adam called Ulug Ata's Sunnah (Great Father's Count) with Turkic Month names which exist only in the Crimean dialect of the Karaim language.[13] Of particular interest are the names Suyunch-ay meaning "joyful month" (February–March), Eynekun - "day of high purity" (Friday), and Yuhkun - "holy day" (Sunday), which ring of Polovtsy origins. Yuhkun is the same in Karachai and Balkar, while Kankun "day of slaughter" (Wednesday) - is the same with the Chuvash and Bashkirs remembering the Qurban highlight of the Spring Hajj. Pride of place in the home is given to a wooden peg called "Chui" upon which is hung the dawn prayer Buben. Cradles are made with wooden nails. Of great significance, white (Khavar) is the companion of happiness, while black (Kara) is the colour of solemnity. Funerary shrouds are of black felt or skins stored for such purposes in the Kenasa. In times of hardship or persecution when there is no access to Kenasa, oak-groves are the substitute sacred place of choice. Much has been written about the importance of the "words of fathers", poetic proverbs for virtually every occasion passed down in accordance with the laws of Moses. Destani were a popular musical form, and Butakhamore a lullaby about an animal is the most ancient echoing themes from Altai. The national dish Kybynlar consist of lamb meat filling cooked in a light buttery pastry.[3]

Religion

Former Kiev Karaims Kenesa a word derived from Aramaic meaning Church[14]

Until the 20th century, the only religion of the Karaims was their own continually evolving ethno-religious confession called "Karaimism" (significantly distinct from Jewish Karaism) which, according to various sources, is the fourth and smallest of the Abrahamic religions,[15] or a particular branch of Judaismin much the same way as Christianity branched from Judaism. Worship was conducted not only on language of the Old Testament, but also in Karaite language.[16] Since the beginning of XX century, it has also been practised in Russian, Polish, Lithuanian, French, and English.

Firkovich traced the origins of the religion back to the Sebomenoi of the Bosporan kingdom while the traditions of the modern clerical Karaylar can be traced back to a period of chaos in the Eastern Kanisa from 604AD-628AD being considered heretical apostates by the early Churches.[17] Not long after this the Khazars rose to prominence in the Western Turkic Kaghanate. Although their ancestors once preserved the only known example of Islamized Mosaism,[18] the precise nature of Karaimism prior to 1736 is difficult to ascertain. Fortunately, its most ancient tenets are first recorded in the significant attention Anan ben David generated after he was converted to this belief by Abu Hanifa in the year 767AD. However, antithetical Karaite Judaism quickly evolved in the chaos following Anan which along with the spread of the spread of Caliphism forced the Karaylar to take refuge in Khazaria.

Despite its origins, the modern ethno-religious confession of the Karaims and Karaylar currently represents a form of Unitarian Universalism. Karaims/Karaylar (especially Krymkaraylar) preach Christ is a prophet, and the Lord's Prayer is still included in the 200 year old Karaims' missals.[19][20] This in spite of the criticism of trinitarian Christian dogma that is contained in Yitzhak of Troki's "Hizzuk Emunah".[21] They refer to God as Allah (Алла) and follow the name Muhammad by the phrase "peace be with him"[22] The Turkic word "Ten'ri" Тэнъри means "God" in most Turkic languages including Crimean Tatars and Krymchaks languages and is used in many Karaim homely life idioms[22] in contradiction to Hebrew word "Adonai",[23] used mainly by clerics, though one can occasionally find Ten'ri or Allah prefixed with Adonai. Some modern Karaylar and Krymchaks claiming non-Jewish origin of their ethnic groups consider this as approval that original religion of their forefathers was Tengrism. Except for clerical Karaylar, Karaims are not circumcised, nor taught to observe anything from Torah other than the Decalogue. Such disciples (Karaims) wear white while the clergy (Karays) wear black.[24][25]

The Karay interpretation of Torah is significantly different from both Karaite Judaism and Orthodox Judaism, so for this reason their observances are classified as Mosaism (along with Molokans, Gerei, and Subbotniks) but not Judaism. For example, the role of the Karay clergy is one of servitude and spiritual support to the Karaim community, otherwise a Karay is to the Karaims as a Rabbi is to the Rabbinics, although in terms of Torah observance Karays to Karaims is more like Jews to Noachites[citation needed]. The highest spiritual title which can be attained by Karays is Gahan-Bashi, although Babovich was also endowed with the Arabic title Hakham (Judge). Other offices in the Karay clergy include Raban/Uluhazan, Ułłu, Hazan, and Shamash. Among the Karaims, only the Gahans and Rabans/Uluhazans will be circumcised and do their best to perform the Torah Laws of Moses in harmony with the ways of Abraham's people as described in the Bible and unpublished Karayana (teachings/lessons) guarded by the Karays. The Shamash has 7 years to choose whether to have his ear pierced and become a lifelong Hazan or not, both offices needing only to observe the Ten Commandments.

Karaims may study in a Madrasa and at times announced by the clergy may attend Kanisa, while oak (Terebinth/Elim) groves have also been traditional places of worship in times of persecution and/or poverty.

The Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church in Western Europe Eulogy (1942):

"The Russian Orthodox Church has always regarded the Karaim religion as a completely independent and never mix it with the Jewish religion.
Karaim religion recognizes the Old Testament of the Ten Commandments, included in other monotheistic religions (eg, Muslim), recognize Jesus Christ and Muhammad a great prophet and rejected the Talmud, which is the foundation and the main content of the Jewish religion. For these reasons, the Karaites never mixed with the laws of the Russian Imperial Jews and enjoy all the rights of the indigenous population, which the Jews did not use - for example, were made in officer ranks, were admitted to the privileged schools and so on."

The Metropolitan of Western Europe of the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan District, Bishop Seraphim of Berlin and Germany (April 1942):

"Karaite doctrine, according to the Russian Orthodox Church, was regarded as completely detached religion. Number of legislative acts Russian government confirmed the complete isolation of the Karaite religious religion and Karaites afforded all the rights of Russian citizens, without any restrictions."

Fr Simon Starikov, long lived in the Crimea, and who knew the Karaites, wrote:

"If you get acquainted with the religion of the Karaites, we can see that their Bible was considered the Pentateuch, that they recognized Jesus Christ a prophet, but a prophet considered equally and Mohammed, they believe in reincarnation, that their holidays are on the lunar calendar, the status of women and before and after marriage, based on the teachings of Muhammad that kenasy built as a mosque, "fountain", and was a special room for washing by type Mohammedan, when logging in kenasy remove your shoes, like the Mohammedans. Especially revered book "Leviticus" (from the Pentateuch of Moses) and out of Chapter 18 and 19 of the love of neighbor, the elder, about morality. This doctrine is expanded in sermons hazzan and somehow approaching the teaching of early Christians. Characteristically, in the teachings of the Karaites no statements exalts this nation over the other, never preached hatred between people, but rather preaches about philanthropy..."

Judging by the text, printed December 11, 1941 Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of Paris, the Catholic Church, for its part, defines it as:

"A religion practiced by a small number of Karaites Russian who settled in France after the revolution. It is regarded by the Roman Catholic Church as a completely autonomous, more akin to Islam than the Jewish religion."

[26]

Identity

In general modern Karaims regard themselves as the descendants of Khazars and legitimate owners of the of Khazar heritage.[27] The idea of Khazar origin of Karaim was discussed by the Russian orientalist V Grigoriev (1816 — 1881) though it was not universally accepted [28] In spite of that, the theory was widely supported by the Russian scientific community including historians from among the Karaims such as Gahan Seraya Shapshal.

Various references to Hebrew (еврейский) origins seem to exist in early documents, although Jews regard them as having little in common with Jews due to their Turkic-Tatar descent[29][30] Karaite Jews especially[31][32] do not regard "Khazar" Karaims/Karaylar as Jewish.

The distinction is in fact mutual, due to the Karaims' emphatic denial any Jewish roots on their part. From the Karaite Jewish point of view, due to the proselytes and mixed marriages common in communities of Karaims (e.g. with Khazars) which had long been prohibited in Karaite Jewish communities, even the Turkish Karaite Jews considering "Khazar" Karaims and Karaylar as non-Jews at best or otherwise bastards.[31][32] This coupled with the Karaims veneration of Christ and Muhammad as great prophets, elements of Tengrism and limiting the layman's observance of Torah to the ten commandments only, makes it that Karaite Jews do not regard Karaims as anything but gentiles. Even when Karaim-Karaylar cite references that point to them regarding themselves as part of the Karaite Jewish world in the recent past,[33] they are required to pass a full formal conversion process in order to be allowed integration into the Karaite Jewish religious community, which so far only a few Karaims have successfully passed.[34]

Starting from mid of XIX century Karaims have sought to distance themselves from being identified as Jews, emphasizing what they view as their Turkic heritage as Turkic practitioners of a "Mosaic religion" as John Kinnamos wrote, separate and distinct from Judaism. From the time of the Golden Horde onward, the Karaims were present in many towns and villages throughout Crimea and around the Black Sea. During the period of the Crimean Khanate some of the major communities could be found in the towns of Juft Qale, Sudak, Kefe, and Bakhchisaray.[citation needed]

Origins

Major part of Karaylar believing themselves to be of Ten Tribes descent with Khazarian heritage, and preserving the Unitarian Universalist cultural traditions of "Karaimism" (claiming that it is not Karaite Judaism). There is strong contraversory between academic opinions,and this POV .Karaylar claiming that academic opinion belongs to "Jewish school" and that modern science is falsified to arrogance the issue of karaim"[35]

Ethnonyms

The name "Crimean Karaites" or "Krymkaraylar" pertains only to several hundred members of the clerical families currently living in the Crimea and is a misnomer in reference to all other branches of the Karaims and Karaylar who have long been established in other parts of Europe, Crimea being only one such location.

According the modern Karaylar leaders the name Karaylar has nothing to do with Hebrew but is derived from كرايلر‎ a branch of the قرائی‌ها from a Turkic root word Kara meaning "Black", while the ethnicon of the Karaims derives from قريم and certain Kermixions who settled there.[11][36] More plausible etymology points to Hebrew: קָרָאִ and Arabic: قرائی‌ "Qarai", lit. "reading" [citation needed]. Nevertheless, Karaylar and Karaims are to be distinguished from the Hebrew-speaking Karaite Jews of the Near East to highlight the difference between the Karaims' and Karaylar's ethnic group and the Karaite Jewish religious denomination.

For the purposes of this article, the terms "Karaylar" for clergy is used interchangeably with "Karaims" in reference to the communities in diaspora as a whole, while "Karaite Jews" refers only to the general Karaite branch of Judaism.

History

Most of the known history is gathered from correspondence between the populations of Karaims and populations elsewhere in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries (Akhiezer 2003). Unfortunately, a large number of documents pertaining to the Crimean population of Karaim were burned during the 1736 Russian invasion of the Tatar Khanate capital of Bakhchisarai.[37]

What is certain at least is that the the earliest evidence discovered so far concerning the Karaims presence in Eastern Europe is the Alsószentmihály inscription in Szekely Rovas transcribed by the archaeologist-historian Gábor Vékony.[38] Turkic-speaking Karaims have lived in the areas once called Scythia for centuries. They regard themselves as descendants of Khazar or Kipchak converts to Mosaism among the Crimean Huns by remnants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel stranded in Scythia after the Assyrian exile[39] -a tradition preserved up until relatively recent times.

In the twelfth century, Rabbi Petachia wrote about "Minim" in the land of Kedar whose practices fit Karaite Judaism, and Schur (1995) says that Karaims are descendants of Karaite merchants on the active trade routes from Crimea to China and Central Asia who migrated to Crimea from the Byzantine Empire, presumably adopting a Turkic language upon their arrival in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.[40] This opinion coincides with the migration of some Karaite Jews from Istanbul to Crimea documented following a fire in the Jewish quarter of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 1203 (.[41] However, these groups were assimilated by the already present Karaims and Karaylar descendants of the Khazars (IICK 2007) and Israelite tribes from the time of the first Exile by an Assyrian King.

A century before Gahan Abraham Firkovich of the Karaims and Karaylar, they are known to have been discussing their Turkic origin.[42] Gahan Abraham Firkovich progressed the theory by collecting documents in favor of the Khazar theory which he presented before the Russian Tsar. He had chosen his evidence to back up the Karaims own belief that Israelites from Assyria had gone into the North Caucasus and from there, with the permission of Assyrian king into the Crimean peninsula. Walfish and Kizilov have discussed the authenticity and bias of Firkovich's finds.[43] According some Karailar authors "Karay" dynasty using the trident Tamga spread far and wide following the collapse of Khazaria, even as far as Kazakhstan where they were known as the Kerait.[17][44]

The Khazar Khaganate

Some modern Karailar authors claim in the 8th-9th centuries CE, the upper stratum of Khazar society converted to a form of universalist Mosaism untouched by the influence of Babai.[17] A group of the Khazars known as the Kabars who took part in a failed rebellion - joined the Magyars in the invasion of Hungary, and settled there in the end of the 9th century CE. An interesting relic of this Khazar settlement was discovered in (Transylvania, today Romania) in the 20th century CE called the Alsószentmihály inscription. According to Gábor, the meaning of the two-row Alsószentmihály inscription is:

"ɛbi atlïɣ" (His mansion is famous)

and

"Jyedi • Kyr Qaraj" (Jüedi Kür the "Karaite") [45]

This is seen as proof that at least a part of the Kabars were Karaylar.[46]

From the other side according Khazar Correspondence the Khazars religion was Rabbinic Judaism. Amateur researcher K. A. Brook considers this Mosaism to have been a form of Talmudic Judaism[47] and although the clerical Karaim-Karaylar do not observe Hillelite Halakhah, the Shammai Halakhah presented in the Talmud is known to them[48] again disassociating Karaims from Karaite Jews who completely reject all oral tradition.[49]

Lithuanian rule

Kenesa in Vilnius

The origin of the Karaites in Lithuania is much better documented and agreed upon by the scholars. The Lithuanian Karaites originated in Crimea. In 1392, the Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania defeated the Crimean Tatars and relocated 330 families of Karaims and Karaylar to Lithuania (Schur 1995). They settled primarily in Vilnius and Trakai, maintaining their Turkic language; there has been further minor settlement in Biržai, Pasvalys, Naujamiestis and Upytė. Despite the history of disease and famine through the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries culminating in the great plague of 1710, Lithuania was somewhat less affected by such turmoil than surrounding areas. As a result, Lithuanian Karaims and Karaylar had a relative sense of stability over those years, and maintained their isolation as a group, keeping their Turkic language rather than abandoning it for the local languages (“Karaim Homepage” 1998).

According to the historical documents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the Karaims' main occupation was farming and they in were granted by special privileges including permission to attain the rank of Officer, but also exemption from compulsory military drafting [50] while under the Golden Horde the Karaims were prohibited from riding horses, leading to Hacı I Giray's revolution.[51]

In 1392 Grand Duke Vytautas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania employed one branch the Karaims as Hussars inviting them to Lithuania where they continued to speak their own language. The Lithuanian Karaims settled primarily in Vilnius (Vilna) and Trakai (Troki), as well as in Biržai, Pasvalys, Naujamiestis and Upytė - smaller settlements throughout Lithuania proper - and lands of modern Belarus and Ukraine, that were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Karaims in Lithuanian territory enjoyed practical autonomy. The Karaites were needed in order to serve as a middle class, between the aristocracy on one hand and the serfs working the land on the other, and therefore were granted privileges in order to induce them to settle and stay. In 1441, King Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland (and Lithuania) granted them the same rights as those of the city of Magdeburg (in Germany).

Meanwhile, Karaites considered as Jews[50] employed in usury got the same restrictions as Rabbanites Jews In 1495 the Karaites and Rabbanites of Lithuania were expelled by the Grand Duke Alexander Jagiellon, but admitted into Poland by his brother King John Albert. His successor permitted in 1503 return to Lithuania all "Jews", including Karaites.[52] During the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Karaims suffered severely the same as Rabbanits Jews during the Chmielnicki Uprising in anti-Jewish Pogroms of 1648 and the wars between Russia and Poland in the years 1654-1667, when many towns were plundered and burnt, including Trakai, where in 1680 only 30 families were left. Catholic missionaries made serious attempts to convert the local Karaims to Christianity[citation needed], but ultimately were largely unsuccessful. From the other side Karailar authors claimed that they were exempt from the restrictions placed on the Jews under the Lithuanian commonwealth (but not Karaite Jews) because they are "innocent of the death of Jesus".[citation needed]

Famous Lithuanian scholars originating among the Karaylar included Isaac b. Abraham of Troki (1543–1598), Joseph ben Mordecai Malinovski, Zera ben Nathan of Trakai, Salomon ben Aharon of Trakai, Ezra ben Nissan (died in 1666) and Josiah ben Judah (died after 1658). Some of the Karaims would become quite wealthy in the service of Catherine the Great.

Karaims kenesa in Trakai.

Identity of Karaims under the Tsars

Unlike Karaite Jews, Karaims also suffered no problems under Russian rule until the final partitions of the Lithuanian commonwealth. Russia conquered Lithuania in 1783 followed by Crimea in 1793. Russian authorities were confused concerning inclusion of Karaims under laws applying to Jews inherited from the Lithuanian commonwealth revised by Catherine the Great in 1791 which had not previously applied to Karaims. The Karaims who had enjoyed privileges as loyal Hussars to the Lithuanian kings responded in 1795 by sending a delegation led by Benjamin Aga to clear the misunderstanding to Catherine who granted them lands for services rendered to the crown. From this point on, the main cultural center for Karaims became the city of Eupatoria.

Thanks to the efforts of Sima Babovich, Russia granted the Karaims the status of an independent Church in 1840, putting them on par legally with Muslim Crimean Tatars and giving them rights far in advance of the Jews. The Russian government made Babovich the Hachan of the "Diocese of Crimean Karaims", based in Theodosia.

In 1872 Avraham Firkovich, published the results of his lifelong interest in the ethnography of the Karaims proving their tradition of descent from the Khazars and presence in Crimea before the Current Era. However, Abraham Harkavy rebutted that the Khazars were Jews in a response which Firkovich and Russian authorities ignored as the Tsarist government officially recognized the Karaims as being of Turkic, not Jewish, origin.[53] The Krymchak community, which was of similar ethno-linguistic background but which practised rabbinical Judaism, did however suffer under Tsarist anti-Jewish laws, and the standard opinion from Jewish sources is therefore that he forged documents and inscriptions to back up his claims. [citation needed] Miller stated that the phenomenon of claiming a distinct identity apart from the Jewish people appears to be no older than the 19th century, when he believed it appeared under the influence of such leaders as Avraham Firkovich and Sima Babovich as a means of escaping anti-Semitism.[54]

It has been suggested[who?] that as the Russian Empire in the period of Czar Alexader I was starting to deal directly with its ethnic minorities, Karaites in Lituania decided to address the Imperial power with a strategy of separating themselves, ethnically and religiously, from the Jews. They won recognition from the Russian Imperial powers to the theories put forth by their leaders Abraham Firkovich and Sima Babovich in 1837, and again by Imperial edicts in 1840. Their political fate within the Russian Empire, thus became much better than that of the Jews. Their overall fate would later be enhanced by the recognition of their separate status by the Nazi invaders in World War II.

Solomon Krym (b.1864, d. 1936), a Karay agronomist, was elected in 1906 to the First Duma (1906–1907) as a Kadet (Constitutional Democratic Party). In November 1918 he became Prime Minister of the second short-lived Crimean Regional Government.[55]

During Russian Civil War a significant number of Karaims emigrated to France and Germany. The known Karaylar modern national revivification philanthropist M.S. Sarach was one of them. Due to their close ties to the nobility, the Karaims' Churches were the first to be closed down by the Socialists.

Identity of Karaims under the Nazis

Karaims cemetery in Warsaw, established in 1890.

Their status under Russian imperial rule bore beneficial fruits for the Karaims decades later. In 1934, the Karaylar heads of the community in Berlin asked the Nazi authorities to exempt them from the regulations; on the basis of their legal status in Russia. The Reich Agency for the Investigation of Families determined that from the standpoint of German law, the Karaims were not to be considered Jews. The letter from the Reichsstelle fur Sippenforschung gave the official ruling in a letter which stated:

The Karaite sect should not be considered a Jewish religious community within the meaning of paragraph 2, point 2 of the First Regulation to the Reich Citizenship Law. However, it cannot be established that Karaites in their entirety are of blood-related stock, for the racial categorization of an individual cannot be determined without ... his personal ancestry and racial biological characteristics

— [56]

This ruling set the tone for how the Nazis dealt with the communities of Karaims in Eastern Europe.

At the same time, the Nazis had serious reservations towards the Karaims. SS Obergruppenfuhrer Gottlob Berger wrote on November 24, 1944:

Their Mosaic religion is unwelcome. However, on grounds of race, language and religious dogma... Discrimination against the Karaims is unacceptable, in consideration of their racial kinsmen [Berger was here referring to the Crimean Tatars]. However, so as not to infringe the unified anti-Jewish orientation of the nations led by Germany, it is suggested that this small group be given the opportunity of a separate existence (for example, as a closed construction or labor battalion)...

Although three separate panels of Jewish scholars in the Warsaw, Lvov, and Vilna Ghettoes all independently submitted reports to the Nazis that the Karaylar-Karaims were not racially Jewish, Jews in France deliberately attempted to convince the French Nazis that the Karaims were of Jewish origin. Of the 9000 Karaims across Europe at the time some of the 50 at Lutzk (Spector p. 106) were reported by Jacob Eilbert, a survivor of the Lutsk Ghetto, to have collaborated in war-crime atrocities in August 1942 (Green 1978a).[57] Nevertheless, and despite their exempt status, confusion led to initial massacres. German soldiers who came across Karaims in Russia during the initial phase of Operation Barbarossa, not aware of their legal status under German law, attacked them. 200 were killed at Babi Yar alone saying "Let us meet death bravely, as Christ did" as they went.[58] German allies such as the Vichy Republic began to require the Karaims and Karaylar to register as Jews, but eventually granted them non-Jewish status upon being instructed by Berlin.[59]

On interrogation, Ashkenazi rabbis in Crimea told the Germans that the Karaims were not Jews.[60] Many Karaims risked their lives to hide Jews, and in some cases claimed that Jews were members of their community. Many of the Karaims were recruited for labor battalions.[61]

In Vilnius and Trakai, the Nazis forced Karaylar chief Seraya Shapshal to produce a list of the members of the community. Though he did his best, not every Karaylar was saved by Shapshal's list.

Karaims cemetery in Trakai

Post-War

After the Soviet recapture of Crimea from Nazi forces in 1944, the Soviet authorities counted 6,357 remaining Karaims. Karaims were not subject to mass deportation[citation needed], unlike the Crimean Tatars, Greeks, Armenians and others whom the Soviet authorities alleged had collaborated with the Nazis during the German occupation. Some individual Karaims were deported.

Assimilation and emigration greatly reduced the ranks of the Karaims. A few thousand Karaims remain in Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, and Poland. Other communities exist in Israel, Turkey, the United States, and Great Britain.

References

  1. ^ Полканов Ю. А., Полканова А. Ю. РЕЛИКТОВЫЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ЭТНОКУЛЬТУРЫ КРЫМСКИХ КАРАИМОВ 2002.]
  2. ^ a b http://wwrn.org/articles/7046/
  3. ^ a b http://www.ccssu.crimea.ua/crimea/etno/ethnos/karaimy/index.htm
  4. ^ http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/
  5. ^ Gurwitz, Percy Die Schuld am Holocaust, pub Stadt Erlangen, 2010 p.7
  6. ^ http://www.caraimica.org/document/593
  7. ^ http://www.voruta.lt/lietuvos-karaimu-bendruomene-neteko-auksciausio-dvasininko-hachano-m-lavrinoviciaus/
  8. ^ ,Jozef Smolinski. Караимы и их храм в Луцке // Караимская жизнь, № 12 — С. 21—35
  9. ^ See the Trakų Salos Pilis - Muziejus, Book in Karaim language in Arabic script (Trakai Island Castle - Lithuania)
  10. ^ Э. Р. Тенишев. К ИЗУЧЕНИЮ ТЮРКСКИХ ЯЗЫКОВ КРЫМА // Известия АН СССР. Серия литературы и языка. — Т. 54. — № 1. — М., 1995. — С. 41-48
  11. ^ a b Андрей Мальгин. Евреи или тюрки. Новые элементы в идентичности караимов и крымчаков в современном Крыму (2002)
  12. ^ http://kale.at.ua/publ/znaki_kyrk_jera/1-1-0-47
  13. ^ Караимско-русско-польский словарь / Н. А. Баскаков, А. Зайончковский, С. Ш. Шапшал, 1974, page 485
  14. ^ http://www.cnewa.us/default.aspx?ID=3367&pagetypeID=4&sitecode=US&pageno=2
  15. ^ Гершом Киприсчи. Лекция 7. О караимской самоидентификации. Часть 3
  16. ^ Александр Гаркавец. Караимский молитвенник. — Москва: Лигалорбис; Алматы: Дешт-и-Кыпчак, 2006.
  17. ^ a b c Christians in Asia before 1500 Gillman & Klimkeit, 1999
  18. ^ Ἐπιτομὴ τῶν κατορθωμάτων τῷ μακαρίτῃ βασιλεῖ καὶ πορφυρογεννήτῳ κυρίῳ Ἰωάννῃ τῷ Κομνηνῷ, καὶ ἀφήγησις τῶν πραχθέντων τῷ ἀοιδίμᾳ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ πορφυρογεννήτῳ κυρίῳ Μανουὴλ τῷ Κομνηνῷ ποιηθεῖσα Ἰωάννῃ βασιλικῷ γραμματικῷ Κιννάμῳ, or Summary of the feats of the late emperor and purple-born lord John Komnenos and narration of the deeds of his celebrated son the emperor and purple-born lord Manuel I Komnenos done by John Kinnamos his imperial secretary. Editio princeps by Cornelius Tollius (Utrecht 1652).
  19. ^ Александр Гаркавец "КАРАИМСКИЙ МОЛИТВЕННИК", Евпатория 2002 p.61
  20. ^ Firkovicius, Mykolas "Dinliliarnin Jalbarmach Jergialiari: 2 bitik Ochumach uciun adiet' vahdalarynda" Baltos Lankos, 1999, p.153
  21. ^ Chizzuk Emunah (Faith Strengthened)
  22. ^ a b "Караимского-Русский и Русско-Караимский Словарь Разговорного Языка" Simferopol 2007
  23. ^ Караимско-русско-польский словарь / Н. А. Баскаков, А. Зайончковский, С. Ш. Шапшал, 1974, page 45
  24. ^ Ф. Штейнигер, "Караимы и татары восточных земель в фотоснимках", Steiniger F. Bieder von Karaimen und Tataren in Ostlande [1], Natur und Museum, Berlin, Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft, 1944, No. 10 pp.39—48
  25. ^ Czekanowski J. Zzagadnien antropologii Karaimow // Mysl Karaimska, Ser. Nowa. — T. 1. — Wroclaw, 1947
  26. ^ IICK
  27. ^ Ответ С.И.Кушуль на рецензию научного сотрудника АН СССР Л.И.Черенкова
  28. ^ «довольно сильным аргументом доказательством, что они [караимы] не одного происхождения с хазарами, может также служить отсутствие у караимов каких-либо преданий о хазарах… Нельзя допускать, чтобы целый народ мог совершенно забыть своих предков»(«a fairly strong argument proof, that they [Karaites] is not one of origin with Khazars, could also serve as a the lack Karaite any tradition about Khazars… It is non-acceptable to think that the all this people could totally forget their ancestors". .N. N. [Казас И. И.] Общие заметки о караимах // Караимская жизнь. — М., 1911. — Кн. 3-4, август-сентябрь. — С. 37-72
  29. ^ Green, W.P. "Nazi Racial Policy Towards the Karaites”, Soviet Jewish Affairs 8,2 (1978) pp. 36–44, p.40
  30. ^ Gurwitz, Percy Die Schuld am Holocaust, pub Stadt Erlangen, 2010 pp. 7-8
  31. ^ a b Ankori, Zvi Karaites in Byzantium, 1968, p.71
  32. ^ a b Kohut, George, Semitic studies in memory of Rev. Dr. Alexander-Kohut, Volume 1, pp. 246-247, Hebrew text of "Harkavy, Abraham Rab Sa'adja Gaon 'al debar ha-Kuzarim"
  33. ^ Д. А. Прохоров. Общественные, национально-культурные объединения и органы конфессионального самоуправления крымских караимов в 1917—1920 гг. // Материалы по археологии, истории и этнографии Таврии. Вып. XV — C.573-621«караимами называются люди, исповедующие караимскую религию и составляющие особую, исторически сложившуюся народность (при этом под караимской народностью разумеются караимы, живущие в Крыму, и примыкавшие к ним издавна, еще до присоединения Крымского полуострова к России, вступавшие с ними в браки и беспрерывно питавшие их караимы Константинопольские, Египетские, Иерусалимские, Багдадские, Сирийские и Литовские).»
  34. ^ Libor Nissim Valko and Abraham Kefeli
  35. ^ http://kale.at.ua/publ/populjarnoe/samye_chitaemye_materialy/nauchnoe_nasledie_s_kushul/6-1-0-61 Научное наследие С.Кушуль
  36. ^ Полканов Ю.А. Легенды и предания караев (крымских караимов-тюрков). - Симферополь, 1995.
  37. ^ Akhiezer, Golda. 2003. “The history of the Crimean Karaites during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries.” pp. 729–757 in Polliack, Meira (ed.). Karaite Judaism: A Guide to its History and Literary Sources. Boston: Brill.
  38. ^ Vékony, Gábor (2004): A székely rovásírás emlékei, kapcsolatai, története [The Relics, Relations and the History of the Szekely Rovas Script]. Publisher: Nap Kiadó, Budapest. ISBN 963-9402-45-1
  39. ^ Blady 113-130.
  40. ^ Schur, Nathan. 1995. “Karaites in Lithuania.” in The Karaite Encyclopedia. <http://www.turkiye.net/sota/karalit.html>.
  41. ^ Tsoffar, R. "The stains of culture: an ethno-reading of Karaite Jewish women" 2006
  42. ^ Mardkovich-Kokizov, Aleksander M. "Aj jaryhynda", 1933
  43. ^ Barry Dov Walfish, and Mikhail Kizilov, Bibliographia Karaitica: an Annotated bibliography of Karaites and Karaism. Karaite Texts and Studies, pub BRILL, 2010, ISBN 9004189270, p198.
  44. ^ Караимская народная энциклопедия. Том 1. - М., 1995, с. 31-51; Полканов А. И . Крымские караимы (караи - коренной малочисленный тюркский народ Крыма). - Париж, 1995.
  45. ^ Vékony, Gábor (1997): Szkíthiától Hungáriáig: válogatott tanulmányok. [From Scythia to Hungary: selected Studies] Szombathely: Életünk Szerk. Magyar Írók Szövetsége. Nyugat-magyarországi Csoport. Ser.: Életünk könyvek, p. 110
  46. ^ For more details see Inscription in Khazarian Rovas script and RovasPedia.
  47. ^ Brook, K. A. The Jews of Khazaria. 2nd ed. Jason Aaronson Publishers, Inc, 1999. pp. 143
  48. ^ Bashyazi Sevel Ha Yerushah
  49. ^ http://www.karaite-korner.org/
  50. ^ a b Акты Замка Луцкого ]1791 г
  51. ^ P. S. Pallas Bemerkungen auf einer Reise in die Südlichen Statthalterschaften des Russischen Reichs (1799–1801)
  52. ^ Энциклопедический словарь Ф.А. Брокгауза и И.А. Ефрона. — С.-Пб.: Брокгауз-Ефрон. 1890—1907.. ст. Караимы
  53. ^ А. Harkavy «Altjüdische Denkmaler aus der Krim» (St-Petersburg, 1876)
  54. ^ Miller, Karaite Separatism in 19th Century Russia, page not known.
  55. ^ Fisher, Alan W. (1978). The Crimean Tatars. Hoover Press. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-8179-6662-1. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
  56. ^ YIVO archives, Berlin Collection, Occ E, 3, Box 100, letter dated January 5, 1939.
  57. ^ http://www.karaite-korner.org/holocaust.htm
  58. ^ Green 1978a p.284 quoting Kuznetsov p.61.
  59. ^ Semi passim.
  60. ^ Blady 125-126.
  61. ^ Green passim.
  • Ben-Tzvi, Yitzhak. The Exiled and the Redeemed. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1957.
  • Blady, Ken. Jewish Communities in Exotic Places. Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson Inc., 2000. pp. 115–130.
  • Brook, Kevin Alan. The Jews of Khazaria. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2006.
  • Friedman, Philip. "The Karaites under Nazi Rule". On the Tracks of Tyranny. London, 1960.
  • Green, W.P. "Nazi Racial Policy Towards the Karaites”, Soviet Jewish Affairs 8,2 (1978) pp. 36–44
  • Gurwitz, Percy Die Schuld am Holocaust, pub Stadt Erlangen, 2010 pp. 7–8
  • Karaite Judaism: Introduction to Karaite Studies. Edited by M.Polliack. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2004, 657-708.
  • Kizilov, Mikhail. Karaites Through the Travelers' Eyes: Ethnic History, Traditional Culture and Everyday Life of the Crimean Karaites According to the Descriptions of the Travelers. Qirqisani Center, 2003.
  • Kizilov, Mikhail. “Faithful Unto Death: Language, Tradition, and the Disappearance of the East European Karaite Communities.” East European Jewish Affairs 36:1 (2006): 73-93.
  • Krymskiye karaimy: istoricheskaya territoriya: etnokul'tura. Edited by V.S. Kropotov, V.Yu. Ormeli, A. Yu. Polkanova. Simferpol': Dolya, 2005
  • Miller, Philip. Karaite Separatism in 19th Century Russia. HUC Press, 1993.
  • Semi, Emanuela T. "The Image of the Karaites in Nazi and Vichy France Documents." Jewish Journal of Sociology 33:2 (December 1990). pp. 81–94.
  • Shapira, Dan. “Remarks on Avraham Firkowicz and the Hebrew Mejelis 'Document'.” Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 59:2 (2006): 131-180.
  • Shapira, Dan. “A Jewish Pan-Turkist: Seraya Szapszał (Şapşaloğlu) and His Work ‘Qırım Qaray Türkleri’.” Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 58:4 (2005): 349-380.
  • Shapira, Dan. Avraham Firkowicz in Istanbul (1830–1832). Paving the Way for Turkic Nationalism. Ankara: KaraM, 2003.
  • Shapshal, S. M.: Karaimy SSSR v otnoshenii etnicheskom: karaimy na sluzhbe u krymskich chanov. Simferopol', 2004
  • Zajączkowski, Ananiasz. Karaims in Poland: History, Language, Folklore, Science. Panistwowe Wydawn, 1961.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crimean_Karaites&oldid=515694337"