Misplaced Pages

Karaims: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 20:59, 28 August 2012 editKaz (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users2,175 edits ←Redirected page to Turkic Karaites← Previous edit Revision as of 17:09, 30 August 2012 edit undoKaz (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users2,175 editsNo edit summaryNext edit →
(25 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Merge from|Crimean Karaites|discuss=Talk:Karaims#Merge proposal |date=August 2012}}
#REDIRECT ]
{{About|the Turkish Karaylar|the Karaite Jewish religious movement|Karaite Judaism}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
|group = Karaylar
| flag =
| flag_caption =
| image = ]
| image_caption = Dulo Tamga of the Karaylar.
|population = 2,469
|region1 = {{flag|Ukraine}}
|pop1 = 1,196
|ref1 =
|region2 = {{flag|Crimea}}
|pop2 = 647
|ref2 =
|region3 = {{flag|Lithuania}}
|pop3 = 273
|ref3 =
|region4 = {{flag|Russia}}
|pop4 = 205
|ref4 =
|region5 = {{flag|Turkey}}
|pop5 = 80
|ref5 =
|region6 = {{flag|Poland}}
|pop6 = 45
|ref6 =
|region7 = {{flag|UK}}
|pop7 = 23
|ref7 =
|region8 =
|pop8 =
|ref8 =
|region9 =
|pop9 =
|ref9 =
|region10 =
|pop10 =
|ref10 =
|languages = ]
|religions = ]
|related =
|footnotes =
}}

The '''Turkic Karaites''' or '''Karaims''' (]: sg. къарай - ''qaray'', pl. къарайлар - ''qaraylar''; ] ]: sg. karaj, pl. karajlar, {{Lang-he|כרי}}, {{lang-tr|''Karaylar''}}, {{lang-kz|Керей}}, {{lang-fa|قرائی‌ها}}, {{lang-zh|克烈}}), also known as ''Karaimi'' and ''Qarays'', are a community of ethnic ] adherents of Karaite-Karaism (not to be confused with ]) in ]. They believe Christ is a prophet, are required to follow the name Muhammad by the phrase salallahu aleihi wasalam, they call God ] or ]<ref>"Караимского-Русский и Русско-Караимский Словарь Разговорного Языка" Simferopol 2007</ref>, and except for ], are not circumcised, nor separate meat and milk or observe anything from Torah other than the Ten Commandments. "Qaray" is a Romanized spelling of the original name "къарай" used for clergy, while "Karaim" is a Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Polish name for the community as a whole. Karaims were once well established in ], and ], as well as other parts of ] and later also ] from late medieval times. Significant numbers now only remain in ].

== Geographic distribution ==
The name "Crimean Karaites" has often been considered as something of a misnomer, as many branches of this community found their way to locations throughout Europe and the Middle East. As time went on, some of these communities spread throughout the region, one of which was Crimea. The more appropriate term "Karaimlar" is used for the Turkic-speaking community of Karaims which originated in Crimea to distinguish it from historically ], ], and ]-speaking Karaite Jews of the ], ], and the ] (to show the difference between the ''ethnic'' group and the ''religious'' denomination). For the purposes of this article, the terms "Karaylar" (Qarays) for clergy are used interchangeably with "Karaims" which refers to the community as a whole, while "Karaite Jews" refers to the general Karaite branch of ].

=== Lithuania ===
]
In 1392 Grand Duke ] of the ] relocated one branch the Karaylar to Lithuania where they continued to speak their own language. The Lithuanian Karaylar settled primarily in ] (Vilna) and ] (Troki), as well as in ], ], ] and ] - smaller settlements throughout ] - and lands of modern ] and ], that were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Karaims in Lithuanian territory were granted a measure of autonomy.

Some famous Karaylar scholars in Lithuania included ] (1543–1598), ], ], ], ] (died in 1666) and ] (died after 1658). Some of the Karaims became quite wealthy in the service of ].

During the times of the ], the Karaims suffered severely during the ] of 1648 and the wars between Russia and Poland ], 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, but ultimately were largely unsuccessful. Local communities of Karaims still exist in Lithuania (where they live mostly in ] and Trakai regions) and Poland. The 1979 census in the USSR showed 3,300 Karaims. ''Lithuanian Karaims Culture Community'' was founded in 1988.

According to the the carried out an ethno-statistic research "Karaims in Lithuania" in 1997. It was decided to question all adult Karaims and mixed families, where one of the members is belongs to the Karaims. During the survey, for the beginning of 1997, there were 257 people of the Karaims according to nation, 32 of which were children under 16.

=== Russian Empire ===
] in ].]]
Nineteenth-century Karaylar leaders, such as ] and ], were driving forces behind a concerted effort to alter the status of the Karaylar community in eyes of the ]n legal system. Firkovich in particular set about proving to the authorities that Karaims descend from the ]. Ultimately, Firkovich's efforts were successful and the Tsarist government officially recognized the Karaims as being of ], not ], origin. Because the Karaims (but not Karaite Jews) were judged to be innocent of the death of ], they were exempt from many of the harsh restrictions placed on the Jews. They were, in essence, placed on equal legal footing with ]. The related ] community, which was of similar ethnolinguistic background but which practiced 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|date=April 2011}}

Since the incorporation of Crimea into the ] the main cultural center for these "Khazar" Karaims became the city of ].

] (b.1864, d. 1936), a Karay agronomist, was elected in 1906 to the First ] (1906–1907) as a ''Kadet'' (]). On November 16, 1918 he became the Prime Minister of a short-lived Crimean Russian liberal, anti-separatist and anti-Soviet government also supported by the German army.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fisher|first=Alan W.|title=The Crimean Tatars|publisher=Hoover Press|year=1978|pages=264|isbn=978-0-8179-6662-1|url=http://books.google.be/books?id=Qjwid7xcOPIC|accessdate=2009-11-08}}</ref>

== Origins ==
]-speaking Karaylar (in the ], ''Qaraylar'') have lived in the areas once called ] for centuries. They regard themselves as descendants of ] or ] converts to Mosaism by remnants of the ] of Israel stranded in Scythia after the ]<ref>Blady 113-130.</ref> and this tradition was preserved up until relatively recent times (See Yitzhak of Troki's "Hizzuk Emunah" or ). The consensus view among historians considers this Mosaism to have been a form of ] Judaism<ref>Brook 110-111, 231.</ref> an although the Karaims' clergy (Karaylar) do not observe Hillelite Halakhah, the Shammai Halakhah presented in the Talmud is known to them<ref>Bashyazi Sevel Ha Yerushah</ref> again disassociating Karaims from Karaite Jews who completely reject all oral tradition.

]]]
Karaims have always 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. However, some scholars{{Who|date=August 2012}} state that the phenomenon of claiming a distinct identity apart from the Jewish people appears to be no older than the 19th century, when it appeared under the influence of such leaders as ] and ] as a means of escaping ].<ref>Miller ___.</ref>

From the time of the ] onward, they were present in many towns and villages throughout Crimea and around the ]. During the period of the ] some of the major communities could be found in the towns of ], ], ], and ].

Many Karaims were farmers. Members of the community served in the military forces of the ] and the ], as well as the ].

== History ==
===Karaylar in the Khazar Khaganate===
In the 8<sup>th</sup>-9<sup>th</sup> centuries CE, the upper stratum of the Khazar society converted to a form of Mosaism untouched by the influence of ]. <ref>''Christians in Asia before 1500'' Gillman & Klimkeit, 1999</ref> A group of the Khazars who took part in a failed rebellion - joined the ] 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 (], today ]) in the 20<sup>th</sup> century CE. It is called ]. It was transcribed by the archaeologist-historian ].<ref>Vékony, Gábor (2004): A székely rovásírás emlékei, kapcsolatai, története . Publisher: Nap Kiadó, Budapest. ISBN 963-9402-45-1</ref> According to the transcription, the meaing of the two-row isncription is the following:<ref>Vékony, Gábor (1997): Szkíthiától Hungáriáig: válogatott tanulmányok. Szombathely: Életünk Szerk. Magyar Írók Szövetsége. Nyugat-magyarországi Csoport. Ser.: Életünk könyvek, p. 110</ref>
(first row) ''"His mansion is famous."'' and (second row) ''"Jüedi Kür Karaite."'' or ''"Jüedi Kür the Karaite."''

This is seen as proof that at least a part of the Khazars were Karaylar. See more details: ] and .

The Karay dynasty using the Dulo Tamga spread far and wide following the collapse of Khazaria, even as far as Kazakhstan where they were known as the ]<ref>''Christians in Asia before 1500'' Gillman & Klimkeit, 1999</ref>.

], established in 1890.]]
=== During the Holocaust ===
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 ] authorities to exempt them from the regulations; on the basis of their legal status in Russia. The ] 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:

{{quotation|The Karaite sect should not be considered a Jewish religious community within the meaning of paragraph 2, point 2 of the First Regulation to ]. 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|<ref>YIVO archives, Berlin Collection, Occ E, 3, Box 100, letter dated January 5, 1939.</ref>}}

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. ] Obergruppenfuhrer ] wrote on November 24, 1944:

<blockquote>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 . 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 ])...</blockquote>

Despite their exempt status, confusion led to initial massacres. German soldiers who came across Karaims in Russia during the initial phase of ], not aware of their legal status under German law, attacked them; 200 were killed at ] alone saying "Let us meet death bravely, as Christ did" as they went <ref>Green 1978a p.284 quoting Kuznetsov p.61.</ref>. German allies such as the ] began to require the Karaylar to register as Jews, but eventually granted them non-Jewish status upon being instructed by ].<ref>Semi ''passim''.</ref>

On interrogation, ] ] in Crimea told the Germans that the Karaims were not Jews.<ref>Blady 125-126.</ref> 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 ]s.<ref>Green ''passim''.</ref>

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

=== 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, unlike the Crimean Tatars, Greeks, Armenians and others the Soviet authorities alleged had collaborated during the Nazi German occupation. Some individual Karaims were deported.

Assimilation and emigration greatly reduced the ranks of the Karaims. A few thousand Karaims remain in ], ], ], ], and ]. Other communities exist in ], ], the ], and ].

== Culture ==
=== Religion ===
]
Karaims preserve the only living example of Islamized Mosaism known to the published world first described by John Kinnamos. They believe Christ is a prophet, and are required to follow the name Muhammad by the phrase salallahu aleihi wasalam. The ] word for "the spirit" is ] and God is ] <ref>"Караимского-Русский и Русско-Караимский Словарь Разговорного Языка" Simferopol 2007</ref>. The word "Karaims" refers to the disciples of the "Karays". Karaim is a singular noun and adjectival describing a person who follows the Karay clergy who live to serve the dsiciples (Karaims) they dwell among. The disciples (Karaims) wear white caps while the clergy (Karays) wear black. Unlike other religions, the role of Karay clergy is one of servitude and spiritual support to the Karaim community, otherwise a Karay is to the Karaims as a ] is to the ], although in terms of Torah observance Karays to Karaims is more like Jews to Noachites. The highest spiritual level which can be attained by Karays is Gahan (historically misinterpreted by Jewish ethnographers as Hakham). Other offices in the Karay clergy include Raban/Uluhazan, 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. 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. The origins of the Karay clergy are traditionally traced back to a period of chaos in the Eastern Kanisa from 604AD-628AD. Not long after this the Khazars rose to prominence in the Western Turkic Kaghanate where the Karay clergy took refuge from ]'s new Church of the East, from the spread of Caliphism from the South, and from Byzantine-Roman Church in the West. The wisdom of the Karays was greatly appreciated by the Khazars who soon became their disciples (Khavars) which Jewish scholars have historically mistaken for Judaism. "Karaims" was originally an ] applied to the Khavar disciples of the Karays which was eventually adopted. Karaims may study in a Madrasa and at times announced by the Karays may attend Kanisa, while oak (Terebinth/Elim) groves have also been traditional places of worship in times of persecution and/or poverty.

=== Language ===
] in Arabic script near ] - Trakai Island Castle - ]]]
] is a ] ] language being closely related to ], Armeno-Kipchak etc. Among the many different influences exerted on Karaim, those of Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian were the first to change the outlook of the Karayce lexicon. Later, due to considerable Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian influence, many Slavic words entered the language of Polish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and Russian Karaims. ] remained in use for liturgical purposes. Following the ] occupation of Crimea, ] was used for business and government purposes among Karaims living on the Crimean peninsula. Three different dialects developed: the Troki dialect, used in ] and ] (]), the Lutsk or Halych dialect spoken in ] (until ]), and ], and the Crimean dialect. The last forms the Eastern group, while Troki and Halych Karaims belong to the Western group.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* Ben-Tzvi, Yitzhak. ''The Exiled and the Redeemed.'' Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1957.
* Blady, Ken. ''Jewish Communities in Exotic Places''. Northvale, N.J.: ] Inc., 2000. pp.&nbsp;115–130.
* ]. ''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.&nbsp;36–44
* 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.&nbsp;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.

==External links==
*
*http://www.cesnur.org/2003/vil2003_kizilov.htm
*http://www.berkovich-zametki.com/Nomer35/MN55.htm
*http://www.berkovich-zametki.com/Nomer41/Kizilov1.htm
*
*
*
*
*

{{Crimea topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karaites}}
{{Turkic topics}}
{{Turkic peoples}}
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Revision as of 17:09, 30 August 2012

It has been suggested that Crimean Karaites be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since August 2012.
This redirect is about the Turkish Karaylar. For the Karaite Jewish religious movement, see Karaite Judaism. Ethnic group
Karaylar
Dulo Tamga of the Karaylar.
Total population
2,469
Regions with significant populations
 Ukraine1,196
 Crimea647
 Lithuania273
 Russia205
 Turkey80
 Poland45
 UK23
Languages
Karayce
Religion
Karaite Karaism

The Turkic Karaites or Karaims (Karaim: sg. къарай - qaray, pl. къарайлар - qaraylar; Trakai Karaim: sg. karaj, pl. karajlar, Template:Lang-he, Template:Lang-tr, Template:Lang-kz, Template:Lang-fa, Chinese: 克烈), also known as Karaimi and Qarays, are a community of ethnic Turkic adherents of Karaite-Karaism (not to be confused with Karaite Judaism) in Eastern Europe. They believe Christ is a prophet, are required to follow the name Muhammad by the phrase salallahu aleihi wasalam, they call God Тэнъри or Алла, and except for clergymen, are not circumcised, nor separate meat and milk or observe anything from Torah other than the Ten Commandments. "Qaray" is a Romanized spelling of the original name "къарай" used for clergy, while "Karaim" is a Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Polish name for the community as a whole. Karaims were once well established in Transylvania, and Halychyna, as well as other parts of Ukraine and later also Lithuania from late medieval times. Significant numbers now only remain in Crimea.

Geographic distribution

The name "Crimean Karaites" has often been considered as something of a misnomer, as many branches of this community found their way to locations throughout Europe and the Middle East. As time went on, some of these communities spread throughout the region, one of which was Crimea. The more appropriate term "Karaimlar" is used for the Turkic-speaking community of Karaims which originated in Crimea to distinguish it from historically Aramaic, Hebrew, and Arabic-speaking Karaite Jews of the Levant, Anatolia, and the Middle East (to show the difference between the ethnic group and the religious denomination). For the purposes of this article, the terms "Karaylar" (Qarays) for clergy are used interchangeably with "Karaims" which refers to the community as a whole, while "Karaite Jews" refers to the general Karaite branch of Judaism.

Lithuania

Kenesa in Vilnius

In 1392 Grand Duke Vytautas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania relocated one branch the Karaylar to Lithuania where they continued to speak their own language. The Lithuanian Karaylar 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 were granted a measure of autonomy.

Some famous Karaylar scholars in Lithuania 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 became quite wealthy in the service of Catherine the Great.

During the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Karaims suffered severely during the Chmielnicki Uprising 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, but ultimately were largely unsuccessful. Local communities of Karaims still exist in Lithuania (where they live mostly in Panevėžys and Trakai regions) and Poland. The 1979 census in the USSR showed 3,300 Karaims. 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 and mixed families, where one of the members is belongs to the Karaims. During the survey, for the beginning of 1997, there were 257 people of the Karaims according to nation, 32 of which were children under 16.

Russian Empire

Karaims kenesa in Trakai.

Nineteenth-century Karaylar leaders, such as Sima Babovich and Avraham Firkovich, were driving forces behind a concerted effort to alter the status of the Karaylar community in eyes of the Russian legal system. Firkovich in particular set about proving to the authorities that Karaims descend from the Khazars. Ultimately, Firkovich's efforts were successful and the Tsarist government officially recognized the Karaims as being of Turkic, not Jewish, origin. Because the Karaims (but not Karaite Jews) were judged to be innocent of the death of Jesus, they were exempt from many of the harsh restrictions placed on the Jews. They were, in essence, placed on equal legal footing with Crimean Tatars. The related Krymchak community, which was of similar ethnolinguistic background but which practiced 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.

Since the incorporation of Crimea into the Russian Empire the main cultural center for these "Khazar" Karaims became the city of Eupatoria.

Solomon Krym (b.1864, d. 1936), a Karay agronomist, was elected in 1906 to the First Duma (1906–1907) as a Kadet (National Democratic Party (Russia)). On November 16, 1918 he became the Prime Minister of a short-lived Crimean Russian liberal, anti-separatist and anti-Soviet government also supported by the German army.

Origins

Turkic-speaking Karaylar (in the Crimean Tatar language, Qaraylar) have lived in the areas once called Scythia for centuries. They regard themselves as descendants of Khazar or Kipchak converts to Mosaism by remnants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel stranded in Scythia after the Assyrian exile and this tradition was preserved up until relatively recent times (See Yitzhak of Troki's "Hizzuk Emunah" or a Karay poem from 1936). The consensus view among historians considers this Mosaism to have been a form of Talmudic Judaism an although the Karaims' clergy (Karaylar) do not observe Hillelite Halakhah, the Shammai Halakhah presented in the Talmud is known to them again disassociating Karaims from Karaite Jews who completely reject all oral tradition.

Former Karaims Kenesa in Kiev

Karaims have always 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. However, some scholars state that the phenomenon of claiming a distinct identity apart from the Jewish people appears to be no older than the 19th century, when it appeared under the influence of such leaders as Avraham Firkovich and Sima Babovich as a means of escaping anti-Semitism.

From the time of the Golden Horde onward, they 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 Çufut Qale, Sudak, Kefe, and Bakhchisaray.

Many Karaims were farmers. Members of the community served in the military forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as well as the Crimean Khanate.

History

Karaylar in the Khazar Khaganate

In the 8-9 centuries CE, the upper stratum of the Khazar society converted to a form of Mosaism untouched by the influence of Babai. A group of the Khazars 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 20 century CE. It is called Alsószentmihály Rovas inscription. It was transcribed by the archaeologist-historian Gábor Vékony. According to the transcription, the meaing of the two-row isncription is the following: (first row) "His mansion is famous." and (second row) "Jüedi Kür Karaite." or "Jüedi Kür the Karaite."

This is seen as proof that at least a part of the Khazars were Karaylar. See more details: Inscription in Khazarian Rovas script and RovasPedia.

The Karay dynasty using the Dulo Tamga spread far and wide following the collapse of Khazaria, even as far as Kazakhstan where they were known as the Kerait.

Karaims cemetery in Warsaw, established in 1890.

During the Holocaust

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

— 

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 . 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)...

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 . German allies such as the Vichy Republic began to require the Karaylar to register as Jews, but eventually granted them non-Jewish status upon being instructed by Berlin.

On interrogation, Ashkenazi rabbis in Crimea told the Germans that the Karaims were not Jews. 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.

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, unlike the Crimean Tatars, Greeks, Armenians and others the Soviet authorities alleged had collaborated during the Nazi 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.

Culture

Religion

File:Karaime aus Traken Bild 5.jpg
White robes and skull-cap of the traditional Karaims (disciples).

Karaims preserve the only living example of Islamized Mosaism known to the published world first described by John Kinnamos. They believe Christ is a prophet, and are required to follow the name Muhammad by the phrase salallahu aleihi wasalam. The Karaim word for "the spirit" is тэнъри and God is Алла . The word "Karaims" refers to the disciples of the "Karays". Karaim is a singular noun and adjectival describing a person who follows the Karay clergy who live to serve the dsiciples (Karaims) they dwell among. The disciples (Karaims) wear white caps while the clergy (Karays) wear black. Unlike other religions, the role of 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. The highest spiritual level which can be attained by Karays is Gahan (historically misinterpreted by Jewish ethnographers as Hakham). Other offices in the Karay clergy include Raban/Uluhazan, 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. 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. The origins of the Karay clergy are traditionally traced back to a period of chaos in the Eastern Kanisa from 604AD-628AD. Not long after this the Khazars rose to prominence in the Western Turkic Kaghanate where the Karay clergy took refuge from Babai the Great's new Church of the East, from the spread of Caliphism from the South, and from Byzantine-Roman Church in the West. The wisdom of the Karays was greatly appreciated by the Khazars who soon became their disciples (Khavars) which Jewish scholars have historically mistaken for Judaism. "Karaims" was originally an exonym applied to the Khavar disciples of the Karays which was eventually adopted. Karaims may study in a Madrasa and at times announced by the Karays may attend Kanisa, while oak (Terebinth/Elim) groves have also been traditional places of worship in times of persecution and/or poverty.

Language

File:Flicker- Karaims language in Arabic script near Menorah (Hanukkah) - Trakai Island Castle - Lithuania2.jpg
Book in Karaim language in Arabic script near Menorah (Hanukkah) - Trakai Island Castle - Lithuania

Karayce is a Kypchak Turkic language being closely related to Crimean Tatar, Armeno-Kipchak etc. Among the many different influences exerted on Karaim, those of Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian were the first to change the outlook of the Karayce lexicon. Later, due to considerable Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian influence, many Slavic words entered the language of Polish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and Russian Karaims. Hebrew remained in use for liturgical purposes. Following the Ottoman occupation of Crimea, Turkish was used for business and government purposes among Karaims living on the Crimean peninsula. Three different dialects developed: 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.

References

  1. "Караимского-Русский и Русско-Караимский Словарь Разговорного Языка" Simferopol 2007
  2. Fisher, Alan W. (1978). The Crimean Tatars. Hoover Press. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-8179-6662-1. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
  3. Blady 113-130.
  4. Brook 110-111, 231.
  5. Bashyazi Sevel Ha Yerushah
  6. Miller ___.
  7. Christians in Asia before 1500 Gillman & Klimkeit, 1999
  8. Vékony, Gábor (2004): A székely rovásírás emlékei, kapcsolatai, története . Publisher: Nap Kiadó, Budapest. ISBN 963-9402-45-1
  9. Vékony, Gábor (1997): Szkíthiától Hungáriáig: válogatott tanulmányok. Szombathely: Életünk Szerk. Magyar Írók Szövetsége. Nyugat-magyarországi Csoport. Ser.: Életünk könyvek, p. 110
  10. Christians in Asia before 1500 Gillman & Klimkeit, 1999
  11. YIVO archives, Berlin Collection, Occ E, 3, Box 100, letter dated January 5, 1939.
  12. Green 1978a p.284 quoting Kuznetsov p.61.
  13. Semi passim.
  14. Blady 125-126.
  15. Green passim.
  16. "Караимского-Русский и Русско-Караимский Словарь Разговорного Языка" Simferopol 2007
  • 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
  • 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.

External links

Crimea articles
History Satellite image of Crimea
Geography
Subdivisions
Politics
Economy
Society
Sports
Demographics
Peoples
Languages
Religion
Category


Turkic topics
Languages
Alphabets
Peoples
Extinct Turkic groups
Politics
Origins
Locations
Sovereign states
Autonomous areas
Studies
Religions
Traditional sports
Organizations
These are traditional areas of settlement; the Turkic group has been living in the listed country/region for centuries and should not be confused with modern diasporas.
State with limited international recognition.
Turkic peoples
Peoples
Azerbaijani communities
Kazakh communities
Kyrgyz communities
Turkmen communities
Turkish communities
Turkic peoples
in Uzbekistan
Turkic minorities
in China
Turkic minorities
in Crimea
Turkic minorities
in Iran
Turkic minorities in
Russia
Turkic minorities in
Mongolia
Turkic minorities in
Afghanistan
Turkic minorities in
Europe
(exc. Russia)
Extinct Turkic groups
Others
Diasporas
Central Asian (i.e. Turkmeni, Afghani and Iranian) Turkmens, distinct from Levantine (i.e. Iraqi and Syrian) Turkmen/Turkoman minorities, who mostly adhere to an Ottoman-Turkish heritage and identity. In traditional areas of Turkish settlement (i.e. former Ottoman territories).
Categories:
Karaims: Difference between revisions Add topic