Karaim or Qaraylar, a Karaite Jewish community of Eastern Europe. Originally centered in the Crimean Peninsula, the Karaim were established in Lithuania and elsewhere in Europe from late medieval times. Karaite Judaism is a Jewish denomination characterized by reliance on the Tanakh as the sole scripture, and rejection of the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmuds) as halakha (Legally Binding, i. ... Eastern Europe is, by convention, that part of Europe from the Ural and Caucasus mountains in the East to an arbitrarily chosen boundary in the West. ... The Crimea (officially Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukrainian transliteration: Avtonomna Respublika Krym, Ukrainian: Автономна Республіка Крим, Russian: Автономная Республика Крым, pronounced cry-MEE-ah in English) is a peninsula and an autonomous republic of Ukraine on the northern coast of the Black Sea. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

The name Crimean Karaites is something of a misnomer, as many branches of this community found their way to locations throughout Europe and the Middle East. Their self-designation, Karaim, however, is insufficient, as it fails to distinguish the distinctive, Turkic-speaking Karaite community which originated in the Crimea from historically Aramaic, Hebrew, and Arabic-speaking Karaites of the Levant, Anatolia and the Middle East. For the purposes of this article, the terms "Crimean Karaites", "Karaim", and "Qaraylar" are used interchangeably, "Karaites" alone refers to the general Karaite branch of Judaism. Aramaic is a Semitic language with a four-thousand year history. ... The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... The Levant is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in Southwest Asia south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia to the east. ... Anatolia ( Greek: ανατολή anatolē or anatolí, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asian portion of... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... For a discussion of Jews as an ethnicity or ethnic group see the article on Jew. ...

Language

The Karaim developed a Kipchak Turkic tongue, based on the Crimean Tatar language but with heavy borrowing from Hebrew vocabulary and grammar. This distinctive language is known as Karaim, and was used as a communal lingua franca among Karaim throughout Eastern Europe. Hebrew remained in use for liturgical purposes, and following the Ottoman occupation of the Crimea, Turkish was used for business and government purposes. Kipchaks (also Kypchaks, Qipchaqs) are an ancient Turkic people, first mentioned in the historical chronicles of Central Asia in the 1st millennium BC. Their language was also known as Kipchak. ... This is the disambiguation page for the terms Turk, Turkey, Turkic, and Turkish. ... The Crimean Tatar language or Crimean-Turkish (in its own script: Qırımtatar tili, Qırım Tatar dili resp. ... The Karaim language is a Turkic language with Hebrew influences, in a similar manner to Yiddish or Ladino. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ... Eastern Europe is, by convention, that part of Europe from the Ural and Caucasus mountains in the East to an arbitrarily chosen boundary in the West. ... The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923...

Origins

Turkic speaking Karaites (in the Crimean Tatar language, Qaraylar) have lived in the Crimea for centuries. Their origin, is disputed. Some regard them as descendants of Karaite Jews who settled in the Crimea and adopted a form of the Kipchak tongue (see Karaim language). Others view them as descendents of Khazar (unlikely) or Kipchak (more likely) converts to Karaite Judaism. Whatever their origins, from the time of the Golden Horde onward, they were present in many towns and villages throughout the Crimea and around the Black Sea. Some of the major communities could be found in the towns of Çufut Qale, Sudak, and Bakhchisaray. This is the disambiguation page for the terms Turk, Turkey, Turkic, and Turkish. ... Karaite Judaism is a Jewish denomination characterized by reliance on the Tanakh as the sole scripture, and rejection of the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmuds) as halakha (Legally Binding, i. ... The Crimean Tatar language or Crimean-Turkish (in its own script: Qırımtatar tili, Qırım Tatar dili resp. ... The Crimea (officially Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukrainian transliteration: Avtonomna Respublika Krym, Ukrainian: Автономна Республіка Крим, Russian: Автономная Республика Крым, pronounced cry-MEE-ah in English) is a peninsula and an autonomous republic of Ukraine on the northern coast of the Black Sea. ... Kipchaks (also Kypchaks, Qipchaqs) are an ancient Turkic people, first mentioned in the historical chronicles of Central Asia in the 1st millennium BC. Their language was also known as Kipchak. ... The Karaim language is a Turkic language with Hebrew influences, in a similar manner to Yiddish or Ladino. ... The Khazars were a Turkic semi-nomadic people from Central Asia who adopted Judaism. ... Kipchaks (also Kypchaks, Qipchaqs) are an ancient Turkic people, first mentioned in the historical chronicles of Central Asia in the 1st millennium BC. Their language was also known as Kipchak. ... This article refers to the Mongol state in what is now Russia. ... Satellite view of the Black Sea, taken by NASA MODIS Cities of the Black Sea The Black Sea (known as the Euxine Sea in antiquity) is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. ... Çufut Qale or Chufut Kale is a historic fortress in the Crimea, near Bakhchisaray. ... Sudak is city in the Crimea. ... Bakhchisaray, a town in Crimea,Ukraine. ...

Karaims were agriculturists, some served in Crimean khan military.

In Lithuania

In 1392 Grand Duke Vytautas of Grand Duchy of Lithuania relocated one branch the Crimean Karaites to Lithuania where they continued to speak their own language. The Lithuanian Karaites settled primarily in Vilna (Vilnius) and Troki (Trakai), but also in smaller settlements throughout Lithuania proper and lands of modern Belarus and Ukraine, that were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Karaim in Lithuanian territory were granted a measure of autonomy. Vytautas the Great - engraving of XVI ct. ... The presumable banner of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the coat of arms, called Пагоня in Belarusian, Vytis in Lithuanian and Pogoń in Polish Another version of the Lithuanian banner The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė, Belarusian: Вялі́кае Кня́ства Літо́ўскае (ВКЛ), Ukrainian: Велике Князівство Литовське (ВКЛ... Vilnius Old Town Vilnius (sometimes also Vilna in English, Belarusian Вільня, Polish Wilno, Russian Вильнюс, German Wilna, see also Cities alternative names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania with population in excess of 540 thousand (in 2003). ... The castle in Trakai Trakai (Polish Troki) - a town and lake resort in Lithuania, a part of Trakai national park territory and an administrative centre of the region. ...

Some famous Karaim scholars in Lithuania included Isaac ben Abraham of Trakai (1533? - 1594?), 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 Karaim became quite wealthy.

During the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Karaim 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 into Christianity, but ultimately were largely unsuccessful. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Chmielnicki Uprising or Chmielnicki Rebellion is the name of a civil war in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the years 1648–1654. ... Main article: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth The Nihil novi act adopted by the Polish Diet in 1505 transferred all legislative power from the king to the Diet. ...

In the Russian Empire

Nineteenth-century leaders of the Karaim, such as Simcha Babovitch and Avraham Firkovitch, were driving forces behind a concerted effort to de-Judaize the Karaite community in eyes of the Russian legal system. Ultimately, the Tsarist government officially recognized the Karaim as being of Turkic, not Jewish, origin, a political ruling that has little basis in historical fact. Because the Karaim were judged to be innocent of the death of Jesus, they were exempt from many of the harsh restrictions placed on other Jews. Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... Abraham (Avraham) Firkovitch (1786-1874) was a Lithuanian Karaite of Crimean Karaite (Karaim) descent, born in Lutsk, Volhynia. ... This is the disambiguation page for the terms Turk, Turkey, Turkic, and Turkish. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Jesus, also known as Jesus Christ*, Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus the Nazarene, is the central figure in Christianity. ...

During the Holocaust

Their status under Russian imperial rule bore beneficial fruits for the Karaim decades later. In 1934, the heads of the Karaite 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 Karaites were not to be considered Jews. The letter from the Reichsstelle fur Sippenforschung gave the official ruling in a letter which stated: Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust was Nazi Germanys systematic genocide (ethnic cleansing) of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II, starting in 1941 and continuing through 1945. ... The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ...

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's 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

-(YIVO archives, Berlin Collection, Occ E, 3, Box 100, letter dated January 5, 1939)

This ruling set the tone for how the Nazis dealt with the Karaite community in Eastern Europe.

At the same time, the Nazis had serious reservations towards the Karaites. SS Obergruppenfuhrer Gottlob Berger wrote on November 24, 1944: SS or ss or Ss may be: The Schutzstaffel, a Nazi paramilitary force Steamship (SS) (ship prefix) The United States Secret Service A submarine not powered by nuclear energy (SS) (United States Navy designator), see SSN A Soviet/Russian surface-to-surface missile, as listed by NATO reporting name Shortstop... Gottlob Berger (July 16, 1896 - 1975) was a German SS general during World War II. From 1940, he was Chief of Staff for the military SS and head of the SS main leadership office. ...

Their Mosaic religion is unwelcome. However, on grounds of race, language and religious dogma... Descriminiation against the Karaites 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 Karaim 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. German allies such as the Vichy Republic began to require the Karaites to register as Jews, but eventually granted them non-Jewish status upon being instructed by Berlin. Original German plan Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the German codename for Nazi Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, which commenced on June 22, 1941. ... Babi Yar (Ukrainian Babyn Yar) is the name of a ravine situated in the city of Kiev, Ukraine. ... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later in Algiers. ... Berlin (pronounced: , German ) is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,426,000 inhabitants (as of January 2005); down from 4. ...

On interrogation, Crimean rabbis told the Germans that the Karaim were not Jews, in an effort to spare the Karaite community the fate of their Krymchak and Ashkenazi neighbors. The record of the Karaite community during the war is a checkered one; while many Karaim risked their lives to hide Jews, and in some cases claimed that Jews were members of their community, others joined German auxiliary units such as the Tatar Legion, Ostturkische Waffenverband, an SS unit that included Crimean Tatars and other Turkic peoples. According to a letter of September 27 1944, penned by Chancellor Gerhard Klopfer, an estimated 500-600 Crimean Karaim were fighting in the Wehrmacht, Waffen SS and Tatar Legion. Klopfer asked that until such a time as the exact racial origin of the Karaites could be determined, a list of all members of the sect be dilligently kept. Many of the Karaim were recruited for labor battalions. A Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) is a religious Jewish scholar who is an expert in Jewish law. ... The Krymchaks are a community of Rabbinical Jews of the Crimean peninsula. ... Ashkenazi (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי, Standard Hebrew Aškanazi, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAškănāzî) Jews or Ashkenazic Jews, also called Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, Standard Hebrew Aškanazim, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAškănāzîm), are Jews descended from the Jewish communities of Germany, Poland, Austria, and Eastern Europe mostly established between the 10th Century and 19th Century AD. In historical times and... Flag of the Crimean Tatars The Crimean Tatars (Qırımtatar, Pl. ... Categories: Stub | 1905 births | 1987 deaths | Nazi leaders ... Wehrmacht was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. ... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS (Armed SS) was the operational military wing of the Schutzstaffel. ...

In Lutsk the Karaim generally cooperated with the Nazi anti-Jewish activities. In Vilna and Troki Karaite Hakham Seraj Szapszal gave precise lists of the members of their community, allowing the Nazis to quickly discover Jews bearing false Karaite papers. Lutsk (Луцьк in Ukrainian, Łuck in Polish) is the capital of the Volyn region, Ukraine. ... Seraj Szapszal (1873-1961) A hakham and leader of the Lithuanian Karaite community. ...

Post-War

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

At the time of this writing (March 2005), genetic testing is being conducted to ascertain their ethnic origin.

External Links

• Karaim Website (http://www.turkiye.net/sota/karaim.html)
• New Signs of Life in Karaite community of Lithuania (http://www.hf-fak.uib.no/institutter/smi/paj/Harviainen.html)
• Karaites in the Holocaust (http://www.karaite-korner.org/holocaust.htm)

Recommended Reading

• Blady, Ken. Jewish Communities in Exotic Places. Jason Aronson, 2000.
• Friedmsn, Philip. "The Karaites under Nazi Rule". On the Tracks of Tyranny. London, 1960.
• Miller, Philip. Karaite Separatism in 19th Century Russia. HUC Press