THE KARAITE JEWS IN ISRAEL by ALBERT RICHARD NEWMAN submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS inthe DEPARTMENT OF SEMITICS at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR : DR M RESNICK NOVEMBER 1996 SUMMARY THE KARAITE JEWS IN ISRAEL. Founded in the eighth Century CE by Anan ben David, the basic tenet of this break­ away Jewish sect was that the Bible was the only divine script. Over the ensuing years, a long line of sages consolidated this dictum, establishing a set of rules which at times was even more rigid than the Rabbanite teachings they had rejected. From the tenth to the twentieth centuries the Karaites were dispersed and persecuted as were their Rabbanite brethren. By the middle of the 20th century, their largest settlement, a flourishing community in Egypt, came to an end with the eruption of hostilities between Israel and her Arab neighbours. Most of this community settled in Israel where they met with opposition or indifference from the Rabbanite establishment. This work describes the history of the Karaites, their present situation and the barriers they have overcome in the fulfillment of their special brand of Judaism. THE KARAITE JEWS IN ISRAEL. CONTENTS. Acknowledgements. Introduction Chapter 1 Origins and Early Karaite History. 1 Historic Conflict with the Rabbanites 4 Anan ben David 7 Chapter2 Leading Personalities of the Early Karaite Period. 16 2.1 Jacob al-Kirkisani 17 2.2 Solomon ben Jeroham 19 2.3 Yafit ibn Ali 20 2.4 The Conflict with Sa'adiah Gaon 22 Chapter 3 The Spread of Karaism, 10th to 19th cent CE. 25 3.1 The Spread of Karaism, 10th to 15th Centuries CE. 3.1.1 , The Holy Land 25 3.1.2 Syria 28 3.1.3 Spain 29 3.1.4 Egypt 30 3.1.5 Iraq 32 3.1.6 The Byzantine Empire 32 3.2 Rapprochement. 36 3.3 The Spread of Karaism, 39 16th to 19th Centuries CE. 3.3.1 The Crimea 39 3.3.2 Lithuania and Poland 41 3.3.3 Russia 43 Chapter4 The Karaite Jews in the 20th Century. 48 4.1 The Karaite Jews in the Diaspora 4.1.1 Eastern Europe in the early 20th Century 48 4.1.2 Egypt in the 20th Century 54 4.2 The establishment of the State of Israel and the consequences for the Karaite Jews in Arab lands. 63 Chapter 5 The Karaite Jews and the State of Israel 64 5.1 Immigration to Israel, the first arrivals. 64 5.2 Reception and areas of settlement. 65 5.3 Administration of religious affairs. 68 5.4 The legal battle in the Knesset. 71 5.5 The Karaite Beth Din. 80 5.6 Publications. 81 Chapter 6 Areas of Divergence of Belief and Practice. 87 Chapter 7 Conclusions. 109 Appendices. 114 Appendix 1 Official records of proceedings of the Knesset 114 on matters pertaining to the Karaite Jews during the period 1948 to 1995 Appendix 2 Information Brochure published by the Universal Karaite Jews, Ramleh, Israel. 159 Bibliography. 179 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank the following organisations and individuals, without whose assistance and cooperation the research and compilation of this work would not have been possible: The Karaite Jews of Israel, a part of the Jewish people who are still struggling for their rightful place. The spokesperson of the community in Israel, Mr. Yosef D'vir, who could not understand why a Jewish researcher from the southern tip of Africa was interested in . the Karaite Jews, but whose help was readily forthcoming. Mr. Mourad el-Kodsi of Rochester, New York, the doyen of the Karaite Jews in the USA, who encouraged me and supplied me with various books and documents. Dr. M. Resnick, of the Department of Semitics at The University of South Africa, who gave such clear advice and comment. ILLUSTRATIONS facing Introduction The Karaite Mezuzah (The Ten Commandments) shown with the Rabbanite counterpart. facing p.34 Expansion of Karaites in Byzantium (Ankori 1959). facing p.84 Covers and frontispieces of Karaite publications. facing p.88 Entrance to the Anan b. David Synagogue in Jerusalem. The Karaite Mezuzah (left) shown with a Rabbanite Mezuzah. In present day Israel many Karaite Jewish homes display both. INTRODUCTION. As an undergraduate student at a British university, I read extensively about the Karaite Jews. My selection of this Master's topic was influenced in no small measure by this academic interest which was later compounded by several years of working side by side, in Israel, with a number of members of this fascinating community. In so doing, I became aware of the poignancy of a people who perceive themselves to be Jews, yet, throughout their thousand year history, have repeatedly been denied full recognition of their status. At best they were misunderstood, at worst, rejected. Although at times in their history, the Karaite Jews were, either by their own choice or by external pressure, completely cut off from the Jewish people, they are today afforded full civic rights by the state of Israel. They pay taxes, vote, serve in the army and are citizens by the law of the Right of Return. However, in matters religious, their path is strewn with obstacles and restrictions such as the fact that the Karaite divorce is still not recognised. Thus I set about this descriptive, chronological overview as a survey of the travails, both past and present, of the Karaite Jews, up to their present situation in Israel. Many historical treatises have been written about them over the years but little has been done to link their rich heritage with their current lives in Israel. This then I have attempted to do by illustrating the antiquity of this people, their contribution to Jewish history and learning, their yearning for Zion for over a thousand years and their on-going battle with main-stream Judaism. I have turned frequently to the literary works of the Karaite Jews for my sources of reference as it is in these writings that their lives and aspirations are most clearly portrayed and their innermost feelings expressed. Few early historical accounts are extant ( the main being the confusing yet delightful commentary of Benjamin of Tudela in the twelfth century) until the scholarly 1870 account, History of the Karaite Jews by the Rev W.H. Rule. From the end of this century onwards, many excellent, specialised works have been produced in Europe, the United States and more recently, Israel. This interest in the current century was started by the famous Genizah discovery by Solomon Schechter at the end of the last century, followed by great scholars such as Mann, Nemoy, Ankori, Schur and el-Kodsi. These secondary sources were of great help and inspiration. This is not a complete work of an ongoing history of a part of the Jewish people. Like the general history of any people there were periods of glory and of eclipse, there were strengths and there were weaknesses. I have tried to portray a representative cross-section of these times. The area of my work had to be limited, as to delve into a history so rich in literary gems, spanning a millennium, and crossing continents, from Persia to Los Angeles, via Constantinople, the Crimea, Egypt and Lithuania, proved too vast a subject for the requirements of this thesis. Consequently there are gaps, known and unknown. Whereas I have touched on many parts of this history, I have left some out altogether such as the situation of the Karaite Jews in the United States, which has not been significantly researched. Other important and interesting areas have, of necessity, been glossed over, or regretfully omitted. For example, I have 'short-changed' the Golden Age of the Karaite poets and writers and excluded the contentious possible linkage between the Karaites and the Khazars, the Falashas and other early Jewish sects. My aim was to reach the Karaite Jews in Israel, a task which could not be effected without the preceding historical chapters. Without an understanding of their points of origin, their religious philosophy, their often turbulent history and their burning desire to survive, it is well nigh impossible to appreciate the present situation of the Karaite community in Israel. They should not be viewed as just another of the many ii colourful 'Edot', the different Jewish groups now living in Israel after an exile of two millennia. They should be seen as 'belonging', but at the same time bearing a sincere message of modification to mainstream Judaism as experienced in Israel, especially today in the changing religio-political balance. In Chapter One, the origins of the Karaites are reviewed, keeping in mind the age-old controversy of the possibility of pre-Ananite movements of divergence from the establishment of Jewish belief. Throughout Jewish history there has been dissent; from the early times of the revolt of Korach against Moses and Aaron, to the priesthood-prophet conflict, and to the Pharisee-Sadducee viewpoints of Temple times. Whether or not the Karaite movement had its roots in these historic areas or was a then current dispute of a political or even personal argument of Anan and the leaders of the Exile, is a question, in my opinion, still unanswered. With the dynamic activity of the Karaites in the pre Sa'adia era, Chapter Two demonstrates that they were fast becoming the leading lights in the world of Jewry. This, inter-alia, prompted Sa'adia to come out against the Karaitic non acceptance of the Talmud, a battle which has continued to this day. Chapter Three is an historic overview of the spread of Karaism from the times of the Crusaders to the end of the 19th century, and from the lands of the Middle East to the great Karaite centres of Eastern Europe.