Articles

Katarzyna Dzi±æko

The name Karaims determines both a religious doctrine and an ethnic group. This doctrine emerged in 8th century as a rebellion against the authority of Talmud, regarded by the Pharisees as sacred. The leader of the opposition movement was Annan ben David from Basra, who maintained that the Bible is in itself complete and that nothing should be added or removed from its teachings. The name of the doctrine is derived from Arabic qara (to read, to recite). The religion is based on the Pentateuch, particularly the Decalogue, underpinned by the principle and obligation of its free interpretation. Priests are appointed and their main task is to lead group prayers in Karaim temples, the so-called kenesach (2).

The adherents of karaism can be divided into three groups according to their ethnic origin: Crimean - Polish, Muslim and Cossack from Cubanya. The name Karaims is an ethnonym of the first group only (3). The history of the Crimean - Polish Karaims is very interesting. Their origins are traced back to 8th and 9th century, when the Karaim missionaries reached Crimea, then under Khazars rule. The Khazars' conversion to Karaism was dictated largely by political considerations, for it protected them from being converted by any of their neighbours - Christian Byzantium or Muslim Persia (4). Contemporary Khazars are the descendants of the Khazars and the Kipchac - Polovtsian tribes, who made their way in Crimea in 10th centry. They arrived in the Polish-Lithuanian territory at the turn of 14th and 15th century. According to the tradition, it was the Grand Duke of Lithuania Witold who brought them from Crimea. They were first settled on the border between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the lands owned by the Order of the Brothers of the Sword (chiefly in Panevezys, Trakai and Vilnius), later in the Russian towns (Lutsk, Halych, Lvov) (5). Karaim settlements in Poland after 1945 were a result of repatriations, mainly of youth (6).

Ethnic awareness of the Karaims began do emerge in 19th century. Significant contributors to the phenomenena was the Karaim intelligentsia, represented mainly by Russian administration workers. They gave rise to the informal movement of ethnic renaissance, which was oriented on combining tradition and new social changes. The increase in ethnic awareness manifested particularly in the development of literature, the beginnings of periodical press in Russian and the relaxation of regulations regarding the religious cult (the Karaim language became superior to Hebrew in liturgy). The cultural life of Karaims in Rzeczpospolita (the Polish state) reached its pinnacle in the interwar period. In 1920 a Karaim school was established in Trakai (as a matter of fact, it functioned until 1923, but later on young people learnt the language at a parish school), since 1924 My¶l Karaimska (The Karaim Thought), a literary and social journal was published, in 1932 the Society of Karaim History and Literature was founded, whereas in 1936 the Sejm (the lower house of the Polish parliament) passed an act establishing the Karaim Religious Association (8). At the same time the Karaim language enjoyed a revival, stimulated to a large extent by the activities of Alexander Mardkowicz, the publisher of Karaim-German-Polish dictionary and a magazine Karaj Awazy (The Karaim Voice) (9).

At that time ethnic awaraness of Polish Karaims assumed its final shape. G. Pe³czyñski highlights three aspects of the phenomenon: the notion of common origin, the realization of ethnic distinctiveness and the attitude towards the land (10). The notion of common origin of Karaims was reinforced by three commonly held beliefs: in being brought by Duke Witold, in their distant biblical roots and in their strongly emphasized distinctiveness from the Jews. The activities of Szymon Fidorkowicz played key role in shaping ethnic self-consciousness of Karaims. He went to the Holy Land to seek Karaite roots as well as evidence that there were no Karaims in Jerusalem when the Christ was crucified (such evidence would absolve the Karaims from the responsibility for spilling Christ's blood and, consequently, spare them persecution). The second element, ethnic distinctiveness of Karaims, manifested chiefly in religion and language (classified to the Kipchak subgroup, Turkish group, Altaic family) (11). The third distinctive feature is the attitude towards the territory - it can be acknowledged that the Karaites had three ideological homelands: Crimea (especially Chufut Kale, a town-fortress, and a cementary in Josafat Valley), the Holy Land and Poland (after it regained independence following the First World War, it is amply justified to refer to them as to Polish Karaites - on account of the degree of absorption into the society and loyalty to the Republic of Poland (12).

After the First World War there were four d¿ymats (Karaim communities) in Rzeczpospolita: in Trakai, Vilnius, Lutsk and Halych. D¿ymat in Panevezys in the Kaunas Lithuania also acknowledged their bonds with Poland. It is estimated that there were about 1000 of Karaims in Poland at that time (13). In the first phase after the Second World War about 150 Karaims repatriated to Poland, after 1956 a few more dozens followed their footsteps. Therefore, the number of Karaims in Poland after 1945 oscillated between 200 and 300. The Karaim communities are concentrated in five cities: Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw, Opole and Cracow (14). Many Karaims, mainly the representatives of the older generation, never decided to leave their communities in the Soviet Union in the belief that it would undermine the group's ethnic identity (15).

These fears came true to some extent. Religious cult was fairly common, because the Karaim communities were randomly scattered. As a result, we have observed a gradual deterioration of tradition, language, rituals and liturgy in the young generation of Karaims in Poland (16). At present the Karaims have only two places to meet: a temple, or, to be more precise, a special room for prayers at priest Rafa³ Abkowicz's home or a Karaim cementary in Warsaw (funerals provided most frequent occasions for meetings) (17). Such circumstances hardly promote a once popular practice of endogamy or there is a negative birth rate (18). However, such a situation must not be interpreted as an agony of the group. A small number of Karaims is, against the odds, their ally - they are in no need of any efficient organisational form (sanctioning such a form would be troublesome in socialist times). As a matter of fact, all the Karaims are more or less distinctly related and they meet on numerous occasions. In 1974 the Karaim Religious Association was reorganized and became an organization for Karaims living in Poland only (19). Every few years since 1975 the Karaim conventions have been held, including discussions, lectures, the elements of tradition and a typical Karaim food. In 1979 Marek Fidorowicz managed to publish two issues of Co¶ (Something) - a periodical for Karaim youth. The publication of Karaim Thought also ceased after the Second World War; only two issues came out. In 1987 a Karaim Day was held as a part of the Meetings with Religions in Pieniê¿no, organized by the Divine Word Missionaries (21). In 1996 in Warsaw a conference The Karaims - their Contribution to Peace and Tolerance was held as part of the World Conference of Religions for Peace. The largest community of Polish Karaims lives in Warsaw. It has about 50 members, all of intelligentsia background (22).


Notes:

1. G. Pe³czyñski: Najmniejsza mniejszo¶æ. Rzecz o Karaimach polskich, Warszawa 1995, s.10
2. Euhemer. Przegl±d religioznawczy. Ma³a encyklopedia religioznawcza 1988, nr 1, s.106-107
3. G. Pe³czyñski, op. cit., s.5
4. A. Sulimowicz: Karaimi w Polsce i na Litwie (do 1945 roku), w: Karaimi (materia³y z sesji naukowej), pod red. A. Dubiñskiego i E. ¦liwki SVD, Pieniê¿no 1987, s.22
5. G. Pe³czyñski, op. cit., s.14
6. Sz. Pilecki, Karaimi w Polsce po 1945 r. Migracja podczas i po II wojnie ¶wiatowej, w: Karaimi (materia³y z sesji naukowej), pod red. A. Dubiñskiego i E. ¦liwki SVD, Pieniê¿no 1987, s.41
7. G. Pe³czyñski: Karaimi polscy, Sprawy Narodowo¶ciowe 1993, z.1, s.283
8. A. Dubiñski: Caraimica. Prace karaimoznawcze, Warszawa 1994, s.250-254
9. A. Sulimowicz, op. cit., s.28-29
10. Koncepcja ta znajduje siê w artykule G. Pe³czyñskiego: ¦wiadomo¶æ etniczna Karaimów polskich, w: Karaimi (materia³y z sesji naukowej), pod red. A. Dubiñskiego i E. ¦liwki SVD, Pieniê¿no 1987, s.55-63
11. G. Pe³czyñski: Najmniejsza mniejszo¶æ..., s.23
12. G. Pe³czyñski: Karaimi polscy..., s.282
13. G. Pe³czyñski: Karaimi polscy..., s.284
14. G. Pe³czyñski: Najmniejsza mniejszo¶æ..., s.21
15. Sz. Pilecki, op. cit., s.42
16. G. Pe³czyñski: Karaimi polscy..., s.285
17. G. Pe³czyñski, Najmniejsza mniejszo¶æ..., s.22
18. Ibidem, s.25 i 36
19. Sz. Pilecki, op. cit., s.47
20. Ibidem, s.49-50
21. G. Pe³czyñski, op. cit., s.69
22. G. Pe³czyñski: Rys dziejów Karaimów Warszawskich, w: Warszawa: etniczne i spo³eczno-kulturowe zró¿nicowanie miasta (XVII-XX w.), pod red. A. Stawarza, Warszawa 1998, s.67

Translated by Renata Ziemliñska