Wednesday, September 7, 2016

A Resource for Turkic and Jewish History in Russia and Ukraine - THE JEWS OF KHAZARIA


A Resource for Turkic and Jewish History in Russia and UkraineLast Updated: November 22, 2015
For information about THE JEWS OF KHAZARIA, click hereRead about The Jews of Khazaria - the general-interest book about the Khazars in English.
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History professor Boris Zhivkov's 350-page book Khazaria in the 9th and 10th Centuries was published by Brill in May 2015. Brill's marketing says the book "uses not only the known documentary sources and archaeological finds but also what we know from history of religions (comparative mythology), history of art, structural anthropology and folklore studies." This is an English translation from the Bulgarian version Khazaria prez IX i X vek that had been published by IK Gutenberg in Sofia in 2010.
The author and magazine editor A. J. Jacobs was tested by 23andMe as were his sister and father. A. J. was recently interviewed by Jesse Rifkin for the June 7th article "Six Degrees: Massive Genealogy Project Shows We Are Family–Literally" in The Daily Beast. A. J. said, "I thought my roots were completely Ashkenazi Jewish from Eastern Europe. Yet according to my DNA genome analysis, I have a little Scandinavian in me, there’s even a little Asian." DNA Land's blog informed us that A. J.'s genome and those of several other Ashkenazim were discussed at an event on Jewish genetics held at the New York Genome Center on November 19, 2015. As A. J. told Frankfurter Allgemeine's Anne Haeming in her June 6th article "Wir brauchen einen Anker", he and the actress Mila Kunis belong to the same maternal haplogroup, H7. I also belong to H7. H7 is common among North-Central Europeans as well as some Balkan peoples and probably came into the Ashkenazic community through a non-Jewish woman who converted to Judaism. Surprisingly, none of the Asian ancestry in Ashkenazi Jews comes from Turkic Khazars. Ashkenazi Levites paternally descend from an Iranian people not from Khazars or Slavs, per genetic evidence revealed in a new study by Siiri Rootsi et al. discussed here, here, here, and here. Since no other paternal or maternal haplogroup among Ashkenazim comes from a Central Asian Turkic source either, we are now left with the total absence of evidence for Khazar ancestry in Ashkenazim.
In a brief moment early in episode 10 ("Decoding Our Past Through DNA") of season 2 of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Ashkenazic playwright Tony Kushner responds with happiness to the finding of 0.1% East Asian ancestry in his personal autosomal DNA as tested by 23andMe. His autosomal test also found he's a genetic cousin of the Ashkenazic singer-songwriter Carole King.
My article "The Chinese Lady Who Joined the Ashkenazic People" appeared in Jewish Times Asia's March 2015 issue.
At Family Tree DNA's November 2015 genetic genealogy conference, Doron Behar delivered a presentation on the latest findings on the genetics of Ashkenazic Levites who belong to haplogroup R1a. Behar tested 66 Ashkenazic Levite samples and 10 non-Ashkenazic holders of R1a1 using the company's "Big Y" test. The results showed that the branches next-closest to Ashkenazim are Yezdi and Iberian holders, followed by Palestinian Arabs, and much farther away is an Assyrian. Roberta Estes wrote here that "Doron was able to confirm that the Levite population did arise in the Near East." While this seems true based on the data, one of Behar's slides nevertheless says "Unresolved origin", but maybe he means unresolved in terms of the precise population in that region that had transmitted this haplogroup to Jewish people. As I mentioned in my older comment above, an Iranian people have been proposed by other researchers to be that source population.
My article "Sephardic Jews in Galitzian Poland and Environs" appeared in Shem Tov's September 2015 issue.
Medieval Kingdom of Khazaria, 652-1016
Over a thousand years ago, the far east of Europe was ruled by Jewish kings who presided over numerous tribes, including their own tribe: the Turkic Khazars. After their conversion, the Khazar people used Jewish personal names, spoke and wrote in Hebrew, were circumcised, had synagogues and rabbis, studied the Torah and Talmud, and observed Hanukkah, Pesach, and the Sabbath. The Khazars were an advanced civilization with one of the most tolerant societies of the medieval period. It hosted merchants from all over Asia and Europe. On these pages it is hoped that you may learn more about this fascinating culture.

Current Publications for SaleTHE JEWS OF KHAZARIA
by Kevin Alan Brook
This book discusses all major issues surrounding the Khazar Empire, including diplomacy, trade, culture, military affairs, Khazarian Judaism, and migrations. The book draws from major primary and secondary sources, and includes a concise timeline and glossary towards the end. This was the first English-language book on the Khazars to contain a substantial amount of archaeological data.
THE WORLD OF THE KHAZARS
edited by Peter B. Golden, Haggai Ben-Shammai, and András Róna-Tas
An expensive but valuable collection of wide-ranging views from academic specialists on the Khazars. The 18 articles discuss the Khazars' economy, language, international relations, and more.
KHAZARIA IN THE 9th AND 10th CENTURIES
by Boris Zhivkov
Examines documentary sources, archaeological discoveries, religious history, art history, folklore studies, and more.

KHAZARY
by "Oleg Ivik" (the collective pseudonym of Olga Kolobova and Valeriy Ivanov) and Vladimir Klyutchnikov
A comprehensive discussion of the Khazars' history, government, religion, and more as revealed by artifacts and old documents. The authors' own archaeological expeditions form part of the discussion. In Russian.
HAZARLAR
by Osman Karatay
A 336-page general-interest book about the Khazars. In Turkish.
THE KUZARI: IN DEFENSE OF THE DESPISED FAITH
translated and annotated by Rabbi N. Daniel Korobkin
In this classic philosophical work by Yehuda HaLevi, a Jewish sage explains the principles of Judaism to an inquisitive Khazar king. As a special bonus, the historical communications exchanged between Khazar King Joseph and the Spanish Jewish diplomat Hasdai ibn Shaprut are included in this volume.
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  • The Jews of Khazaria

    by Kevin Alan Brook

    Click here to order from Amazon.comThe Jews of Khazaria recounts the eventful history of the Turkic kingdom of Khazaria, which was located in eastern Europe and flourished as an independent state from about 650 to 1016. As a major world power, Khazaria enjoyed diplomatic and trade relations with many peoples and nations (including the Byzantines, Alans, Magyars, and Slavs) and changed the course of medieval history in many ways. Did you know that if not for the Khazars, much of eastern Europe would have been overrun by the Arabs and become Islamic? In the same way as Charles Martel and his Franks stopped the advance of Muslims at the Battle of Poitiers in the West, the Khazars blunted the northward advance of the Arabs that was surging across the Caucasus in the 8th century.The Khazar people belonged to a grouping of Turks who wrote in a runic script that originated in Mongolia. The royalty of the Khazar kingdom was descended from the Ashina Turkic dynasty. In the ninth century, the Khazarian royalty and nobility as well as a significant portion of the Khazarian Turkic population embraced the Jewish religion. After their conversion, the Khazars were ruled by a succession of Jewish kings and began to adopt the hallmarks of Jewish civilization, including the Torah and Talmud, the Hebrew script, and the observance of Jewish holidays. A portion of the empire's population adopted Christianity and Islam.
    This volume traces the development of the Khazars from their early beginnings as a tribe to the decline and fall of their kingdom. It demonstrates that Khazaria had manufacturing industries, trade routes, an organized judicial system, and a diverse population. It also examines the many migrations of the Khazar people into Hungary, Ukraine, and other areas of Europe and their subsequent assimilation, providing the most comprehensive treatment of this complex issue to date. The final chapter enumerates the Jewish communities of eastern Europe which sprung up after the fall of Khazaria and proposes that the Jews from the former Russian Empire are descended from a mixture of Khazar Jews, German Jews, Greek Jews, and Slavs.
    The Jews of Khazaria draws upon the latest archival, linguistic, genetic, and archaeological discoveries. The weaponry, agriculture, horticulture, fishing, burial practices, architecture, and religions of the peoples of Khazaria are among the many findings revealed here.
    The book also includes a map of the Khazar kingdom; a map of Khazarian-ruled Crimea; tables illustrating royal genealogies, the Turkic language family, and Turkic Khazarian personal names; a glossary of Khazarian words and other important terms which may be unfamiliar to readers; and an extensive bibliography listing hundreds of books and articles.
  • Students and other people interested in history who desire a thorough yet easy-to-read account of the Khazar kingdom will gain in their understanding of this important but previously obscure topic.
  • Ashkenazic Jews who wish to explore their distant ancestry in eastern Europe will greatly benefit from reading this book, particularly Chapter 10, which traces Jewish migrations across Europe in medieval times.
  • Hungarians, Ukrainians, Turks, Arabs, and Ossetians will find a wealth of information concerning the historical interactions between their peoples and the Khazars.
    FIRST EDITION:English original published by Jason Aronson Publishers, Inc. of Northvale, New Jersey, U.S.A. (an imprint of Rowman and Littlefield Publishers since December 2003)
    1st printing: April 1999, cloth/hardcover, 352 pages, ISBN 0-7657-6032-0, 1500 copies
    2nd printing: October 1999, cloth/hardcover, 352 pages, ISBN 0-7657-6032-0, 1500 copies
    3rd printing: September 2002, paperback/softcover, 354 pages, ISBN 0-7657-6212-9, 500 copies
    4th printing: April 2004, paperback/softcover, 354 pages, ISBN 0-7657-6212-9, 525 copies
    5th printing: beginning circa June 2004, hardcover, 354 pages, ISBN 0-7657-6032-0, 112 copies by print-on-demand 2004-2006
    6th printing: beginning early 2005, paperback/softcover, 354 pages, ISBN 0-7657-6212-9, 773 copies by print-on-demand 2005-2006
    Turkish edition Bir Türk İmparatorluğu: Hazar Yahudileri, translated by Ismail Tulçali, published by Nokta Kitap (Nokta Yayınları) of Istanbul, Turkey
    1st printing: February 2005, softcover, 474 pages, ISBN 975-8823-73-6, 2000 copies
    SECOND EDITION:    English original published by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. of Lanham, Maryland, U.S.A.
    1st printing: beginning September 2006, hardcover, 317 pages, ISBN 0-7425-4981-X, 978-0-7425-4981-4, 1361+ copies by print-on-demand 2006-present
    2nd printing: November 2009, paperback/softcover, 317 pages, ISBN 0-7425-4982-8, 978-0-7425-4982-1, 400 copies
    3rd printing: circa March 2010, paperback/softcover, 317 pages, ISBN 0-7425-4982-8, 978-0-7425-4982-1, 400 copies
    4th printing: August 2010, paperback/softcover, 317 pages, ISBN 0-7425-4982-8, 978-0-7425-4982-1, about 754 copies
    5th printing: by 2014, paperback/softcover, 317 pages, ISBN 0-7425-4982-8, 978-0-7425-4982-1, about 432+ copies
    Electronic edition: ISBN 978-1-4422-0302-0, 513+ copies
    "This second, revised edition... integrates important new data culled from ongoing archaeological digs in southern Russia and the Crimea, genetic results of DNA processing, examination of formerly unknown or ignored coin hordes, and the continuing research of scholars around the world. It succeeds in elucidating controversial issues, while contextualizing the Khazar polity within the competitive 9th-11th-century world of Byzantium, the Arab Caliphate, and two regional upstarts: the Dnepr-based aggregate of Nordic, Slavic, and Turkic peoples known as Rus', and the Turkic-Islamic kaganate of Bulgar flourishing in the middle and upper Volga territory. As a full exploration in English of the history and culture of the Khazars, this volume is without equal..." - Edward J. Lazzerini, Visiting Professor of Central Eurasian History, Indiana University Bloomington
    "King Joseph's reply appears along with a host of other fascinating documents in Kevin Alan Brooks' scholarly account. ...Brooks [is] ever sober and even-handed in his approach..." - Mark Glanville, in Jewish Quarterly No. 208 (Winter 2007 issue)
    "...fans of Michael Chabon's Gentlemen of the Road... might also enjoy... Kevin Alan Brook's The Jews of Khazaria, which lends some context to Chabon's history." - sidebar in Neal Wyatt's article "Take the RA Talk Online: In person and via web tools, readers' advisory is all about how well we talk to patrons" in Library Journal 133:3 (February 15, 2008 issue)
    "Kevin Alan Brook, thirty years on, strives, with considerable success, to satisfy the appetite for information about the Khazars which Koestler generated. The Jews of Khazaria is, in essence, a compendium of information gathered from every available source... He has provided a useful reference work for all those intrigued by the most striking single case of successful Jewish proselytism, as well as for those interested in the affairs of one of the four great powers of western Eurasia in the early middle ages." - James Howard-Johnston, University Lecturer in Byzantine Studies, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies 27:2 (Winter 2009 issue)
    "Kevin Alan Brook's The Jews of Khazaria is the first work since Douglas Dunlop's 1967 History of the Jewish Khazars to provide a comprehensive account of Khazar history. ... the work synthesizes a vast array of secondary literature into a concise and readable digest. ... Beyond providing a current and accessible introduction to this topic, the work is extremely valuable for its consolidation of this disparate material. ..." - Eve Krakowski, Lecturer on Jewish Studies, University of Chicago, in Journal of Near Eastern Studies 70:2 (October 2011 issue)
    Below are some reviews of the 1st edition:
    "It makes skillful use of the vast literature, in many different languages, related to the Khazars. It will be a very helpful guide for the general reader who wishes to discover the truth about this legendary people." - John D. Klier, Professor of Modern Jewish History, University College, London
    "Kevin Alan Brook has put together an absorbing account of their history based on this wide array of sources, supplemented by archaeological, ethnographic and linguistic data dealing with Khazar Jewry and their legacy. This is a most useful introduction to this at times enigmatic, but always fascinating people." - Peter B. Golden, Professor of History, Rutgers University
    "...[a] very valuable publication..." - Timur Kocaoglu, Associate Professor of Central Asian Studies, Koç University, Istanbul
    "...it is a magnificent piece of work and fills many gaps in my knowledge of the Khazars..." - Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe, Director, Institute for Jewish Literacy at Chabad House, West Hartford, CT
    "My general impression is very good: the volume of information collected from various sources is very important and this info is presented in a systematic manner. The book is also interesting to read... [T]his [is an] important erudite contribution to the domain in which any theory is questionable and as a result any attempt to shed more light is welcome." - Alexander Beider, author of A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire
    "[I] am impressed with the scope of [the] research and the fascinating possibilities it presents regarding the nature and origins of the Ashkenazic Jewish community.... The Khazars are an important and a neglected area of research." - Hollace Weiner, author of Jewish Stars in Texas
    "Brook has synthesized information from hundreds of sources to give us a picture of this lost medieval Jewish empire. Not only is Brook's book interesting for its information about Central Asian and European history, it also holds great importance for its facts and conjecture about the origins of Eastern European Jewry... Aside from its well-organized text, The Jews of Khazaria has an excellent chronology, glossary, and an extensive bibliography... Anyone who cares about world history or Jewish history would do well to read Brook's amazing book." - Lynda Ritterman, in Inside Your Town (Evesham-Medford-Mt. Laurel-Cherry Hill-Voorhees-Haddonfield-Moorestown, NJ, March 2001 issue)
    "Kevin Alan Brook presents the findings of an impressive array of scholarship, referencing primary sources and secondary scholarship written in Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Armenian, Russian, Hungarian, Swedish and other languages.... A highly useful, comprehensive chronology is given as an appendix.... Far from being [merely] a romantic interlude whose brief existence sparked the imagination of generations, Brook's volume shows that the Khazar experience is intrinsic to the narrative of Jewish history." - Seth Ward, Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies and History, University of Denver, in The Jewish Quarterly Review 91:3-4 (January-April 2001 issue)
    "I very much enjoyed reading [this] book on the Khazars." - Ken Blady, author of Jewish Communities in Exotic Places
    "...the true great step forward in the study of Khazaria... It is a very complete work, based on broad documentation from multiple sources (Hebraic, Arab, Russian)...." - Claude-Gérard Marcus, in L'Arche: le mensuel du judaïsme français No. 535 (September 2002 issue)
    "...a new recapitulatory work... which summarizes all the current research well and which might thus become the standard work for all those who are interested in the early history of East European Judaism." - Thomas Schmidinger, in Context XXI (Vienna, Austria, July 2002) No. 7
    Additional reviews and more extensive comments from the above reviews


    TABLE OF CONTENTS for the 2nd EditionAcknowledgments
    Introduction
    Chapter 1 -- THE ORIGINS OF THE KHAZARS:
    The Turkic Heritage, Legends about the Beginnings of the Jewish Khazars, The Khazars and the Huns, The Western Turkish Empire, The Formation of an Independent Khazar Kingdom, The Effects of Khazar Expansion on the Bulgars
    Chapter 2 -- THE CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE KHAZARS:
    The Capital Cities of Khazaria, Atil and Khazaran, Balanjar, Chernigov, Cherson, Chufut-Kale, Doros, Feodosia, Kerch (Bospor), Kiev, Kordon-Oba, Mayaki, Samandar (Tamatarkha), Sarkel, Semikarakorskaya, Sudak, Tepsen (Phullai), Upper Saltov (Verkhneye Saltovo), Other Khazar Settlements and Fortresses, The Peoples of the Khazar Empire
    Chapter 3 -- THE STRUCTURE OF THE KHAZAR GOVERNMENT:
    The Kagan, The Bek (King) and His Army, The Kender and the Javshighar, The Tarkhan, The Court Panel, The Local Governors, Taxation, Tributary Peoples
    Chapter 4 -- THE KHAZAR WAY OF LIFE:
    Khazar Arts and Crafts, Khazar Agriculture and Food Gathering, The Structure of Khazar Homes, Khazar Costume and Hairstyle, Khazar Graves, Languages Spoken by the Khazars
    Chapter 5 -- KHAZARIAN TRADE:
    Khazaria as a Great Medieval Trading Center, The Jewish Radhanites, Rus' Traders in Khazaria, Arab Traders in Khazaria, Chinese Traders in Khazaria, Coinage
    Chapter 6 -- THE KHAZARS' CONVERSION TO JUDAISM:
    The First Jews of Eastern Europe, Khazaria as a Refuge for Persecuted Jews, Tengri Shamanism, the Indigenous Religion of the Khazars, King Bulan's Conversion to Judaism, The Schechter Letter, The Khazar Correspondence, Saint Cyril's Mission to the Khazars, The Kievan Letter, The Date and Depth of the Khazar Conversion to Judaism, Archaeological Evidence, Conclusions
    Chapter 7 -- RELATIONS BETWEEN THE KHAZARS AND OTHER PEOPLES:
    The Arab-Khazar Wars and Relations with Leaders of the South Caucasus, Relations with the Byzantine Empire, Relations with the Alans, Relations with Other Turkic Tribes, Relations with the Hungarians, Relations with the Rus'
    Chapter 8 -- THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE KHAZAR EMPIRE:
    The Beginning of the End, The Rus'ian Conquest of the Khazars, The Passing of the Khazar Empire, Reasons for Khazaria's Destruction
    Chapter 9 -- THE DIASPORA OF THE KHAZARS:
    Khazars in Hungary, Khazars in Transylvania (Romania), Khazars in Moldova, Khazars in Lithuania and Belarus, Khazars in Poland, Khazars in Kievan Rus' (Ukraine), Khazars in the Byzantine Empire, Khazars in Spain, Khazars in Azerbaijan, Khazars in the North Caucasus, Khazars in Russia, Khazars in Kazakhstan, Khazars in Other Parts of the World
    Chapter 10 -- EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPEAN JEWS AFTER THE TENTH CENTURY:
    The East Slavic-Speaking Jews of Eastern Europe: Remnants of the Khazars?, The Migration of Czech Jews into Eastern Europe, The Migration of German Jews into Eastern Europe, How Yiddish Became the Mother Tongue of Eastern European Jews, Are There Khazarian Words in Yiddish?, The Migration of Sephardic Jews into Eastern Europe, The Migration of Mizrakhi ("Eastern") Jews and Romaniote ("Greek") Jews into Eastern Europe, Jews in Medieval Ukraine, Other Early Traces of Jews in Poland, Jews in Lithuania and Belarus, Jews in Hungary: A Special Case?, Jews in Historic Romania, What Genetic Data Demonstrates about Ashkenazic Origins, Do Ashkenazic Jews Descend from Khazars?, Do Krymchaks Descend from Khazars?, Do Crimean and Lithuanian Karaites Descend from Khazars?, Do Mountain Jews of the Caucasus Descend from Khazars?, Do Georgian Jews Descend from Khazars?, Conclusions
    Appendix A: Timeline of Khazar History
    Appendix B: Glossary
    Appendix C: Native Khazarian Personal Names
    Appendix D: Other Instances of Conversion to Judaism in History
    Bibliography
    Index
    About the Author

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