The Karaites in Crimea

Abstract Karaism can be defined as a religious or ethno-religious variant of Judaism and is characterized by the rejection of the authoritative interpretations of the Talmud (the Oral Law) and by the observance of the prescriptions of the Torah (the Written Law). The first mention of Karaites in Crimea dates from the end of the thirteenth century. This chapter describes their history, which can be divided into two main periods: before Crimea ceased to be part of the Ottoman Empire in 1774, and after it became part of the Russian Empire. In 1794–1795, a delegation of Crimean Karaites went to St. Petersburg to ask for different treatment than that imposed on the Jews of the empire. In 1863, the Karaites were granted full equality with the rest of the Russian population. Karaite identity found its full form at that time, and definitively adopted a different guise from Rabbanite Judaism.