Khazar Jews

The Khazar Empire, a remarkable and often forgotten political entity, was established by a Turkish nomadic tribe who converted to Judaism in the 8th century, specifically the 700s.

This singular state stands as the only example of a Jewish political nation state known to history, aside from the contemporary state of Israel. Their embrace of Judaism was a strategic decision, enabling them to navigate and appease both the formidable, rising Muslim Empire and the powerful Byzantine Empire.

Rise to Prominence and Influence Khazaria was a real Empire, and its history is utterly fascinating due to how this Turkish nomadic tribe asserted dominance over a crucial global region. This territory was of paramount strategic importance, serving as the nexus of the Silk Road, where the Don and Volga Rivers converged with the Black and Caspian Seas. By the 7th century, around the year 600, this central steppe region was under the control of various peoples, including a confederation of ten Turkic tribes known as the Gok Turks.

The Khazarian Empire attained considerable wealth and power. This prominence is vividly illustrated by the King of Persia, who allotted a ceremonial seat to the Kagan of the Khazars, placing him on par with the Emperor of Byzantium and the Emperor of China. Furthermore, Byzantine chroniclers noted the use of Khazarian gold stamps that carried more significance than those employed by Frankish or Persian kings.

For a period, Khazaria functioned as a buffer state, acting as a proxy for the Byzantine Empire against the Sassanian Empire, and later as a barrier against the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates and the nomadic tribes of the northern steppes. This alliance with Byzantium, however, shifted around 900, as Byzantium began to incite other groups to attack Khazaria.

Government and Society The Khazarian political structure was unique, featuring a dual kingship. The Great Kaganheld the venerated position, acting as a mediator between the human and divine realms, though he made public appearances only once every four months. His deputy, the Kagan Beck, was the active ruler, responsible for commanding the armies, managing state affairs, appearing in public, and leading in warfare. Neighbouring kings were obliged to obey the Kagan Beck’s directives, and he maintained daily presence in the Great Kagan’s court.

Following King Bulan's conversion to Judaism in the 8th century, a notable shift occurred in the names of subsequent Khazar rulers, with all of them adopting Jewish names such as David, Joseph, Aaron, Benjamin, Manessa, Zachariah, and Obadiah. The only exception was Giorgios in the 11th century, who bore a Greek name. Observations by an Arab chronicler, Ibn Fadlan, revealed distinctive social practices. Adultery, for instance, was considered alien to Khazar society. Should an individual be found guilty of adultery or Homosexuality, they would face a gruesome execution: tied to two bent tree branches, which were then released, tearing the person into two halves.

Decline and Fall The fate of Khazaria took a decisive turn with the conversion of Vladimir the Great to Orthodoxy, marking a point where the "game was over" for the Khazars. This event cemented an alliance between Byzantium and the Slavic Rus, which included the marriage of Byzantine princesses to Slavic princes and kings. As a consequence, the Russian people became Christian, and the Byzantine Empire saw a significant expansion of its influence.

This decline was further precipitated by the actions of Sviatoslav, the Grand Prince of Kiev, who famously sacked Atil, a major Khazarian city. While the precise extent of Sviatoslav's campaign remains a subject of historical debate, the Khazar Kingdom persisted in some form until 1224. The ultimate eradication of the Khazarian Empire from the central steppes is largely attributed to the campaigns of Genghis Khan and the Mongols, who totally wiped any remnant of the empire from the historical landscape.

The Legacy and the Khazar Jewish Question The ultimate fate of the Khazar Jews after the collapse of their empire remains a subject of intense and often controversial debate. One prominent, albeit speculative, theory, put forth by Hungarian Jew Arthur Koestler in his book "The 13th Tribe," posits that Eastern European Jews, commonly known as Ashkenazi Jews, are not primarily descendants of Sephardic Jews who migrated from the Iberian Peninsula. Instead, Koestler suggests that these Ashkenazi Jews are direct descendants of Khazarian Jews who fled westward into Eastern Europe following the empire's destruction by the Mongols. This theory suggests their migration to regions such as Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary, potentially seeking refuge in the lands of the Magyars, whom the Khazars had previously dominated.

However, this theory is met with significant opposition. Officially, institutions such as the state of Israel, Wikipedia, and various scholarly authorities dismiss Koestler's argument as pure conjecture and a speculative theory lacking factual basis. The official understanding maintains that Ashkenazi Jews are of Germanic descent. The discourse surrounding genetic evidence related to this theory is equally contentious, with differing opinions prevalent among geneticists. Thus, the historical narrative of the Khazar Jews concludes with the enigmatic question of their ultimate lineage and dispersal, a debate that continues to shape discussions on Jewish identity and history.