In September 2003, in Warsaw was assembled big Karaite Community, hosted by Polish Karaites. The presentations and receptions, excursions and discussions helped Karaites to understand each others. The Institute presentation was accompanied by strong critique to the address of organizers. Many remarks were correct and office of Institute will improve its mode of organization. Here is the program of the Conference and some pictures from the presentation of Valentine Kefeli, dedicated to Karaites in America. This is the only first information about Warsaw meeting. We hope that the other participants will continue comments about this meeting.
You may see the seminar's program, the cover of the book "Materialy z seminarium".
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| Joe Pessah, Haham of American Karaites with his wife Remi |
A few Karaites reached the United States since 1914. The first one is said to have been Dr Baroukh Yusuf Masuda from Egypt. After the Civil War many Karaites from Russia and the Crimea emigrated to the USA. By 1926 Karaite services were held in New York, led by a Turkish Hazzan, M. Igiz. After 1939, when Russia occupied eastern Poland and Lithuania, a further wave of Karaites came, first to Paris, and then to the United States. The first Karaites from Egypt, after the wars of 1948 and 1956 started to arrive in 1958. At first they settled along the Atlantic sea board, in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore and Boston, and also in Chicago. Most of those who arrived from 1969 on ward, settled in the San Francisco area. They numbered there by 1987, 150 households, according to J. Hirshberg. He further mentions 35 households in New York, 33 in Maryland, 33 in Massachusetts in Illinois, 17 in Rhode Island, 7 in New Jersey, 6 in Arizona,5 in Pennsylvania and a few additional ones in 13 further states, altogether 328 families. M. El-Kodsi mentions in the same year 400 (souls) in California, 150 in New York, 150in Boston and its suburbs, 200 in Chicago and 200 elsewhere. Most of the Karaites are self-employed, as businessmen and physicians, or work as engineers, teachers or nurses. Only in San Francisco exists a property organized Karaite congregation. In most other places they affiliated themselves with Rabbanite congregations, though sometimes they still kept Passover the Karaite way. M. El-Kodsi has claimed that about 80% of the Karaites who have settled in the USA have assimilated into the Jewish mainstream. The generation born in America often has no idea what Karaism is all about.
