A rebuttal of this article from the comments section. J Bel • 6 months ago − The theory that modern Eastern European Jews, the Ashkenazim, are largely descended from the Khazar people is refuted by three main arguments; one genetic, one linguistic, one cultural. Several recentstudies of the human genome has shown the Eastern European Jews are descended from Middle-eastern ancestors and they are closely related to the Arab peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Jews of Yemen. Linguistically, the traditional secular language of Eastern European Jews is Yiddish which is a language derived from medieval German, Slavic (in its many early forms),Aramaic and Hebrew. The linguistic connection to the language family of the Khazars is extremely limited and less than the connection to other Eastern European languages. Culturally, Eastern European Jews are nearly devoid of Khazar cultural artifacts not only in language, but in costume, food, art, and cultural practices. There are historically valid explanations for the presence of the Jews in Eastern Europe. For example, the depredations of the Crusaders as they marched to attack Jerusalem drove many Jews to the east. Likewise, the encouragement by the early Polish Kings for Jews to enter their kingdom after 1100AD is well documented. See especially the reigns of King Boleslaus III (1102–1139) and of King Casimir III (also called Casimir the Great) (1303–1370) as an introduction to this aspect of Eastern European history. That Khazar Kingdom existed is an established fact. That a portion of the ruling class of that Kingdom converted to Judaism is very likely true. That there were Jews in the geographic area of Khazria is true. There were Jewish communities in Crimea that predate Khazaria. That is as far as the known facts can take one. The proof for mass conversion of the Khazar people to Judaism, their subsequent mass migration into the Polish Empire, and then into the area of the Russian Empire after the Polish partitions of the 18th century, lacks anything approaching conclusive evidence. In fact there is no evidence. Were some Jews of Khazar origins present in the mix of the Jews of Eastern Europe? Very possibly but no more than it is likely that some Eastern European Jews have some Slavic or Hungarian ancestors or an ancestor from any number of other ethnic groups including the Mongols. This would be true for Jews as it is for any other ethnic group. Consider for a moment the history of European and Central Asian migration and warfare in the last 5,000 years. Can anyone claim to be of “pure blood” and why would that matter in any case? The history of Khazaria is certainly going to attract the interest of some people as it is little known as is the history of this geographic area in general. The Scythian, Magyar, Saltovo, Bulgar, and Pecheneg peoples also inhabited this area and their histories in this area are also relatively unknown. The late antiquity and early medieval periods are generally unknown to most people when considering the geographic areas typically studied in high school rarely extend beyond Britain and France. Even for most of us who are insatiably curious about history, knowledge of the history of the Caspian basin in this historical epoch is rare. Finally, the conversion of some Khazars to Judaism is an interesting and unusual historical event but its relevance to ongoing political controversies is nil. Unfortunately, this relatively unknown historical event has been and continues to be used by anti-Semites and anti-Israel groups and individuals to further their arguments. It is now little more than a historic relic used by anti-Semites who claim that the presence of Khazar genes in modern Jews invalidates the Jewish claim to Israel as their historic homeland. The real issues in Arab-Israeli conflict are the events since the Balfour Declaration and more specifically the current situation. Trying to inject medieval history or the abstractions of modern genetics will not bring about peace and security for either side.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 15:56:34 +0000
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