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====Rabbi Yosef Maimon==== ====Rabbi Yosef Maimon====
], 1902]]
In 1793, a missionary kabbalist named Rabbi ], who was a ] Jew originally from ], ], travelled to ] to collect/solicit money from Jewish patrons. Prior to Maimon's arrival, the native Jews of Bukhara followed the Persian religious tradition. Maimon staunchly demanded that the native Jews of Bukhara adopt ] traditions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bukharan Jews of Central Asia|url=https://www.geni.com/projects/Bukharan-Jews-of-Central-Asia/15684|website=Geni|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=SHNIDMAN|first=RONEN|date=October 19, 2011|title=Jews far and wide|url=https://www.geni.com/projects/Bukharan-Jews-of-Central-Asia/15684|website=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> Many of the native Jews were opposed to this and the community split into two factions. The followers of the Maimon clan eventually won the struggle for religious authority over the native Bukharans, and Bukharan Jewry forcefully switched to Sephardi customs. The supporters of the Maimon clan, in the conflict, credit Maimon with causing a revival of Jewish practice among Bukharan Jews which they claim was in danger of dying out. However, there is evidence that there were Torah scholars present upon his arrival to Bukhara, but because they followed the Persian rite their practices were aggressively rejected as incorrect by Maimon.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Alanna |title=Bukharian Jews |date=2012 |publisher=Indiana University Press |page=60}}</ref> Maimon is an ancestor of ], author ], and the former ] ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Rabbinic Succession in Bukhara 1790-1930 |first=Giora |last=Fuzailoff |work=JewishGen |url=https://www.jewishgen.org/Rabbinic/journal/bukhara.htm }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=A History and Culture of the Bukharian Jews |first1=D. |last1=Ochildiev |first2=R. |last2=Pinkhasov |first3=I. |last3=Kalontarov |page=41 |publisher=Roshnoyi-Light |location=New York |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-893552-09-8 }}</ref> In 1793, a missionary kabbalist named Rabbi ], who was a ] Jew originally from ], ], travelled to ] to collect/solicit money from Jewish patrons. Prior to Maimon's arrival, the native Jews of Bukhara followed the Persian religious tradition. Maimon staunchly demanded that the native Jews of Bukhara adopt ] traditions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bukharan Jews of Central Asia|url=https://www.geni.com/projects/Bukharan-Jews-of-Central-Asia/15684|website=Geni|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=SHNIDMAN|first=RONEN|date=October 19, 2011|title=Jews far and wide|url=https://www.geni.com/projects/Bukharan-Jews-of-Central-Asia/15684|website=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> Many of the native Jews were opposed to this and the community split into two factions. The followers of the Maimon clan eventually won the struggle for religious authority over the native Bukharans, and Bukharan Jewry forcefully switched to Sephardi customs. The supporters of the Maimon clan, in the conflict, credit Maimon with causing a revival of Jewish practice among Bukharan Jews which they claim was in danger of dying out. However, there is evidence that there were Torah scholars present upon his arrival to Bukhara, but because they followed the Persian rite their practices were aggressively rejected as incorrect by Maimon.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Alanna |title=Bukharian Jews |date=2012 |publisher=Indiana University Press |page=60}}</ref> Maimon is an ancestor of ], author ], and the former ] ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Rabbinic Succession in Bukhara 1790-1930 |first=Giora |last=Fuzailoff |work=JewishGen |url=https://www.jewishgen.org/Rabbinic/journal/bukhara.htm }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=A History and Culture of the Bukharian Jews |first1=D. |last1=Ochildiev |first2=R. |last2=Pinkhasov |first3=I. |last3=Kalontarov |page=41 |publisher=Roshnoyi-Light |location=New York |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-893552-09-8 }}</ref>


===Hibbat Zion and immigrating into Ottoman Palestine ===
===19th century===
In 1843 the Bukharan Jews were visited by the so-called "Eccentric Missionary", ], who had set himself the broad task of finding the ] and the narrow one of seeking ] who had been captured by the Emir, ]. Wolff wrote prolifically of his travels, and the journals of his expeditions provide valuable information about the life and customs of the peoples he travelled amongst, including the Bukharan Jews. In 1843, for example, they collected 10,000 silver tan'ga and purchased land in ], known as Makhallai Yakhudion, close to Registon.
] ]


In the middle of the 19th century, Bukharan Jews began to move into the region of ]. The land on which they settled in ] was named the ] (Sh'hunat HaBucharim) and still exists today.<ref name=Wager>{{cite book |last= Wager |first= Eliyahu |title= Bukharan Quarter |pages= 207–201 |work= Illustrated guide to Jerusalem |year= 1988 |publisher= The Jerusalem Publishing House }}</ref><ref name=Eylon>{{cite web |last= Eylon |first= Lili |title= Focus on Israel: Jerusalem: Architecture in the late Ottoman Period: The Bukharan Quarter |year=2011 |publisher=] |url= https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/mfa-archive/1999/pages/focus%20on%20israel-%20jerusalem%20-%20architecture%20in%20the%20l.aspx |access-date= 10 May 2021}}</ref> In 1890, seven members of the Bukharan Jewish community formed the ] Association of the Jewish communities of Bukhara, ] and ].<ref name=Wager/><ref name=Eylon/> In 1891, the association bought land<ref name=Wager/> and drew up a charter stating that the new quarter would be built in the style of Europe's major cities.<ref name=Eylon/> Architect ] was employed to design the neighborhood.<ref name=Wager/> The streets were three times wider than even major thoroughfares in Jerusalem at the time, and spacious mansions were built with large courtyards.<ref name=Wager/> The homes were designed with ] windows, European tiled roofs, ] arches and Italian marble.<ref name=Eylon/> Facades were decorated with Jewish motifs such as the ] and Hebrew inscriptions.<ref name=Eylon/> In the middle of the 19th century, Bukharan Jews began to move into the region of ]. The land on which they settled in ] was named the ] (Sh'hunat HaBucharim) and still exists today.<ref name=Wager>{{cite book |last= Wager |first= Eliyahu |title= Bukharan Quarter |pages= 207–201 |work= Illustrated guide to Jerusalem |year= 1988 |publisher= The Jerusalem Publishing House }}</ref><ref name=Eylon>{{cite web |last= Eylon |first= Lili |title= Focus on Israel: Jerusalem: Architecture in the late Ottoman Period: The Bukharan Quarter |year=2011 |publisher=] |url= https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/mfa-archive/1999/pages/focus%20on%20israel-%20jerusalem%20-%20architecture%20in%20the%20l.aspx |access-date= 10 May 2021}}</ref> In 1890, seven members of the Bukharan Jewish community formed the ] Association of the Jewish communities of Bukhara, ] and ].<ref name=Wager/><ref name=Eylon/> In 1891, the association bought land<ref name=Wager/> and drew up a charter stating that the new quarter would be built in the style of Europe's major cities.<ref name=Eylon/> Architect ] was employed to design the neighborhood.<ref name=Wager/> The streets were three times wider than even major thoroughfares in Jerusalem at the time, and spacious mansions were built with large courtyards.<ref name=Wager/> The homes were designed with ] windows, European tiled roofs, ] arches and Italian marble.<ref name=Eylon/> Facades were decorated with Jewish motifs such as the ] and Hebrew inscriptions.<ref name=Eylon/>


===Under Tsarist Russia rule===
In 1865, Russian troops took over ], and there was a large influx of Jews to the newly created ] Region. From 1876 to 1916, Jews were free to practice ]. Dozens of Bukharan Jews held prestigious jobs in medicine, law, and government, and many Jews prospered. Many Bukharan Jews became successful and well-respected actors, artists, dancers, musicians, singers, film producers, and sportsmen. Several Bukharan entertainers became artists of merit and gained the title "People's Artist of Uzbekistan", "People's Artist of Tajikistan", and even (in the Soviet era) "]". Jews succeeded in the world of sport also, with several Bukharan Jews in Uzbekistan becoming renowned boxers and winning many medals for the country.<ref>Pinkhasov, Peter. , Bukharian Jewish Global Portal website, p. 2. Retrieved December 13, 2009.</ref> Still, Bukharan Jews were forbidden to ride in the streets and had to wear distinctive costumes. They were relegated to a ghetto, and often fell victim to persecution from the Muslim majority.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wdl.org/en/item/14407/view/1/48/|title=Afghanistan — Viewer — World Digital Library|website=www.wdl.org|access-date=19 November 2017}}</ref> In 1865, Russian colonial troops took over ], and there was a large influx of Jews to the newly created ] Region. Unlike the Jews of Eastern Europe, Tsarist Russia was largely favorable towards the Bukharan Jews living there, due to years of close trade relations between Russian and Jewish merchants. From 1876 to 1916, Jews were free to practice ] and weren't restricted in their autonomy. Dozens of Bukharan Jews held prestigious jobs in medicine, law, and government, and many Jews prospered. Many Bukharan Jews became successful and well-respected actors, artists, dancers, musicians, singers, film producers, and sportsmen. Several Bukharan entertainers became artists of merit and gained the title "People's Artist of Uzbekistan", "People's Artist of Tajikistan", and even (in the Soviet era) "]". Jews succeeded in the world of sport also, with several Bukharan Jews in Uzbekistan becoming renowned boxers and winning many medals for the country.<ref>Pinkhasov, Peter. , Bukharian Jewish Global Portal website, p. 2. Retrieved December 13, 2009.</ref> Still, Bukharan Jews were forbidden to ride in the streets and had to wear distinctive costumes. They were relegated to a ghetto, and often fell victim to persecution from the Muslim majority.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wdl.org/en/item/14407/view/1/48/|title=Afghanistan — Viewer — World Digital Library|website=www.wdl.org|access-date=19 November 2017}}</ref>


===Soviet era=== ===Under Soviet Union rule===
], 1902]]
Following the ], synagogues were destroyed or closed down, and were replaced by Soviet institutions.<ref name="Journal">{{cite journal |last1=Loy |first1=Thomas |title=Cross-border biographies: representations of the "Bukharan" Jewish self in changing cultural and political settings |journal=Journal of Modern Jewish Studies |date=2022 |volume=22 |issue=3 |page=4|doi=10.1080/14725886.2022.2090240|s2cid=250232378 }}</ref> Consequently many Bukharan Jews fled to ]. The route they undertook went through ], as the neighbouring country had many possibilities to the west. Consequently, Central Asian Jews in ] had an Afghan nationality while a minority of them were born in Afghanistan. For instance many Jewish families with the Afghan nationality were born in ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baldauf |first1=Ingeborg |last2=Gammer |first2=M. |last3=Loy |first3=Thomas |title=Bukharan Jews in the 20th Century: History, Experience and Narration |year=2008 |publisher=Reichert |isbn=978-3-89500-638-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uGkMAQAAMAAJ&q=Kokand+Afghanistan |language=en |quote=Most Central Asian Jews in Paris were of Afghan nationality, yet very few were actually born in Afghanistan. For example, the Davidoff family of Natan (born in Kokand in 1884), the Meyer family (born in Kokand in 1904) and the Penina ...}}</ref> Soviet doctrines, ideology and nationalities policy had a large impact on the everyday life, culture and identity of the Bukharan Jews.<ref name="Journal"/> The remaining community attempted to preserve their traditions while displaying loyalty to the new government. By the late 19th century, much of the Bukharan Jewish population began to favor a ] takeover, with the perception that the Soviets would continue to be tolerant of the Jews. This new political view led to more animosity from Muslims, with several riots breaking out against Jews from 1918 to 1920. Following the ], synagogues were destroyed or closed down, and were replaced by Soviet institutions.<ref name="Journal">{{cite journal |last1=Loy |first1=Thomas |title=Cross-border biographies: representations of the "Bukharan" Jewish self in changing cultural and political settings |journal=Journal of Modern Jewish Studies |date=2022 |volume=22 |issue=3 |page=4|doi=10.1080/14725886.2022.2090240|s2cid=250232378 }}</ref> Consequently many Bukharan Jews fled to ]. The route they undertook went through ], as the neighbouring country had many possibilities to the west. Consequently, Central Asian Jews in ] had an Afghan nationality while a minority of them were born in Afghanistan. For instance many Jewish families with the Afghan nationality were born in ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baldauf |first1=Ingeborg |last2=Gammer |first2=M. |last3=Loy |first3=Thomas |title=Bukharan Jews in the 20th Century: History, Experience and Narration |year=2008 |publisher=Reichert |isbn=978-3-89500-638-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uGkMAQAAMAAJ&q=Kokand+Afghanistan |language=en |quote=Most Central Asian Jews in Paris were of Afghan nationality, yet very few were actually born in Afghanistan. For example, the Davidoff family of Natan (born in Kokand in 1884), the Meyer family (born in Kokand in 1904) and the Penina ...}}</ref> Soviet doctrines, ideology and nationalities policy had a large impact on the everyday life, culture and identity of the Bukharan Jews.<ref name="Journal"/> The remaining community attempted to preserve their traditions while displaying loyalty to the new government.


Stalin's decision to end Lenin's ] and initiate the ] in the late 1920s resulted in a drastic deterioration of living conditions for the Bukharan Jews. By the time Soviet authorities established their hold over the borders in Central Asia in the mid 1930s, many tens of thousands of households from Central Asia had crossed the border into Iran and Afghanistan, amongst them some 4,000 Bukharan Jews (comprising about one tenth of the total number of Bukharan Jews in Central Asia), who were heading towards the region of Palestine.<ref name="Cross-border biographies: represent">{{cite journal |last1=Loy |first1=Thomas |title=Cross-border biographies: representations of the "Bukharan" Jewish self in changing cultural and political settings |journal=Journal of Modern Jewish Studies |date=2022 |volume=22 |issue=3 |page=5|doi=10.1080/14725886.2022.2090240|s2cid=250232378 }}</ref> Stalin's decision to end Lenin's ] and initiate the ] in the late 1920s resulted in a drastic deterioration of living conditions for the Bukharan Jews. By the time Soviet authorities established their hold over the borders in Central Asia in the mid 1930s, many tens of thousands of households from Central Asia had crossed the border into Iran and Afghanistan, amongst them some 4,000 Bukharan Jews (comprising about one tenth of the total number of Bukharan Jews in Central Asia), who were heading towards the region of Palestine.<ref name="Cross-border biographies: represent">{{cite journal |last1=Loy |first1=Thomas |title=Cross-border biographies: representations of the "Bukharan" Jewish self in changing cultural and political settings |journal=Journal of Modern Jewish Studies |date=2022 |volume=22 |issue=3 |page=5|doi=10.1080/14725886.2022.2090240|s2cid=250232378 }}</ref>
Line 86: Line 86:
] ]


After the creation of the state of ] in 1948, antisemitism intensified amongst the Muslim majority.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/bukharan-jews | title=Bukharan Jews }}</ref> By the ] of 1967, the relationship between Jews and Muslims had reached a breaking point, with the war leading to a rise in ] as Bukharan Jews and others carried out demonstrations as ].<ref name="KB">{{cite book |last1=Blady |first1=Ken |title=Jewish Communities in Exotic Places |date=2000 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=185}}</ref> After the creation of the state of ] in 1948, antisemitism intensified amongst the Muslim majority.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/bukharan-jews | title=Bukharan Jews }}</ref> By the ] of 1967, the relationship between Jews and Muslims had reached another breaking point, with the war leading to a rise in ] as Bukharan Jews and others carried out demonstrations as ].<ref name="KB">{{cite book |last1=Blady |first1=Ken |title=Jewish Communities in Exotic Places |date=2000 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=185}}</ref>


Bukharan Jews who had put efforts into creating a Bukharan Jewish Soviet culture and national identity were charged during Stalin's ], or, as part of the Soviet Union's nationalities policies and nation building campaigns, were forced to assimilate into the larger Soviet Uzbek or Soviet Tajik national identities.<ref name="Cross-border biographies: represent"/> Bukharan Jews who had put efforts into creating a Bukharan Jewish Soviet culture and national identity were charged during Stalin's ], or, as part of the Soviet Union's nationalities policies and nation building campaigns, were forced to assimilate into the larger Soviet Uzbek or Soviet Tajik national identities.<ref name="Cross-border biographies: represent"/>

Revision as of 07:02, 7 May 2024

Jewish subgroup of Central Asia Ethnic group
Bukharan Jews
יְהוּדֵי־בּוּכָרָה‎
Bukharan students with their teacher in Samarkand, c. 1910
Total population
320,000
Regions with significant populations
 Israel160,000
 United States
120,000
80,000
 United Kingdom15,000
 Austria3,000–3,500
 Germany2,000
 Uzbekistan
1,500
150
 Canada1,500
 Russia1,000
Languages
Traditionally Bukharian (Judeo-Tajik), Russian, Hebrew (Israel), English (United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia) and German (Austria and Germany), Uzbek (Uzbekistan)
Religion
Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Iranian Jews, Afghan Jews, Mashhadi Jews, Caucasus Jews, Georgian Jews, Mizrahi Jews, Soviet Jews and Kaifeng Jews
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Bukharan Jews (Bukharian: יהודיאני בוכארא/яҳудиёни Бухоро, Yahudiyoni Bukhoro; Template:Lang-he, Yehudey Bukhara), in modern times called Bukharian Jews (Bukharian: יהודי בוכרה/яҳудиёни бухорӣ, Yahudiyoni Bukhorī; Template:Lang-he, Yehudim Bukharim), are an ethnoreligious Jewish sub-group of Central Asia that historically spoke Bukharian, a Judeo-Tajik dialect of the Tajik language, in turn a variety of the Persian language. Their name comes from the former Central Asian Emirate of Bukhara (now primarily Uzbekistan), which once had a sizable Jewish population. Bukharan Jews comprise Persian-speaking Jewry along with the Jews of Iran, Afghanistan, and the Caucasus Mountains. Bukharan Jews are Mizrahi Jews, like Persian, Afghan and Mountain Jews.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the great majority have immigrated to Israel or the United States while others have immigrated to Europe or Australia.

Name and language

The Bukharan Jews originally called themselves Bnei Israel, which relates specifically to the Israelites of Assyrian captivity. The term Bukharan was coined by European travellers who visited Central Asia around the 16th century. Since most of the Jewish community at the time lived under the Emirate of Bukhara, they came to be known as Bukharan Jews. The name by which the community called itself is "Bnei Isro'il".

Bukharan Jews used Bukharian or Bukhori, a Jewish dialect of the Tajik language (in turn a variety of Persian) with linguistic elements of Hebrew, to communicate among themselves. This language was used for all cultural and educational life among the Jews. It was used widely until Central Asia was "Russified" by the Soviet Union and the dissemination of "religious" information was halted. The elderly Bukharian generation used Bukhori as their primary language but largely speak Russian (sometimes with a slight Bukharian accent). The younger generation use Russian as their primary language, but often do understand or speak Bukharian.

The first primary written account of Jews in Central Asia dates to the beginning of the 4th century CE. It is recalled in the Talmud by Rabbi Shmuel bar Bisna, a member of the Talmudic academy in Pumbeditha, who traveled to Margiana (present-day Merv in Turkmenistan). The presence of Jewish communities in Merv is also proven by Jewish writings on ossuaries from the 5th and 6th centuries, uncovered between 1954 and 1956.

History

Further information: History of the Jews in Central Asia, History of the Jews under Muslim rule, and Soviet Jews

Some Bukharan Jews relate their own ancestry to exiles from the tribes of Naphtali and Issachar during the Assyrian captivity, basing this assumption on a reading of "Habor" at II Kings 17:6 as a reference to Bukhara. Nevertheless, more widespread Bukharan Jewish tradition associates their establishment in the country with the emigration of Persian Jews, fleeing the persecutions of King Peroz I (458–485 CE). In the opinion of some scholars, Jews settled in Central Asia in the sixth century, but it is certain that during the eighth to ninth centuries they lived in Central Asian cities such as Balkh, Khwarezm, and Merv. At that time, and until approximately the sixteenth century, Bukharan Jews formed a group continuous with Jews of Iran and Afghanistan.

The Bukharan Jews are considered one of the oldest ethno-religious groups of Central Asia and over the years they have developed their own distinct culture. Throughout the years, Jews from other Eastern countries such as Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, and Morocco migrated into Central Asia (by way of the Silk Road).

16th to 18th centuries

Interior of the Great Synagogue in Bukhara, sketch based on a photograph by Elkan Nathan Adler
Bukharan Jews (before 1899)

At the beginning of the 16th century, Central Asia was controlled by Sunni Uzbeks. The town of Bukhara became a center of Jewish life in Central Asia in the 16th century, having also absorbed many Jews between the Persians and the local Sunni rulers. Bukharan Jews lived under the status of Dhimmi, and experienced persecution from the Muslim majority. They were forced to wear a yellow patch along with a special hat called a Tilpak to identify them as Jews and used rope for their belts, while the leather belts were reserved for Muslims. Jewish homes had to have a dirty cloth nailed to their front doors to identify them as Jewish, and their stores and homes had to be lower than Muslim ones. In court cases, any evidence from a Jew was inadmissible involving a Muslim. They were also forbidden to ride horses and had to transport themselves by foot. Lastly, when paying their annual Jizya tax, the Jewish men would be ritually slapped in the face by Muslim authorities. Despite these prohibitions and humiliations, the Jews were able to achieve financial success primarily as merchants and established lucrative trade businesses.

Towards the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century, the Jewish quarter, Mahalla, was established in the town of Bukhara. The Jews were forbidden to reside outside its boundaries.

During the 18th century, Bukharan Jews continued to face considerable discrimination and persecution. Jewish centers were closed down, and the Muslims of the region forced conversion on many Jews. On top of this, isolation from the rest of the Jewish world reached a point where the Jews of Bukhara began to lack knowledge and practice of their Jewish religion.

By the middle of the 18th century, practically all Bukharan Jews lived in the Bukharan Emirate. In the early 1860s, Arminius Vambery, a Hungarian-Jewish traveler visited the emirate disguised as a Sunni dervish, writing in his journals that the Jews of Bukhara "live in utmost oppression, being despised by everyone."

Rabbi Yosef Maimon

In 1793, a missionary kabbalist named Rabbi Yosef Maimon, who was a Sephardic Jew originally from Tetuan, Morocco, travelled to Bukhara to collect/solicit money from Jewish patrons. Prior to Maimon's arrival, the native Jews of Bukhara followed the Persian religious tradition. Maimon staunchly demanded that the native Jews of Bukhara adopt Sephardic traditions. Many of the native Jews were opposed to this and the community split into two factions. The followers of the Maimon clan eventually won the struggle for religious authority over the native Bukharans, and Bukharan Jewry forcefully switched to Sephardi customs. The supporters of the Maimon clan, in the conflict, credit Maimon with causing a revival of Jewish practice among Bukharan Jews which they claim was in danger of dying out. However, there is evidence that there were Torah scholars present upon his arrival to Bukhara, but because they followed the Persian rite their practices were aggressively rejected as incorrect by Maimon. Maimon is an ancestor of Shlomo Moussaieff, author Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, and the former First Lady of Iceland Dorrit Moussaieff.

Hibbat Zion and immigrating into Ottoman Palestine

Bukharan women in the Bukharan Quarter of Jerusalem, early 1900s

In the middle of the 19th century, Bukharan Jews began to move into the region of Ottoman Palestine. The land on which they settled in Jerusalem was named the Bukharan quarter (Sh'hunat HaBucharim) and still exists today. In 1890, seven members of the Bukharan Jewish community formed the Hovevei Zion Association of the Jewish communities of Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent. In 1891, the association bought land and drew up a charter stating that the new quarter would be built in the style of Europe's major cities. Architect Conrad Schick was employed to design the neighborhood. The streets were three times wider than even major thoroughfares in Jerusalem at the time, and spacious mansions were built with large courtyards. The homes were designed with neo-Gothic windows, European tiled roofs, neo-Moorish arches and Italian marble. Facades were decorated with Jewish motifs such as the Star of David and Hebrew inscriptions.

Under Tsarist Russia rule

In 1865, Russian colonial troops took over Tashkent, and there was a large influx of Jews to the newly created Turkestan Region. Unlike the Jews of Eastern Europe, Tsarist Russia was largely favorable towards the Bukharan Jews living there, due to years of close trade relations between Russian and Jewish merchants. From 1876 to 1916, Jews were free to practice Judaism and weren't restricted in their autonomy. Dozens of Bukharan Jews held prestigious jobs in medicine, law, and government, and many Jews prospered. Many Bukharan Jews became successful and well-respected actors, artists, dancers, musicians, singers, film producers, and sportsmen. Several Bukharan entertainers became artists of merit and gained the title "People's Artist of Uzbekistan", "People's Artist of Tajikistan", and even (in the Soviet era) "People's Artist of the Soviet Union". Jews succeeded in the world of sport also, with several Bukharan Jews in Uzbekistan becoming renowned boxers and winning many medals for the country. Still, Bukharan Jews were forbidden to ride in the streets and had to wear distinctive costumes. They were relegated to a ghetto, and often fell victim to persecution from the Muslim majority.

Under Soviet Union rule

Family of David Kalontarov, head of Samarkand’s Bukharan quarter, in front of their Sukkah, 1902

By the late 19th century, much of the Bukharan Jewish population began to favor a Bolshevik takeover, with the perception that the Soviets would continue to be tolerant of the Jews. This new political view led to more animosity from Muslims, with several riots breaking out against Jews from 1918 to 1920. Following the Soviet capture of Bukhara, synagogues were destroyed or closed down, and were replaced by Soviet institutions. Consequently many Bukharan Jews fled to the West. The route they undertook went through Afghanistan, as the neighbouring country had many possibilities to the west. Consequently, Central Asian Jews in Paris had an Afghan nationality while a minority of them were born in Afghanistan. For instance many Jewish families with the Afghan nationality were born in Kokand. Soviet doctrines, ideology and nationalities policy had a large impact on the everyday life, culture and identity of the Bukharan Jews. The remaining community attempted to preserve their traditions while displaying loyalty to the new government.

Stalin's decision to end Lenin's New Economic Policy and initiate the First five-year plan in the late 1920s resulted in a drastic deterioration of living conditions for the Bukharan Jews. By the time Soviet authorities established their hold over the borders in Central Asia in the mid 1930s, many tens of thousands of households from Central Asia had crossed the border into Iran and Afghanistan, amongst them some 4,000 Bukharan Jews (comprising about one tenth of the total number of Bukharan Jews in Central Asia), who were heading towards the region of Palestine.

World War II and the Holocaust brought a lot of Ashkenazi Jewish refugees from the European regions of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe through Uzbekistan, though Ashkenazi Jews and Bukharan Jews interacted very little, and intermarriage between the two was practically non-existent.

In 1948 began the "Black Years of Soviet Jewry," where suppression of the Jewish religion resumed after briefly stopping due to war. In 1950 thirteen religious Bukharan Jews in Samarkand were arrested and sentenced to 25 years. Similar arrests happened to prominent Bukharan Jews in Kattakurgan and Bukhara.

Bukharan Jews celebrate Hanukkah in Tel Aviv, 1959

After the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, antisemitism intensified amongst the Muslim majority. By the Six-Day Arab–Israeli War of 1967, the relationship between Jews and Muslims had reached another breaking point, with the war leading to a rise in Jewish patriotism as Bukharan Jews and others carried out demonstrations as refuseniks.

Bukharan Jews who had put efforts into creating a Bukharan Jewish Soviet culture and national identity were charged during Stalin's Great Purge, or, as part of the Soviet Union's nationalities policies and nation building campaigns, were forced to assimilate into the larger Soviet Uzbek or Soviet Tajik national identities.

In the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, almost all of the remaining Bukharan Jews left Central Asia for the United States, Israel, Europe, or Australia in the last mass emigration of Bukharan Jews from their resident lands. In 1990, there were riots against the Jewish population of Andijan and nearby areas. This led to most Jews in the Fergana Valley immigrating to Israel or the United States.

After 1991

With the disintegration of the Soviet Union and foundation of the independent Republic of Uzbekistan in 1991, some feared growth of nationalistic policies in the country. The resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan prompted an increase in the level of emigration of Jews (both Bukharan and Ashkenazi). Before the collapse of the USSR, there were 45,000 Bukharan Jews in Central Asia.

Today, there are about 150,000 Bukharan Jews in Israel (mainly in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, especially the neighborhoods of Tel Kabir, Shapira, Kiryat Shalom, HaTikvah and its neighbouring cities within the Gush Dan region like Or Yehuda, Ramla and Holon) and 60,000 in the United States (especially Queens—a borough of New York that is widely known as the "melting pot" of the United States due to its ethnic diversity)—with smaller communities in the USA like Phoenix, South Florida, Atlanta, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Denver. Only a few thousand still remain in Uzbekistan. About 500 live in Canada (mainly Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec). Almost no Bukharan Jews remain in Tajikistan (compared to the 1989 Jewish population of 15,000 in Tajikistan).

Immigrant populations

Entrance to the now demolished Dushanbe Synagogue in 2006

Tajikistan

In early 2006, the still active Dushanbe Synagogue in Tajikistan as well as the city's mikveh (ritual bath), kosher butcher, and Jewish schools were demolished by the government (without compensation to the community) to make room for the new Palace of Nations. After an international outcry, the government of Tajikistan announced a reversal of its decision and publicly claimed that it would permit the synagogue to be rebuilt on its current site. However, in mid-2008, the government of Tajikistan destroyed the whole synagogue and started construction of the Palace of Nations. The Dushanbe synagogue was Tajikistan's only synagogue and the community were therefore left without a centre or a place to pray. As a result, the majority of Bukharan Jews from Tajikistan living in Israel and the United States have very negative views towards the Tajik government and many have cut off all ties they had with the country. In 2009, the Tajik government reestablished the synagogue in a different location for the small Jewish community.

United States

Congregation Beth-El in Fresh Meadows, Queens, a Bukharan synagogue

The largest amount of Bukharan Jews in the U.S. is in New York City. In Forest Hills, Queens, 108th Street, often referred to as "Bukharan Broadway" or "Bukharian Broadway", is filled with Bukharan restaurants and gift shops. Furthermore, Forest Hills is nicknamed "Bukharlem" due to the majority of the population being Bukharian. They have formed a tight-knit enclave in this area that was once primarily inhabited by Ashkenazi Jews. Congregation Tifereth Israel in Corona, Queens, a synagogue founded in the early 1900s by Ashkenazi Jews, became Bukharan in the 1990s. Kew Gardens, Queens, also has a very large population of Bukharan Jews. Although Bukharan Jews in Queens remain insular in some ways (living in close proximity to each other, owning and patronizing clusters of stores, and attending their own synagogue rather than other synagogues in the area), they have connections with non-Bukharans in the area. In December 1999, the First Congress of the Bukharian Jews of the United States and Canada convened in Queens. In 2007, Bukharan-American Jews initiated lobbying efforts on behalf of their community. Zoya Maksumova, president of the Bukharan women's organization "Esther Hamalka" said "This event represents a huge leap forward for our community. Now, for the first time, Americans will know who we are." Senator Joseph Lieberman intoned, "God said to Abraham, 'You'll be an eternal people'… and now we see that the State of Israel lives, and this historic community, which was cut off from the Jewish world for centuries in Central Asia and suffered oppression during the Soviet Union, is alive and well in America. God has kept his promise to the Jewish people."

Culture

Dress codes

Bukharan kippah

Bukharan Jews had their own dress code, similar to but also different from other cultures (mainly Turco-Mongol) living in Central Asia, which they were wore as their daily attire until the country was "Russified" by the Soviet Union. Today, the traditional kaftan (Jomah-ҷома-ג'אמה in Bukhori and Tajik) is worn during weddings and Bar Mitzvah's.

Bukharan Jews also have a unique kippah, a full head-sized covering with rich patterns and lively colors embroidered. Aside from Bukharan Jews themselves, in present times some liberal-leaning and Reform Jews can be seen wearing the Bukharan kippah as well.

Music

A Bukharan dance performed by members of the Rina Nikova ballet in the citadel of Jerusalem, 1946

The Bukharan Jews have a distinct musical tradition called shashmaqam, which is an ensemble of stringed instruments, infused with Central Asian rhythms, and a considerable klezmer influence as well as Muslim melodies, and even Spanish chords. The main instrument is the dayereh. Shashmaqam music "reflect the mix of Hassidic vocals, Indian and Islamic instrumentals and Sufi-inspired texts and lyrical melodies." Ensemble Shashmaqam was one of the first New York-based ensembles created to showcase the music and dance of Bukharan Jews. The Ensemble was created in 1983 by Shumiel Kuyenov, a dayereh player from Queens.

Cuisine

See also: Uzbek cuisine
Central Asian-style dumpling soup called shurboi dushpera or tushpera (left) along with traditional tandoor style bread called non in Bukharan, Tajik, and Uzbek (right)

Bukharan cuisine consists of many unique dishes, distinctly influenced by ethnic dishes historically and currently found along the Silk Road and many parts of Central and even Southeast Asia. Shish kabob, or shashlik, as it is often referred to in Russian, are popular, made of chicken, beef or lamb. Pulled noodles, often thrown into a hearty stew of meat and vegetables known as lagman, are similar in style to Chinese lamian, also traditionally served in a meat broth. Samsa, pastries filled with spiced meat or vegetables, are baked in a unique, hollowed out tandoor oven, and greatly resemble the preparation and shape of Indian samosas.

The Bukharians' Jewish identity was always preserved in the kitchen. "Even though we were in exile from Jerusalem, we observed kashruth," said Isak Masturov, another owner of Cheburechnaya. "We could not go to restaurants, so we had to learn to cook for our own community.

Plov is a very popular slow-cooked rice dish spiced with cumin and containing carrots, and in some varieties, chick peas or raisins, and often topped with beef or lamb. Another popular dish is baksh which consists of rice, beef and liver cut into small cubes, with cilantro, which adds a shade of green to the rice once it's been cooked. Baklava is also a popular dish in Bukharan Jewish communities. It is believed that baklava (paklava) was accustomed by Bukharan Jews from Persian cuisine. Most Bukharan Jewish communities still produce their traditional breads including non (lepyoshka in Russian), a circular bread with a flat center that has multiple pattern of designs, topped with black and regular sesame seeds, and the other, called non toki, bears the dry and crusty features of traditional Jewish matzah, but with a distinctly wheatier taste.

After Sabbath synagogue service, Bukharan Jews often eat steamed eggs and sweet potatoes followed by a dish of fish such as carp. Next comes the main meal called oshesvo.

Genetics

A 2013 genetic study of multiple Jewish groups, including Bukharan Jews, found that Bukharan Jews clustered closely with Jewish communities from the Middle East and the Caucasus such as Iranian Jews, Mountain Jews, Georgian Jews, Kurdish Jews and Iraqi Jews, as well as other Middle Eastern and West Asian people including Kurds, Iranians, Armenians, Syrians, Druze and others; and did not cluster with their neighbours.

Notable Bukharan Jews

Afghanistan

  • Zablon Simintov, widely regarded as last remaining Jew in Afghanistan, evacuated to Israel in 2021

United Kingdom

Israel

United States

Other

See also

References

Notes

  1. "In Bukhara, 10,000 Jewish Graves but Just 150 Jews". The New York Times. 7 April 2018.
  2. Ido, Shinji (June 15, 2017). "The Vowel System of Jewish Bukharan Tajik: With Special Reference to the Tajik Vowel Chain Shift". Journal of Jewish Languages. 5 (1): 81–103. doi:10.1163/22134638-12340078. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  3. ^ Zand, Michael (1989). "BUKHARA vii. Bukharan Jews". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. IV/5: Brick–Burial II. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 530–545. ISBN 978-0-71009-128-4.
  4. ^ Ehrlich, M. Avrum, ed. (2009). "Caucasus and Central Asia". Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 1124. Bukharan Jews spoke a dialect of Tajik referred to as Bukhori or Judeo-Tajik, which is still used by Bukharan Jews today.
  5. Ido, Shinji (2017). "The Vowel System of Jewish Bukharan Tajik: With Special Reference to the Tajik Vowel Chain Shift". Journal of Jewish Languages. 5 (1): 85. doi:10.1163/22134638-12340078. The term 'the Jewish dialect of Tajik' is often used interchangeably with such terms as Judeo-Tadzhik, Judeo-Tajik, Bukhori, Bukhari, Bukharic, Bukharan, Bukharian, and Bukharit (Cooper 2012:284) in the literature.
  6. ^ Goodman, Peter. "Bukharian Jews find homes on Long Island", Newsday, September 2004.
  7. Historical Dictionary of Tajikistan
  8. Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Aboda Zara, 31b, and Rashi
  9. Ochildiev, D; R. Pinkhasov, I. Kalontarov. A History and Culture of the Bukharian Jews, Roshnoyi-Light, New York, 2007.
  10. "The Jewish Palate: The Bukharian Jews". The Jerusalem Post.
  11. Abraham N. Poliak, Uzbekistan, Encyclopedia Judaica, 2nd ed., 2007, volume 20 pp.447-448,447.
  12. "Bukharan Jews".
  13. "Wandering Jew: Bukhara, the ancient silk way city". The Jerusalem Post.
  14. "Bukharan Jews".
  15. "DESIGN REVIEW; when Russia Uncovered Exotic Jewish Cultures - the New York Times". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2017-09-17.
  16. Cooper, Alanna (December 7, 2012). Bukharan Jews and the Dynamics of Global Judaism. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253006554.
  17. Iran & the Caucasus Vol. 9, No. 2 (2005), pp. 257-272
  18. "Bukharan Jews – History and Cultural Relations", everyculture.com website. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  19. Malikov A. Arminius Vambery and the urban culture of Samarkand In: Orpheus Noster, Vol. 14, no. 4, 2022, p.97-108
  20. "Bukharan Jews of Central Asia". Geni. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  21. SHNIDMAN, RONEN (October 19, 2011). "Jews far and wide". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  22. Cooper, Alanna (2012). Bukharian Jews. Indiana University Press. p. 60.
  23. Fuzailoff, Giora. "Rabbinic Succession in Bukhara 1790-1930". JewishGen.
  24. Ochildiev, D.; Pinkhasov, R.; Kalontarov, I. (2007). A History and Culture of the Bukharian Jews. New York: Roshnoyi-Light. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-893552-09-8.
  25. ^ Wager, Eliyahu (1988). Bukharan Quarter. The Jerusalem Publishing House. pp. 207–201. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  26. ^ Eylon, Lili (2011). "Focus on Israel: Jerusalem: Architecture in the late Ottoman Period: The Bukharan Quarter". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  27. Pinkhasov, Peter. "The History of Bukharian Jews", Bukharian Jewish Global Portal website, p. 2. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  28. "Afghanistan — Viewer — World Digital Library". www.wdl.org. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  29. ^ Loy, Thomas (2022). "Cross-border biographies: representations of the "Bukharan" Jewish self in changing cultural and political settings". Journal of Modern Jewish Studies. 22 (3): 4. doi:10.1080/14725886.2022.2090240. S2CID 250232378.
  30. Baldauf, Ingeborg; Gammer, M.; Loy, Thomas (2008). Bukharan Jews in the 20th Century: History, Experience and Narration. Reichert. ISBN 978-3-89500-638-8. Most Central Asian Jews in Paris were of Afghan nationality, yet very few were actually born in Afghanistan. For example, the Davidoff family of Natan (born in Kokand in 1884), the Meyer family (born in Kokand in 1904) and the Penina ...
  31. ^ Loy, Thomas (2022). "Cross-border biographies: representations of the "Bukharan" Jewish self in changing cultural and political settings". Journal of Modern Jewish Studies. 22 (3): 5. doi:10.1080/14725886.2022.2090240. S2CID 250232378.
  32. https://www.jpost.com/jewish-world/jewish-features/rift-over-root-differences-remains-unmended-for-uzbek-jews
  33. Gitelman, Zvi (Apr 22, 2001). A Century of Ambivalence, Second Expanded Edition: The Jews of Russia and the Soviet Union, 1881 to the Present. Indiana University Press. pp. 144–145. ISBN 9780253013736.
  34. Zand, Michael. "BUKHARA vii. Bukharan Jews". Encyclopædia Iranica.
  35. "Bukharan Jews".
  36. ^ Blady, Ken (2000). Jewish Communities in Exotic Places. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 185.
  37. Cooper, Alanna E. (2003). "Looking Out for One's Own Identity: Central Asian Jews in the Wake of Communism". In Kosmin, Barry Alexander; Kovács, András (eds.). New Jewish Identities: Contemporary Europe and Beyond. Central European University Press. pp. 189–210. ISBN 963-9241-62-8.
  38. "New Synagogue Opens In Dushanbe". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 5 May 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  39. "Bukharan Broadway":
  40. Moskin, Julia. "The Silk Road Leads to Queens" The New York Times, January 18, 2006.
  41. Popik, Barry. "Buharlem or Bukharlem (Bukhara + Harlem)". www.barrypopik.com. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
  42. "Heritage". bucharianlife.blogspot.com. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  43. ^ Ruby, Walter."The Bukharian Lobby" Archived February 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, The Jewish Week, October 31, 2007.
  44. For examples see men and women coats as well as children's clothing from Bukhara, exhibition, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, March 11, 2014 – October 18, 2014
  45. Kippah Couture, The Forward, Angela Himsel, September 29, 2006.
  46. "Shashmaqam". The Wandering Muse. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
  47. NYT,1-18-2006 The Silk Road Leads to Queens
  48. Behar, Doron; Metspalu, Mait; Baran, Yael; Kopelman, Naama; Yunusbayev, Bayazit; Gladstein, Ariella; Tzur, Shay; Sahakyan, Havhannes; Bahmanimehr, Ardeshir; Yepiskoposyan, Levon; Tambets, Kristiina (2013-12-01). "No Evidence from Genome-Wide Data of a Khazar Origin for the Ashkenazi Jews". Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints. 85 (6).
  49. "A Silk Road Bride Rides a London Taxi". Haaretz. 2015-01-27.

Bibliography

  • Ricardo Garcia-Carcel: La Inquisición, Biblioteca El Sol. Biblioteca Básica de Historia. Grupo Anaya, Madrid, Spain 1990. ISBN 84-7969-011-9.

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