Religion
Until the 20th century, Karaism was the only religion of the Karaims, The traditional name "Beit Knesset"(synagogue) in 1911 was changed to word "Kenesa" due to dated by 1892 initiative of Trakai Karaims.
During Russian Civil War significant number of Karaims have emigrated to Yugoslavia,Chechoslovakia,Poland and Hungary and then France and Germany. Most of them have converted to Christianity. Karaims modern national movement philanthropist M.S. Sarach was one of them.
Karaims emancipation in Russian Empire caused cultural assimilation followed by secularization. This process continued in USSR when most of kenesas were closed.
In 1928 secular Karaim philologist Seraya Shapshal was elected as Hacham of Polish and Lithuanian Karaims . Shapshal is the founder of the Karaims religion and history Dejudaization Doctrine
Under this doctrine, he has changed the traditional title of "Hacham" to "Gahan", rising in his opinion to the Khazarian word ""Khagan". In the mid 30-ies of XX century, he began to create a theory of the Altai-Turkic origin of the Karaims and the pagan roots of the Karaite religious teaching (worship of sacred oaks, polytheism, led by the god Tengri, the Sacrifice). Shapshal's doctrine is still a topic of critical research and public debate.
He made a number of reforms aimed at Karaims Turkification and destruction Karaite Jewish elements of culture and language. He issued an order canceling the teaching of Hebrew in Karaite schools, replaced the name of the Jewish holidays and the months of the Turkic-speaking, the position of "Hacham" renamed "Gahan" in consonance with the word "khan", invented in this special custom taking office, allegedly accepted the Khazars. According Shapshal, the doctrine of Anan ben David was close to early Christianity, and Jesus and Mohammed Karaites believed for centuries prophets. Crimean Karaites adopted the law of Moses, but continued to adhere to the ancient Turkic pagan beliefs. In Post-Soviet period the Shapshal's theory was further developed in modern Karaylar publications and officially adopted by «Кърымкъарайлар»(«KrymKaraylar») Crimean Karaim Association at 2000 as the only correct view of the Karaylar past and the present.
Read more about this topic: Crimean Karaites
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