From Khazars to Karaites: The Assimilation of Jewish Khazars into the Diaspora

The Fate of the Jewish Khazars: Assimilation into Jewish Communities After the Fall of the Khaganate
Authored by @greywarden100
Posted on July 7, 2025

The Khazar Khaganate, a Turkic empire that flourished from the 7th to 10th centuries in the Pontic-Caspian steppe, is renowned for its ruling elite’s conversion to Judaism between 740 and 860 CE. After the empire’s collapse in the late 10th century, triggered by Kievan Rus’ conquests, the Jewish Khazars are believed to have assimilated into Jewish communities across Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe. Notably, the Crimean Karaites, a Turkic-speaking Jewish sect, have historically claimed descent from the Khazars. This blog explores the assimilation of Jewish Khazars, the Karaite claim of Khazar origins, and the supporting evidence, drawing on historical, archaeological, and genetic data to present a comprehensive picture.

The Khazar Khaganate and Its Jewish Conversion

The Khazars, a semi-nomadic Turkic people, controlled key trade routes between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Between 740 and 860 CE, their ruling elite, and possibly a broader population, adopted Judaism, as documented in the Khazar Correspondence (letters between Khazar rulers and Hasdai ibn Shaprut) and the Schechter Letter. The Life of Constantine further confirms the presence of Jewish Khazars. The Khaganate’s fall, marked by Prince Sviatoslav I’s destruction of cities like Itil and Semender in 964–965 CE, disrupted their political structure, leading Jewish Khazars to integrate into neighboring Jewish communities.

Assimilation into Central Asian Jewish Communities

Some Jewish Khazars likely migrated eastward along the Silk Road to Central Asian Jewish communities, such as those in Bukhara. The Schechter Letter references Jewish Khazar merchants traveling to Transoxiana, where Jewish populations of Persian and Byzantine origin thrived by the 10th century. The Khazars’ mercantile expertise and shared religious practices facilitated their assimilation, likely adopting Judeo-Persian or Turkic dialects. While direct archaeological evidence is limited, the Khazars’ trade connections, as noted in Chabad.org (2023), support this integration.

Integration with the Mountain Jews of the Caucasus

In the Caucasus, the Mountain Jews of modern-day Azerbaijan and Dagestan lived near Khazar cities like Semender. Scholar Kevin Alan Brook (The Jews of Khazaria, 1999) suggests that Jewish Khazars may have joined these communities, which trace their roots to Persian Jewish migrations. Speaking Judeo-Tat, a Persian dialect, the Mountain Jews could have absorbed Jewish Khazars through intermarriage, as their shared faith bridged cultural differences. The absence of distinct Khazar markers in Mountain Jewish culture, as noted in the Jewish Virtual Library, indicates complete assimilation.

Merging with Crimean and Eastern European Jewish Communities

The Crimea, a Khazar stronghold, hosted Jewish communities since the 1st century CE, evidenced by inscriptions in Kerch and Phanagoria (Jewish Virtual Library). The Crimean Karaites, a Turkic-speaking Jewish sect that emerged in Mesopotamia in the 8th century and spread to Crimea by the 10th century, overlapped with the Jewish Khazars’ conversion period (740–860 CE). The Karaites have historically claimed descent from the Khazars, a tradition rooted in their shared Turkic linguistic and cultural elements. Their Kipchak Turkic language and scripturalist practices, which reject Rabbinic Judaism, align with the possibility of Khazar influence, as the Khazars may have adopted a non-Rabbinic form of Judaism. However, scholars note that the Karaites’ primary origins are Mesopotamian, and the Khazar connection remains speculative due to limited genetic or textual evidence (Web:0, Wikipedia).

In Eastern Europe, Jewish Khazars likely joined Jewish communities in cities like Kiev and Krakow. The Russian Primary Chronicle mentions Jewish merchants in Kievan Rus’, some potentially Khazar, while Tablet Magazine (2021) notes Khazar merchants speaking Slavic in Prague, indicating linguistic assimilation. The temporal overlap between Khazar conversion and the presence of Crimean/Eastern European Jewish communities supports this integration.

Genetic Evidence: No Significant Khazar Contribution to Ashkenazi Jews

The “Khazar hypothesis,” suggesting Ashkenazi Jews primarily descend from Khazars, has been debunked by genetic studies, which confirm significant Levantine ancestry in Ashkenazi populations:

• Waldman et al. (2022, Cell): Ancient DNA from 14th-century Ashkenazi Jews in Erfurt, Germany, shows 19–43% Levantine ancestry, with continuity to modern Ashkenazi populations.
• Carmi et al. (2014, Nature Communications): Estimates 46–50% Middle Eastern ancestry, with European admixture but no Turkic markers.
• Behar et al. (2010, Nature): Finds 50–70% Middle Eastern ancestry, with Ashkenazi Jews clustering with Levantine populations.
• Atzmon et al. (2010, American Journal of Human Genetics): Confirms 30–60% Levantine ancestry, with no evidence of Caucasus or Turkic origins.

These studies rule out significant Khazar contributions to Ashkenazi Jews but allow for limited assimilation into Eastern European Jewish communities, where small numbers of Jewish Khazars were absorbed without leaving a distinct genetic legacy.

The Crimean Karaites’ Claim of Khazar Descent

The Crimean Karaites have long claimed descent from the Khazars, a tradition that emphasizes their Turkic identity and distinguishes them from Rabbinic Jewish communities. This claim is supported by several factors:

• Linguistic Alignment: The Karaites’ use of Kipchak Turkic aligns with the Khazars’ Turkic language, suggesting cultural continuity. The Khazars’ conversion to Judaism (740–860 CE) coincided with the Karaites’ spread to Crimea (by the 10th century), allowing for potential integration (Web:0, Wikipedia).
• Shared Non-Rabbinic Practices: The Karaites’ scripturalist approach, rejecting the Talmud, may reflect a form of Judaism similar to that adopted by the Khazars, who lacked a strong Rabbinic tradition (Web:9, Jewish Virtual Library).
• Historical Context: The Crimea, a Khazar territory, was a hub for Jewish communities since the 1st century CE, providing a setting for Jewish Khazars to merge with Karaites post-collapse.

However, the Karaite claim is debated. Their primary origins are traced to 8th-century Mesopotamia, and no definitive genetic or textual evidence confirms a significant Khazar component. The lack of genetic studies on Karaites limits conclusions, but their Turkic language and Crimean presence suggest possible Khazar influence, even if secondary to their Mesopotamian roots.

No Evidence of Persecution or Suicide

No historical records indicate persecution or mass suicide of Jewish Khazars after the Khaganate’s fall. Primary sources like the Russian Primary Chronicle, Khazar Correspondence, and Byzantine texts (De Administrando Imperio) are silent on such events. The gradual disappearance of a distinct Khazar identity, as noted in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, points to peaceful assimilation into Jewish communities, facilitated by shared faith and geographic proximity.

Conclusion: A Legacy of Integration

The Jewish Khazars, having embraced Judaism in the 8th–9th centuries, likely assimilated into Jewish communities in Central Asia (e.g., Bukhara), the Caucasus (e.g., Mountain Jews), and Eastern Europe/Crimea (e.g., Karaites) after their empire’s collapse. The Crimean Karaites’ claim of Khazar descent, while speculative, is supported by their shared Turkic language and the historical overlap in Crimea, though their primary origins are Mesopotamian. Genetic studies confirm that Ashkenazi Jews derive primarily from Levantine ancestors, allowing for limited Khazar assimilation into Eastern European Jewish communities. The absence of persecution or suicide underscores a story of cultural and religious continuity, as the Jewish Khazars blended into the broader Jewish diaspora, leaving a subtle legacy in groups like the Mountain Jews and Crimean Karaites.

Sources and References

1. Waldman et al. (2022). “Genome-wide data from medieval German Jews show that the Ashkenazi founder event pre-dated the 14th century.” Cell, 185(25), 4703–4716.
2. Carmi et al. (2014). “Sequencing an Ashkenazi reference panel supports population-targeted personal genomics and illuminates Jewish and European origins.” Nature Communications, 5, 4835.
3. Behar et al. (2010). “The genome-wide structure of the Jewish people.” Nature, 466(7303), 238–242.
4. Atzmon et al. (2010). “Abraham’s children in the genome era: Major Jewish diaspora populations comprise distinct genetic clusters with shared Middle Eastern ancestry.” American Journal of Human Genetics, 86(6), 850–859.
5. Brook, K. A. (1999). The Jews of Khazaria. Jason Aronson.
6. Khazars - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org, 2023-04-14).
7. So, Who Were the Khazars? - Tablet Magazine (https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/history/articles/history-detective-shapira-khazars).
8. Khazars - Jewish Virtual Library (https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/khazars).
9. Khazars - Encyclopedia of Ukraine (https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CK%5CH%5CKhazars.htm).
10. **Who Were the Khazars? - ** (https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5804883/jewish/Who-Were-the-Khazars.htm).

About the Author
@greywarden100 is a history enthusiast dedicated to exploring the legacies of ancient civilizations through historical and genetic research. Follow for more insights into the intersections of culture, religion, and identity.