Russian–Ottoman Relations and the Karaite Question in Late Imperial Russia
Aikaterini Lykoudi, postdoctoral researcher, focuses on the evolving treatment and legal activism of Karaite Jews in the Black Sea region, a distinct religious community that is neither Rabbinic nor Talmudic. The project, titled “Russian–Ottoman Relations and the Karaite Question in Late Imperial Russia”, explores their unique historical trajectory within the Russian Empire, emphasizing the Karaite Jews’ cultural distinctiveness from Judaism. Karaite activists secured recognition as a religious group in the empire in 1837, gaining some autonomy in religious and administrative affairs. Lykoudi will also address their continuous struggle in the 1860s, when Karaites were legally separated from Judaism under imperial law, a process that continued into the late 19th century. In fact, local police and administrative officials faced challenges in classifying the Karaites, who shared characteristics with both Crimean Tatars, who were subject to imperial protection, and Crimean Jews, who faced various restrictions. The Karaites present a compelling case study, demonstrating the range of strategies available to both government policymakers and local elites in the Russian Empire. Lykoudi aims to focus on Crimean, Bessarabian and Istanbul Karaites and their role in the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah) between the Russian and the Ottoman empires. By exploring Karaite writing on their origins and legal emancipation, by tracking their archived correspondence with governors-general and different ministries in Saint Petersburg, and by examining their involvement in local court cases, Lykoudi will shed light on the importance of “legality” and “justice”
in their campaigns and thus paint a nuanced picture of their changing image and voice.