Bukharan Jews
1258644
225717172
2008-07-15T01:39:11Z
74.73.56.188
/* After 1991 */
{{Infobox Ethnic group
|group = Bukharian Jews<br>Bukharan Jews
|image = [[Image:Bukharanjews.jpg|250px]]
|pop = approx. '''150,000-200,000'''
|region1 = {{flag|Israel}}
|pop1 =100,000-120,000<ref name=joanroth/>
|ref1 =
|region2 ={{flag|United States}}
|pop2 = 50,000-60,000<ref name=joanroth/>
|ref2 =
|region3 = {{flagcountry|European Union}}
|pop3 = 5,000-10,000
|ref3 =
|region4 = {{flag|Uzbekistan}}
|pop4 = 100-1,000
|ref4 =
|region5 = {{flag|Tajikistan}}
|pop5 = 50-100
|ref5 =
|languages = Traditionally [[Bukhori language|Bukhori]], [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] spoken in addition.
|religions = [[Judaism]]
|related = Other [[Jew]]ish groups<br/>{{smaller|([[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi]], [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardi]], [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]], etc.)}}<br/>}}
'''Bukharan Jews''', also '''Bukharian Jews''' or '''Bukhari Jews''', ({{lang-he|'''בוכרים'''}}, ''Bukharim'') are [[Jew]]s from [[Central Asia]] who speak [[Bukhori]], a dialect of the [[Persian language]]. Their name comes from the former Central Asian [[Emirate of Bukhara]], which once had a sizeable Jewish community. Since the [[collapse of the Soviet Union]], the vast majority were [[evacuate]]d to [[Israel]] or the [[United States]], while others have emigrated to [[Europe]] or [[Australia]].[http://www.bjews.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=212&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0&POSTNUKESID=66024085b93bd342f22115d6d77e982a]
==Background==
[[Image:Bukharan girl.jpg|thumb|left|Bukharian girl, circa 1900.]]
A majority of Bukharian Jews trace their ancestry to the [[Lost Tribes of Israel]]. These Jews claim to be descendants of the [[Issachar]], [[Nephtali]], and [[Ephraim]] Israelite tribes who never came back from the [[Babylonian captivity]] after exile in the 7th century BCE. They maintain that some of the Israelites migrated eastwards in the [[7th century BCE|7th]] and [[6th century BCE|6th]] centuries BCE, in the time between the fall of [[Nineveh]] to [[Nabopolassar]] in [[612 BCE]] and the fall of [[Jerusalem]] to his successor [[Nebuchadrezzar II]] in [[597 BCE]], during the transition from [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Neo-Assyrian]] to [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Neo-Babylonian]] ([[Chaldea]]n) rule.<ref>[http://www.imninalu.net/2history02.htm IM NIN'ALU's 2nd. Page - HISTORY (2)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name=joanroth>[http://www.joanroth.com/bukhara.html Joan Roth Photography: Bukhara<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The community was essentially cut off from the rest of the [[Jewish diaspora|Jewish world]] for more than 2,000 years and somehow managed to survive and preserve their Jewish identity and heritage in the face of countless odds. They 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 (usually by taking the [[Silk Road]]), as did Jews who were exiled from [[Spain]] during the [[Spanish Inquisiton|Inquisition]] [http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/bloom/oralhistories/natanova_rev102301.html]; all these joined the Central Asian Jewish community that was later on called the Bukharian Jews. In Central Asia, they survived for centuries, subject to many conquering influences.
Most Bukharian Jews lived in [[Emirate of Bukhara]] (currently [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Tajikistan]]), while a small number lived in [[Russia]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]] and some other parts of the former [[Soviet Union]]. In Emirate of Bukhara, the largest concentrations were in [[Tashkent]], [[Samarkand]], Bukhara, and [[Khokand]]. In [[Tajikistan]], they similarly were mainly concentrated in the capital, [[Dushanbe]].
Prior to the [[Partition of British India]], some Bukharian Jews could be found among the [[Demographics of Afghanistan|Afghan]] population of [[Peshawar]], a city in what is now [[Pakistan]]. After partition and the creation of [[Israel]], nearly all of these Jews left for [[Israel]] and other countries. One synagogue still exists in [[Peshawar]] and there are two main synagogues and several Jewish cemeteries that still function in the port city of [[Karachi]].
==Name and language==
[[Image:Bukharan3.jpg|thumb|left|Interior of the Great [[Synagogue]] in [[Bukhara]], sketch based on a photograph by [[Elkan Nathan Adler]].]]
The term "Bukharan" was coined by [[Europe]]an travelers 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 "[[Israel|Isro'il]]" and "[[Judea|Yahudi]]."
The appellative "Bukharian" was adopted by Bukharian Jews who moved to English-speaking countries, in an [[anglicisation]] of the Hebrew "Bukhari." However, "Bukharan" was the term used historically by English writers, as it was for other aspects of [[Bukhara]].
Bukharian Jews used the [[Persian language]] to communicate among themselves and later developed "[[Bukhori]]", a distinct dialect of the [[Tajik language|Tajiki-Persian language]] with certain linguistic traces of [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]. This language provided easier communication with their neighboring communities and was used for all cultural and educational life among the Jews. It was used widely until the area was "[[Russification|Russified]]" by the Russians and the dissemination of "religious" information was halted. The elderly Bukharian generation use Bukhori as their primary language but speak Russian with a slight Bukharian accent. The younger generation use [[Russian language|Russian]] as their primary language, but do understand or speak Bukhori.
The Bukharian Jews are [[Mizrahi Jews]]. They practice their own isolated form of [[Judaism]] [http://www.bjews.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=212&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0&POSTNUKESID=66024085b93bd342f22115d6d77e982a] and have been introduced to [[Sephardic Judaism]].
==History==
[[Image:Bukharan2.jpg|thumb|Bukharan Jews celebrating Sukkot, c. 1900.]]
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) and feared that the wine and alcohol produced by local Jews was not kosher<ref>Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Aboda Zara, 31b, and Rashi</ref>. 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. <ref>"A History and Culture of the Bukharian Jews" by D. Ochildiev, R. Pinkhasov, I. Kalontarov. Roshnoyi-Light New York 2007</ref>
Having developed over the millennia from [[Spanish Jew]]ish and northeastern [[Persian Jews|Persian]] and [[Arab Jew]]ish communities, this Central Asian community has experienced alternating periods of freedom and prosperity, as well as periods of oppression. With the establishment of the [[Silk Road]] between [[China]] and the [[Western world|West]] in the [[2nd century BCE]] that lasted well into the 16th century, many Jews flocked to the [[Emirate of Bukhara]] and played a great role in its development. After the [[Babylonian exile]], they came under the [[Persian Empire]], as they prospered and spread through the area. However, around the 5th century, began a period of persecution. Famous Jewish academies in [[Babylon]] were closed, while many Jews were killed and expelled (See [[Mishnah]]). After [[Arab]] [[Muslim]] conquest in the early 8th century, Jews (as well as Christians) were considered [[Dhimmis]] and were forced, among other things, to pay the [[jizya]] head tax. The [[Mongol]] invasion in the 13th century also adversely affected the Jews of Bukhara.
In the beginning of the 16th century, the area was invaded and occupied by [[nomad]]ic Uzbek tribes who established strict observance of [[Islam]] and [[religious fundamentalism]]. Confined to [[ghetto|city quarters]], the Jews were denied basic rights and many were forced to [[Chala (Jews)|convert]] to Islam. Under the Uzbeks, Bukharians went through a lot of discrimination. They had to wear black and yellow dress to distinguish themselves from the Muslims. Since the Bukharian Jews were dhimmis, during their annual tax, the heads of the dhimmi households had to be slapped in the face by "peace-loving" muslims. [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Bukharan_Jews.html]
By the middle of the 18th century, practically all of Bukharian Jews lived in the [[Bukharan Emirate]]. In 1843, Bukharian Jews collected 10,000 silver tan'ga and purchased land in [[Samarkand]], known as ''Makhallai Yakhudion'' close to Registon.
At the beginning of 17th century, the first synagogue had been constructed at Bukhara city. It was done in contravention of the law of Caliph Omar who had forbidden the construction of new synagogues as well as the destruction of those that existed in the pre-Islamic period. [http://pagetour.narod.ru/bukhara/Magoki.htm] The story of construction of the first Bukhara synagogue relates to two persons: Nodir Divan-Begi - important grandee, and nameless widow, who outwitted an official.
[[Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-54.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Jewish students with their teacher in Samarkand, ca. 1910.]]
During the 1700s, Bukharian Jews faced a lot of persecution. Their Jewish centers were closed down, the Muslims of the region usually forced conversion on the Jews, and the Bukharian Jewish population dramatically decreased to the point where they were almost extinct. [http://www.everyculture.com/Russia-Eurasia-China/Bukharan-Jews-History-and-Cultural-Relations.html] Due to pressures to convert to [[Islam]], persecution, and isolation from the rest of the Jewish world, the Jews of Bukhara began to lack knowledge and practice of their Jewish religion. They only had three of five books of the [[Torah]], did not know [[Hebrew]], and replaced Bar Miztvahs with Tefillin-banons. [http://www.bukharacity.com/jews.htm]
In [[1793]], a [[Sephardic]] Jew from [[Tetuan]], [[Morocco]], named [[Yosef Maimon]] traveled to [[Bukhara]] and found the local Jews in very poor condition, and he decided to settle there. Maman was dissapointed to see so many Jews lack knowledge and observance of their religious customs and Jewish law. He became a spiritual leader and wanted to educated and to revive the Jewish community's observance and faith in the Jewish religion. [http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/m/a/m/Jeffrey-Mammon/] He changed their Persian religious tradition to [[Sephardic Jew]]ish tradition. During this time, the Jews of Bukhara were almost extinct, and Middle Eastern Jews came to Central Asia and joined the Bukharian Jewish community. Yosef Maimon is an ancestor to [[Shlomo Moussaieff (businessman)]], author [[Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson]], and [[First Lady of Iceland]] [[Dorrit Moussaieff]].
In the middle of the 19th century, Bukharian Jews began to move to the historic [[Land of Israel]]. Land on which they had settled in [[Jerusalem]] was called the ''Bukharian Quarter'' (Sh'hunat HaBucharim) still exists today. [http://www.joanroth.com/bukhara.html]
In [[1865]], Russian troops took over [[Tashkent]], and there was a large influx of Jews to the newly created [[Turkestan]] Region. From [[1876]] to [[1916]], Jews were free to practice [[Judaism]]. Dozens of Bukharian Jews held prestigious jobs, and many Jews prospered. Many Bukharian Jews became successful and well-respected actors, artists, dancers, musicians, and singers. Several Bukharian entertainers gained the title of "People's Artist of Uzbekistan," "People's Artist of Tajikistan," and even "[[People's Artist of the Soviet Union]]." Many of the talented Bukharian Jewish performers include [[Suleiman Yudakov]], who wrote the [[Anthem of the Tajik SSR]], Malika Kalantarova, [[Gavriel Mullokandov]], [[Rena Galibova]], [[Shoista Mullodzhanova]], [[Ari Babakhanov]], and many more.
===Soviet era===
Prior to the establishment of the state of [[Israel]], the Bukharian Jews were one of the most isolated Jewish communities in the world.<ref name=nyt>[http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/01/18/dining/18rego.html "The Silk Road Leads to Queens" ''New York Times'' 18 January 2006]</ref>
With the establishment of Soviet rule on the territory in [[1917]], Jewish life seriously deteriorated. Throughout 1920s and 1930s, thousands of Jews, fleeing religious oppression, confiscation of property, arrests, and repressions, fled to Palestine. In Central Asia, the community attempted to preserve their traditions while displaying loyalty to the government. [[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. In the early 1970s, one of the largest Bukharian Jewish emigrations in history occurred as the Jews of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan emigrated to [[Israel]] and the [[United States]], due to looser restrictions on immigration. In the late 1980s to the early 1990s, almost all of the remaining Bukharian Jews left Central Asia for the [[United States]], [[Israel]], [[Europe]], or [[Australia]]. This was another large Bukharian Jewish emigration.
===After 1991===
With the disintegration of the [[Soviet Union]] and foundation of the independent Republic of [[Uzbekistan]] in 1991, there was an abrupt growth of [[nationalism]], [[chauvinism]], and [[xenophobia]] in Uzbek public consciousness. Advent of Islamic fundamentalism in [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Tajikistan]] caused a sudden increase in the level of emigration of Jews (both Bukharian and [[Ashkenazi]]). Before the collapse of the USSR, there were 45,000 Bukharian Jews in Central Asia. [http://books.google.com/books?id=USUKO5AJmBUC&pg=RA1-PA189&lpg=RA1-PA189&dq=Jewish+Central+Asians&source=web&ots=ZV4Vlr-JO_&sig=yj8bARyGpBRMVP1uYOYHzAB96Ls&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result]
Now, there are about 100,000 in Israel, 50,000 in the US (mainly [[Queens, New York]]), about 100-1,000 still remain in [[Uzbekistan]], and almost no Bukharian Jews remain in [[Tajikistan]] (compared to 15,000 in Tajikistan 1989).
Currently, Bukharian Jews are mostly concentrated in the U.S. cities of [[New York City|New York]], [[Arizona]], [[Atlanta]], [[Denver]], [[Los Angeles]], [[San Diego]], as well as in [[Israel]], [[Austria]], [[Russia]], [[France]] [[England]], [[Australia]], [[Argentina]], and [[Uzbekistan]]. [http://www.bjews.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=212&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0&POSTNUKESID=66024085b93bd342f22115d6d77e982a] [[New York City]]'s 108th Street, often referred to as "Buharlem" or "Bukharian Broadway" in Forest Hills, [[Queens, New York|Queens]], is filled with Bukharian restaurants and gift shops. They have formed a tight-knit enclave in this area that was once primarily inhabited by Ashkenazi Jews (many of the Ashkenazi had also become more assimilated to wider American and American Jewish culture with successive generations).
On the beginning of the Jewish New Year 5765 (2005), the Bukharian Jewish Community of Queens (mainly [[Rego Park, Queens|Rego Park]] and [[Forest Hills, Queens, New York|Forest Hills]]) celebrated the opening of the Bukharian Jewish Congress. This establishment further reflects the growing Bukharian community in Queens and their desire to preserve their identity in an ever-changing world.
In early 2006, the still-active [[Dushanbe synagogue]] in [[Tajikistan]] as well as the city's mikveh (ritual bath), kosher butchery, and Jewish classrooms were demolished by the government (without compensation to the community) to make room for a new Presidential residence. After an international outcry, the government of Tajikistan reversed its decision and will allow the synagogue to be rebuilt on its current site. Because Tajkistan's government decided to destroy the country's only synagogue, most of the Bukharian Jews from Tajikistan have very negative views towards the country.
Bukharian Jews are very proud of their [[Jewish]] heritage and religion, which are the chief components of their culture. Most are [[Zionist]] and strongly support Israel. Bukharian Jews also support the Central Asian governments in their struggle against [[Islamic Fundamentalism]]. Charitable funds named after prominent Central Asian cities, such as [[Tashkent]] and [[Samarkand]], help maintain the Jewish cemeteries of these cities.
In 2007, Bukharian-American Jews initiated lobbying efforts on behalf of their community. [http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a738/News/New_York.html] One of the Bukharian leaders said, "This event represents a huge leap forward for our community. I am so grateful to God that we are here, that I was able to witness this. 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 [Bukharian] 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." [http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a738/News/New_York.html]
==Culture==
===Dress Codes===
Bukharian Jews had their own [[dress code]], similar to but also different from other cultures (mainly mongolo-turkic cultures) living in Central Asia. On weddings today, one can still observe the bride and the close relatives put on the traditional [[kaftan]] (Jomah-джома-ג'ומא in Bukhori and Tajik) and the richly-embroidered fur-lined hats and dance.
===Music===
The Bukharians have a distinct music called ''Shashmaqam'', which is an ensemble of stringed instruments, infused with Central Asian rhythms, much [[klezmer]], Muslim melodies, and even [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Chord (music)|chord]]s.
===Cuisine===
Bukharian 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 and mutton|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]].
[[Plov]] is a very popular slow cooked, cumin-spiced [[rice]] dish, sporting [[carrot]]s, and in some varieties, chick peas, and often topped with beef or lamb. Most Bukharian communities still produce their traditional breads of old: one being ''Leeployshka'', a circular bread with a flat center, topped with black and regular [[sesame seed]]s, and the other, called Non Toki, bears the dry and crusty features of traditional Jewish [[matzah]], but with a distinctly wheatier taste.
==Notable Bukharian Jews==
*[[Jacques Abramoff]] - Monegasque businessman, inventor, past president of the [[History of the Jews in Monaco|Monaco Jewish Community]]
*[[Yisrael Aharoni]] - Famous Israeli [[chef]] and [[restaurateur]]
*[[Zvia Leviev Alazarov]] - Businesswoman and Vice President of Marketing for the Africa Israel Investments.
*[[Jacob Arabo]] - Proprietor of Jacob & Co.
*[[Ari Babakhanov]] - Famous [[musician]] from [[Uzbekistan]]
*[[Rena Galibova]] - Soviet actress, "People's Artist of Tajikistan"
*[[Meirkhaim Gavrielov]] - Journalist murdered in Tajikistan in 1998
*[[Shimon Hakham]] - Bukharian-Israeli Rabbi/ Writer/ One of the founders of Bukharian Quarter
*[[Nial Iskhakov]]- Actor from the movie [[Eurotrip]]
*[[Jeremy Issacharoff]]- Israeli Ambassador to Washington D.C.
*[[Lev Leviev]] - Billionaire businessman, investor, philanthropist, president of the Bukharian Jewish Congress
*[[Boris Kandov]] - President of the Bukharian Jewish Congress of the USA and Canada
*[[Malika Kalantarova]] - Famous Dancer, "People's Artist of Soviet Union"
*[[Fatima Kuinova]] - Soviet singer
*[[Yosef Maimon]] - Religious leader
*[[Ilyas Malayev]]- Musician and Poet from Uzbekistan
*[[Dorrit Moussaieff]] - First Lady of Iceland
*[[Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson]] - Author
*[[Shlomo Moussaieff (businessman)]] - Israeli millionaire businessman
*[[Shlomo Moussaieff (rabbi)]] - Co-founder of the Bukharian Quarter in Jerusalem
*[[Shoista Mullodzhanova]] - Famous Shashmakon singer, "People's Artist of Tajikistan" (viewed as the Queen of Tajik Music)
*[[Gavriel Mullokandov]] – Popular shashmakom artist, "People's Artist of Uzbekistan"
*[[Jacob Nasirov]] - Bukharian-American Rabbi from [[Afghanistan]] (member of the Bukharian Rabbinical Counsel)
*[[James Raphael]] - Classical pianist
*[[Isaac Suleymanov]] - American Actor in Law And Order, The King Of Queens, NYPD Blues, General Hospital
*[[Anthony Yadgaroff]] - British Businessman, Jewish community leader
*[[Itzhak Yehoshua]] - [[Chief Rabbi]] of the Bukharian Jews in the USA
*[[Suleiman Yudakov]] - [[Soviet]] composer and musician
==See also==
*[[Africa Israel Investments]]
*[[Azerbaijani Jews]]
*[[Bais Yaakov Machon Academy]]
*[[Bukhara]]
*[[Bukhori language]]
*[[Dushanbe synagogue]]
*[[Emirate of Bukhara]]
*[[History of the Jews in Russia and the Soviet Union]]
*[[Judaism and Islam]]
*[[Kazakh Jews]]
*[[Mizrahi Jews]]
*[[Sephardi Jews]]
*[[Mountain Jews]]
*[[Ohr Avner Foundation]]
*[[Persian Jews]]
*[[Sephardic Judaism]]
*[[Tajik Jews]]
*[[Uzbek Jews]]
==References==
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==External links==
*[http://www.kikayon.com/index_files/Page2122.htm "Alanna's Cooper's publications on Bukharan Jews"]
*[http://www.BJews.com Bukharian Jewish Global Portal]
*[http://www.Boojle.com "Bukharian Entertainment and News at your Fingertips"]
*[http://www.sdjewishjournal.com/stories/oct03_5.html "A Lost Tribe...Found in Queens"]
*[http://www.abramoffgroup.com/yadvashem.htm "Rescue of Jews of Bukharan in occupied France"]
*[http://www.JosephMammon.com "My Story, By Joseph Mammon"]
*[http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/01/18/dining/18rego.html "The Silk Road Leads to Queens".] Brief culinary history and restaurant review from [[New York Times]].
[[Category:Bukharan Jews| ]]
[[de:Bucharische Juden]]
[[fa:یهودی بخارایی]]
[[fr:Juifs de Boukhara]]
[[he:יהדות בוכרה]]
[[no:Bukhariske jøder]]
[[pt:Judeus Bukharan]]
[[ru:Бухарские евреи]]