Mountain Jews 536380 225588793 2008-07-14T13:10:27Z Sardanaphalus 427947 updating link using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{Infobox Ethnic group |image = [[Image:Mountain jews 4.jpg|200px|]] |group = Mountain Jews<br/>''Juhurim'' |poptime =2004: '''101,000''' to '''230,000''' (estimated)<br/> 1959: '''25,000''' (estimated)<br/> 1926: '''26,000''' (estimated)<br/> |popplace = [[Azerbaijan]], [[Chechnya]], [[Dagestan]],[[Israel]],[[United States]],[[Iran]],[[Russia]] |region1 = {{flagcountry|Israel}} |pop1 = 70,000 to 100,000 |region2 = {{flagcountry|United States}} |pop2 = 10,000 to 40,000 |region3 = {{flagcountry|Russia}} |pop3 = 9,000 to 30,000 |region4 = {{flagcountry|Azerbaijan }} |pop4 = 11,000 |region5 = {{flagcountry|European Union}} |pop5 = 30,000 |region6 = {{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}} |pop6 = 2,000 |region7 = {{flagcountry|Iran}} |pop7 = Less than 100 |region8 ={{flagcountry|Armenia}} |pop8 = NA |langs = [[Juhuri language|Juhuri]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Azerbaijani language|Azeri]] |rels = [[Judaism]] |related = [[Persian Jews]], [[Jewish ethnic divisions|Other Jewish groups]], [[Tats]] }} '''Mountain Jews''', or '''Juhuro''', are [[Jew]]s of the eastern [[Caucasus]], mainly of [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Dagestan]]. They are also known as '''Caucasus Jews''', '''Caucasian Jews''', or more uncommonly '''East Caucasian Jews''', owing to the fact that the majority of these Jews settled the eastern part of Caucasus, though there were also historical settlements in Northwest Caucasus. The name "Mountain Jews" or "Caucasian Jews" is something of a misnomer, as it does not include [[Georgian Jews]] of the [[Caucasus Mountains]], nor does the name have any direct connection to the concept of the "[[Caucasian race]]". == Self-designation == [[Image:Mountain_jewish_woman.jpg|left|thumb|120px|Mountain Jewish woman with her children, c. 1900 (1905-06 [[Jewish Encyclopedia]])]] They call themselves "Juhuro" (or "Juwuro" in the [[Quba|Kuba]] dialect), which simply means "Jews" - any Jews, for example "Juhur Eshgenezini" - Ashkenazic Jew, while "Juhur imuni" means "our Jew", i.e. East-Caucasian Jew. They also call themselves "'ivri" and "yehudi," especially older people. In literature they have been referred to as ''East Caucasian Jews'', ''Jews'', ''Jewish Tats'', ''Juhur'', and ''Dagh Chufut''. In [[Russian language|Russian]], they are known as ''Gorskiye Yevrei'', meaning " Mountain Jews." == Location == The majority of Caucasian Jews live in [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Dagestan]]. In [[Azerbaijan]] their main settlements are [[Krasnaya Sloboda]] (part of [[Quba]], [[Vartashen]], [[Ganja]]), and some other towns. A small number of Vartashen (as well as Ganja) Jews fled to [[Tbilisi, Georgia]] leaving their wealth behind. They were called "kubelebi"(plural) or "''kubeli''" (singular) by Georgians Jews who were already living in Georgia from before. The Juhuro (or Juhurwo, as they call themselves) joined a Georgian Jewish community and were active members of a Georgian Jewish synagogue. Never created their own separate synagogue. In [[Dagestan]] they mostly live in Kaitag, and Magaramkend (three settlements), [[Derbent]], and [[Makhachkala]]. A smaller number have settled [[Northern Caucasus]] &mdash; [[Gorny]] and [[Nalchik]]. In the period 1970&ndash;90 the majority of Mountain Jews emigrated to [[Israel]], and some moved to [[Moscow]] and the [[United States]]. The majority who emigrated to the U.S. live in [[Brooklyn, New York]]. {{Fact|date=October 2007}} A small number of them immigrated to [[Germany]] after the fall of the [[Iron Curtain]]. {{Fact|date=October 2007}} == Population == {{Jews and Judaism (sidebar)}} [[Image:JEWS.jpg|thumb|left|175px|''Jewish Girls of the Caucasus'' by Vittorio Sella, in ''National Geographic'', October, 1913]] Their population is difficult to estimate, as during census the Jews have been counted as members of the overall [[Jew]]ish community, or as [[Tats]], who use a similar language. In 1926 they numbered approximately 26,000; in 1959 about 15,000 lived in [[Dagestan]] ([[Russia]] total was 16,707) and more than 10,000 in [[Azerbaijan]]. In 1979 the overall number of Jews in Dagestan was 19,000 and 35,000 in Azerbaijan; the percentage of Mountain Jews is unknown. [http://www.ethnologue.com/ Ethnologue] reports their number at 101,000: * [[Israel]] 70,000 to 100,000 * [[Azerbaijan]] 11,000 * [[Russia]] 9,000 to 25,000 * [[North America]] more than 10,000 to 40,000 ==Language== :''See main article [[Juhuri language]].'' The Jews speak [[Juhuri language|Juhuri]], or Judeo-[[Tat language|Tat]], which is related to [[Middle Persian]]. It belongs to the [[Iranian languages|Iranian]] division of the [[Indo-European languages]]. <div style="clear: left; float: left"></div> ==Ethnic origins and history== [[Image:Mountain jew.JPG|left|thumb|160px|Jewish elder, c. 1900 (source unknown)]] In terms of [[ethnic]] origin, it is assumed that the Jews and [[Tats]] have inhabited [[Caucasia]] for a long time. Their distant forefathers once lived in southwest [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the south-western part of present-day [[Iran]]. It was there that they adopted the Middle Persian language. The predecessors of the Mountain Jews settled in [[Caucasian Albania]] in the 5th&ndash;6th century and from that time on their history has been related to the mountains and the people of [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Dagestan]]. Their tradition says that they lived in the eastern Caucasus since 722 BCE {{Fact|date=October 2007}}. There are several theories about their origins. One is that they are descended from Jewish military colonists settled by [[Parthia]]n and [[Sassanid]] rulers in the Caucasus as frontier guards against [[nomadic]] incursions from the [[Pontic steppe]]. The Jews resettled from the mountains to the coastal lowlands in the 18th&ndash;19th century, but carried the name "Mountain Jews" with them. In the villages (''[[aoul]]s'') the Mountain Jews settled in a part of their own, in towns they did the same, although their dwellings did not differ from their neighbours’. The Mountain Jews also took to wearing the highlanders’ dress. Judaic prohibitions ensured they retained specific dishes, and their faith was still enshrined in the rules for family life. [[Image:Mountain jewish men.jpg|left|thumb|160px|Mountain Jewish men, c. 1900 (1905-06 [[Jewish Encyclopedia]])]] While elsewhere in the [[Jewish diaspora]] it was forbidden to own and till land (cf. the Jews of [[Central Asia]]), at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century the Mountain Jews were farmers and gardeners, growing mainly grain. Their oldest occupation was [[rice]]-growing, but raising [[silkworm]]s and [[tobacco]] was also popular. The Jewish [[vineyard]]s were especially famous. The Jews and their [[Armenia]]n neighbors were the main producers of [[wine]], an activity banned for [[Muslims]] by religion. Judaism, in turn, limited meat consumption; and unlike their neighbors, they raised few [[domestic animals]]. At the same time they were renowned tanners. [[Tanning]] was the third most important activity after farming and gardening, and at the end of the 19th century 6% of Jews were engaged in this trade. [[Handicrafts]] and commerce were mostly practiced by Jews in towns. [[Image:NalchikJewishCemetery.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Jewish cemetery in [[Nalchik]], 1993]] The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] authorities bound the Mountain Jews to collective farms, but allowed them to carry on in their traditional ways, growing grapes, tobacco, and vegetables and making wine. However, the former isolated lifestyle of the Jews has practically been eradicated, and they now live side by side with other [[ethnic groups]]. Originally education was only for the boys, who attended [[synagogue]] schools. With [[Sovietization]], Tat became the language of instruction at newly-founded elementary schools. It remained so till the beginning of [[World War II]]. The publication of the first native-language newspaper, ''Zakhmetkesh'' (Working People), began in 1928. After the war [[Russian language|Russian]] became the only acceptable language at [[Dagestan]] schools, and the publication of the newspaper stopped. Currently Mountain Jewish intellectuals are active in [[Dagestan]]i culture. {{Fact|date=October 2007}} ==Notable Mountain Jews== * [[Yekutiel Adam|Yekutiel ("''Kuti''") Adam]], a Major General in the [[Israel Defense Forces]], who was the highest ranking Israeli soldier to be killed in combat. Also his son, [[Udi Adam|Aluf Ehud "Udi" Adam]], a General in the IDF and the former head of the [[Israeli Northern Command]].{{Fact|date=September 2007}} * [[Gavril Ilizarov]], a prominent Soviet physician, orthopedic surgeon, and inventor of the [[Ilizarov apparatus]].{{Fact|date=September 2007}} * [[Zhasmin]], a Russian pop singer (real name Sara Lvovna Semendueva, [[:ru:Семендуева, Сара Львовна|Сара Львовна Семендуева]]). * [[Sarit Hadad]], a very famous Israeli singer, born "Sara Hodedtov." <div style="clear: both"></div> ==References== *''Some text used with permission from [http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/ www.eki.ee/books/redbook]. The original text can be found [http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/mountain_jews.shtml here]. ==External links== * [http://www.juhuro.com Juhuro.com], website first put together about Juhuro "Jews" by Vadim Alhasov in 2001, and later supported by Vitaliy Shalem (in Russian), who is updating the Russian-language portion weekly. [[As of 2005|As of March 2005]] the [http://juhuro.com/pages/english/english.htm English version] has not been updated for a long time. * [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=jdt Ethnologue article on Judæo-Tat] {{Asia topic|History of the Jews in}} [[Category:Azerbaijani Jews|**]] [[Category:Caucasus Jews]] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Dagestan|Jews]] [[Category:Iranian peoples|Jews]] [[Category:Jews and Judaism in Kazakhstan]] [[Category:Jews and Judaism in Persia and Iran]] [[Category:Peoples of the Caucasus|Jews]] [[br:Djouhouried]] [[de:Bergjuden]] [[fr:Juifs des montagnes]] [[hr:Gorski Židovi]] [[it:Ebrei della montagna]] [[he:יהודי ההרים]] [[hu:Hegyi zsidók]] [[ja:山岳ユダヤ人]] [[pl:Żydzi górscy]] [[ru:Горские евреи]]