Who are the Krymchaks? Krymchaks (Crimean Jews) - the mysterious sages of the Tatars Krymchaks.

11.08.202327.05.2017

Krymchaks

The ethnic history of the Krymchaks as an ethno-confessional community has almost 500 years. This era is divided into a number of periods associated with statehood on the territory of the Crimean peninsula, the policy of these states towards the Krymchaks, the consequences of which affected the ethnic processes in the history of this people.

The formation of the ethno-confessional community of the Krymchaks is associated with the appearance of the Jewish diaspora on the territory of the peninsula in the first centuries of our era and the spread of Judaism among other ethnic groups living in the Crimea.

The basis of the new community was the primacy of the secular community<джемаат>over religious<Къаал акодеш>, and the consolidation of the emerging new ethnicity was strengthened with the transition to a new place of residence, where the Krymchak community finally turned into a closed community with blood ties, a special Jewish ritual that made it possible to preserve the remnants of pagan beliefs and traditions, which turned this group of Jews into an ethno-confessional community.

During the period of the Crimean Khanate, the main place of residence of the Krymchaks was the city of Karasubazar (Belogorsk). Krymchaks also lived in Kaffa (Feodosia) - according to the Russian statement of 1783, there were<62 крымских еврея>.

By the time Crimea was included in Russia, there were 93 houses in Karasubazar belonging to the Krymchak community of up to 800 people. regarding the Jews.

The annexation of Crimea to the Russian market, the change in the former economic and political centers on the peninsula, the influx of new population - led to the exodus of a number of members of the community from Karasubazar and settlement in Crimea (in the 19th century) and beyond (late 19th - early 20th century) . According to the 1897 census, the number of Krymchaks was 4.5 thousand people. In 1913, an initiative group of Krymchaks undertook a communal census of their people. According to this census, there were 5282 people, of which 2714 were male and 2568 were female. Considering that up to 1.5 thousand Krymchaks lived in Simferopol at that time, it is possible to estimate the number of community up to 7000 people. Outside the Crimean peninsula, the Krymchaks lived in the cities of Mariupol, Novorossiysk, Genichesk, Berdyansk, Odessa, Lugansk, Sukhumi.

Arrival in the Crimea at the beginning of the XIX century. a large number of ethnic Jews led to the active displacement of the Krymchaks from their ancient prayer houses, forcing them to build new ones, which caused a confrontation with the Jews and further consolidated their own ethnicity in self-consciousness. In the literary sources of this time, honesty, cleanliness and tidiness in everyday life, intra-communal isolation of the Krymchaks are noted.

The establishment of Soviet power and the implementation of a new national policy had irreversible consequences for the Krymchaks: a cultural and educational society was formed as a substitute for the institution of the secular community; religion is declared a private matter for everyone; the school is separated from the church, and teaching until the mid-30s. was conducted in the lower grades in the Krymchak language, and in the older ones in Russian. As a result, religious education was lost, the native language was replaced by Russian.

The 1926 census recorded 6,400 Krymchaks. With the introduction of the passport system in the USSR, Krymchaks began to be entered in their passports<крымчак>, <крымчачка>.

Nazi Germany, having occupied the Crimean peninsula, carried out the genocide of the Krymchaks, as adherents of Judaism. If before the Great Patriotic War there were about 9,000 representatives of this nationality, then the 1959 census noted about 2,000 people.

After the deportation of the Crimean Tatars from the Crimea in 1944, the Krymchaks were subjected to various harassment by the state: they no longer entered their nationality<крымчак>in passports, they refused to open their prayer house, offering to profess a cult with the Jews, censorship did not allow publications on the topic of Krymchaks. At the same time, the cultural and educational activities of E.I. Peisakh, who began collecting materials on Krymchak history and folklore, and united around him those who wanted to deal with these issues, were unfolding.

The state's attitude towards community changed in the late 1980s. In 1989, the Krymchaks created a national cultural society<Кърымчахлар>, which set as its goal the revival of national culture and the already almost lost native language.

Despite the loss of their native language, confession, and a number of cultural and everyday features, the Krymchaks living today retain their ethnic identity, separating themselves from representatives of other peoples and ethnic groups.

In the Karasubazar period of history, the Krymchak community lived compactly in the eastern part of the city along the left bank of the Kara-su River. This area dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. was called the "Krymchak side". The houses of the Krymchaks, according to the testimony of the authors of the last century, were built of rubble stone on clay mortar. The walls of residential buildings from the outside and inside were coated with clay mortar and whitewashed with lime. The roofs were covered with "Tatarka" tiles (a type of tile shaped like a medieval calipter). The windows of the houses overlooked the courtyard, a solid stone wall and a fence were facing the street, hiding the life of the household from prying eyes.

An ordinary dwelling, characteristic of an average Krymchak family, was preserved among the Krymchaks of Karasubazar until the 40s. 20th century Its description is presented in an unpublished ethnographic essay by I.S. rooms.

The decoration of the rooms was distinguished by a special comfort: earthen floors were covered with special soft felt - "kiiz" - and rugs - "kilim", mattresses - "minder" were laid around the walls, long pillows "yan yastykhlar" covered with chintz covers were placed around the walls. All these pillows were covered with long and narrow bedspreads woven by the housewife's hand - "yanchik".

In the middle of the room there was a low round table "sofra", at which the family gathered for a meal. At night, the room turned into a bedroom, mattresses spread all over the floor. In the morning, all mattresses and blankets were folded in a niche specially adapted for this. "Charchef" was neatly covered with white bedspreads, "bash yastykhlar" pillows were symmetrically placed on top and the so-called "yuk" was constructed, now "yuk" is replaced by beds, "sofra" - by tables, "minderlik" - by chairs, clothes, linen are folded in chests, copper utensils are placed on the shelves. There is always enough utensils in every Krymchak house: when their daughters get married, parents supply them with all the necessary utensils, in accordance with various types of Krymchak dishes.

The food ration of the Krymchaks was based on agricultural and livestock products. Not the last place was given to fish, mainly from the Black Sea and Azov. The first dishes - such as soups (shorva) and borsch - were prepared both lean and based on meat broth with the addition of dough and vegetables.

"Bakla-Shorvasy" - based on lean broth with the addition of speckled beans (bakla), fried onions and homemade noodles. The basis of "bakla-shorva" was beef or lamb broth, white beans, noodles and greens. Borscht was cooked in meat broth - (uchkundur) from beets and cabbage; "ekshli ash" - from sorrel and spinach. Soups were often seasoned with meat "ears", such as small dumplings. In summer, cold borscht was served based on lean broth with vegetables and herbs, with sour cream or katyk (yogurt).

Second courses were usually meat. Stewed meat (kavurma) was served with a side dish of fried or boiled potatoes, boiled rice or homemade noodles (umech). From fatty beef or lamb they prepared: "tavete" - stew with rice, "borana" - meat stewed with cabbage, "kartof-ashi" - stew boiled with potatoes and other vegetables, etc. Meatballs were made from minced meat - "kafte", various stuffed vegetables - "tolma" - stuffed cabbage, "yaproakh-sarmasy" - cabbage rolls from grape leaves, "buber-ashi" - stuffed bell peppers, "alma-tolmasy" - stuffed apples, etc.

Dough products (hamurdan) played a special role in the diet of the Krymchaks. From puff pastry, a pie stuffed with meat, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and greens was prepared - "kubete"; portioned pie with meat and vegetable filling - "pastel"; pies with various fillings - "choche" and others, including sweet cookies. Various dumplings were made from unleavened dough: "suzme" - small meat dumplings served in walnut sauce; "flask" - semicircular dumplings with cottage cheese or cheese; dumplings with various fillings, ears, noodles and more. Among the fried products made from unleavened dough, the most popular were "chir-chir" - hemispherical chebureks with meat filling, "stoop tablu" - round-shaped chebureks, cakes - "katlama", "urchuk" - cookies - brushwood.

A variety of sweet pastries and sweets complemented the table on weekdays and holidays. Everyday bread cakes - "pte" (like lavash) were baked from yeast dough.

Among the drinks served at the table were coffee (kara kave), tea, "arle" - based on toasted flour and honey - had a ritual character. Intoxicated drinks included buza made from wheat, grape wine (sharap), and grape vodka (raky).

NATIONAL COSTUME

Krymchak men's clothing, according to the description of the beginning of the current century, consisted of "a blue arkhaluk, tied with a wide belt with silver decorations, regardless of a small dagger or a copper inkwell with all writing accessories." This appearance of the men's suit is significantly supplemented by the testimony of I.S. Kaya: "Krymchak's typical clothing is a round lambskin hat, a black jacket or coat long to the knees, trousers wide at the bottom, soft boots of the" places ", over which they wear "katyr" - heavy hard leather galoshes.

The sides of the caftan and the lapels of the sleeves were decorated with patterns of gold and silver embroidery. A black silk apron, often with lace, was usually worn over the caftan.

Older women wore a false headdress "bash bugs", which consisted of several separate parts. The traditional shoes of the Crimeans were soft leather shoes - "papuchi".

Young Krymchaks rarely appeared on the street, "and then only covered from head to toe, inclusive, with white blankets." The clothes of the Krymchaks were complemented by decorations, among which the neck was obligatory, such as a monist, which consisted of silver and gold coins suspended on a cord. Other decorations included rings, earrings and bracelets.

Belts, usually type-setting (filigree for the past - the beginning of our century), - an obligatory gift from parents to a bride-daughter on her wedding day - were not worn every day.

TRADITIONS

wedding ceremony

The age of marriage in the middle of the 19th - early 20th centuries for Krymchak girls was usually 13-16 years old, for boys 16-18 years old. Even before the beginning of the 20th century. the custom of conspiracy of parents about the marriage of children was preserved, often when they were in infancy.

The future husband and wife could meet at some holiday or family celebration. The symbol of matchmaking was the girl's acceptance of an expensive gift ("Be"), usually a gold ornament, which was presented by the matchmaker ("elchi") on behalf of the groom. This was followed by an assignment - ("nyshan") - a meeting of the parents of the groom ("kuyv") and the bride ("kelin") to determine the size of the dowry. Usually weddings were scheduled for the fall, less often they were played in the spring.

The wedding began on Sunday night ("yuh kun"). The bride's dowry was arranged and hung in one of the rooms of her parents' house ("jeiz asmah") for showing to those who wished to see it ("jeiz kormek"). On Tuesday ("ortakun"), a bachelorette party ("kyz kechesy") was arranged, on Wednesday ("kan kun") - a bachelor party ("yashlar kechesy"). On these evenings, the relatives of the bride and groom exchange handkerchiefs - ("marama sermek"), and the bride and groom give a gift obligatory according to custom to their "milk mothers" ("emchek ana"). The manager at the wedding ("igitler agasy") was one of the relatives or acquaintances of the groom. On Wednesday evening, invited guests, a clergyman ("rebs") came to the bride's house and made an inventory of the dowry. On the same evening, the dowry was transported to the mother-in-law's house, where the women of the groom's family laid out things in chests, leaving only what was needed for the wedding - a wedding dress, bed linen, pillows. They prepared a marriage bed for the young.

The wedding day - Thursday ("kichkene kun") began with the ritual bathing of the groom ("kuuv amamy") and the bride ("kelin amamy") in the bath. And in the dressing room an orchestra played, the ceremony of bathing and combing the hair of the bride, bathing and cutting the hair of the groom, planted in the women's and men's sections of the bath in the central places - "Orta tash", was accompanied by dances, songs, a meal with young wine. Then the bride was taken home, where she was dressed for the wedding. The bride's clothes were white, the headdress "chimney ardor" was obligatory for the wedding - it covered the face with tubes of glass beads. The mother of the bride put on her three golden monists - "yuzlik altyn", "altyn", "mamadyalar". The father was girdling the bride. After that, the mother, above her daughter's head, broke into pieces the pte bread cake, poured with a mixture of honey and butter, and distributed them to those present. All these actions were accompanied by ritual songs.

When the bridegroom and his relatives came for the bride, the "chimney ardor" was temporarily removed, and the bride's head was covered with a special silk scarf, so that she could not see anything. The young woman was taken out of the house by young married women ("sagdych") appointed for this, surrounded by children holding lighted candles in their hands. The side of the bride presented those present and those who blocked the way to the bride - with scarves, handkerchiefs, capes, handed out wine and vodka, after which the road opened, and the young, surrounded by children with candles and relatives, went to the prayer house of the Krymchaks "kaal".

On the way, the bride's brother addressed her with a ritual song, the refrain of which "do, do, do:" was picked up by the children. In the kaal courtyard, according to the Jewish religious ritual, a canopy was installed on four pillars. The bride was again put on the "pool of chippers", and she went with the groom under the canopy, where they were crowned by the Krymchak clergyman - "rebs". In addition to the usual prayers and blessings of the Jewish ritual, he took a rooster in his hands and circled it three times over the heads of the newlyweds. After the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom went to the groom's house to the songs and dances of the guests. In the groom's house, the wedding celebration took place separately on the male and female halves, where tables were laid. The meal was interrupted by songs and dances. In the female part, the bride was seated in a niche for beds behind a wooden arch "shrimp" - she had to fast. The guests dispersed at the beginning of Friday night.

On Friday ("aine kun") in the morning, after the wedding night, the bride and groom were woken up by the "khevra" women and the bride's linen ("korymna") was taken away. From that moment on, for a week, the newlyweds were forbidden intimacy, while the young woman was not supposed to leave home. On Saturday ("Shabbat kun") the wedding continued. In the morning the groom went to "kaal", where he was instructed to read the Torah - the holy scripture. The bride received guests - women bringing gifts - "kelin kermek". To do this, she was dressed in all her wedding clothes, her mother-in-law tied a scarf on her head, which was obligatory for a married woman to wear - “kyih”, her face was hidden behind the “pool of chippers”. Until the evening, the festivities continued at the laid tables. In the evening, the youth dispersed and the elderly came, for whom Shabbat food and sweets were served.

On Sunday, members of the Khevra Hakodesh funeral fraternity gathered in a separate apartment to inspect the bride's "korymna". For them, the bride's relatives set the tables with food, new wine and vodka, they also presented the "khevra" with gifts. For forty days after the wedding, the bride was not to leave the house and show herself to strangers, observing the rite of modesty. On the first Monday after the wedding, the young people bought themselves a place in the cemetery.

Birth of a child

Even at the beginning of the 20th century, Krymcha women gave birth to children at home. The birth was taken by the midwife "ebanai". Be sure to invite a young nursing mother - one of the relatives or friends of the woman in labor. She was the first to give her breast to a newborn and become his milk mother - "emchek ana". On the eighth day, newborn boys were circumcised ("sunet"), and for girls a holiday was held for naming - "at koshmakh". On this day, guests came with gifts, "emchek ana" brought a drink "arle" and treated those present. This custom was called "kave ichmek."

Funeral rite

In the funeral rite of the Krymchaks, remnants of the former pagan ideas reconciled with Judaism were preserved. This ceremony was carried out by the funeral society "Hevra Akodesh" - elderly men and women who voluntarily assumed these duties. In Karasubazar until the early 1940s. the dead were buried with their heads oriented to the north-north-west in a rectangular grave with shoulders. According to the level of the shoulders, the pit was covered with wooden planks or flooring and covered with earth. The cemetery was located on the opposite bank of the Kara-su River and women who participated in the funeral procession were allowed to walk to the bridge. On the way to the cemetery, the men sang a special hymn addressed to the god Tengri. At the cemetery, in a special chapel located at the entrance, the deceased was commemorated with vodka, "choche" pies and hard-baked eggs - "amin yamyrta". After returning from the cemetery in the house of the deceased, a commemoration (“avel ashi”) was organized separately for men and women, while food and alcoholic drinks were brought by relatives of the deceased’s family. On the seventh and thirtieth days, and also after eleven months from the date of death, "tkun" was held - a wake with alcoholic drinks and a meal in the house of the deceased. Among the obligatory ritual dishes at the wake were hard-baked eggs, which were sprinkled with a mixture of salt and pepper, meat pies - "choche", "kara alva" (black halva) and "arle". The mourning of the family of the deceased lasted 40 days. After 11 months, a monument was erected at the head of the grave.

The custom of a symbolic funeral

The custom of cutting funeral clothes and the symbolic burial of old people who have reached their sixtieth birthday - "kefenlik bechmek" - was associated with funeral rites. Members of the funeral fraternity, invited to conduct the ceremony, cut out trousers, a shirt and a cap, as well as a pillowcase from white fabric, but did not sew them together. Their work was accompanied by the singing of ritual songs, funeral Jewish prayers, the singing of secular songs, which were also performed at the request of the "burial", stories about various remarkable cases and events in his life. At the same time, "azeken" - as they now called the one over whom the ceremony was performed, lying on a felt carpet in the middle of the room, took an active part in the procedure of his "funeral". After finishing the cutting of funeral clothes and giving gifts to the representatives of "Khevra Akodesh", they proceeded to a festive meal with alcoholic drinks.

FOLKLORE

The first records of oral folk art of the Krymchaks were made by the Krymchaks themselves. Since the middle of the 19th century, handwritten collections of "Jonka" came into fashion, the form of which was distributed among Krymchak families. These were notebooks sewn from separate sheets, in which prayers and songs were written in the Krymchak language, separate biblical texts, both in Krymchak and in Hebrew, proverbs and sayings, songs, fairy tales, riddles, conspiracies.

EAGLE AND HER SONS

(Krymchak parable)

One night there was a terrible storm. Trouble approached the eagle’s nest, and she said to her sons: “We need to fly away from here. But you are still weak for such flights, but I can’t carry both of them across the sea at once. One will have to stay in the nest and wait for me to return for him.”

The sons took the news in different ways. One screamed and wept, frightened by the storm. The other calmly told his mother that he would stay in the nest to wait for her. The eagle took a trembling, squeaking eaglet, put it on its back and flew through the storm to the ground. When they were already half way, she asked her wailing chick: "Son, I have already exhausted myself, saving you. And what will you do when I become old and feeble?"

"Mom," the eaglet squeaked, "I will take care of you every day and carry you on my back!" - and from fear he again trembled and screamed. - threw the chick into the raging sea and flew back to the island. She barely had time to snatch the remaining chick from the nest, as a wave swept over the rock. The bird flew heavily through the hurricane. Huge waves threatened to swallow her and the chick. Halfway to earth, she asked the second son the same question as the first. “Mom,” the eaglet replied calmly, “I don’t know what my life will be like. Probably, I will have my own family, children who need my help. But I will always remember you and take care of you as much as possible.” “You will be an eagle.” ", - said the mother eagle, carrying her son to the ground.

Since then, the Krymchaks say: "The bird acts as it was taught in the nest."

HOW THE WISE GOULUSH NYSYMAKAYU HELPED

(Krymchak fairy tale)

A long time ago in Karasubazar (now Belogorsk) - lived and was an old jeweler - kuyumdzhi Nysymakai (Grandfather Nysym). When his wife died, he decided to leave the craft, to transfer the workshop and the acquired property to three adult sons, and to take up the upbringing of his grandchildren himself.

As I thought, so I did.

Soon, when he was visiting his eldest son, grandfather Nysym began to feel the displeased looks of his son and daughter-in-law on himself. A few days later, the eldest son asked her if he wanted to stay with the middle one. And although the grandchildren were crying and did not want to let their grandfather go, Nysymakai gathered his knapsack and went to the middle son. He did not live long in the family of his middle one, he went to the younger one. But he very soon told his father that he was staying with them. Nysymakai did not answer, although his heart was torn with anger and grief. He collected a knapsack, went out the gate and went wherever his eyes looked.

On his rainy day, the old man Nysymakai walks along the Krymchak side of Karasubazar, tears flowing down his wrinkled cheeks. And towards the beautiful Gulyush. No wonder the name "Gulush" means "smile": from the smile and beauty of the girl, the day became brighter, and people kinder and more cheerful.

"Hello, grandfather Nysym!" - Gulyush's voice rang out like a bell. She noticed tears on the old man's face, understood everything at once, but did not show it. She said: "Grandfather Nysym! Come to me for pasties!" She took the old man by the hand and led him to her house. She seated the guest in a place of honor, poured him a delicious black bean soup - shorva, put a dish with delicious golden chebureks. When Nysymakai had eaten, and grapes and fruits appeared on a low table - sofra, Gulyush began to ask him about his grandchildren. Nysymakai loved his grandchildren very much, was proud of them and told Gulyush for a long time about their tricks and pranks. But then the conversation turned to his sons, and Nysymakai told his sad story. Gulyush listened to him, thought, and when the first stars appeared in the sky, and the silver month hung over Mount Ak-Kaya, she gave Nysymakai wise advice...

In the morning, Nysymakai went to the prayer house of the Krymchaks "Kaal" to the chief priest - the rabbis, put a carved chest at his feet and said: "O wise rabbi! You know that I was a good jeweler, and now I want to bequeath my treasure to someone who will inspect me. Let it be kept in the temple until my death."

The news of Nysymakai's treasure and will quickly reached his sons. With sweet speeches, vying with each other, they began to turn to their father with a request to live in their homes, repented of their callousness and stupidity. The old man forgave them and first went to live with his eldest son. Lived with him in honor and respect. A year later, he responded to the entreaties of the middle one, went to him, and then heeded the request of the younger. For many more years, Nysymakai lived out his life, surrounded by the care of his loved ones, to the delight of his grandchildren. But then the day came when he closed his eyes forever. The sons and their wives ran to the wise rabbi in order to receive the treasure promised as an inheritance. Each proved that he had better inspected his father. The rabbis took the casket and said that he considered it fair to divide the treasure between his sons equally.

He unlocked the lock on the chest and threw back the lid. The chest was empty, only at the bottom of it lay a sheet of parchment. He took it, unfolded it and read the words written by old Nysymakai: "I bequeath to you, my sons, and to all people a great treasure - wisdom. Raise your children so that in old age you will not be afraid for your last days."

Photos of beautiful places in Crimea

Krymchaks: people gathered from all over the world

They say that the people of Krymchaks are gathered from all over the world - their surnames serve as proof of this. For example, Demarji, Kolpakchi, Bakshi, Izmerln, Abaev, Gurji are from Asia Minor and the Caucasus; Angelo, Lombroso, Piastre, Manto, Trevgoda - from Italy and Spain. But most often among the Krymchaks there are surnames of Ashkenazi origin: Berman, Varshavsky, Ashkenazi, Weinberg, Lurie, Zeltser, Fisher, Lekhno and Jewish: Haham, Pesach, Purim, Raben, Ben-Tovim, Shalom, Mizrachi ...

"Krymchaks are neither Jews nor Turks, although their religion is Judaism and their language is Turkic."

"Krymchaks are called primitive Crimean Jews."

"Krymchaks are the Tatarized Jews"...

Disputes about who the Krymchaks are do not subside even today. But it is absolutely known that this small people, who have inhabited the Crimean peninsula for many centuries, as well as the Karaites, is threatened with complete extinction.

The small people of the Krymchaks formed in the VI-VIII centuries. AD from the tribe of the Khazar Khaganate and other Turkic and non-Turkic peoples, including Jews. It is believed that at that time one of the Jewish tribes settled in the lower reaches of the Volga, on the land of the Khazar nomads, and was able to seize power there. Later, the Khazaria broke up, and the remnants of the Jewish population, including the Krymchaks, settled in the Crimea.
In the XV century. the main center of the Crimean Rabbanite Jews was the city of Kafa (Feodosia); However, at the end of the XVIII century. most of the Jews lived in Karasu-Bazar (now Belogorsk), which continued to be the main center of the Krymchaks until the mid-1920s, when most of them moved to Simferopol.
Only at the end of the XIX century. Krymchaks began to use the word "kirymchakh" as a self-name - from the Russian "Krymchak". The name "Krymchaks" ("Jewish Krymchaks") first appears in official Russian sources since 1859. In appearance, customs, customs and way of life, the Krymchaks were close to the mountain Tatars, but differed from them in golden-red hair color. Just like the Tatars, they built their houses from Crimean stone, with windows facing the courtyard, so a solid wall went out onto the street. Travelers of the 19th century noted that women "whitened a lot, blushed, painted their palms with yellow-red paint." The Krymchaks spoke the Jagatai dialect, in writing they resorted to the Hebrew script; were mainly engaged in crafts and gardening. Krymchaks were known as good family men; distinguished by honesty, hospitality and love for the household. “Krymchaks are almost all tall, swarthy in color, stately and slender. Directness is expressed in their gaze and posture. They are polite and affectionate. Their way of life is extremely simple and temperate. Their attachment to the family hearth is extremely strong. Purity of morals is exemplary everywhere and everywhere. The Krymchak family is a patriarchal family in which the father, as its head, enjoys unlimited power: the wife and children obey him implicitly. In general, respect for elders is sacred and unshakable,” a contemporary wrote about the Krymchaks.

The houses of the Krymchaks, according to the testimony of the authors of the last century, were built of rubble stone on clay mortar. The walls of residential buildings from the outside and inside were coated with clay mortar and whitewashed with lime. The roofs were covered with tiles - Tatar. The decoration of the rooms was distinguished by a special comfort: earthen floors were covered with special soft felt “kiiz” and rugs - “kilim”, mattresses were laid around the walls, long pillows covered with chintz covers were placed around, long and narrow bedspreads woven by the hand of a housewife - “yanchik” were covered on top.
In the middle of the room was a low round table - "sofra", at which the family gathered for a meal. At night, the room turned into a bedroom: mattresses were laid out all over the floor ... ".

On the table, the Krymchaks usually had agricultural and animal products. Not the last place was given to fish, mainly from the Black Sea and Azov. Stewed meat (kavurma) was served with a side dish of fried or boiled potatoes, boiled rice or homemade noodles. Products made from puff pastry played a special role in the diet of the Krymchaks: kubete was baked from it - a pie stuffed with meat, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and greens.

The Karaites always had tea and coffee in high esteem. Among the intoxicating drinks, preference was given to buz - a carbonated intoxicating drink made from millet, grape wine and grape vodka.
Since the middle of the 19th century, handwritten collections of "Jonka" came into fashion, distributed among Krymchak families. They were sewn from separate sheets of a notebook, they recorded prayers and songs, biblical texts, fairy tales, riddles, incantations, proverbs and sayings. "The bird does as it was taught in the nest"; “My daughter, I tell you, and you, my daughter-in-law, listen”; “You are the master, I am the master, and who will milk the cow?”...

Kubete recipe:

Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 0.8 cm with a rolling pin, put it on the bottom of a deep pan, greased with fat, so that the edges rise along the walls. Put the filling on the dough: onions, potatoes, meat, decorate with herbs and tomatoes on top. Roll out the blank for the top to 0.5 cm, make a hole in the middle, around which raise the edge of the dough. Pinch the edges of the top and bottom. Pour 3 tbsp through the hole. l. water or broth, grease the top with an egg or tea leaves, put in the oven. Bake for about an hour, adding more broth or water.
Previously, kubete was served hot on the table without being removed from the baking sheet. They cut it on the table - this was the honorable duty of men. The top was opened and divided into portions, laid out on plates, then the filling was served with a spoon. The last was cut into portions and served with a crispy bottom. The top and bottom were kept instead of bread, the filling was eaten with a fork.
REFERENCE. Krymchaks are a small nationality that formed on the basis of the ancient population of Crimea, who later adopted the Jewish religion with a layering of Khazar, Jewish, Italian, Tatar elements in the medieval period of Crimean history. The Krymchak language is included in the same language group with the Crimean Tatar language, the Krymchaks call it "Chagatai"; only a few older people now speak the language.

Until the end of the XIX century. the center of Krymchak life was in Karasu-bazaar (now Belogorsk). There was also a single Krymchak community, there were three prayer houses. They kept up to 200 sacred lists on parchment.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Krymchaks observed the obligatory Jewish holidays: Purim, Pesach, Matyn Torah, Rosh-ha-Shana, Sukkah, Simkhas Torah, Shabbat, Hanukkah. Due to the fact that the Krymchak people professed classical Talmudic Judaism, in Tsarist Russia they were subjected to the same discrimination as the Jews.
Krymchaks were forbidden to own land - this determined the economic difficulties of their further development: they were forced to engage in petty trade and handicrafts. Nicholas I introduced a double recruitment duty for the Jews. In an effort to excommunicate the Krymchaks from Judaism and impose Orthodoxy on them, the tsarist officials began to take children from the age of 12 to military service, which lasted 25 years, forcing them to forget their religion, their native language, and even their own surname.
In 1887, a small Krymchak synagogue was opened in Sevastopol - the prayer house of the Crimean Jewish community. During the Civil War, the community acquired a private house on Azovskaya Street with a capacity of up to 65 people and moved into this building.
Secular community
The Krymchak secular community "dzhemaat", which was led by old people from various social strata, monitored the observance of the rights and obligations of its citizens. At various obligatory holidays held by wealthy Krymchaks, sums were collected that went to the public treasury. The money from these fees was used to build profitable houses and enterprises, issued as loans at interest to fellow tribesmen, went to purchase what was necessary to support the poor, widows and orphans.
The council of the elderly, led by the "rebs", resolved various litigations between the Krymchaks, while customary law was on the side of the poor.
At the end of the XIX century. the last known head of the Krymchak community, Rabbi Khizkiyahu Medini, tried to return Talmudic scholarship to the people. Living in the Crimea, for 33 years he compiled the famous Talmudic encyclopedia "Sde Hemed", which he completed already in the Holy Land, where at the beginning of the 20th century he founded a religious school in Hebron.
The activation of the social and political life of the Krymchaks began in 1923-1924. Kindergartens, schools, clubs, cultural societies began to open. There were kindergartens in Sevastopol and Simferopol. In the primary grades, teaching was conducted in the Krymchak language, and in the senior grades - in Russian. In 1926, two Krymchak schools opened in Crimea.
In 1926, clubs began to open in Simferopol, Sevastopol, Karasu Bazaar and Feodosia in order to unite semi-literate Krymchaks.
In 1912, the number of Krymchaks in Russia was 6383 people, of which six thousand were in the Crimea. The decrease in the number of Krymchaks is associated with the civil war and famine of 1921-1922, during which about 700 members of the community died, as well as with emigration to Israel and America.
In 1925, the Simferopol Board of the Cultural and Educational Society of the Krymchaks applied to the Central Statistical Office with a request to classify the Krymchaks as a separate ethnic group with a native language during the upcoming census. For the first time, Krymchaks, along with other national minorities, received the right to higher education. But already at the end of the second decade of the XX century. almost in all cities of Crimea, Krymchak churches began to be closed.
In the prewar period, a national intelligentsia appeared and grew stronger among the Krymchaks. These are writer and poet I. Selvinsky, poet and journalist Hero of the Soviet Union Ya. Chapichev, engineers Sh. Achkinazi and laureate of the State Prize M. Trevgoda...
During the Great Patriotic War, Crimea was occupied by German troops in October 1941. Only a small part of the Krymchaks managed to evacuate. Not being sure of their belonging to the Jewish race, the Nazis sent an inquiry to Berlin about whether the Krymchaks, like the Jews, should be destroyed. Of the 40,000 Jews of Crimea exterminated by the Nazis, about 6,000 were Krymchaks. According to the Einsatzgruppen B report, during the period from November 16 to December 15, 1941, 2504 Krymchaks were destroyed in the western Crimea.
In July 1942, in Sevastopol, among the 4,200 residents of the city of Jewish origin, Krymchaks were also shot. More than 6 thousand Karaites became victims of the Holocaust - this is 80% of all Krymchaks in the territory of the former USSR.
Krymchaks fought in the ranks of the Soviet Army and partisan detachments.
Among the Krymchaks who died in battles was the poet Ya.I. Chapichev, who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After the deportation of the Crimean Tatars from the Crimea in 1944, the Krymchaks were subjected to various harassment by the state. In the passport in the column "nationality" it was forbidden to indicate the true: Jews, Karaites, Georgians, Tatars or Gypsies, but not Krymchaks. They were refused permission to open their prayer house, they were not allowed to publish publications on the topic of the Krymchaks...

The most active representatives decided to unite in order to preserve the disappearing foundations of the community. At this time, the cultural and educational activities of E.I. Peisakh, who began collecting materials on Krymchak history and folklore and united around him everyone who wanted to deal with the issues of his people.
Many Krymchaks repatriated to Israel in the 1990s under the Israeli Law of Return.
In 1989, the cultural and educational society of the Krymchaks "Kyrymchahlar" was created with the aim of reviving the national culture of this small, disappearing people.
Today there are 134 members of Krymchak families in Sevastopol. Since 1990, there has been a national-cultural society "Kyrymchahlar" in our city, which cooperates with the society "Krymchahlar" of Simferopol.

In memory of the Krymchaks exterminated during the Second World War, since 1944, annually in December, the Krymchak society has held a meeting-requiem "Tukun" with a ritual feast in memory of July 12, 1942, when the Nazis destroyed all Sevastopol Jews and Krymchaks.
In Sevastopol in 2003, a monument to the "Victims of the Holocaust" was opened, established thanks to the efforts of the Jewish community "Hesed-Shahar" in memory of 4,200 Sevastopol residents - Jews and Krymchaks, who were shot on July 12, 1942.

December 11 is considered the Day of Remembrance of the Krymchaks and Jews of Crimea - victims of Nazism. On this day, the flag of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is flown to half-mast on the territory of the autonomy. Jewish organizations of the Crimea, representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, public organizations gather at the 11th km of the Feodosia Highway to honor the memory of the victims of Nazism. The Krymchak population of Crimea today is just over 200 people. The life of the Krymchak community of the peninsula is led by the cultural and educational society "Kyrymchahlar" headed by honorary chairman Yu.M. Purim, coordinating the actions of the republican society. Great work is being done by David Rebi, who has published a number of valuable books and articles on the history of the Krymchak people. He is currently translating and publishing junks. David Rebi is one of the few members of the community who is still fluent in the colloquial Krymchak ethnolect.

Today, the Sevastopol branch of the society "Kyrymchahlar" is working on the creation of a photo album "Krymchaks of Sevastopol - participants in the restoration of the post-war city", which will be dedicated to the 225th anniversary of the city. “The goal of our work,” says the chairman of the Sevastopol Krymchak Society, Galina Antonovna Levi, “is to preserve and record all the materials of the people who remained in Sevastopol. We take an active part in all the holidays held by ANCOS.”

Krymchaks are a small part of the Crimean population, formed into a small nationality (ethno-confessional community) in the medieval period of Crimean history. According to the last census of the population of the USSR in 1989, there were 1,448 Krymchaks, of which 604 lived in Crimea.

Believing Krymchaks are Jews, but their liturgy differed from both Sephardic and Ashkenazi rituals, since at the beginning of the 16th century. The Crimean liturgy itself was created - "The Ritual of Kafa", which made it possible to unite representatives of the multi-ethnic Jewish communities of the peninsula, on the basis of the old-timer Turkic-speaking Jewish community. Until the beginning of the 20th century, researchers noted the cult syncretism of the Krymchaks, the presence of numerous remnant elements of Turkic pagan cults, and archaisms of the Turkic vocabulary. This can be explained by the fact that the Turkic-speaking old-timer community until the 16th century. had a long history. Judaism on the territory of the Crimean peninsula was already at the very beginning of its appearance here in the 1st centuries. AD acquired a peculiar ethnic coloration, using forced proselytism (conversion to Judaism) as an involvement in the community of slaves - representatives of other ethnic groups. This is evidenced by the manumissions of the Bosporan kingdom - legal acts on the release of slaves, subject to their transfer under the protection of the Jewish community. In the VIII - X centuries. the arrival of the Turkic-speaking Khazars, whose state and deology became Judaism, even more influenced the consciousness of representatives of the Jewish ethno-confessional community, revived the old pagan ideas and cults. From the period of the Khazar Khaganate in the Krymchak community of Karasubazar, a relic "The Book of Major and Minor Prophets" was preserved (kept in the funds of the St. Petersburg part of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences), dated with an epigraph-postscript - 847. Another postscript of this book reads: "It was I Ishak the clerk of the kagan wrote" . Even in the XII century. messianic unrest (waiting for a savior - the messiah) was noted among the Khazar Jews of Crimea.

During the time of the Crimean Khanate, the main communities of Krymchaks lived in Karasubazar and Cafe (it was directly subordinate to the Ottoman Empire). Small community, organized by the type of Karasubazar were in other cities of the Crimea. Krymchaks were mainly artisans - tanners, saddlers, saddlers, shoemakers, etc., however, they had the skills of gardening, viticulture and horticulture.

The arrival of the Russian Empire to the territory of Crimea changed the path of the ethnic history of many peoples who lived here from the 1st millennium AD. For the Krymchaks, the period from 1783 to the beginning of the 20th century became a transitional milestone on the way to European culture and education, sometimes cruel in the irreversible changes that they did not understand regarding their traditional way of life.

During the years of Soviet power and the national corrections and leveling in the field of culture, life and language, the Krymchaks became similar to representatives of other national minorities. Having gained access to education, participating in the formation of a new Soviet culture, representatives of various professions left the Krymchaks, a layer of intelligentsia appeared. An example of this is the poets Ilya Selvinsky and Yakov Chapichev.

The German occupation of Crimea (1941-1944) dealt an irreparable blow to the Krymchaks - up to 80% of the people were destroyed by the fascist genocide. In fact, the community was threatened with extinction.

The absurdity of the national policy towards many small peoples in the post-war period of the USSR, which was reflected in the Krymchaks, intensified the consolidation processes within the community, contributed to the strengthening of self-awareness.

In 1989, the cultural and educational society of the Krymchaks "Kyrymchahlar" was created with the aim of reviving the national culture of this small, disappearing people.

Ethnonym

<Крымчаки> (<кърымчах>) is the self-name of representatives of a small people (according to the 1989 census, there were 1448 people on the territory of the former USSR, of which 604 lived in Crimea), which was formed in the medieval period on the territory of the Crimean peninsula as an ethno-confessional community of multi-ethnic admirers of the reformed Jewish ritual.

In various documents on historiography of the late XVIII - XIX centuries. stands out as the official name -<крымские евреи>, and in the literary version -<крымчаки>, <евреи-крымчаки>, <константинопольские евреи>, <турецкие евреи>, <татарские евреи>, <крымские раббаниты>, <крымские раввинисты>. In the scientific literature since the second half of the XIX century. ethnonym is used<крымчаки>.

The community of Krymchaks with the transition to a new place of residence - Karasubazar (now the city of Belogorsk) at the first stage was formed from the community of Solkhat (Crimea). Perhaps the self-name of the group -<крымчаки>, has come down to us from the name of the former place of residence of the settlers.

The ethnic history of the Krymchaks as an ethno-confessional community has almost 500 years.

Krymchaks of Karasubazar

Krymchaks are a small ethnic group that formed on the territory of Crimea many centuries ago. The history and ethnography of this people are still waiting for their researchers. But, unfortunately, the number of Krymchaks is drastically decreasing. According to the 1989 census, 1148 people lived on the territory of the USSR, of which 604 lived in the Crimea ...

Along the left bank of the Kara-su River, immersed in the greenery of fruit trees, the streets of the Krymchak community stretched -<Кърымчахлар джамаат>. Even at the beginning of our century, this part of Karasubazar (today's Belogorsk) was called the Krymchak side. Large families of Krymchaks lived in one-story hut houses, mainly tanners, saddlers, shoemakers, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, jewelers, whose work was so necessary both for the inhabitants of Karasubazar and its environs, and for caravans passing through the city.

A very long time ago, when the Krymchaks lived under the auspices of the Khazar Khaganate - a powerful state stretching from the Caspian to the Black Sea - together with other peoples who inhabited the Crimea, they adopted an ancient religion - Judaism. When the Khazar state perished in the 10th century, the Krymchaks remained true to their religion. True, in the old fashioned way, they still offered up prayers to the supreme pagan God of all Turkic tribes - Tangra.

In order to practice their religion and survive among Christians and Muslims, the Krymchaks united in a community of relatives. It was led by especially wise old men. They made sure that the laws and traditions of the fathers were fulfilled, and poverty did not concern the Krymchak families. On holidays, a small sealed box with a slot was passed from hand to hand -<къумбара>and people donated money to public causes. From the collected funds, the necessary amounts were allocated to support widows and orphans, poor families.

In the houses of the Krymchaks there was a large stove, similar to the Russian stove - from floor to ceiling. Her inner chamber often turned into a bath for one person.

Clothes were stored in separate chests. The male costume consisted of tight pants, boots<мест>from soft leather and a long caftan, belted with a sash - a wide belt on which hung a small Tatar knife.

Women also wore caftans, and on their feet - shoes with curved toes -<папучи>. Women's jewelry was very diverse: earrings, rings, rings, breast necklaces made of gold and silver coins, a silver or gilded belt. The clothes of the children were similar to those of their parents. True, the girls' headdress was a fez - a cylindrical hat embroidered with silver and gold threads and small coins. A lot of braided braids fell from under the chamfer to the shoulders.

Krymchak children got used to work early. The girls learned housekeeping and from an early age prepared a dowry for the wedding, embroidering patterns on various things. The boys overcame mental counting for several years, learned Bible stories and prayers, learned the craft of their fathers and grandfathers.

The life of the Krymchaks has evolved differently in the last five hundred years. There were weekdays, there were holidays, there were happy times, but there were also full of grief and suffering.

Ethnic history of the Krymchaks

By the time Crimea was included in Russia, there were 93 houses in Karasubazar belonging to the Krymchak community of up to 800 people. regarding the Jews.

The 1926 census recorded 6,400 Krymchaks. With the introduction of the passport system in the USSR, Krymchaks began to be entered in their passports<крымчак>, <крымчачка>.

From publications about the Krymchaks of the 19th - 20th centuries

From the publications of Petr Moiseevich Lyakub about the Krymchaks of the 1860s-1890s.

The entire number of Krymchaks extends to 800 male souls. Among them are considered up to 200 merchants, who conduct a rather extensive trade in all Crimean products in general. They mainly trade in leather goods, such as: saddles, shoes, ichigs, moroccos of different colors, leather, leather balls, embroidered belts, suspenders, and so on. Moreover, bread and wool are in great quantity among the articles of their trade. They sell their goods at fairs in Kharkov, Poltava, Kremenchug, Elisavetgrad and Kursk.

The inhabitants of these cities, who have not been to the Crimea, do not distinguish the Krymchaks from the Tatars. The stamp of the Tatar region is even more reflected on the wives and daughters of the Krymchaks. Young women are rarely shown on the street, and then only covered from head to toe, inclusive, with white veils. Only in petty shops here and there you will see old ones selling during the absence of the owner.

In addition to trade, Krymchaks are also engaged in crafts. Among them one can meet excellent saddlers, saddlers, upholsterers, and, in particular, many hat makers. There will be up to forty or more of the latter in Karasubazar.

Mental education and development of the Krymchaks is at the lowest level. All their knowledge (and then only of the prosperous and commercial class) is limited to the ability to read and write in Tatar and bookkeeping; the poor class does not even know this. Despite the fact that their prayer book is written in the ancient biblical language, they absolutely do not understand it. The Tatar language, one might say, is their national language; they do not study any other languages at all.

It is difficult to determine the time when the Krymchaks will completely wake up from their apathy and from their mental lull ... This unenviable position of them can be explained by the fact that they, firstly, in their dialect, dress and rights - Tatar, so to speak, completely merged with the Tatars and moved away from rapprochement with their more educated co-religionists; secondly, that they do their best to elude the vigilant gaze of our government, avoiding any chance of giving the slightest sign of their existence. The most obvious proof of this is that even for many residents of Crimea, the name<крымчак>known only by hearsay; outside of the Tauride Province, one can say positively, they have no idea about them and do not even suspect their existence. In a word, the Krymchaks (forgive me for the expression!) were constantly hiding under the skirt of the Tatar caftan ...

Almost all Krymchaks are tall, swarthy in color, stately and slender. Directness is expressed in their gaze and posture. They are polite and affectionate. Their way of life is extremely simple and temperate. Their attachment to the family hearth is extremely strong. Purity of morals is exemplary everywhere and everywhere. The Krymchak family is, in the literal sense of the word, a patriarchal family in which the father, as its head, enjoys unlimited power: the wife and children obey him implicitly. In general, respect for elders is sacred and unshakable.

Among the Krymchaks, one can often meet quite attractive and even beautiful women, but they have no coquetry, no desire to please. This is because they constantly live in a close circle of their own and very rarely meet with strangers. Apart from their native colloquial Tatar dialect, they know nothing; rare of them speaks Russian, and then how badly. In dealing with strangers, they are extremely shy; even with close acquaintances, they are reluctant to enter into conversations that do not concern them. They consider themselves only called to manage the household.

To the credit of the Krymchaks, it must be said that in general they are very fond of cleanliness and tidiness - qualities that the poor class of Jews can hardly boast of. The poorest Krymchak has his dwelling whitewashed inside and out; everything in this dwelling is in its place, everything is swept, cleaned and cleaned; the floor is covered with carpets, and around the walls there are sofas, etc. In almost all Krymchak dwellings you will find some kind of ventilation. That is why the Krymchaks, in general, are people who can boast of their health: among them we have not met either consumptive, or anemic, or nervous, with which modern humanity is teeming with, teeming with ...

Religion alone connects the Krymchaks with the Jews. Their rites are strictly followed. Twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, the Krymchak visits his synagogue and sends out a prayer with extreme reverence. And in this regard, the Tatar influence left its mark on the Krymchaks.

Jews, as you know, read their prayers for the most part aloud, and often go into some kind of ecstasy, especially the Hasidim, even making all sorts of gestures that make a not entirely pleasant impression on outside visitors to the synagogue; Krymchaks do not have this: they read prayers quietly and calmly, while using a purely Tatar chant.

The feeling of patriotism is highly developed among the Krymchaks. Imbued with this feeling, they never shied away from various duties, including military.

From an essay by O.M. Lerner (1901):

<...крымчаки, или так называемые турецкие евреи, занимают совершенно изолированное место и если чем-нибудь выделяются, то только тем, что они с особым упорством отстаивали свою самобытность и поныне ведут замкнутую жизнь, чуждую всем преобразовательным течениям первой половины истекшего века>.

From the ENCYCLOPEDIC DICTIONARY of the Russian Bibliographic Institute GRANAT

KRYMCHAKS, living since ancient times in the Crimea (Ch. arr. in Karasubazar and Simferopol), Talmudic Jews, like the Karaites / see. XXIII, 445/ speaking the Turkish-Tatar dialect, close to the Tatars in type and partly in customs and way of life, but religiously quite adjacent to the Jews and, in contrast to the Karaites, completely sharing all the legal restrictions that weigh on the Jews in Russia. According to the correspondence of 1897, there were 3.466.

From the ethnographic notes of S.A. Weisenberg (1912)

Krymchaks now number about 1,500 families; 500 each in Simferopol and Karasubazar, in Feodosia 150, in Kerch 100, in Sevastopol 75. They are all very poor, they are engaged almost exclusively in crafts, mainly shoemaking. Recently, however, some of them have come to the fore as big businessmen (Kerch, Odessa).

Jewish education, with the departure 12 years ago of the outstanding rabbi Hizkiah Medini, invited by them from Turkey and lived among them for 33 years, has greatly decreased; a desire for a general education is noticed only now, when for certain reasons it has become inaccessible. However, it should be noted that the two Piastro brothers, violinists, have recently come to the fore in the musical field. In general, recently in the small world of the Krymchaks, a certain desire for amateur performance has been noticed: schools are organized, societies for helping the poor, etc.

From the book of the official rabbi of Feodosia G.A. Farfel about the ancient Krymchak synagogue (1912)

Due to the fault of Polish and Russian Jews, who failed to appreciate the commemorative relics of this synagogue, in the place where the stones with carved words were located, scaffolds were erected, along which they climb to the women's department on especially solemn occasions and, thus, part of the inscription disappeared. In general, the Jews who appeared worked hard to change the appearance of the synagogue and to destroy all sorts of valuable things. So, thanks to them, a gallery for women was erected inside the building, which is why the synagogue from the inside acquired a character completely alien to it, resembling synagogues of the latest type in other large Russian cities.

From a scientific article by Academician A.N. Samoylovich, 1924

The pagan-Jewish-Christian-Muslim system of names (days of the week A.I.) is the most complex, uniting to one degree or another the Chuvash, Karachais, Balkars, Karaims, Krymchaks, and partly also Kumyks, Bashkirs, Meshcheryaks and some Finnish peoples of the Volga region . We are inclined to build this system by the time of the Khazar state, i.e. to the VIII-XI centuries of our era>.

dwelling

Kitchen

The food ration of the Krymchaks was based on agricultural and livestock products. Not the last place was given to fish, mainly from the Black Sea and Azov.

The first dishes - such as soups (shorva) and borsch - were prepared both lean and based on meat broth with the addition of dough and vegetables.

A variety of sweet pastries and sweets complemented the table on weekdays and holidays. Everyday bread cakes - "pte" (like lavash) were baked from yeast dough.

Classes

Elements of the traditional everyday culture of the Krymchaks, characteristic of the community of the period of the Crimean Khanate, were preserved in the middle of the last century.

In the 19th century The main occupations of the Krymchaks were crafts related to leather production. Among them, the production of leather and morocco, various footwear, saddlery and saddlery, and the manufacture of hats are noted. Information onomastics allows us to talk about blacksmithing and jewelry production. Often the craft coexisted with petty trade. A small part of the representatives of the community of the XIX century. She was quite wealthy and engaged in various trading operations. Sources report their participation in various fairs held in southern Russia during this period.

Horticulture, horticulture and viticulture were noted by the authors of the last century as auxiliary occupations that coexisted with craft and trade. At the same time, part of the Krymchaks traditionally produced wine and grape vodka. In the subsidiary farm of the Krymchak family, there were both large and small livestock, poultry was kept.

Shortly before the start of the Crimean War, part of the Karasubazar Krymchaks received permission to move to the northwestern Crimea, to the region of Lake Donuzlav, to engage in agriculture, however, after the end of the military campaign, they were forced, in connection with the royal decree, to return to their former place of residence.

At present, Krymchaks work in different industries and are represented by a wide variety of professions, not differing in this from representatives of other peoples of the former USSR.

National Costume

The clothes of the Krymchaks consisted of underwear - harem pants of various colors, the lower part of which was fixed on the ankles with garters (charap) in the form of ribbons, decorated with ornamental embroidery of gold and silver threads. Outerwear was a caftan, long to the level of the ankles, usually of lilac tones, wrapping to the left, leaving a wide neckline on the chest (bobbin), which was laid with a colored scarf. The sides of the caftan and the lapels of the sleeves were decorated with patterns of gold and silver embroidery. A black silk apron, often with lace, was usually worn over the caftan.

The headdress of the Krymchak women corresponded to the age and social category of the wearer. Girls and girls wore fezzes of lilac tones, ornamented with patterns of gold and silver threads, they were often decorated by sewing on small gold or silver coins. Young married women were required to wear "kyyih" - a large colored scarf folded obliquely. Older women wore a false headdress "bash bugs", which consisted of several separate parts. The traditional shoes of the Crimeans were soft leather shoes - "papuchi". Young Krymchaks rarely appeared on the street, "and then only covered from head to toe, inclusive, with white blankets." The clothes of the Krymchaks were complemented by decorations, among which the neck was obligatory, such as a monist, which consisted of silver and gold coins suspended on a cord. Other decorations included rings, earrings and bracelets. Belts, usually type-setting (filigree for the past - the beginning of our century), - an obligatory gift from parents to a bride-daughter on her wedding day - were not worn every day.

Traditional Rites and Customs: Wedding Rite

Birth of a child

Funeral rite

The custom of a symbolic funeral

Gender and age groups

Within the Krymchak community, various gender and age groups were distinguished, which were assigned a certain role in social, religious and intra-family life. During the holidays, tables were laid for men and women in different rooms, women could not leave the house without covering their faces. There was a division of men into four categories: boys - up to 13 years; unmarried men - from 13 years to marriage; married men; the most honorable was the group of old people "azeken", who passed the rite of cutting the shroud. The head of the family was the father, and in his absence, the eldest son. The female half of the family was subordinate to the wife of the head of the family. Before the birth of children, daughters-in-law often endured humiliation in the family, doing the hardest work around the house. They were forbidden to come to their mother's house on their own.

Secular community

The Krymchak secular community "dzhemaat", which was led by old people from various social strata, monitored the observance of the rights and obligations of their fellow tribesmen. To resolve a number of issues, the head of the religious brotherhood "Kaal Akodesh" - "Rebs", as well as other representatives of the cult, was involved.

According to the last century, the community monitored the property status of its members. At various obligatory holidays held by the wealthiest Krymchaks, sums were collected that went to the public treasury. The money from these fees could be used to build various profitable houses and enterprises, were given as a loan at interest to fellow tribesmen who decided to start some profitable business, went to purchase what was necessary to support the poor, widows and orphans.

The council of the elderly, led by the "Rebs", resolved various litigations between fellow tribesmen, while customary law was on the side of the poor.

Folklore

Holidays

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, all Krymchaks observed obligatory Jewish holidays: Prym, Passover, Matyn Torah, Nam kun, Reshoshona, Kypyr kun, Suka, Symkhas Torah, Tym Shabbat, Hannuka. Traditional rituals and food prepared by the Krymchaks during the holidays had their own characteristics.

In memory of the Krymchaks who were killed during the Second World War, every year, starting from 1944, at the beginning of the second decade of December, a general commemoration is held - "Tukun" with a ritual feast, gathering the majority of the community in Crimea.

Achkinazi Igor Veniaminovich, researcher at the Crimean Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Krymchaks, according to the TSB definition (editions of 1973), are “a small nationality ...”, which, “apparently, was formed on the basis of the ancient local population ...”
Anthropologist V. D. Dyachenko writes: “The ethnogenesis of the Krymchaks has not been clarified. They were formed, obviously, on the basis of the local population, which adopted the Jewish religion, with a later mixture, probably, of the Khazar, Jewish, Italian and part of the Tatar element ... "
Krymchaks claim that they belong to an independent nationality. Orthodox Judaism, professed by Krymchaks in the past, often led many researchers to a free interpretation of ethnicity and confession (religion). However, it is well known that ethnicity and religious affiliation often do not coincide.
Krymchaks, according to the cameral description of Crimea in 1783, lived compactly in Karasubazar, as well as in Kef (Feodosia), Mangup (a medieval settlement in the southwestern part of Crimea), Eski-Krym (Old Crimea), Bakhchisarai, separate families in the cities of Temryuk and Taman. Their total number at that time did not exceed 800 people.

For the first time the term "Krymchak" appeared in the official documents of Tsarist Russia in 1859. The Novorossiysk Governor-General Vorontsov, presenting some materials about the Krymchaks to the Minister of Internal Affairs, indicated: their place of residence is the city of Karasubazar, one of the main occupations is gardening, crafts - hat , leather; the language is an adverb of the Tatar language (i.e., Krymchak, which differs from the Crimean Tatar and Karaite in its lexical and phonetic features), in the letter they use the Hebrew script.

The time of the appearance of the Krymchaks in the Crimea, some scientists usually refer to the VI-IX centuries. n. e., although there is evidence of Jewish monuments (Inscriptions on stones) of the first and subsequent centuries in, Cafe, Sugdeya, Partenit ... The 9th century is indirectly confirmed by a handwritten prayer book, carefully preserved by the Krymchaks, with the date of writing or acquisition - 847. In 1930 the prayer book was handed over to V. L. Dashevsky, a researcher at the Asian Museum of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Leningrad.

At present, this manuscript with biblical square type on specially dressed calfskin with one wooden cover is the oldest manuscript monument stored in Russia and is located in the manuscript department of the library of the Institute of Oriental Studies of Russia in St. Petersburg. According to the 1897 census, which for the first time recorded the Krymchaks as a separate ethnic community, there were 3466 of them. They mainly lived on the territory of the Taurida province in the cities of Simferopol (there was even a lane Krymchaksky, which existed until 1944, now it is a lane Vostochny), Feodosia, Kerch and some others.

Ilya Selvinsky, poet, Krymchak

In 1913, a community census was carried out by the Krymchak community. According to this census, 5288 people lived in 19 cities of the Crimea and the Caucasus. In 14 settlements not covered by the census, including Simferopol, another 2,500 people lived. The total number of Krymchaks approached 8 thousand people.
The surnames of the Krymchaks are specific and only with rare exceptions are found among some other nationalities (Tats of the Caucasus, Karaites, Gagauz, etc.). More than 30% of surnames reflect professions, crafts (Atar - pharmacist, Kolpakchi - hatmaker), physical appearance (Kose - beardless, Chubor - pockmarked), ethnicity (Gurji - Georgians), as well as places of residence in the past (Mangupli - from Mangup, Suruzhy - from Surozh).
The names of Krymchak men, as a rule, are biblical, women often have Persian (Guli, Gulyush), Arabic (Melek, Dunya), Bulgarian (Pyrva), Latin (Victoria, Dona) and others. Currently, children are given, as a rule, Russian names.

A small number of surnames (about 120) and given names led the Krymchaks to the need to give nicknames (lagap), and, admittedly, they succeeded in this, since they were widely used in everyday life. Nicknames became an integral part of almost every Krymchak family and very accurately characterized a person. Here are some of them: Ara-baji Mnemakay - Uncle Mnem is a cabman; Amamji Sterapai - Stera's aunt the bathhouse attendant; Balykhchi Nissim - Anisim a fishmonger; K'ok'ov Sakh - Isaac the stutterer and others. Until today, Krymchaks of the older generation, thanks to nicknames, quickly and accurately determine family ties.

The revolution made a radical change in the life of the Krymchaks. Actively involved in the construction of a new life, the Krymchaks organized educational programs, clubs, women's departments, and youth organizations. Cultural and educational societies of the Krymchaks were created in the cities.

Krymchaks, according to the 1897 census, were the most illiterate people. Only 35% of men were literate in Russian, among women this percentage was even lower -10. According to the All-Union census of 1926, 6383 Krymchaks lived in the USSR. After the census, for the first time, nationality began to be indicated in passports: Krymchak, Krymchak.

The attack of fascist Germany on the USSR brought innumerable disasters to all peoples. Particularly affected were those who lived in the territories temporarily occupied by the Nazis. The racist policy of Nazi Germany, the genocide against entire peoples, especially affected the Krymchaks and some other national minorities living in the Crimea.

The Krymchaks of Simferopol, previously rewritten allegedly to be sent to work in Moldova, were shot on December 11-13, 1941 in the Dubki gully on the 10th kilometer of the Simferopol-Feodosia highway. But miraculously survived witnesses of this barbaric action (R. Gurji and some others). They told about the death of their fellow tribesmen after the liberation of the Crimea in 1944.

By 1959, that is, the first post-war census of the population of the USSR, there were about 1,500 Krymchaks. But this number did not correspond to reality, since after the war the Krymchaks were not issued passports indicating their nationality, but mostly they wrote: Jew, Karaite, Georgian ...

This injustice was eliminated only after 1965, when the Crimean Regional Executive Committee decided to replace the passports of the Krymchaks if they had documents confirming their belonging to this nationality. However, not everyone was able to submit such documents; many of them were not preserved after the war. Therefore, often previously recorded nationalities remained in the passports of the Krymchaks.

Censuses of recent years recorded the number of Krymchaks living in different parts of the country, but, as a rule, did not publish statistical data. Therefore, it is difficult to answer the question about the number of Krymchaks at the present time. According to approximate, unofficial estimates, their number ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 thousand people. They chose to live in small groups in the private sector in Sevastopol, Simferopol, Kerch, Feodosia, Evpatoria, and also outside the Crimea.
The brutal extermination of the nationality during the war years, the process of assimilation (in the post-war period, more than 60% of marriages were mixed) led to the erosion of the ethnic group, the loss of the native language, and the weakening of national identity.

And yet I want to believe that this small nation, which has passed through the centuries, will not disappear, will be able to save itself ...

Someone calls the Karaites a religious sect that arose on the basis of Judaism, someone is convinced of the existence of a separate ethnic group, with its own roots and past. Well, someone is now hearing about such a nationality for the first time, and we hope that they will read this article not without curiosity. One way or another, Karaites exist. And although there are fewer and fewer of them, we are sincerely convinced that this ancient people, like any other, deserves much more than just our attention. Perhaps this will give him a chance for survival and procreation. Provided that our readers and netizens in general, residents of the country, and all of us will become interested in the problems of disappearing ethnic groups. You know, when you read, and especially when you directly get acquainted with the ancient peoples and religions, touching history, there is a firm conviction that it is not only the Amur tigers and Chinese pandas that need to be saved.

The total number of Karaites on the planet at the turn of this century was about 2000 people. Now it is impossible to say exactly how the situation has changed over the past 15-16 years since the last census. Yes, and that census was very approximate. Perhaps there were only a little more than two thousand. The main regions of residence are limited to the territory of the countries of the former USSR: Russia (mainly Crimea), western Ukraine, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Israel. The Karaites are held by communities, so cases of single settlement in other countries are rare.

About a thousand years ago, the first written references to them began to appear as an independent ethnic group. Later, the Karaites were considered a religious offshoot of Judaism. Indeed, their religion is very similar to the basic principles of the Jews (Jews). Although these peoples have completely different roots. Jews of Semitic origin, Karaites of Turkic origin. The closest relatives of the Karaites are now the Krymchaks. Also, a people not exceeding them in number, but with a much more extensive geography of settlement. Moreover, the Krymchaks themselves, professing Judaism, cannot in any way come to a common denominator in matters of their origins. Half of them are confident in Jewish roots, and half in Turkic. One thing can be said with accuracy - the Krymchaks are more Jewish by blood than the Karaites. But in both there is an admixture of the blood of the Turkic peoples, the Khazars, Tatars, Turks, etc.

As for all Jews, the Second World War was a special personal tragedy for these peoples. However, in the Crimea itself, it was the Krymchaks who got more. After the expulsion of the Nazis from the peninsula, only a fifth of their former number remained alive. The Germans and their accomplices also universally considered the Karaims to be Jews, and they shot a lot along with them. But in the Crimea, they were somewhat safer because, on the initiative of the Evpatorian politician S. E. Duvan and with the assistance of the religious communities of Germany, the Karaite people were officially recognized as a separate independent branch of the Turkic ethnic groups, which had no direct relation to the Jews, except for religion. Nevertheless, up to 6,000 representatives of both ethnic groups were shot by the Germans in Crimea alone.

At the moment, most of both of them live in the Crimea. Although the championship in the Krymchak ethno-linguistic group is held by Israel, where more than 650 people lived according to 2004 data. Many of them actively emigrated in the 1980s and 1990s under repatriation programs. It is noteworthy that both Karaites and Krymchaks, especially the youth of the last generation, are actively and completely assimilated in Israel, forgetting about culture and original traditions, losing their individuality. It also does not contribute to the preservation of the ethnic group. So now, perhaps, real Karaites and Krymchaks can only be found in the cultural and educational centers of Crimea.

For many years, the Karaite community of Crimea has been supporting and carefully preserving its history and traditions. Since the beginning of the century before last, the spiritual and educational center of the Karaims of all Russia has been opened in Evpatoria, where you can often meet Krymchaks. A religious school operates at the center, and it includes a well-maintained temple complex with museum exhibits. Temples mean the presence of two prayer houses - Big and Small Kenasses, decorated in a traditional national style. There are also several courtyards, carefully recreated and now used in religious ceremonies according to their intended purpose. Among them are “ritual”, “marble”, “courtyard of waiting before prayer”, “memorial” and “grapevine”. These are all very, beautiful, cozy and holy places for the Karaites, since ancient times revered not only by the local community, but by all representatives of the people.

The community has a charity canteen. As well as a cafe of national cuisine for tourists. In the fifties of the nineteenth century, Emperor of All Russia Alexander I, during his trip to the Crimea, visited the spiritual center of the Karaites in Evpatoria. What has since been evidenced by a commemorative marble obelisk with a double-headed eagle in one of the courtyards. All the main premises and courtyards of the spiritual center are arranged in a row, according to the enfilade principle, which creates a feeling of additional open space - a through perspective. The general decorative design of kenasses is neat, and one might say exclusive. The architectural styles of the Renaissance were used, with arched elements, pylons, blind arcades. Along the edges of the alleys are marble slabs with the names of prominent personalities, patrons and philanthropists. Some gates and pavilions were forged two centuries ago. And the vine growing here is almost 175 years old. Near the city limits there is a Karaite cemetery. And the other closest kenasses are located near the medieval cave city of Chufut-Kale, near Bakhchisaray.

In addition to the Karaites and Krymchaks of the Jewish faith, there are also Christian Karaites among the visitors to the center. After all, this is not only a house of communication with God, but also the focus of common cultural values. On certain days the center is open for tourists and all comers. There is also a permanent exhibition of ancient sculptural elements and samples of ancient writing. There are many tablets, parts of sculptures and commemorative tombstones in Hebrew, Tatar and their dialects. Modern Karaites have almost lost the living Karaite language, and it can be heard less and less. Due to the isolated living of communities in different countries, the three main Karaite dialects bear little resemblance to each other. The most common language of the Lithuanian community at the moment is Trakai. But the Crimean Karaites are trying to preserve their roots, of which language and writing are the most important. Their dialect, and culture, absorbed a lot from the life and traditions of the Crimean Tatars, Turks, Cumans-Kypchaks.

The interest and respect of all compatriots for the traditions of small peoples is the key to their continued existence, and possibly revival. The cultural center is located on the territory of the old city of Evpatoria along Karaimskaya 68 street.

M. Parshin, Yu. Pavlova /mirozor.ru/

Krymchaks

Ethnonym

Krymchaks of Karasubazar

dwelling

Kitchen

Classes

National Costume

Birth of a child

Funeral rite

Gender and age groups

Secular community

Folklore

Holidays

Krymchaks (Crimean Jews) - the mysterious sages of the Tatars Krymchaks

Spiritual lighthouse: advice of Orthodox ascetics of the 20th century: Councils of the elders Councils of the clergy

The topic of the lesson is "food chains"