The Jews of Khazaria [Hardcover]

"... a most useful introduction to the at times enigmatic, but always fascinating people." -- (Peter B. Golden, Professor of History, Rutgers University, 1999)

"...represents a modern effort to unravel the mysteries which still surround the Khazars." -- (J.D. Klier, Professor of Modern Jewish History University College, London, 1999)

The history and fate of the Khazars have exercised a fascination in the thousand years since the collapse of their mighty steppe empire in 970 C.E. The Khazars, whose ruling classes converted to Judaism, disputed with both the Islamic world and the early Russian state for control of the northern shores of the Black Sea. Their reputation was so great, and the legends surrounding them so powerful, that Jews in far-away Spain made efforts to contact them. This book represents a modern effort to unravel the mysteries which still surround the Khazars. It makes skillful use of the vast literature, in many different languages, related to the Khazars. It will be a very helpful guide for the general reader who wishes to discover the truth about this legendary people -- John D. Klier, Professor of Modern Jewish History, University College, London

The history and fate of the Khazars have exercised a fascination in the thousand years since the collapse of their mighty steppe empire in 970 C.E. The Khazars, whose ruling classes converted to Judaism, disputed with both the Islamic world and the early Russian state for control of the northern shores of the Black Sea. Their reputation was so great, and the legends surrounding them so powerful, that Jews in far-away Spain made efforts to contact them. This book represents a modern effort to unravel the mysteries which still surround the Khazars. It makes skillful use of the vast literature, in many different languages, related to the Khazars. It will be a very helpful guide for the general reader who wishes to discover the truth about this legendary people. -- John D. Klier, Professor of Modern Jewish History, University College, London

The origins and history of the Khazars, a Turkic people who converted to Judaism sometime in the eighth-ninth century C.E., remains one of the most complex questions in the history of Medieval Eurasia.... The sources for Khazar history are extremely varied, representing all of the major cultural groups and languages of Eurasia (Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Persian, Turkic, Greek, Latin, Slavic, Georgian, Armenian, and Chinese). Kevin Alan Brook has put together an absorbing account of their history based on this wide array of sources, supplemented by archaeological, ethnographic and linguistic data dealing with Khazar Jewry and their legacy. This is a most useful introduction to this at times enigmatic, but always fascinating people -- Peter B. Golden, Professor of History, Rutgers University

The origins and history of the Khazars, a Turkic people who converted to Judaism sometime in the eighth-ninth century C.E., remains one of the most complex questions in the history of Medieval Eurasia.... The sources for Khazar history are extremely varied, representing all of the major cultural groups and languages of Eurasia (Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Persian, Turkic, Greek, Latin, Slavic, Georgian, Armenian, and Chinese). Kevin Alan Brook has put together an absorbing account of their history based on this wide array of sources, supplemented by archaeological, ethnographic and linguistic data dealing with Khazar Jewry and their legacy. This is a most useful introduction to this at times enigmatic, but always fascinating people. -- Peter B. Golden, Professor of History, Rutgers University

presents the findings of an impressive array of scholarship... the Khazar experience is intrinsic to the narrative of Jewish history. -- Seth Ward, The Jewish Quarterly Review, January-April 2001

The Jews of Khazaria recounts the eventful history of the Kingdom of Khazaria, which was located in Eastern Europe and flourished as an independent state from about the year 650 to the year 1016. In the ninth century, the Khazarian royalty and nobility, as well as a significant portion of the Khazarian population, embraced the Jewish religion. This volume traces the develpment of the Khazars from their early beginnings as a tribe to the decline and fall of their kingdom. It also examines the many migrations of the Khazar people into Hungary, Ukraine, and other areas of Europe and their subsequent assimilation, providing the most comprehensive treatment of this complex issue to date.