Seraya Shapshal
Encyclopedia
Seraya Shapshal or Haji Seraya Hachan Shapshal (Karaim
: Хаджи Серая Гахан Шапшал; ; ) (1873-1961) was a hakham
and leader of the Crimea
n and then Lithuania
n Karaim community.
Shapshal was born in Bahçesaray, Crimea
and studied at St. Petersburg
University, where he received a doctorate in philology
and Oriental languages. He was invited to serve as the personal tutor of the Iran
ian crown prince, Mohammad Ali Shah, and became a minister in the Persian government in 1907 (rumor had it that he was a Russia
n spy). In 1911 he returned to Crimea
and became Chief Hakham
of the Crimean Karaite communities.
From 1920 to 1927 he lived in Istanbul
. Here he was active in the pan-Turkic movement. In 1927 he moved to Vilna
, and became the head of the Karaims in Poland
and Lithuania
. Although he wrote a Letter to the Falashas
in 1905 identifying Karaim as Jews, following the success of Chaimberlain's The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century
Shapshal began to safeguard his people's future by beginning to deny any connection between Karaims and Rabbi
nic Jews
. In 1941 he met with Nazi
authorities and was instrumental in the formulation of their policy towards the Karaim. As Hakham of Vilna he was infamous for his confrontations with such Jewish community figures as Zelig Kalmanovich
. He was also known for having been forced (under penalty of endangering his own community) to give to the Nazis a detailed list of the members of the Karaim communities of Troki and Vilnius
, allowing them to easily discover and arrest Jews
who had forged papers stating that they were Karaims.
After the war he lived in Troki and later Vilna, teaching at the Soviet-dominated Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. He co-authored of a Karaim
-Russian
-Polish
dictionary
(published in 1974) and wrote a number of articles on the Karaims of Crimea. His "History of the Karaims" remains unpublished. Part of his collections and books are kept in a small museum in the old kenesa
of Troki, where he died in 1961.
Karaim language
The Karaim language is a Turkic language with Hebrew influences, in a similar manner to Yiddish or Ladino. It is spoken by Crimean Karaites – ethnic Turkic adherents of Karaite Judaism in Crimea, Lithuania, Poland and western Ukraine...
: Хаджи Серая Гахан Шапшал; ; ) (1873-1961) was a hakham
Hakham
Hakham is a term from Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. The word is generally used to designate a cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a wise man ["hakham"], even if he be not a Jew"...
and leader of the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
n and then Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n Karaim community.
Shapshal was born in Bahçesaray, Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and studied at St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
University, where he received a doctorate in philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and Oriental languages. He was invited to serve as the personal tutor of the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian crown prince, Mohammad Ali Shah, and became a minister in the Persian government in 1907 (rumor had it that he was a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n spy). In 1911 he returned to Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and became Chief Hakham
Hakham
Hakham is a term from Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. The word is generally used to designate a cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a wise man ["hakham"], even if he be not a Jew"...
of the Crimean Karaite communities.
From 1920 to 1927 he lived in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. Here he was active in the pan-Turkic movement. In 1927 he moved to Vilna
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, and became the head of the Karaims in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. Although he wrote a Letter to the Falashas
Letter to the Falashas
This is the letter written by Crimean Karates to the Falashas."Peace to You dear brothers. Hallow you YHWH of Israel, children of Abaraham, Yitzhaq and Yakov!...
in 1905 identifying Karaim as Jews, following the success of Chaimberlain's The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century
The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century
The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century was the best-selling work by Houston Stewart Chamberlain...
Shapshal began to safeguard his people's future by beginning to deny any connection between Karaims and Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
nic Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
. In 1941 he met with Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
authorities and was instrumental in the formulation of their policy towards the Karaim. As Hakham of Vilna he was infamous for his confrontations with such Jewish community figures as Zelig Kalmanovich
Zelig Kalmanovich
Zelig Hirsch Kalmanovich was a Litvak Jewish philologist, translator, historian, and community archivist of the early 20th century. He was a renowned scholar of Yiddish. In 1929 he settled in Vilnius where he became an early director of YIVO.He was incarcerated in the Vilna Ghetto where he became...
. He was also known for having been forced (under penalty of endangering his own community) to give to the Nazis a detailed list of the members of the Karaim communities of Troki and Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, allowing them to easily discover and arrest Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
who had forged papers stating that they were Karaims.
After the war he lived in Troki and later Vilna, teaching at the Soviet-dominated Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. He co-authored of a Karaim
Karaim language
The Karaim language is a Turkic language with Hebrew influences, in a similar manner to Yiddish or Ladino. It is spoken by Crimean Karaites – ethnic Turkic adherents of Karaite Judaism in Crimea, Lithuania, Poland and western Ukraine...
-Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
-Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
(published in 1974) and wrote a number of articles on the Karaims of Crimea. His "History of the Karaims" remains unpublished. Part of his collections and books are kept in a small museum in the old kenesa
Kenesa
Kenesa is the term for a Karaite or Persian synagogue. The word derives from the Aramaic word for "assembly" .-Layout:...
of Troki, where he died in 1961.