Are the Mountain Jews Descendants of the Khazars? Debunking the Myth

Many people have questioned whether the Mountain Jews, also known as Caucasus Jews, have any connection to the Khazar Empire. This article will explore debunking the myth that Mountain Jews are descendants of the Khazars and provide insights into their historical and genetic background.

The Khazar Myth: An Anti-Semitic Attempt

The claim that the Mountain Jews are descended from the Khazars is an example of the Khazar trope, which is often used as a vehicle for anti-Semitic propaganda. It aims to delegitimize Ashkenazi Jews and question their historical and cultural identity. The Mountain Jews, however, are not Ashkenazi but rather Mizrahi, likely descending from Persian Jews who migrated to the Caucasus region.

The Historical Context

Historically, the Mountain Jews were already established in the region centuries before the Khazar Empire's rise to power. By the time the Khazars established their commercial empire and theoretically converted parts of their ruling elite to Judaism, the Mountain Jews were well settled in the area. Most of the remaining Khazars adopted Christianity or Islam after the empire's downfall, leaving little trace of Jewish heritage.

Uncertainty Surrounding the Khazar Legacy

Their exact lineage is still a mystery. Historians, geneticists, and linguists are yet to fully determine the fate of the Khazar population and their descendants. While some Jews remaining in or assimilated into the region may have migrated to centers of Jewish culture like Persia, others may have formed communities in the Caucasus Mountains. However, it is uncertain how many of these individuals were originally Khazars and how many were of Jewish heritage from the pre-Islamic Persian empires.

Language and Cultural Connections

The Juhuri language spoken by the Mountain Jews is part of the 'Persid' subgroup of Iranian languages. This closely relates it to modern Persian (Farsi, Dari, Tajiki) while it is more distantly related to the Caspian coast languages, which are closer to the 'Central Iranic' Kurdish languages. This linguistic connection further supports the idea that their ancestry is more strongly tied to the Persian empires rather than the Khazars.

Potential Khazar Connections in Modern Jews

Some scholars believe that tiny numbers of modern Jews, particularly those of Karaim and Krymchak descent, may have Khazar ancestry. However, among the Ashkenazi population, only one Y-DNA lineage among Levites has a connection to the region of Kazakhstan and northern Uzbekistan, which might suggest that some previously pagan Turkic hereditary priests were accepted into Judaism as Levites. This connection, however, remains the subject of ongoing research and debate.

Conclusion

The myth that the Mountain Jews are descendants of the Khazars is largely unfounded and rooted in historical inaccuracies and anti-Semitic propaganda. Their true heritage is more likely linked to the Persian empires that flourished before the rise of Islam. This understanding is crucial for accurately representing the rich and diverse histories of Jewish communities worldwide.

For more detailed and up-to-date information on genetics, linguistics, and historical contexts, readers are encouraged to consult academic articles and reputable sources in the field of Judaic studies.