Category Archives: Yaqub al-Qirqisani

A Book Reflection: “Savior’s Day”

My copy of Alan A. Winter's "Savior's Day."  Quite a read!

My copy of Alan A. Winter’s Savior’s Day. Quite a read!

I love reading anything that raises the profile of Karaites, even when the work is fictional. So, I thought I’d offer some thoughts on Alan A. Winter’s Savior’s Day, a recently published novel that mentions Karaites quite prominently.

Savior’s Day is historical fiction about a series of murders tied to the lost pages of the Aleppo Codex. It is a tale that spans centuries and takes us through many of the Middle Ages’ greatest Jewish communities: Jerusalem, Tiberias, Fostat, and Aleppo.

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Filed under Aleppo Codex, ben Asher, Books, What is Karaite Judaism, Yaqub al-Qirqisani

The Karaite Kitniyot Experiment

PassoverAre Karaites the original Food Detectives?

The Karaites of the middle ages actually conducted experiments to determine whether the flours of grains and kitniyot (usually translated as “legumes”) can become hametz (leaven). And with the help of Yochanan Labombarbe, the Dean of Students for the Karaite Jewish University, we’ve recreated (most of) those experiments.

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Filed under Aharon ben Eliyahu, Karaite Korner, Passover, Yaqub al-Qirqisani

A House Eternally Divided?

Seinfeld taught us that “A house George divided against itself cannot stand.”

Many, including Star Trek Borg Drones, have wondered whether Karaite Judaism will forever be divided against itself, because everyone is entitled to his “own small opinion.”

To be frank, Karaite Judaism needs a unifying force. I’m not speaking of religious unification; I’m speaking of creating a cohesive movement. Such unification has occurred before.
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Filed under Anan ben David, Yaqub al-Qirqisani