Two Karaite books published in Warsaw in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Anna Sulimowicz-Keruth

doi:10.33077/uw.25448730.zbkh.2025.927

Autor

Anna Sulimowicz-Keruth University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4560-8936

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33077/uw.25448730.zbkh.2025.927

Słowa kluczowe:

Karaimi w Warszawie , druki karaimskie , szkolnictwo karaimskie , I.I. Kazas , S. Pigit , oficyna Aleksandra Ginsa , drukarnia „Ha-Cefiry”

Abstrakt

Warsaw was not a major centre for Karaite religious and cultural life. From the mid-19th century, Karaites had settled there sporadically, mainly as tobacco and cigarette merchants. Despite this, two Karaite books were published in the city. In 1889, Ilia I. Kazas (1832–1912), a well-known social and educational activist from Yevpatoria, published Torat ha-adam at the Alexander Gins’ press. This was his Hebrew translation of selections from Éléments de morale by the French philosopher Paul Janet. In 1904, Davar davur, a collection of folk tales, proverbs, and occasional works compiled by the Karaite clergyman Samuel, son of Shemariah Pigit (1849–1911) from Yekaterinoslav, was printed at the press of the Hebrew-language Jewish newspaper “Ha-Tsfira”.

These two publications reflect two different visions for the intellectual development of the Karaite community.

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• Sefer Davar davur: maḥazi 27 sipurim mi-sipure bene ḳedem ha-mesuparim ‘al peh venot ‘ame ha-ḳedem be-artsot Turḳiya va-ḥatsi i’ Krim ne’erkhu ve-sidru le-to’elet oheve safa avar ha-tsḥah ve-ha-ḳala. Me’et ad bene miḳra’ Shemu’el ben Shemaryah z “l Pigiṭ. Varshe bidefus ‘Ha-Tsefirah’, Marianska 2. [5]664. / Sefer Davar davur, t.e. sobranie ustnyh rasskazov meždu vostočnymi narodami. Sobral S. Š. Pigit”, Varšava. V tipografii “Gacefiry”, Mariânskaâ, 2. 1904.

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