The Jews of Khazaria [Hardcover]

Kevin Alan Brook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

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. The Jews of Khazaria draws upon the latest archival, linguistic, and archaeological discoveries. Ashkenazic Jews who wish to explore their distant ancestry in eastern Europe will benefit from reading this book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...[Brook] has provided a useful reference work for all those intrigued by the most striking single case of successful Jewish proselytism, as well as for those interested in the affairs of one of the four great powers of western Eurasia in the early middle ages. (Shofar )

...[Brook] has provided a useful reference work for all those intrigued by the most striking single case of successful Jewish proselytism, as well as for those interested in the affairs of one of the four great powers of western Eurasia in the early middle ages.... (Shofar )

About the Author

Kevin Alan Brook is an historian in Connecticut who has researched the Khazars since 1993. He has contributed articles about the Khazars to The Encyclopaedia of Judaism Supplement One (2003) and The Turks, Vol. 1 (2002). His article 'The Origins of East European Jews' appeared in volume 30 of the journal Russian History/Histoire Russe. Since 1995, Brook has maintained the website of the American Center of Khazar Studies (Khazaria.com).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc. (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765760320
• ISBN-13: 978-0765760326
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,430,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, March 21, 2001

By 

"epeysakh" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jews of Khazaria (Hardcover)

Brook does an excellent job in broaching this topic that many have attempted before him, and I'm sure many will attempt after. Considering how little is known about Khazaria, how much history has been either censored or re-written by the former Soviet Union, and the relatively sparse amount of archaelogical work that has been conducted in the region, Brook brings much information to light, detailing the tribal and linguistic origins of the Khazars. In comparison with Koestler's "The Thirteenth Tribe," Brook's work is more about presenting facts than coming to conclusions.

I would encourage everyone interested in this book, this subject and in modern Judaism in general to remember that 'conclusions' are based on current and past knowledge, not on future discoveries. Sarkel is still under water and will continue to be for the foreseeable future -- who knows what information it holds? People have been twisting the ideas and findings discussed in "The Thirteenth Tribe" and "The Jews of Khazaria" to promote hatred for Jews for quite some time. That's not the purpose of these works, as Arthur Koestler himself addressed at the end of "The Thirteenth Tribe."

I've also used the bibliography to further my own knowledge, although I have found that many of the sources are out-of-print.

I look forward to learning more about the Khazars, who they were and who they became -- for today, I highly recommend Brook's "The Jews of Khazaria." It is excellently written, a fascinating work and will open it's readers eyes to some lesser known history.

Savor it, but don't rush to judgement!

69 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, the latest on Khazars, November 9, 1999

By 

S. Dudin "slava du" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jews of Khazaria (Hardcover)

The book not only traces the history of the people of Khazaria, brings the latest archeological data and links between Khazars and East European peoples it highlights every detail of their conversion to Judaism, their political and religious influence, their military might. Indeed everything is supported by a comprehensive set of documents and articles. Very rich bibliography although it'd be good to see more visual material (maps, etc.). Great effort to deliver an exciting aspect of our history.

67 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and interesting (albeit sometimes "dry"), August 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Jews of Khazaria (Hardcover)

The book aims to capture the history of Khazaria, a Jewish state near the Caspian sea that reigned between the 7th to 11th centuries, starting as a small tribe and growing in size and in power. The book is primarily based on archival and linguistic discoveries. The author starts in 650 AD when migration patterns westward and wars with the Muslim forces from the south brought to the fore of history the Khazar empire. Khazaria was located roughly between of present day Hungary from its east and Persia in its west. The Khazars, originally nomads known for their fierce fighting tradition, defended their region and became a loose state about mid 6thcentury.

The controversy about Khazar Jews and their intermingle with Jews in Lithuania, Poland and Rumania is discussed at the conclusion of the book. First, the author describes other incidents when non-Jewish tribes converted and became "children of Moses". Examples are brought from the Avars and Cumans in Europe, Edmoites in the middle east, and the "Children of Moses" in Ethopia, sometimes known as the Falshas.) Then author then contends that it is quite possible that Khazar Jews, now disbursed amongst several nations, intermarried with "local" or "genuine" jews, most notably in Lithuania as well as in Poland.

The book is somewhat `academic' in its discussion, but very readable. The book boasts in using "archeological" finds in its discussion; in fact, it mentions only a few such finds. It further fails to include maps, documents and other images that would have made it more interesting and `real'. Nonetheless, the writing is not `heavy' and the organization is intuitive. Each chapter can be read separately and the footnotes are worth gleaning over. Although some maps appear at the end of chapter 2, and some tables appear at the ends of chapters 3, 4 and 7, they hardly help illustrate the rich history narrated within the chapters.

For genealogists who are interested in the controversial around the origins of dark-hair or red-hair jews in Lithuania and Poland, I recommend reading a couple of introductory chapters and then skimming through to the end. For history buffs, I recommend reading the whole book and perhaps use a map to aid in the reading as there are numerous references to battles, invasions and travel routes that would be much easier to understand with a map at hand.

This is not an intro-to-genealogy or a how-to-start-genealogy book. I found the subject of Khazaria and the Jewish diaspora, and the narrative in The Jews of Khazaria enriching and expanding my 15 years of family history work. Therefor, I mostly recommend this book for genealogists with at least 5 years experience, with some idea about the origins of the families that arrived from the Pale of Settlement; Of course, independently, the subject of the empire of Khazraia is a rich with history and glamour. I find that the narrative of Khazaria and its place in Jewish history well narrated by Brook.