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 Buchari
kippah
Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or
Bukhari Jews, (Persian: یهودی بخارایی, Russian:
Бухарские евреи, Hebrew: בוכרים: Bukharim), also
called the Binai Israel[2], are Jews from Central Asia
who speak Bukhori, a dialect of the Persian language.
Their name comes from the former Central Asian Emirate
of Bukhara, which once had a sizable Jewish community.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the vast
majority have emigrated to Israel or to the United
States, while others have emigrated to Europe or
Australia.
There is a tradition among the
Bukharian Jews tracing their ancestry to the Lost
Tribes of Israel. These Jews claim to be descendants
of Israelite tribes who never returned from the
Babylonian captivity after exile in the 6th century
BCE.
The Bukharian Jews of Central Asia were essentially
cut off from the rest of the Jewish world for more
than 2,000 years but somehow managed to survive and
preserve their Jewish identity and heritage in the
face of tremendous odds. They are considered one of
the oldest ethno-religious groups of Central Asia and
over the years they have developed their own distinct
culture. Throughout the years, Jews from other Eastern
countries such as Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, and
Morocco migrated into Central Asia (usually by taking
the Silk Road), as did Jews who were exiled from Spain
during the Inquisition; all these joined the
Central Asian Jewish community and were later
collectively known as Bukharian Jews. In Central Asia,
the Bukharian Jewish community survived for centuries,
despite being subject to many conquering influences
and much persecution.
Most Bukharian Jews lived in the Emirate of Bukhara
(currently Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), while a small
number lived in Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and some other parts
of the former Soviet Union. In the Emirate of Bukhara,
the largest concentrations were in Tashkent, Samarkand,
Bukhara, and Khokand. In Tajikistan, they similarly
were mainly concentrated in the capital, Dushanbe.
Prior to the Partition of British India, some
Bukharian Jews could be found among the Afghan
population of Peshawar, a city in what is now
Pakistan. After partition and the creation of Israel,
nearly all of these Jews left for Israel and other
countries. One synagogue still exists in Peshawar and
there are two main synagogues and several Jewish
cemeteries that were annexed by local Muslims and
still function in the port city of Karachi.
This type of Kippah is popular with
children (does not require clips) to hold onto the
head.
Crocheted Kippah <-- Buchari Kippah -->
Suede kippah
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