Gershom Kiprischi (Netherlands / Latvia, Leiden Institute for Rational Theology and Monotheism) delivered two lectures on April 7 and 14: “Karaite Liturgy and the Karaite Prayer Book (8th–21st Centuries)” and “Halakha of Rabbanites, Samaritans, Karaites, and the Falasha.”

“Karaite Liturgy and the Karaite Prayer Book (8th–21st Centuries)”

The lecture focused on the formation and development of Karaite liturgy from the 8th to the 21st century. It explored key ideas of early Karaism and their influence on the structure of worship, liturgical texts, and ritual practices.

Particular attention was given to the diversity of early liturgical practices, including the absence of a single standard and the emergence of several models of daily prayer.

The lecture also examined the compilation of the first Karaite prayer books in the 14th century and the establishment of the Crimean liturgical tradition.

In addition, it addressed changes in Karaite liturgy in the 19th and 20th centuries, linked to religious reforms, transformations of identity, and broader cultural influences, as well as contemporary trends in its development.

Lecture recording: https://youtu.be/lHAQSqVE8EM

“Halakha of Rabbanites, Samaritans, Karaites, and the Falasha”

The second lecture reconsidered the notion of Judaism as a single, uniform religious tradition. It focused on the development of a modern scholarly approach that views the religion of the Children of Israel as a plurality (“Judaisms”), encompassing diverse historical and cultural forms.

Special attention was given to the factors that contributed to this shift, including the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the incorporation of new bodies of sources in the second half of the 20th century, and the integration of various Jewish communities into a shared field of research.

The lecture also offered a comparative analysis of halakha across four communities – Samaritans, Karaites, Falasha, and Rabbanite Orthodox Jews. It examined key aspects of religious life, including canonical texts and legal sources, the calendar and holiday practices, Shabbat observance, laws of ritual purity, dietary regulations, marriage laws, the status of women, and the institutional structure of religious authority.

This approach highlights the internal diversity of Judaism and moves beyond the traditional dichotomy of “orthodoxy” and “heresy.”

Lecture recording: https://youtu.be/6X174V1kK_M

About the organizers

The lectures were held as part of the International Interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Jewish Studies under the auspices of the A. Yu. Krymskyi Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. They took place on the platform of the “Diye-Slovo” Studio with the support of the Zionist Federation of Ukraine (ZFU).