House-Museum of the Karaites of Moldova

22/10/2025

Привіт! 🌟Запрошуємо у подорож разом із менорою — символом віри та світла, яке крізь століття супроводжувало караїмів, один із корінних народів України.Від д...

07/09/2025

05/05/2025

30/04/2025

14/03/2025

Among the Karaite community, the festival of Purim is known as Kynysh. This celebration is dedicated to the events that occurred between 486 and 465 BCE, during the reign of the Persian King Ahashverosh.

The courtier Haman, through slander, obtained a decree to destroy the people of Israel (believers in the One God) across all 127 provinces of the Persian Empire. This decree was revoked thanks to the intercession of the faithful Queen Esther and her uncle Mordokhay, who had previously saved the king's life by uncovering and alerting him to a conspiracy against him.

Recognizing the hand of the Almighty in the salvation of their fellow believers, Mordokhay and Esther established this joyous celebration. The festival was named Purim, deriving from the Persian word pur, meaning "lot," as Haman had cast lots to choose the day for the destruction of the Israelites, which fell on the 14th day of the month of Adar.

The original Book of Esther was written in Hebraic, incorporating some Persian and Aramaic words. The linguistic features and the presence of Persian and Zandic names reflect the era in which the book was composed.

The tombs of Esther and Mordokhay, along with a shrine dedicated to them, are located in the city of Hamadan (ancient Ecbatana) in modern-day Iran.

The figure of Esther has inspired numerous artists, including Sandro Botticelli, Andrea Mantegna, Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto, Peter Paul Rubens, and Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn. They immortalized episodes from her life in their works.

Georg Friedrich Handel dedicated an oratorio to her, and the French playwright Jean Baptiste Racine wrote the tragedy Esther.

After the prayer service in the kenesa, the Karaites read the Book of Esther, recounting these events. Gifts are distributed among family, friends, acquaintances, children, and the needy. The day is spent joyfully, with festive tables adorned with pastries filled with nuts, prunes, poppy seeds, and raisins. The youth indulge in lively celebrations, dressing in costumes, wearing masks, and enjoying horse rides and games.

10/03/2025

What is Karaism?
Karaite Judaism or Karaism is the original faith of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament — TaNaKh). The word "Karaism" derives from the Hebrew Karaim meaning, (scripture/recite) aka B'nei Miqra "Children of Scripture". The Hebrew Scriptures contain the master plan of the Creator of the universe revealed to the Nation of Israel through Moses and the Prophets. The Creator revealed His will to the Israelite nation in order to serve as a "Light unto the Nations". From its very inception Israel's role has been to teach mankind of the divine will, which endows those who live by it with eternal life, as it is written: "it is a tree of life to those who keep it" (Proverbs 3:18).
The authentic Hebrew religion is that which is taught by the Creator Himself in the Hebrew Scriptures without addition or subtraction, as it is written: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHWH your God" (Deuteronomy 4:2).
Karaites maintain that every human being has an obligation to study the Hebrew Scriptures and determine for themselves the correct meaning of the Almighty's commandments based on their own reasoning and understanding. On the Day of Judgment it is the individual who will be called into reckoning for his own actions. The ancient adage of the Karaite sages declares: "Search well in the Scriptures and do not rely on anyone's opinion". In this regard the Karaite sages taught: "He who relies upon any of the teachers of the Exile without personal investigation, it is as if he has engaged in idolatry."
Karaites place no value in the interpretations of the majority or the customs of the forefathers. On the contrary, Scripture teaches us: "Do not go after the majority to do evil" (Exodus 23:2). Therefore, we do not consider all the books of the Talmud with their conclusions and prescriptions to be divinely inspired. The prophets also warn us against following in the errant footsteps of the ancestors, as it is written: "be not like your fathers... who acted treacherously against YHWH" (2Chronicles 20:7), and again: "they shall not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation" (Psalms 78:8). The same warning applies to the laws invented out of men's hearts, which the prophets call the "commandment of men learned by rote" (Isaiah 29:13).
Karaism is not a "monolithic" faith in which every believer agrees on every detail of understanding of Scripture. Because the burden of interpretation rests on the individual and not a central authority it is inevitable that there will be differences of interpretation and understanding. However this diversity is a strength rather than a weakness and prevents Karaites from getting bogged down with a given interpretation despite the obviousness of its error. This diversity requires the individual Karaite to take personal responsibility for interpreting Scripture, basing his understanding on the merits and logic of a given interpretation. When this method is followed the correct interpretation will generally win out. What unites Karaites together is our common fellowship in the Hebrew Scriptures and desire to live by the pure unaltered instruction of the Creator of the universe.
God bestowed us with His perfect instruction out of his immense love for mankind, as it is written: "Do I indeed desire the death of the evildoer, says Lord YHWH, do I not desire for him to return from his ways so that he may live?" (Ezekiel 18:23).
We emphasize the heart of the Torah. As we believe the Torah should not just be written upon sacred text but upon the heart of man. That the Torah should be made alive in our daily actions.