After the Romans burned the Second Temple and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD, thousands of the surviving Jewish inhabitants fled Judaea and settled in other areas throughout the Mediterranean and elsewhere. Over the passage of time a significant number of Jews established themselves in Germany, primarily in the area known as the Rhineland. During the Medieval period the Jews living in Germany identified themselves as Ashkenazim. The German Jews adopted the title of Ashkenaz for a couple of reasons: one, to distinguish themselves from other Jewish communities, such as the Sephardic Jews of Spain, and to signify the geographical location in which they built a civilization. For the name Ashkenaz is found in the Bible, where in Genesis 10:3 Ashkenaz is listed as the grandson of Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah. Now traditionally speaking it is believed that the descendants of Japheth went on to settle within the territories of Europe, after God came down and confused the languages at Babel. And this European location (namely the Rhineland) was discerned by the Jews as the land of Ashkenaz. Additionally, though the Jews claim descent from Shem (Noah’s second son) these Semitic peoples took upon themselves a non-Semitic title in order to cement their identity as European Jewry.
Even-though what has been presented thus far regarding the origins of the Ashkenazi Jews may stem from a more mainstream account, there has also come down to us a quite popular theory which associates the Ahkenazi Jews with a Turkic tribe which originated from Central Asia, who in turn converted to Judaism in the 8th century of the common era. And these Turkish converts to Judaism are identified as the Khazars. The Khazars were a semi-nomadic people who eventually developed into an empire, beginning in the 6th century until they were defeated by the Kievan Rus in the 10th century, and soon afterwards seem to mysteriously disappear from history. At its epoch the Khazarian Empire encompassed the territories between the Black and Caspian Seas, and stretched from the Caucus Mountains to the south, all the way up to the Volga River in the north. Before their conversion to Judaism around the year 740 AD, the Khazars practiced a form of shamanism much like the other Turkic tribes of Central Asia. Now there has come down to us a splendid story, or legend rather, which tells the tale of how the Khazars became a Jewish nation. For during the reign of the Khazarian king Bulan, the religions of Christianity and Islam were the dominant faiths in the region. Wanting to adopt a more organized religion for his people, the Kagan or king of the Khazars heard the religious arguments of a Christian Priest, a Muslim Imam, and a Jewish Rabbi. The Khazar Kagan ultimately chose Judaism over Christianity and Islam, due to Judaism being the root religion of the two other faiths. Thus in the mid-8th century AD did the Turkish Khazars become Jews by mass conversion.
Returning to the Ashkenazim, it has been recorded that tens of thousands of Ashkenazi Jews migrated out of the Rhineland in the beginning of the 15th century and then settled in parts of Eastern Europe, such as Poland and Lithuania for example. But even before this Ashkenazi migration into Eastern Europe, there had been Jewish settlements in Ukraine going all the way back to the 7th century. It has also been argued that the Jewish presence in Eastern Europe and the various areas of Western Russia did not come from Ashkenazi Jews migrating from Germany, but rather this Jewish element derived its genesis from the Turkish Khazars, who’s empire was once directly located in-between the geographical setting of Eastern Europe and Russia, where Jewish communities had later been established. So instead of Ashkenazi Jews migrating out of Germany, making up the Jewish populations of Eastern Europe and Russia, the Jews in these territories could have actually been the remnants of the Khazars. This hypothesis could also explain why the Khazars disappeared from the historical record after they were conquered by the Rus in the 10th century. If this theory is correct, then the majority of the European and Russian Jews are not Ashkenazim, but rather Khazarian.
Now it is of no surprise that the bulk of modern day Ashkenazi Jews disagree with this Jewish/Khazarian claim, which in turn has sparked debate among Jewish intellectuals, who do indeed provide strong arguments in the support of their genuine Jewish origins and at the same time debunk the belief which teachers that Ashkenazi Jews are in fact racially Turkish, and therefore a non-Semitic people. One such argument against the Jewish/Khazar link states that, because there are no linguistic similarities between the Jewish dialect of Yiddish in comparison to the various Turkish languages, then there can be no Turkic origins in relation to the German or European Jews. Another argument in support of the Jewishness of the Ashkenazim has to do with cultural elements. For the cuisine, music, and literature of the Ashkenazi Jews are completely bereft of any Turkish elements. Additionally, the Jewish theory of how they settled in Germany relates that the Jews originally migrated from the Middle East via Italy into Germany and not through Khazaria.
In conclusion, the theory of the Ashkenazi Jews descending from the Turkish Khazars is indeed very controversial, and also extremely insulting towards the Jewish people as a whole. It has not been my attempt to usurp the racial and religious integrity of the Ashkenazi Jews, but rather it has been the job of this historian to unbiasedly present an alternative version of history which challenges the mainstream narrative. Whether this story is true or false, the intent here has been to raise awareness of a belief held by many, which is also being taught in the field of what is known as revisionist history. That being said I will leave it up to the individual to either accept, reject, or better yet inspire one to do their own research into this subject and come to their own conclusions. For as it is said, “the truth is out there!”
References:
HaLevi, Y. The Kuzari: In Defense of the Despised Faith. (Spring Valley, NY: Feldheim Publishers, 2013).
Koestler, A. The Thirteenth Tribe. (New York, NY: Random House, 1976).