The Karaimites are a "Priestess Old Believer" sect of Tatar Subbotniks considered as "Old Jews" (староиудеями) by the Russian Imperial Church which noted they were settled in Vilno, Volinia, Lutsk, Kovno, Kherson, and the Taurida south of Simferopol. There were about 250 in the Polish republic and 800 around Trokai. The Karaimite Religious Union was recognized as a Church by the second Polish Republic and traces of Karaimites could also be found in Sejny. They practice a Judaized religion inspired by the Romaniote Karaite Minhag of Constantinople but they are distinct from Karaite Jews. They have been described as an ancient, local Lithuanian -Moslem ethnic and religious community. The Tsar's army did not consider them Jews and 15 mentioned serving. Marian Feldman did not consider them to be Jews. They used the Hebrew alphabet and a Kanesa they had in the ancient town of Chufut Kale has preserved a plaque illustrating their use of the Hebrew alphabet to write in their own language . Despite such exceptions, they are also sometimes referred to as Iudei in which case they would only constitute one Two Thousandths of the world Jewry. Circucumcision is not practiced among the laity and is reserved only for their Ministers who must be considered Jewish. They emerged from the gradual Judaization of a Molokan type of Alevi known as Keraites. They were formally allowed to establish a community under Isaac Boguslav Zaxarovich Kaplanovsky in 1868 having been inspired by Avraham Firkovich. They used the Порядок караимов by Avraham Firkovich Vilna 1870 (a redacted version by Nehemiah Gordon and Moshe Dabbah is view-able online) which was in turn based on the Siddur tefillot ke-minhag ha-Karaim by Isaak ben Solomon Ickowicz.

It was re-published for more Karaimites as the "Порядок молитв для караимов by Avraham Samoilovich Firkovich" in 1882 and again by Feliksas Maleckis as the "Порядок молитв для караимов, составленный вкратце гахамом и главным учителем караимов Авраамом Самойловичем Фирковичем. Перевод И. Б. Н. Фиркович" -Order of Prayers for Karaims translated by Isaac Boguslaw Nisanovich Firkovich, 2 vols Tsaritsyn (Volgograd) E.N. Fedorov 1892, 1896 and 1901.

~~They~~ Karaimites are normally described as a modern sect of Judaizers distinguished by their interest in Karaimism (Караимство the ways of the Qara'im) and the Pentateuch studying the Old Jewish religion, like Karaite Jews, through a plain reading of the Bible rather than just trusting Talmudic Judaism blindly. It is important to note that although interested in the methods of the Qara'im they did not actually adopt [[Karaite Judaism]] (Караизм not Караимство). Unlike [[Karaite Jews]], common Karaimites are not circumcised and otherwise resemble other Sabbatarian Judaizers.<ref>S.V. Bulgakov "Handbook of heresies, sects and schisms" under Karaimites</ref> Nevertheless, the term Karaimites was applied to them by Jewish missionaries.<ref>[http://www.vehi.net/brokgauz/index.html Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]

''Жидовствующие:''

* Субботники (в миссионерской литературе — субботники-'''караимиты''')(''Karaimites'' is a missionaries' name for [[Subbotniks]]); в Тамбовской губ. их называют староиудеями или бесшапочными. Бесшапочные не признают Талмуда, а считают единственным источником веры Ветхий Завет.</ref>

==Organization==

A "Central Spiritual Board" for the Russian Qaraim Abroad is mentioned in 2010 and again in 2011 <ref>Hannelore Müller "Religionswissenschaftliche Minoritätenforschung. Zur religionshistorischen Dynamik der Karäer im Osten Europas" page 74</ref><ref>Barry Dov Walfish "Библиография Караитика: Аннотированная Библиография Караимов И Караимизма" pages xxi and 764</ref>

== Other Prayerbooks ==

"Молитвы перед обедом, и после обеда за целый год по обряду Караимов" 1896

Prayers before meals and after meals for the whole year after the manner of the Karaims.

The Russian Siddur compiled by Eliezer Aaronovich Semyonov 1907 (500 pages, no Hebrew)

Prayer book according to the customs of the Karaites 1, by Feliksas Maleckis, Vilnus, 1891-1892 Edited by Mikolas Firkovich 1998

Prayer book according to the customs of the Karaites 2, by Feliks Malecki, Vilnus, 1892 Edited M Firkovich 1999

Psalter translated by Mikolas Firkovich 1993

Everyday Prayers Simon Firkovich 1935 edited by Mikolas Firkovich 1993

Jacob's Voice by F. Maleckis 1910

=== Kezlev ===

Also based on the 1870 Порядок караимов by Avraham Firkovich (Vilna) is the Crimean Prayerbook abridged by Viktor Tiriyaki 2002 translated by Garkavets in 2004 was an attempt to document the extinct Karaimite dialect and rite of Crimea wiped out by the Bolshevik revolution and Holocaust.

==References==

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