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Where
the Mountain Jews came from is a source of much scholarly
speculation. Many of these Jews, who sometimes call themselves
Tats, insist that they are descendants of Israel's Lost Tribes
who began their wanderings after the destruction of Jerusalem's
first temple in 722 B.C. Others say the Tats migrated north from
Persia a mere 300 years ago, at the invitation of a local khan,
or chieftain and were cut off from their cousins in Iran as the
borders of empires shifted. An altogether different theory
suggests that the Tats are what remains of the mighty Khazar
nation, an indigenous Caucasian people who converted en masse to
Judaism in the eighth century, in a vain attempt to fend off
Christian Russians and Islamic Arabs. In appearance, the Tats
are indistinguishable from their Azeri neighbors, who are
themselves a mix of Turkish, Persian, Arab and Caucasian stock.
- "The Mountain Jews of Guba" by Inga Saffron, in
The Philadelphia Inquirer (July 21, 1997)
"According to Kings II - and oral tradition -
when ancient Israel was destroyed, some citizens headed, in the
eighth century B.C.E., to the conquering land of Assyria and
beyond to Media on the Caspian's southern shores. A hundred or
so years later, descendants of these exiles, along with other
monotheists, were joined by Jews of the Babylonian diaspora.
They lay the foundations for Persian Jewish society, some of
whom apparently headed north to the Caucasus, with those in the
areas that would become Azerbaijan and Dagestan eventually
acquiring the identification of Mountain Jews." - "The
Jewish Traveler - Azerbaijan" by Phyllis Ellen Funke, in
Hadassah Magazine (October 1999).
The Talmud mentions the existence of a Jewish community
in Derbent, and some prominent talmudic sages are known to have
either come from or established yeshivot in Derbent and other
cities in the North Caucasus. It is possible that the Mountain
Jews are descendants of Persian-Jewish soldiers who were
stationed in the Caucasus by the Sasanian kings in the fifth or
sixth century to protect the area from the onslaughts of the
Huns and other nomadic invaders from the east. Jewish
Communities in Exotic Places by Ken Blady (Northvale, NJ: Jason
Aronson Inc., 2000), pages 158-159.
Cultural
aspects of the Mountain Jews
By Kevin Alan Brook, the author of The
Jews of Khazaria, the most recent general history of the
Khazars in English.
Occupations. According to
historian Ken Blady, the Mountain Jews used to be
agriculturalists and grew such crops as grapes, rice, tobacco,
grains, and marena. In later years most of the Mountain Jews
were forced to get involved in business, so they became traders,
tanners, jewelers, rug-weavers, leather-workers, and
weapon-makers. A small number of Mountain Jews remained farmers
as late as the 20th century.
Cuisine.
The foods of the Mountain Jews are outstanding. I have
personally eaten the Mountain Jewish versions of shashlik
(chicken) and shish-kebab and I liked the way the food was
prepared and the vegetables that were used with the meats. There
are many very good Mountain Jewish and Persian restaurants in
New York City and one of the Persian restaurants is called
"Khazar" after a name of the Caspian Sea.
Hospitality. The Mountain Jews were generous to guests,
just like their Caucasian neighbors. Ken Blady says that this
hospitality probably originated with the Jews themselves:
"As one of the oldest inhabitants in the region and the
people who brought monotheism to Caucasian soil, it may well
have been the Jews who wove the biblical patriarch Abraham's
practice of hachnosat orchim (welcoming guests) into the fabric
of Daghestani culture. Every guest was treated as if he were
personally sent by God. In every Jewish home a special room or
hut covered with the finest carpets was set aside for guests.
Every host would... lavish on them the finest foods and
spirits...." (p. 165-166)
Music and dance.
Instruments used by Mountain Jews included the tar (plucked
string instrument) and saz (long-necked fretted flute) (Blady,
p. 166). Blady also says that there were "many talented
musicians and wonderful storytellers among the Mountain
Jews" . Furthermore: "The Mountain Jews were graceful
in their movements, and were excellent dancers..." .
Dress. Mountain Jews wore clothing like that of their
neighbors in the Caucasus.
Courage and independence.
Like the Khazars, the Mountain Jews were "skilled horsemen
and expert marksmen" (Blady, p. 166). They loved horses and
nature. Mountain Jews knew the value of self-defense and carried
and owned many weapons (especially daggers).
Charity. Blady explains that all Mountain Jewish towns
had a "house of kindness and charity" which helped
poor and sick people.
Some traditional settlement areas of Mountain Jews.
Azerbaijani towns: Krasnaya Sloboda, Guba (Kuba/Quba),
Vartashen, Baku. Daghestani towns and regions: Kaytag, Derbent,
Makhachkala. There are tens of thousands of Mountain Jews living
in Israel today. There are also some Mountain Jews in the United
States of America and Canada. Materials
published by
Kevin Brook's permission.
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