The Mashhadi Jews (Djedids) in Central Asia

ANOR 14

Albert Kaganovich

Jürgen Paul, Universität Halle / Ingeborg Baldauf, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Klaus Schwarz Verlag
Language: English
1. Edition (2007)
Paperback, 92 pages
ISBN 9783879976416
Availability: next-day delivery
10.20 € 

The Djedids are so called because they were new Muslims - newly converted from Judaism. It is the name for a rela­ti­vely small group of Jews from Mashhad, Iran, who were more or less forced to accept Islam. Many of them subse­qu­ently left Iran for Tsarist Central Asia where they formed a sepa­rate group, although they partly also merged with Bukharan Jews. They pros­pered in inter­na­tional trade between the Tsarist Empire, Iran and Afgha­nistan, with the apex of their fortunes situated shortly before the outb­reak of World War I. Because of the war and later as a conse­qu­ence of the Revo­lu­tion, decline set in.