Z dziejów Karaimów litewsko-polskich w XX wieku

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Karaimai; Lietuva; Lenkija; XX amžius; Asimiliacija; Sovietinė okupacija; Komunizmas. Keywords: Karaites; Lithuania; Poland; 20th century; Assimilation; Soviet occupation; Communism.Reikšminiai žodžiai: 20 amžius; Lenkija (Lenkijos karalystė. Kingdom of Poland. Poland); Karaimai; Etninės grupės; Tautinės mažumos; 20th century; Karaites; Ethnic groups; Minorities.

ENThe Karaims are a religious and ethnic group with a very interesting history and culture, who emerged in Crimea around the 10th century. They settled in Poland and Lithuania in the 14th century and survived until the 20th century as a small minority — in the interwar period their population did not exceed 1,000. At that time their main centres were in Trakai, Vilnius, Panevėžys in Lithuania as well as in Lutsk and Halych. They were very active in various areas of culture; however, both the First and the Second World Wars had a negative impact on this small community. Many of its members perished during military operations. Most were forcibly resettled, as a result of which they dispersed as a community and became assimilated in foreign environments. Just as dangerous to them was communism, which fought any manifestations of religious culture. Nevertheless, today the Karaims still try to live as a distinct people in Lithuania and Poland. [From the publication]

• Karaimi w dawnej Rzeczypospolitej (XVI-XVIII wiek) / Stefan Gąsiorowski. Karaimi / pod redakcją Beaty Machul-Telus. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Sejmowe, 2012. P. 25-33.
• Karaimi w Koronie i na Litwie w XV-XVIII wieku / Stefan Gąsiorowski. Kraków ; Austeria, 2008. 598 p.