Bukharian Jews are an ancient community that trace their origins to the Jewish exile to Babylon in the 6th century BCE. After Babylon was absorbed by the Persian Empire, many Jews went back to the Land of Israel, another group chose to stay in Persia, while a smaller cohort — who would eventually become the Bukharian Jewish community — migrated north to Central Asia and developed a distinct culture. These Jews settled in trading hubs and maintained extensive contact with Persian-speaking Jews, such as the Jews in Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. The major population hubs in Central Asia for Bukharians were in the cities of Samarkand, Tashkent, and Bukhara. Bukharians traditionally spoke a Jewish dialect of the Tajik language called Bukharian or Bukhori, which is closely related to Persian.
Central Asia was settled and conquered by many different empires throughout history, and they each left a unique mark on the region’s inhabitants, including the Bukharian Jews. The territory changed hands between the Persian Empire, Arab Caliphate, and the Russian Empire. Bukharian Jews had a very influential role in Central Asia, dominating the region’s textile and dye industries, also featuring as prominent merchants.
The first Russian census of Central Asia in 1897 counted 11,463 Jews, the vast majority being Bukharian Jews. By the 1940s, Bukharians were heavily persecuted in the Soviet Union, their Jewish schools and other institutions were shut down, and numerous Bukharians began to speak Russian instead of their traditional language. Bukharians experienced many of the same restrictions as Ashkenazi Jews, such as being prohibited from making aliyah.
After the Soviet Union collapsed, Bukharians started to settle outside Central Asia, with the vast majority moving either to Israel or the Queens borough of New York City, where the highest concentration of Bukharians reside. A small proportion of Bukharians still live in Central Asia.
Bukharian Jews have also been involved in the Zionist movement since its very early days. Bukharians were among the first Jews to settle in the country during the First Aliyah, when thousands of Jews immigrated to the Land of Israel in the early 19th century, primarily from the Russian Empire. As early as 1890, Bukharians established a residential neighborhood in Jerusalem.
One of the most famous rabbis among the Bukharian Jews is Rabbi Joseph Maman Maghribi, a Sephardic Jew from Morocco. While he is not Bukharian, he is widely regarded within the community. He arrived in Bukhara in 1793, and is said to have revived Bukharian Jewish practice in a period when Hebrew literacy and general religious observance was alarmingly low. He trained lots of other well-known Bukharian rabbis that would continue to lead the community after his passing.
Today, there are many famous Bukharian Jews in Israel and America, including Israeli celebrity chef Israel Aharoni, Israeli singer Idan Yaniv, and countless athletes, singers, politicians, and other influential figures.
Sources:
https://bukhariancommunity.com/community/
https://iranicaonline.org/articles/bukhara-vii
Who Are the Bukharan Jews?
https://thebukharanjews.weebly.com/major-figures.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dwindling-at-home-central-asias-bukharian-jews-thrive-in-diaspora/
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