[Avodah] Halachic Status of Karaites

[Zev Sero]

It has long seemed to me that there's a distinction many people miss,
that could explain the difference between the approaches of the Sefardi
and Ashkenazi poskim.  The fact is that they were dealing with two
different populations of Karaim.  The Rambam, etc, were dealing with
the Egyptian Karaim, who are presumably descended from the Jews who
followed Anan ben David 1300 years ago, and who have married among
themselves.  The Ashkenazi poskim were dealing with the Turkic-speaking
Karaim of the Crimea; it's my impression, from various sources, that
they are primarily descended from gerim who were converted by Kara'i
batei din, and who therefore remained halachically goyim.  It seems to
me that that is likely to have been the basis of R Yaacov Emden's psak,
which would therefore not affect the Israeli Kara'i community, which
AIUI is almost exclusively descended from the Egyptian Karaim.

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas