Monday, October 15, 2012
“The Myth of the Khazar Conversion” by Shaul Stampfer

12:30-1:30pm in Thomson 317

Shaul Stampfer of Hebrew University in Jerusalem will speak on “The Myth of the Khazar Conversion” as part of the Stroum Jewish Studies Program’s Lunchtime Learning Series.  Light lunch will be provided.

Much has been written and said about the conversion of the Khazars (a Turkic
people) to Judaism and the consequences of this conversion. However, it has been
decades since there was a systematic examination of the event’s historical evidence.
This talk presents the occasionally surprising results of a critical investigation
into the Khazari conversion mystery. The discussion will address
two classic dilemmas of the modern historian: how to balance between
belief and proof, and the problem of trying to prove that something did not happen.

Co-sponsored by the Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies