Karaimų istorijos ir literatūros mylėtojų draugijos veikla Vilniuje 1932–1939 m.

Santrauka

In 1920, after the World War I emergency evacuation was over, the Karaims returned home and then settled in Lithuania and Poland. They gradually restored activities of different community organisations. In 1924, the Vilnius Karaim society started publishing the magazine in Polish “Myśl Karaimska” (A Karaim Thought). In the first issue, there was already a note about the Karaim national identity to be retained. And for that, as the authors pointed out, the unanimity and sincere efforts of the whole community for the good of the nation were needed.
Soon, on 23 October 1927, in Trakai during the assembly of the representatives of local Karaim religious communities Hadji Seraya Bey Shapshal was elected the highest priest. At that time he lived in Istambul, which he left in 1928 and moved to Vilnius for the rest of his life till 1961.
H. S. Shapshal fully realised his mission and took into consideration the vibrant activities of Vilnius’ society as well as the patriotic movements of different nations in this city. He took the initiative to found a Karaim history and literature lovers’ society there. Tadeusz Kowalski, the turcologist at Cracow university, and Ananiasz Zajączkowski, a Karaim himself and the future professor of turcology at Warsaw University, together with Karaim inteligentsia helped H. S. Shapshal substantially. The constituent assembly of the Society took place in Vilnius on 3 January 1932. Since then, the magazine “Myśl Karaimska” was overtaken by this Society, and H. S. Shapshal was announced a honorary chairperson of the Society.
The Karaim history and literature lovers’ society in its activities united the Karaim communities of Vilnius, Trakai, Luckas (Lutsk) and Haličas (Halich), at that time Polish territories. It also maintained a close collaboration with those from Lithuania – in Biržai, Naujamiestis, Panevėžys, Pasvalys, Talačkonys. Due to the efforts of the members of this Society, the information about the most western Turkic minority reached other countries. Moreover, as the Society promoted visits of Vilnius scientists to the countries where other Karaim communities lived, it also facilitated contacts among the communities.
The Karaim history and literature lovers’ society in Vilnius played a very important role both in stimulating investigations on Karaim history and culture, carried out by Karaims themselves and scientists of other nationalities, and in fostering Karaim national identity. Furthermore, the Society turned to be a culturally and scientifically very important institution appreciated not only by Karaim communities, but also by Polish orientalists of that time.
The Society fulfilled also a huge educative mission by promoting young people’s patriotic feelings.