A Taste of Karaite Judaism In 30 Minutes or Less (Part 1)

ABlueThread.com

I gave a brief intro on Karaite Judaism to a group of 5th-7th graders from a conservative synagogue. The sound is not great, I was a bit rusty, my shirt collar was sticking out of my coat, but there is some good info here.

A few notes:

(1) I had wanted to encourage these students to take pride in their Jewish tradition, even though it is something difficult to do the right thing as a minority. I don't think that came across as well as I had wanted;

(2) I slipped up at one point and stated that the reason Karaites pray on rugs is likely due to the Rabbinic prohibition of prostrating on "concrete." I should have said "stone," as I did elsewhere during the presentation; and

(3) When discussing the differences between Karaite and Rabbanite dietary laws, I was asked why shawarma is generally not permissible for Karaites. I should have just said that it usually seasoned with a particular type of fat that is specifically prohibited in the Torah. Instead I grossed the kids out by telling them where the fat comes from.