List of Karaite Jews

This list of Karaite Jews consists of notable individuals who are associated with Karaite Judaism. It includes not only those individuals who were explicitly a part of a Karaite community, but also those Jews who held Karaite or proto-Karaite views. The association of each individual with Karaite Judaism must be explained in that individual's entry.

Early Karaite period — 8th–9th centuries (700–899 CE)

 * ‘Anan ben David, founder of the Annanites which would later be absorbed into Kara'ism
 * Benjamin al-Nahawandi, regarded by some as the proper originator of Kara'ism as it has come down through the ages
 * Abu 'Imran Musa al-Za'farani al-Tiflisi, a 9th-century founder of Karaite sect of the Tiflisites

Golden Age — 10th–12th centuries (900–1199 CE)

 * Aharon ben Mosheh ben Asher (died c.960 CE), refiner of the Tiberian writing system, regarded as having produced the most accurate version of the Masoretic Text
 * Daniel al-Qumisi, Kara'ite scholar, polemicist, proto-Zionist, and compiler of the legal code Sefer ha-Mitzvot
 * Hasun ben Mashiach, scholar who flourished in Egypt (or Babylonia) in the first half of the tenth century
 * Ya'akov Qirqisani aka al-Kirkisani, dogmatist, author, and exegete of the early 10th century
 * Yehudah Hadasi, 12th century scholar, philosopher, and grammarian from Constantinople
 * Solomon ben Jeroham, exegete and controversialist
 * Yefet ben Ali, Babylonian commentator on the Bible

Middle period — 13th–17th century (1200–1699 CE)

 * Aaron ben Elijah of Nicomedia (1328/9–1369), perhaps the most prominent Kara'ite theologian, considered the Kara'ite equivalent of his rabbinic contemporary, Maimonides
 * Elijah Bashyazi (1420–1490), Hakham who codified Karaite laws
 * Caleb Afendopolo (1430–1499), Hakham and polyhistor.
 * Moses ben Elijah Bashyazi (1537–1555), wrote many Karaite books
 * Yiṣḥaq b. Avraham of Troki, 16th century Lithuanian Kara'ite philosopher and writer who wrote the important apology or defense of Judaism vis-a-vis Christianity entitled Ḥizzuq Emunah (Fortification of Faith)

Early-modern era — 18th–19th centuries (1700–1947 CE)

 * Mordecai Sultansky (1772–1862), prominent scholar who wrote about angelology and the origin of Karaite Jews
 * Abram Samoilovitch Besicovitch (1891–1970), Russian-English mathematician
 * Adolph Joffe (1883–1927), Russian communist revolutionary, Bolshevik politician, Soviet diplomat
 * Avraham Firkovich, famous leader of the Crimean Karaites, a very important collector of manuscripts, who was an amateur archeologist
 * Shlomo ben Afeda Ha-Kohen (1826–1893), considered the last sage of the Constantinopolitan Karaites
 * Solomon Krym (1864–1936), deputy in the Russian Duma
 * Samuel Maykapar (1867–1938), Soviet composer
 * Seraya Shapshal (1873–1961), ḥakham of the Lithuanian Karaite community
 * Sima Babovich (1790–1855), ḥakham of the Crimean Karaites

Current-modern era — 20th–21st centuries (1948 CE–present)

 * Mordecai Alfandari (1929–1999), Ḥakham, known as the restorer of Karaism; in the years 1956-1958 published a Karaite bulletin in Hebrew called "Ha'Or" ("The Light"); he is also the author of studies on the Light of Israel website.
 * Melech ben Ya'aqov, Ḥakham of the World Alliance of Qara'im and maintains the website Karaite Insights
 * Moshe ben Yosef Firrouz, former Chief Ḥakham and Vice-Chancellor of Karaite Jewish University, maintains the website Universal Karaite Judaism
 * Avraham Kefeli, Ḥazzan in Ashdod, Israel
 * Moshe Marzouk (1926–1955), Egyptian Karaite Jew, hanged by Egypt for his participation in Israel's Operation Suzannah, also called the Lavon Affair
 * Joe Pessah, Congregation leader of congregation B'nai Y'Israel in Daly City, California
 * Avraham Qanaï (1946–2021), Ḥakham of the Karaite congregation “Oraḥ Ṣaddiqim” in Albany, New York
 * Meir Rekhavi, Ḥakham and co-founder of the World Karaite Movement, holds the position of Chancellor for the Karaite Jewish University