The smallest Polish minority - The Karaims

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject Sociology - Religion grade: 5 (Erasmus) which is escellent University of Wroclaw course: Languages and Nations in East-Central Europe in the 21st Century language: English abstract: If one concerns oneself in Polish and Eastern European minorities and if one looks at the numbers of different minority groups one group at the end of the list catches ones eye: The Karaim or Karaites. This minority group exists depending on the source of only 40-50 people. The name differs in some sources they are called Karaim in others Karaites. In the following chapters I will call them Karaim as I found out during my research that they call themselves Karaim or in Eastern Europe also Qaray. Moreover Karaim is also closer to its origin but more about this in one of the following chapters. Polands Karaims had since centuries disliked to be called Karaites as it meant black dog. Very special is the Karaim's religion Judaism as they are ethnically turksPoland is a ethnically most homogenious state which was not always so in Poland' s history. Poles are with 993 % the Majority. The different Minorities in Poland are according to the 2002 census: Among ethnic groups Silesians and Germans are the largest minorities 172.6 thousand of Polish citizens declare Silesian national identity and 147.1 thousand German. The third and the fourth linguistic minorities are respectively Belorussians 47.6 thousand and Ukrainians 27.2 thousand. The Gypsies appear in fifth position with 12.7 thousand. They are followed by the historical minorities which number from 5 to 10 thousand people: Ruthenians/Lemkos- 5.8 thousand Lithuanians - 5.6 thousand and Kashbus - 5.1 thousand. Next there are minor communities like Russians - 3.2 thousand Slovaks (1.7 thousand) Jews (1.1 thousand) Tartars (0.5 thousand) Czechs (0.4 thousand) Armenians (0.3 thousand) and in last place the Karaim with only 50. At this point I must add that oth