Refael Abkowicz ( Polish: Rafał Abkowicz ; March 16, 1896 , Troki - September 12, 1992 , Wroclaw ) - the last Polish Gazzan , founder of the Wroclaw kenassa.
| Refael Abkovich | ||
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| polish Rafał Abkowicz | ||
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| 1946 - 1992 | ||
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| 1938 - 1946 | ||
| Predecessor | Joseph Iosifovich Lobanos | |
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| 1929 - 1938 | ||
| Predecessor | Yakov Samuilovich Leonovich | |
| Successor | Joseph Iosifovich Lobanos | |
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| 1919 - 1920 | ||
| Predecessor | Zakharya Mikhailovich Mitskevich | |
| Successor | Semyon Adolfovich Firkovich | |
| Birth | March 16, 1896 Troki , Vilnius province , Russian Empire | |
| Death | September 12, 1992 (96 years old) Wroclaw , Poland | |
| Buried | Karaite cemetery in Warsaw | |
| Father | Avraam Ananievich Abkovich | |
| Mother | Esther Aranovich | |
| Spouse | Natalya Firkovich | |
| Children | Boguslav, Emanuel, Michael, Anna, Gabriel | |
Biography
Born into a Karaite family, his father is Abraham Ananievich Abkovich ( Polish. Abraham Szemoel Abkowicz - Abraham Shemoel Abkovich), his mother is Esther Aranowicz ( Polish. Ester Aranowicz ). Raphael had a brother Joseph ( Polish: Józef ) and two sisters - Nina and Sophia. In 1911, he graduated from the 4th grade of a school in Trakai and began working in the local treasury. At the same time, he was preparing to pass exams and studied theology under Karaite spiritual administration ( Polish. Duchownym Zarządzie Karaimskim ). His teachers were Gazzany Boguslav Firkovich and Zakharya Mickiewicz .
In July 1915 , Rafael Abkovich volunteered to join the Russian army, and after graduating from an officer school in Moscow in March 1916, he was appointed to the 177th Infantry Regiment and took part in the First World War . In 1918 he was demobilized and distributed to Kharkov , but then returned to Trakai as a citizen of Lithuania. There he decided to organize a Midrash (Karaite religious school). In 1919, Polish troops entered Trakai, a school inspectorate was formed and a post of headman was appointed. At the initiative of Abkovich, a school for Karaite children with the Polish language of instruction was created, where he taught the basics of Karaite dogma and the Karaite language . This school worked until August 1920 .
In February 1919, Rafael Avraamovich, under the auspices of Zakharya Mitskevich, became a ribby, and in June of that year he was elected to the position of junior Gazzan. In 1920, he resigned from this position and until 1925 he worked in the bureau. In the same year, he was elected adviser to the mayor in Trakai, and in 1925 - 1927 . worked as secretary of the magistrate . In 1927 - 1929 . Abkovich taught Karaite language and religion in Vilnius . In 1929 - 1938 He served as a Gazzan and teacher of religion in Lutsk , and in 1938 - 1946 . held these positions in Vilnius. In 1938, he became a member of the Society of History and Literature Lovers of Karaites in Vilnius.
After the end of World War II , in March 1946 , Rafael Abkovich went to Poland with his wife and younger sons and settled in Wroclaw. He organized Karaite self-government ( Polish. Karaimską Gminę Wyznaniową ), and in his apartment, which became the only Kenass of post-war Poland, held divine services until 1989 . Thus, he was the only Gazan in post-war Poland. In addition, he worked as an accountant .
Rafael Abkovich died in 1992 and was buried in the Karaite cemetery in Warsaw at Polish address . ulicy Redutowej 34 .
Granddaughter of Gazzana Mariola Abkovic (born 1964) is the chairman of the Union of Polish Karaites and the editor of the Karaite magazine Awazymyz .
Links
- Rafał Abkowicz. Wspomnienie (Polish)
- Mariola Abkowicz. Rafał Abkowicz (Polish)
- Abkowicz Rafał (Polish)