Who was King Bulan of Khazaria? Jewish Biography as History

Dear Dr. Abramson,

I love your lectures, particularly those on Jewish history in antiquity.

I have to say though that the latest lecture on King Bulan and the Khazars contained an important omission. While you ask some important questions and address doubts about certain sources, you never question the fundamental assumption — and I do not use that word lightly — that the Khazars actually converted to Judaism. As Shaul Stampfer of Hebrew University has argued, the sources that mention the alleged conversion are highly problematic from a historical point of view. (See Stampfer, “Did the Khazars Convert to Judaism?,” Jewish Social Studies: His- tory, Culture, Society n.s. 19, no. 3 (Spring/Summer 2013): 1–72.). I don’t purport to be an expert in this area, but Stampfer’s argument seems persuasive to me. I feel that at the very least, his arguments are serious and should be addressed. Perhaps you could address them in a future lecture on the Golden Age of Spain (e.g., whether the “letter” from the Khazar king “Joseph” to Hasdai Ibn Shaprut was pseudepigraphal, or what Yehuda Halevi’s sources were for the Khuzari). You mention that these sources are not designed to be historical accounts — very true — but you don’t go the next step and question whether there is any reliable evidence of the Khazar conversion. I realize that there are non-Jewish sources that mention the conversion, but this in itself is not sufficient evidence. As Stampfer explains, those sources too are problematic, most importantly in that they knew very little about Khazaria and their authors seemed to have believed that it was a land inhabited by Minotaur-like creatures. To paraphrase Stampfer, it would have been a great story, if it we could believe it were true.

Again, I want to reiterate that I write as a fan offering some constructive criticism, so please take these words in that vein. I look forward to more lectures.

Best regards.