EXHIBITION | OUT OF EGYPT
Introduction
BY AARON HAHN TAPPER
Above you will find a brief video made by Shawn Lichaa, a core member of the Bay Area Karaite community and their many organizations, including the Karaite Jews of America (KJA), in which he describes the "Out of Egypt" exhibit. For a letter of support from the KJA, signed by their Board President, David Ovadia, see here.
“Out of Egypt” explores the history of Karaite Jews in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is both a classic American tale of refugees fleeing persecution and the story of a unique contemporary Jewish American community.
This exhibit tells the extraordinary story of how, first arriving in the 1950s, this minority within a minority has survived against great odds, re-establishing a robust religious, spiritual, and cultural life in the Bay Area, including the only Karaite synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.
In portraying this distinct experience in contemporary Jewish American life, this exhibit compiles archival materials -- including video testimonies, community newsletters, and immigration documents -- to weave together a notable story of perseverance, commitment, and family.