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Herein are lists associated with some of the more influential rabbinates, together with a few other religious and ethical leaders. Contains articles on: Chabad Chassidics, Chief Rabbis of Great Britain, Chief Rabbis of Israel, Jewish colonies in Egypt, the Gaonim, Ger Chassidics, the Hakham Basi, the Keraites, and the Resh Galuta.
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KARAITE (Ananite) EXILARCHS The Karaites were originally a collection of schismatic Jewish sects that had little in common except a rejection of the Rabbinic Oral Tradition that formed the basis for the Talmud. They had little cohesion or widespread adherence until the rise of Anan ben David, who declared himself Exilarch in 760. Anan taught that each individual could use simple rules of reason to derive the Law directly from the text of the Torah. Anan's movement (called Ananism) brought various subsects together and eventually was supplanted by Karaism, which differed from Anan's teachings in many respects but still held him in high regard. Anan and his descendents are regarded as the legitimate Exilarchs in Karaite tradition.
The following people were Nasi'im of the Baghdad Jewish community after the abolition of the Exilarchate who may have nevertheless claimed the title: