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Semen Duvan

Mayor of Yevpatoria, a prominent Karaite public figure, savior of the Karaites from the Holocaust.

Overview

Semen Ezrovych Duvan was an influential public and political figure who served as mayor of Yevpatoria. His most notable act was a diplomatic trip to Berlin in the autumn of 1938. During this trip he appealed to the Ministry of the Interior of Nazi Germany and managed to prove the non-Jewish (Turkic) origin of the Karaites. This official recognition later saved the entire Karaite ethnic group in Crimea and other regions from destruction during the Holocaust under the German occupation.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Activities in Yevpatoria: He served as mayor and made a major contribution to the development of the city as a resort.
  • Saving the Karaites: In the autumn of 1938 he visited Berlin, where he successfully lobbied for the recognition of the Karaites as a people of non-Jewish origin, which became a key factor in their survival during World War II.
  • Karaites and Crimea — A source of information about the life and activities of Semen Duvan.
  • Karaites — The ethnic group that Duvan saved from destruction.