Avraham Qanaï

Who is Avraham Qanaï?

Avraham Ben-Raḥamiël Qanaï is the leader of the Congregation Oraḥ Ṣaddiqim in Albany, New York, and a proponent of Karaite Judaism in the United States. He is considered a Ḥakham in the Karaite Jewish community.

Qanaï practiced naturopathy and osteopathic manipulative medicine in Troy, New York. He is branch secretary of the James Connolly Upstate New York Regional GMB, Industrial Workers of the World of Albany, New York.

His father was named Raḥamiël Ben-Yosef Bölekçan. Qanaï studied with several Karaite scholars, including ‘Immanu’el Ben-Mosheh Mass‘ouda, David Yerushalmi, Ḥayyim Levi, Eliyahu Marzouq, Mosheh Dabbaḥ, Yosef El-Gamil, and Zekharyah Raḥamim Levi. It was Ḥakham ‘Immanu’el that bestowed the title of Ḥakham upon Qanaï.

Ḥakham Qanaï has intensively promoted Karaite scholarship. He is a co-author of the book An Introduction to Karaite Judaism: History, Theology, Practice and Custom, which discusses historical and modern Karaite Judaism.