What is "serach"

In the Schechter Letter, Serakh is the wife of the Khazar ruler Sabriel. A Jew, she encourages her husband and other Khazars to convert to Judaism and establish it as the official religion of Khazaria. Serakh is not mentioned in the Khazar Correspondence or the Kuzari.

Some scholars have postulated that the Khazar conversion to Judaism came as a result of contact with existing Jewish populations in the Crimea and the Caucasus, possibly the ancestors of the Krymchaks or Mountain Jews. As with so much of Khazar studies, the absence of documentary evidence renders the question of whether Serakh belonged to one of these groups a matter of speculation.

Serach or Serah, sometimes rendered Serakh is a Hebrew feminine given name.

Some notable people who bore this name include:

• Serach, the daughter of the biblical patriarch Asher about whom many midrashim are told
• Serach (Khazar), the wife of the Khazar ruler Sabriel who influenced, according to the Schechter Letter, the latter's decision to convert to Judaism
• Schloss Serach in Germany, home of Alexander of Württemberg (1801–1844) from which the Serach Circle of poets was named