Beginning in the 8th century, Khazar royalty and notable segments of the aristocracy converted to
Judaism; the populace appears to have been multi-confessional—a mosaic of pagan, Tengrist, Jewish, Christian and Muslim worshippers—and polyethnic.
[15] A modern theory, that the core of
Ashkenazi Jewry emerged from a hypothetical Khazarian Jewish
diaspora, is now viewed with scepticism by most scholars,
[16] but occasionally supported by others.
[17] This Khazarian hypothesis is sometimes associated with
antisemitism and
anti-Zionism.