Sima Babovich

Sima ben Salomon Babovich (Karaim: Сима Бабович - Sima Babovich, Russian: Сима Соломонович Бабович; 1790–1855) was a first Hakham of the Russian Crimean Karaites, one of the early figures in the Crimean Karaites movement.

The Karaites of Yevpatoria commemorated this event every year by an annual special prayer in his honor.

His agitation gained recognition from the Russian government of the Karaites as a separate religious community in 1837.

It was Babovich who asked Firkovich to assemble material detailing the history, origin and customs of the Crimean Karaites, in response to a request from the Russian government.

In 1840 the Karaites were granted the status of an independent Church and giving them rights far in advance of the Jews.