Израилым ис Адыгэхэр הצ'רקסים בישראל | |
|---|---|
 Israeli Circassians in traditional ceremonial clothing with the Circassian national flag, 2010 | |
| Total population | |
| c. 4,000[1][2]–5,000[3] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Kfar Kama, Israel Rehaniya, Israel | |
| Languages | |
| Circassian languages (Adyghe, Kabardian) – native, Arabic (Levantine Arabic, Palestinian Arabic), Israeli Hebrew (L2), English (L3) | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam Also Christianity and Circassian paganism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Circassians, North Caucasians |
| Part of a series on the |
| Circassians Адыгэхэр |
|---|
 List of notable Circassians Circassian genocide |
| Circassian diaspora |
| Circassian tribes |
|
Surviving Destroyed or barely existing |
| Religion |
|
Religion in Circassia |
| Languages and dialects |
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| History |
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Show |
| Culture |
Circassians in Israel (Adyghe: Израилым ис Адыгэхэр, Hebrew: הצ'רקסים בישראל) are Israelis who are ethnic Circassians. They are a branch of the Circassian diaspora, which was formed as a consequence of the 19th-century Circassian genocide that was carried out by the Russian Empire during the Russo-Circassian War; Circassians are a Northwest Caucasian[4] ethnic group and a nation; who natively speak the Circassian languages and originate from the historical country-region of Circassia in the North Caucasus. Most Circassians in Israel are Muslims.
Israeli Circassians adhere largely to the Sunni branch of Islam; they number about 4,000–5,000 and live primarily in two towns: Kfar Kama (Кфар Кама), and Rehaniya (Рихьаные). They are descended from two Circassian diaspora groups who were settled in the Galilee by the Ottoman Empire in the 1870s.
Circassians are one of only three minority groups in Israel (alongside the Druze and Negev Bedouin) from whom conscripts are drawn for compulsory military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).[5][6]
- ^ Besleney, Zeynel Abidin (2014). The Circassian Diaspora in Turkey: A Political History. Routledge. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-317-91004-6.
- ^ Torstrick, Rebecca L. (2004). Culture and Customs of Israel. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-313-32091-0.
- ^ Louër, Laurence (2007). To be an Arab in Israel. New York City, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-231-14068-3.
- ^ James Minahan (2010). One Europe, Many Nations: A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 12. ISBN 9780313309847.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Kesslerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "People: Minority Communities". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2020.