Circassians in Israel
Израилым ис Адыгэхэр הצ'רקסים בישראל | |
|---|---|
Israeli Circassians in traditional ceremonial clothing with the Circassian national flag, 2010 | |
| Total population | |
| c. 4,000–5,000 | |
| 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 | |
| Predominantly Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Circassians, North Caucasians |
| Part of a series on the |
| Circassians Адыгэхэр |
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List of notable Circassians Circassian genocide |
| Circassian diaspora |
| Circassian tribes |
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Surviving Destroyed or barely existing |
| Religion |
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Religion in Circassia |
| Languages and dialects |
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| History |
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Show |
| Culture |
About 4,000–5,000 ethnic Circassians are citizens and residents of Israel. They live primarily in two towns: Kfar Kama (Кфар Кама), and Rehaniya (Рихьаные)
The Circassians of Israel 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 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 Israeli Circassians adhere largely to the Sunni branch of Islam. 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 two minority groups in Israel (alongside the Druze) from whom conscripts are drawn for compulsory military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).