Circassians in Israel
Branch of the Circassian diaspora in Israel / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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.
Израилым ис Адыгэхэр הצ'רקסים בישראל | |
---|---|
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 | |
Related ethnic groups | |
other Circassians, North Caucasians |
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]