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
Related ethnic groups
other Circassians, North Caucasians
Part of a series on the
Circassians Адыгэхэр
Circassia
Adyghe Xabze
Circassians
List of notable Circassians Circassian genocide
Circassian diaspora
Turkey
Jordan
Israel
Syria
Germany
United States
Saudi Arabia
Libya
Iraq
Iran
Egypt
Bulgaria (historical)
Kosovo (historical)
Romania (historical)
Circassian tribes
Surviving
Abzakhs
Besleney
Bzhedug
Chemirgoy
Hatuqway
Kabardian
Natukhaj
Shapsug
Ubykh
Destroyed or barely existing
Ademey
Chebsin
Cherchenay
Guaye
Hakuchey
Khatuq
Khegayk
Makhosh
Mamkhegh
Yegeruqway
Zhaney
Religion
Religion in Circassia
Islam
Christianity
Circassian paganism
Languages and dialects
West Circassian (Adyghe)
East Circassian (Kabardian)
History
Show
Ancient
Maykop culture
Maeotians
Zygii
Medieval
Mongol invasion of Circassia
Zichia
Inal the Great
Modern
Circassia
Circassian slave trade
Russo-Circassian War
Circassian Revolution
Circassian Majlis
Circassian genocide
Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus
Circassian Union and Mutual Aid Society
Contemporary
Republic of Adygea
Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria
Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia
Shapsugsky National District (until 1945)
Key battles
Battle of Kanzhal
Battle of Qbaada
Culture
Adyghe Xabze
Circassian nationalism
Circassian flag
Circassian beauty
Circassian music
Circassian cuisine
Circassian mythology
Circassian Day of Mourning
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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. The majority of 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 two minority groups in Israel (alongside the Druze) from whom conscripts are drawn for compulsory military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). However, the IDF restricts conscription for the Circassian and Druze communities to males only; this policy is in contrast to the one applied to Israel's Jewish majority, from which females are also drafted alongside males.[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 Kessler was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"People: Minority Communities". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
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