Circassians in Israel
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 ethnic group 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 | |
|---|---|
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, Rehaniya | |
| Languages | |
| Circassian languages (Adyghe, Kabardian), Israeli Hebrew, Levantine Arabic, English | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Circassians |
| 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 |
|
| History |
|
Show |
| Culture |
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.