Arameans in Israel
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 13,000 (2014) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Israel
|
|
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Syriac Christianity |
Arameans in Israel (Aramaic: ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ, ארמיא; ʼaramáyé) are persons residing in Israel who identify as Arameans (or Aramaeans), a Northwest Semitic people who originated in what is now western, southern and central Syria region (Biblical Aram) during the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
Some Syriac Christians in the Middle East (particularly in Syria and Israel) still espouse an Aramean ethnic identity to this day and a minority still speak Western Aramaic dialects or languages, although the Eastern Aramaic of the ethnic Assyrians is far more widely spoken. Most of the self-identified Aramaeans in Israel are of Maronite congregation. The Maronite residents of Jish, a subset of Maronites in Israel, relate to themselves as Aramean Christian Maronite peoples. Until 2014, self-identified Arameans in Israel used to be registered as ethnic Arabs. However, since September 2014, Christian families or clans who can speak Aramaic and/or have an Aramaic family tradition are eligible to register as ethnic Arameans in Israel.
Aramaean people originated in what is present-day western, southern and central Syria (Biblical Aram) during the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
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