Israeli-Circassian
| Адыгэхэу Исраэл исыхэр הצ'רקסים בישראל |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Total population | |
| c. 4,000–5,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Kfar Kama, Rehaniya | |
| Languages | |
| Hebrew, Circassian, English, Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Circassians |
Circassians in Israel (Adyghe: Адыгэхэу Исраэл исыхэр; Hebrew: הצ'רקסים בישראל) refers to the Circassian people who live in Israel.
Circassians in Israel are Sunni Muslims, and number about 4,000 and live primarily in two towns: Kfar Kama (Adyghe: Кфар Кама) and Rehaniya (Adyghe: Рихьаные). They send each of their young men to the Israeli army, and are one of three minority groups in Israel drafted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Circassians were originally Christian for 1,000 years, but from the 16th century to the 19th century they were Islamized under the influence of Crimean Tatars and Ottoman Turks. The Circassians arrived in the Middle East after they were expelled from their homeland in the northwestern Caucasus. The Circassians, who fought during the Russo-Circassian War in the mid-to-late 19th century against the Russians captured the northern Caucasus, were massacred (1.5 million killed) and expelled (1 million deported) by Czarist Russia from the Caucasus. The Ottoman Empire, which saw the Circassians as experienced fighters, absorbed them in their territory and settled them in sparsely populated areas, including the Galilee.
...
Wikipedia