Maronites in Israel

The Maronites in Israel (Arabic: الموارنة في إسرائيل‎‎) are a part of the Maronite Catholic Church, which has historically been tied with Lebanon. They derive their name from the Syriac Saint Maron, whose followers moved to Mount Lebanon from northern Syria, establishing the Maronite Church, most of whose members currently live in Lebanon. The Maronite community in Israel numbers about 6,700, most of whom live in Galilee, close to the Lebanese border. The Maronites in Israel encompass the long existing community in Jish area and the families of former South Lebanon Army militia members, who fled South Lebanon in April–May 2000.

The Maronite community in Israel is trying to revive the ancient Syriac language, which used to be lingua franca of the region after the spread of Christianity, and a common language within the Maronite community until the 16th century. The Maronite-majority town of Jish has recently initiated official teaching of neo-Aramaic language in a local school, with approval of the Israeli Ministry of Education.

The Maronites in Israel and the Palestinian territories are subject to either the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land, or the Maronite Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Palestine, both in turn subject to the Patriarch of Antioch, but since 1996 both these branches of the Maronite Church have been in the pastoral care of one single bishopo, being united for now in persona episcopi.

The Maronite community in upper Galilee spans from the 18th century, being concentrated in the villages of Iqrit, Kafr Bir'im and Jish. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Maronite villages of Iqrit and Kafr Bir'im were ordered to evacuate by the IDF, due to their proximity to the border with Lebanon. However, the Maronite residents have never been allowed to return, finally taking residence in the nearby towns of Jish and Rameh, which in turn had emptied from much of its Arab Muslim population earlier. The Maronites have formed the biggest group of Jish's population to this day.

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