About 4,000–5,000 ethnic Circassians are citizens and residents of Israel. They live primarily in two towns: Kfar Kama, and Rehaniya.
Israeli Circassians in traditional ceremonial clothing with the Circassian national flag, 2010
Coat of Arms of Adygea in the Circassian Heritage Center of Kfar Kama
Site of Circassian village established in 1860, abandoned due to malaria
Circassian youth in traditional dress in Israel
Since the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, fixed-term military service has been compulsory in Israel. The conscription laws of the Israel Defense Forces apply to Jews, Druze, and Circassia
Circassians in Israel
…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). Circassia was a Christian land for 1,000 years, but from the 16th century to the 19th century, they were Islamized…
New IDF conscript packing his bag
New conscripts trying on uniforms
Officers in reserve duty before a parachuting exercise. Reserve service may continue until the age of 51.
Caricature 1780 press gang