Assyrians in Israel
Ethnic group in Israel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Assyrians in Israel (Hebrew: האשורים בישראל; Arabic: آشُورِيُّون في إسرائيل) are Assyrians living in State of Israel, totaling approximately 1,000 individuals.
  | |
 Assyrians at the Nova music festival site demonstrating their respect and solidarity with Israelis following the 7 October attacks | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Jerusalem, Bethlehem | |
| Languages | |
| Levantine Arabic, Neo-Aramaic, Modern Hebrew[1] | |
| Religion | |
| Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Arameans in Israel, Maronites in Israel |
History
The Assyrian presence in the Israel mainly originated from those who fled the Assyrian genocide from Tur Abdin in 1915. Many found refuge in what was known as the "Syriac Quarter" in Bethlehem and the since destroyed "Syriac Quarter" in the Old City of Jerusalem, squeezed between the Armenian Quarter and the Jewish Quarter at the Old City’s southern end.[2] According to Roads & Kingdoms, following the Six-Day War, the houses in the Syriac quarter were either demolished alongside the Mughrabi Quarter, or reassigned to the Jewish quarter.[2]
It is estimated that 65% of Syriacs who inhabited the Holy Land at the beginning of 1967 left the region (mostly Jerusalem and Bethlehem) in the following years.[2]
Religion
Assyrians are predominantly Christians of the East and West Syriac Rite. The majority of Assyrians in Israel are adherents of the Syriac Orthodox Church, while a smaller community of Catholic Assyrians also exists.
Orthodox Assyrians
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church is the largest Assyrian church in Israel, covered by the Archbishopric of Israel, Palestine and Jordan under the spiritual guidance and direction of Archbishop Gabriel Dahho.
The most notable Syriac Orthodox monastery in Israel is the Monastery of Saint Mark in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Syriac Orthodox Church also has sharing rights to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and minor rights to the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, where they possess an altar on the western side of the site.
Catholic Assyrians
Syriac Catholic Church
The Syriac Catholic Church has a Patriarchal Exarchate formed in 1892, based out of the Church of Saint Thomas in Jerusalem. As of 2015, there are three parishes in Israel with an estimated 3,000 adherents.
Chaldean Catholic Church
Since 1903, the Chaldean Catholic Church has been represented in Jerusalem by a non-resident patriarchal vicar. In 1997, the Chaldean Catholic Church established the Territory Dependent on the Patriarch which was previously governed as the Patriarchal Vicariate of Jerusalem within the Patriarch's own archeparchy.
Gallery
Syriac Orthodox monastery of Saint Mark, in the Old City of Jerusalem
Pre-1948 distribution of modern Judeo-Aramaic languages and dialects
Assyrian Jews
Assyrian and Jewish Americans participating in the Assyrian New Year parade in Chicago, where they express support for Israel
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