Circassians in Israel

Updated October 5, 2026 · 3 min read

Two towns in the Galilee

Kfar Kama lies in the Lower Galilee, on road 767 between Kfar Tavor and the Sea of Galilee. About 3,000 people live there, most of them descended from Shapsugs. The village school teaches in Circassian, Hebrew, Arabic and English, and linguists describe a Kfar Kama dialect of its own, a variety of Shapsug Adyghe.

Rehaniya is in the Upper Galilee, about 8 km north of Safed, and had 1,188 residents in 2024. Most of its families are Abzakhs. It was built in the traditional Circassian way, with the houses side by side forming a protective wall, and its mosque follows the style of Circassian mosques in the Caucasus.

How they came

Israel’s Circassians descend from families exiled from the Caucasus in the 19th century, whom the Ottoman authorities settled in the Galilee in the 1870s. Kfar Kama’s settlers were Shapsugs; Rehaniya’s were mostly Abzakhs. At first they lived from raising animals and later from farming, and European travellers of the time praised their farming methods and their skill with livestock.

Language and life today

Israeli Circassians speak Adyghe and Hebrew, and many also speak Arabic and English. Since 1976 the community has run its own school system, separate from the government department for the Arab sector, so that the language and culture pass to each new generation. Compared with Circassian communities in other Middle Eastern countries, the two towns have kept their traditions especially well.

Among well-known Israeli Circassians is the footballer Bibars Natcho, born in Kfar Kama in 1988. In 2018 he became the first captain of Israel’s national team of Circassian or Muslim origin.

Visiting

Both towns have places devoted to Circassian heritage: the Center for Circassian Heritage in Kfar Kama, and a museum and heritage centre in Rehaniya. In 2007 the Circassian and Druze local authorities began promoting bed-and-breakfast stays in their villages, so visitors can stay overnight and see the culture up close.

Meet Circassians from Israel and everywhere else

The Circassian App brings Circassians from many countries together: community chats (a general chat, Turkish and Arabic chats, a Circassian-only room and a chat for women), voice rooms, private messages and a people search for finding other Circassians. It also teaches Kabardian and Adyghe in short lessons with audio, so you can pick up the language on the way. It is free on iPhone and Android.

Free on iPhone & Android

Meet Circassians from around the world

Community chats, voice rooms and private messages, plus Kabardian or Adyghe lessons to learn the language along the way.

Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play

Scan to download

★★★★★ 4.9 on the App Store · 50,000+ people in 100+ countries

Circassians around the world

Turkey · Jordan · Syria · United States · Germany. Overview: the Circassian diaspora today.

Circassians in Israel: questions