Like their Jewish and Arab neighbours, the Circassians \u2014 Sunni Muslims who serve in the Israel Defense Forces \u2014 have had their lives disrupted by the current round of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel that began in March, when the Iran-backed terror group resumed its fire on Israel amid the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n
For now, though, the skies were clear with only a few distant booms echoing over the border some 4.5 kilometers (nearly three miles) away.<\/p>\n
\t \u2018You\u2019re loyal to your surroundings\u2019<\/p>\n The Circassians are an ethnic group indigenous to the North Caucasus, a mountainous region between the Black and Caspian seas, in what is today primarily southern Russia.<\/p>\n They were massacred and forcibly expelled from their homeland by Russian troops between 1860 and 1864 in what their descendants want recognized as a genocide, its anniversary marked every May 21.<\/p>\n Known for their resilience in harsh conditions, their fighting skills and their loyalty to the place they live, the Circassians were brought to the Middle East by the Ottoman Empire in the mid-1870s and never left.<\/p>\n Today, they number five million worldwide, of which three million live in Turkey, 120,000 in Syria and 100,000 in Jordan. The rest are scattered across Russia, Europe, Israel and the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the rulers changed, the Circassians stuck with it, they\u2019re people of their word. Loyalty means you\u2019re loyal to your surroundings,\u201d said Zuher Tchaocho, 52, director of the Circassian museum in Kfar Kama, the other Circassian village, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the south.<\/p>\n \t Although he speaks Hebrew, his native tongue is Circassian \u2014 a phonetically-rich language based on 64 letters written in Cyrillic that graces the street signs, alongside Hebrew and Arabic.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the only place in the world where children are taught Circassian as part of the education system,\u201d Tchaocho said.<\/p>\n A living language<\/p>\n The everyday use of Circassian is what sets the community apart, according to Riyad Gosh, 80, former head of Circassian heritage at Israel\u2019s Education Ministry.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve retained our Circassian identity 100 percent\u2026 We preserve our community in language, culture, customs and behavior,\u201d he said, wearing a green baseball cap with the 12 gold stars and three crossed arrows of the Circassian flag.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019re a people that is disappearing because many don\u2019t speak the language,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not preserved like we preserve it here. That really hurts me.\u201d<\/p>\n Elsewhere, spirits were high as the wedding celebrations began, trays of cheese pastries handed around as the groom approached the bride\u2019s home to claim her, his entourage dancing after an accordion playing traditional songs.<\/p>\n \t In this case, both bride and groom are from the village. But the problem of not marrying out is a growing challenge, with just 1,500 Circassians living in Rehaniya and 3,500 in Kfar Kama, said Tchaocho.<\/p>\n Bringing someone from abroad involves complex residency issues, Gosh added.<\/p>\n \u201cThey want to keep marrying only Circassians and so far they\u2019ve managed, but it\u2019s hard to find people from just the two villages,\u201d he said of a problem that he said will \u201cbecome more serious later on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019re really attached to the Israelis here\u2019<\/p>\n Although the post-October 7 conflicts have been hard on everyone in the community, no one would consider leaving, least of all Shabso.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel connected to the state of Israel, we\u2019re really attached to the Israelis here. It\u2019s like an inseparable part of my life,\u201d she told AFP.<\/p>\n \t Her cheese business survived thanks to loyal customers spreading the word, with orders now coming from across the country, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really know the history of the Circassian people but I drive 45 minutes just to buy these delicious things,\u201d Zeev Dragobetsky, 52, a veteran customer from Kfar Vradim to the southwest, said with a grin.<\/p>\n He added, \u201cWhether there\u2019s a war or not, whenever Shina starts to fry [her cheese pastries], I would come \u2014 rockets or no rockets.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tRiyad Gosh poses for a portrait in the Circassian village of Rehaniya in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon on April 30, 2026. (Ilia YEFIMOVICH \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PHOTO-2025-05-18-21-45-38-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIllustrative: A Circassian woman commemorates the Circassian Mourning Day in Kfar Kama on May 21, 2024. (Courtesy\/Adam Choshha)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260430__A9H39K4__v1__HighRes__IsraelSocietyCircassianWedding-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tAttendees watch the bride and groom during their traditional wedding ceremony of the Circassian community in the northern Israeli town of Rehaniya, by the Israel border with Lebanon on April 30, 2026. (Ilia YEFIMOVICH \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PHOTO-2025-05-18-21-45-36-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tCircassians commemorate Circassian Memorial Day in Kfar Kama on May 21, 2025. (Courtesy\/Adam Choshha)<\/p>\n
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