Arameans in Israel

Arameans in Israel may refer to: Maronites in Israel Assyrians/Syriacs/Chaldeans in Israel Since September 2014 Christian families or clans who can speak Aramaic language are eligible to register as Arameans in Israel.

Ethnic group Arameans in Israel ( , , ) are a Christian minority residing in Israel who identify as Arameans , Syriac-Arameans or Syriacs . They are claiming descent from a Northwest Semitic people who originated in what is now western, southern and central Syria region (Biblical Aram ) during the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age and until first centuries CE. Some Syriac Christians in the Middle East espouse an Aramean ethnic identity and a minority in Syria still speak a Western Aramaic language , although the Eastern Aramaic languages are far more widely spoken. Most of the Aramaeans in Israel are Maronites . Until 2014, self-identified Arameans in Israel used to be registered as ethnic Arabs or without ethnic identity. However, since September 2014, Christian families or clans who can speak Aramaic and/or have an Aramaic family tradition are eligible to register as ethnic Arameans in Israel. The first person to receive the "Aramean" ethnic status in Israel was 2 year old Yaakov Halul in Jish on October 20, 2014. In July 2016, an article in the Ha'aretz estimated the number of Israeli Christians eligible to register as Arameans in Israel to be 13,000. In October 2019, the Israel Christian Aramaic Organization estimated the number of Israeli citizens, who are eligible to obtain Aramean affiliation at 15,000. The Times of Israel .

Christian minority residing in Israel and Palestinea that claims descent from the ancient Arameans For other uses, see Aramean (disambiguation) . Ethnic group Arameans in Israel and Palestine are a Christian minority residing in either the State of Israel or the State of Palestine . They claim to descend from the Arameans , an ancient Semitic-speaking people in the Middle East in the 1st millennium BC . Some Syriac Christians in the Middle East espouse an Aramean ethnic identity, and a minority in Syria still speak a Western Aramaic language , although the Eastern Aramaic languages are more widely spoken. Until 2014, self-identified Arameans in Israel were registered as ethnic Arabs or without an ethnic identity. Since September 2014, Aramean has become a valid identity on the Israeli population census , making Israel the first country in the world to officially recognize Arameans as a modern community. Christian families or clans who can speak Aramaic and/or have an Aramaic family tradition are eligible to register on the census as ethnic Arameans in Israel. According to a 2022 article in Middle Eastern Studies , no fewer than 2,500 Israelis are known to have registered as Arameans at the Israeli Ministry of Interior , whereas another 2,000 are known to have applied for changing their national denomination from Arab to Aramean. These 4,500 people in total constitute c. 1,5% of Israel's Christian population .