Free Republic

Arameans, an ancient people with a distinct culture, have been severely persecuted throughout Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria for more than 1,400 years.Faded-green plants grow alongside dusty roads in the Aramaic-Maronite village of Jish. Pink and red potted flowers decorate the doorsteps of most homes, and the intensity of the midday sun enhances their color. It’s been several months since I returned from a trip I took to Israel with an organization called Passages. During the trip, my group visited this particular village in the Galilee region to meet with a community of Arameans, an ancient people with a distinct...

Sitting in front of the family Christmas tree dressed in military fatigues, Amir Shalayan seemed in no doubt about his identity. “When you go back back in religion, I consider myself a real Jew,” he said, unabashed by the non-Jewish festive decorations in his living room. “Jesus was Jewish and he was observing the Shabbat (Jewish sabbath).” Mr Shalayan is in fact an Arab Christian, a category he refers to as “Aramean”, but his strong identification with the Jewish faith is offered as explanation for his keen army service. It also accounts for his vocal support of legislation that envisages...

The law instituting the Aramean nationality passed on September 18, creating an officially recognized Christian minority group. The first Israeli to register under the new Israeli Aramaean nationality is two-year-old Yaakov Halul, the son of Aramaic leaders in Northern Israel. The child’s parents, Sha’di and Oxana Halul, waited two years after their son's birth to register his nationality, so he could officially register as Aramaean, as opposed to Arab. They finally registered the child as Aramean earlier this week. Sha’di Halul serves as a captain in an IDF reserves paratroopers unit and is head of the Aramaic Masonite Heritage Center,...