Assyrians in Israel
Assyrians in Israel are Assyrians living in State of Israel, totaling approximately 1,000 individuals. This estimate does not take into account Assyrian Jews.
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.It is estimated that 65% of Syriacs who inhabited the Holy Land at the beginning of 1967 left the region in the following years.
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 monastery in Israel is the Monastery of Saint Mark in 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 holy site.