page_title: Maronites in Israel
hierarchical_section_title: Maronites in Israel
context_page_description: Maronites in Israel are an Arabic-speaking minority who belong to the Maronite Catholic Church, who reside in Israel and some of whom self-identify as Arameans, while the majority identify with the Arab nationality, while acknowledging their ancient Aramaic heritage. Their church has historically been tied with Lebanon. They derive their name from the Syriac Saint Maron, whose followers moved to Mount Lebanon from northern Syria, establishing the Maronite Church, most of whose members currently reside in Lebanon. The Maronites in Israel encompass the long-existing Maronite community in Jish area and the families of former South Lebanon Army members, 7,000 of them who fled South Lebanon in April–May 2000 to Israel. Of the 7,000 SLA and their families who left their family members and belongings in Lebanon, just 2,700 have remained in Israel. Over the years, some of them decided to return home to Lebanon, while others opted leaving Israel for Europe and the US.
context_section_description: Maronites in Israel (Arabic: الموارنة في إسرائيل‎, Aramaic Syriac: ܒܝܫܪܐܠ‎ ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ‎‎)  are an Arabic-speaking minority who belong to the Maronite Catholic Church, who reside in Israel and some of whom self-identify as Arameans (or Aramaeans), while the majority identify with the Arab nationality, while acknowledging their ancient Aramaic heritage. Their church has historically been tied with Lebanon. They derive their name from the Syriac Saint Maron, whose followers moved to Mount Lebanon from northern Syria, establishing the Maronite Church, most of whose members currently reside in Lebanon. The Maronites in Israel encompass the long-existing Maronite community in Jish area and the families of former South Lebanon Army members, 7,000 of them who fled South Lebanon in April–May 2000 to Israel. Of the 7,000 SLA and their families who left their family members and belongings in Lebanon, just 2,700 have remained in Israel. Over the years, some of them decided to return home to Lebanon, while others opted leaving Israel for Europe and the US. 
  The Maronite community in Israel is trying to revive the ancient Western Neo-Aramaic language, which used to be the lingua franca of the region after the spread of Christianity, and a common language within the Maronite community until the 16th century. In 2014, the Maronite-majority village of Jish initiated a teaching program of neo-Aramaic language for young children in Jish Elementary School, with approval of the Israeli Ministry of Education. The program was implemented briefly by the School, but was quickly dropped.
caption: Coat of arms of the Syriac Maronite Church,
  an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church