Thursday, September 18, 2014

Israeli Arameans

MODERN ARAMAIC WATCH: Israel Officially Recognizes Nationality of ‘Aramean.’ Arameans are now recognized as a distinct nationality in Israel (Lori Lowenthal Marcus , The Jewish Press).
The subset of Middle Eastern Christians who define themselves as “Aramaic” will nw be able to register as belonging to that nationality in legal documents in Israel, Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

The Interior Ministry received a number of requests from Israeli Christians who sought recognition as Aramaic. Those who seek to register as such must be able to prove several factors. They must be able to prove that they come from the Middle East, that they are conversant in the language and a member of one of the following Christian denominations: Maronite, Orthodox Aramaic, Syriac Catholic, Greek Orthodox or Greek Catholic.

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