An Open Letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani
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Learn about the Druze faith, Druze history, the Israeli Druze community and more.
The Druze are a minority within Israel who thrive while practicing their own religion and living in close-knit communities in Israel’s north. Here are eight facts about the Druze community.
The Druze religion began 1100 years ago, in 11th century Egypt, among Shi’ite Muslims. A visiting missionary from Persia helped encourage the view that the caliph of Egypt at the time, al Hakim ibn Amr Allah, was the divine incarnation of God. Amidst an atmosphere of great religious tension, al Hakim disappeared in the year 1021, Druze believe that in one day he will return and usher in an era of global peace.
al Hakim ibn Amr Allah
Much of the finer points of the Druze religion are secret, even to ordinary Druze people, and are maintained by religious leaders called “uqqal” (“knowers”). Aspects of the Druze religion that are widely known include monotheism, a belief in reincarnation, equality between men and women, and a host of prophets who span Christian, Muslim, and ancient Greek culture. Druze have a unique religious text called Al-Hikmah al-Sharifah, which is only read by the faith’s elders. Among Druze holy figures are Moses, Moses’ father in law Jethro, Plato, Socrates, Jesus, Mohammed, and Alexander the Great. The Druze religion doesn’t recognize conversion, either into the religion or out to another faith.
Druze followers left Egypt and flourished further north, in what today are the nations of Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Under French rule, there was an attempt to establish an independent Druze state inside of present-day Lebanon, which failed. Today, estimates of the number of Druze people in the world today range from 800,000 to 2 million. The greatest number - over 600,000 - of Druze people today live in Syria. Smaller communities exist in Lebanon, Israel, and abroad, in Europe, Australia, and both North and South America.
A Druze woman wearing a tantour during the 1870s in Chouf, Ottoman Lebanon
Approximately 150,000 Druze live in Israel. For generations, many Druze faced persecution and discrimination at the hands of their neighboring Muslim communities and overlords. Though Druze people speak Arabic, they consider themselves a distinct, unique group.
During the British Mandate period, when Great Britain ruled present-day Israel (1923-1948), tensions between Jews and Arabs soared. A series of Arab pogroms against Jewish communities swept present-day Israel in 1929, resulting in the deaths of scores of Jews. During this time, Druze people generally sided with Jews. When Israel declared its independence and faced an onslaught from surrounding Arab armies, Druze people stood with Israel and fought on the Israeli side during its War of Independence.
“A long-standing friendship links the Druze and the Jews in Israel,” noted former Israeli President Chaim Herzog. “In our War of Independence, many Druze fought side by side with Jews to repel the Arab invasion.” (Quoted in Living History: The Memoirs of a Great Israeli Freedom-Fighter, Soldier, Diplomat and Statesman, by Chaim Herzog. Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London: 1997.)
Most Israeli Druze people live in the Carmel region of Israel’s north. There is also a flourishing Druze community in and around Haifa, and a smaller community of about 18,000 Druze people who live in the Golan Heights, which Israel gained from Syria in the 1967 “Six Day” War and which Israel annexed in 1981. Majdal Shams - where Hezbollah’s massacre of children took place - is a bustling town in the Golan Heights; the vast majority of its over 11,000 residents are Druze. (Unlike Druze people who live in the rest of Israel, Druze residents of the Golan have the choice of whether or not to accept Israeli citizenship; each year, scores of people do so.)
Visitors to Israel’s north might have noticed colorful rainbow flags flying in some towns and villages. This is the Druze flag, made up of red, green, yellow, blue and white. Sometimes flown in a stripe shape, it can also take the form of a colorful star. Each of the flag’s five colors is associated with a particular human trait, including the masculine, feminine, wisdom, etc.
By many measures, the most successful and flourishing Druze community in the world is in Israel. Since Israel’s founding in 1948, the Israeli Druze population has increased over 1000%.
With the creation of the Israeli state in 1948 came an era of liberation for Israel’s Druze. As historian Howard M. Sachar has noted, in the early days of Israel’s poverty-stricken statehood, Israel encouraged Druze life by “granting the Druze the status of an official religious community, with their own religious council and courts” and “by supplying their villages with a generous measure of roads, water pipelines, and agricultural credit and guidance.” (Quoted in A History of Israel From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time by Howard M. Sachar. 2nd Edition. Alfred A. Knopf, New York: 2002.)
Israeli Druze people have strong family values: in one recent Israeli poll, 99% of Israeli Druze said they believe in God. Only 1% report having married outside their faith. 93% describe themselves as proud to be Druze.
Druze men are required to complete Israeli army service. (In this, they are unique among Israel’s Arab population: Arab Christians and Arab Muslims are not required to serve, though they can volunteer if they wish.) In the army – and elsewhere in Israeli society – many Druze people reach the highest levels, out of all proportion to their small numbers. When they serve in the armed services, Druze soldiers serve disproportionately in elite army units, helping to foster a feeling of intense patriotism in their community. Druze Israelis also work as university professors, politicians, members of Israel’s Knesset, diplomats, judges, physicians, and in other prestigious fields.
Wherever Druze people live, they traditionally have felt a fierce attachment to their home nation. “Each community is completely patriotic and loyal to its country,” explained Aimen Amer, an Israeli Druze entrepreneur, Israel Defense Forces veteran, and co-founder of the HR tech company Skillinn. This is the secret of the incredible success of Israel’s Druze community, he feels.
Each April 25-28, thousands of Druze people flock to the Israeli city of Tiberius for the Druze festival of Ziyarat al-Nabi Shu’ayb, which honors Jethro, Moses’ father in law, whom Druze believe is buried just west of Tiberius. The three-day long festival is recognized as a holiday in Israel. Druze people don’t work during the pilgrimage, and Israeli leaders commonly extend holiday greetings to the Druze community during this time.
Here is some unpleasant history from Wikipedia. There occurred a number of attacks by Druze on the Jewish city of Safed. In 1567 Bedouin and Druze pillaged Safed. In 1604 the Druze robbed the Jewish section of Safed. In 1628 the Druze captured the city, and the fighter, nephew of Fakhri al-Din II, controlled the city and robbed the Jewish residents, many of whom were forced to flee the city. In 1656 the Druze again destroyed the Jewish community in Safed. During the revolts in Galilee between the heirs of Fakhri al-Din, the two warring sides robbed the Jews of the city and many of them were again forced to flee Safed. In 1838 the Druze revolt broke out against the local ruler Ibrahim Pasha and the Safed Jews were the scapegoat, as Muslims joined Druze for actions of robbery and slaughter.
I've been long aware of your points, Manny. At those points in time, Druze were in a "feudal" stage, attacking EVERYONE, NOT just Jews. Not because of religion, but because of survival. Spain instituted a far more evil Inquisition. Poland committed atrocities during pogroms & Germany...turned our flesh into soap. DRUZE have surpassed Spain, Poland & Germany by DYING, REPEATEDLY, for the sake of the Jewish State. On MY STREET, 2 Arabs entered a synagogue & attacked 7 Jewish men praying, decapitating one of them. A Druze policeman arrived, intervened & was MURDERED by one of the two Arabs. ALL of the rabbis in Israel are respectful of the Druze.
ANOTHER STAIN on Druze is the EVIL SYRIAN SAMIR KUNTAR. I don't want to go into the atrocities he committed, but...he was the worst, not the standard. He went with Hezbollah. Will we judge helping Christians by what the atrocities of the Crusades? The Syrian Druze just experienced their own Oct 7, but ISRAEL intervened to save them. Is this easy? Comfortable? No. It's very, very messy. Caveat, the Lubavitcher Rebbe warned about the "danger that comes from the north" & "not giving away land" (Baron Rothschild owned 20,000 dunams just north of Israel & gave them to Israel). Israel will likely want to reenact a buffer zone there like we had with the SLA in Lebanon before Ehud Baraq betrayed them. He also opposed "enemies who pose as peace-seekers" (Julani & others).
Thank you for this very informative piece!
Is it true that the Druze living in Israel are angry that Israel is not defending the Druze population in Syria,that are being persecuted
No, because Israel is defending the Druze in Syria. For which she had just been censured by the UN.
Esther, even in Bulgaria we are reading about the IDF defending the Druze in Syria.
There's a mistake in the post headline photo, this is not a photo of a Druze and we don't support that flag.
In the hospital - my room mate - was a Druze. He & his family who came to visit often - treated me with respect - & offered me food & drink that were Kosher for me. I was impressed at their friendliness.
Thank you for this article. Most Jews outside of Israel have no idea that they are essential to the fabric of our land.
Two Arab men massacred 7 Jewish men praying in a synagogue on my street in Jerusalem a few years ago. A Druze policeman sought to neutralize the killers, but he was killed himself. We will never forget that. Many, if not most, Druze are even more NATIONALIST than Israeli JEWS!
So interesting. I knew very little about the Druze.
Israel needs more Druze!!
And Jews!
And tolerant people of all kinds!!
An inspiring article. Thank you to those Druze who support their hosts.
They are not being hosted. They are citizens.
The Druze in the Golan Heights are loyal to Syria not Israel.
Those Druze need to be sent to Syria.
They are a security risk.
Not so. They're loyal to Israel. Reread the article.
Not any more, they ain't
New Syrian government decided they don't want any non muslim entity in their country and are exterminating them in the traditional muslim fashion
Those Druze loyal to Israel should stay and be equal citizens. Those Druze loyal to Syria should go there or be expelled to Syria. They should live by their choice - whichever it is. Living in Israel but being loyal to Syria is not good for Israel or the Druze. A choice must be made and enforced by Israel.
You're confused, possibly because there are Druze on both sides of the Israel-Syria border. Those in Syria have been persecuted there and feel closer to Israeli Druze than to Syria.
The righteous of all nations have a place in the world to come.
May their memories be for a blessing to our Druze brethren.
But there's a mistake with this post's headline photo, we don't support that flag.
"Israeli Druze people have strong family values: in one recent Israeli poll, 99% of Israeli Druze said they believe in God. Only 1% report having married outside their faith."
If you honestly believe that the definition of "family values" is believing in G-d and marrying inside one's' faith, then I am even more glad and relieved for my family's values, namely honesty, empathy, joy, grace, humor, acceptance, love and making the world a better place. I urge everyone to try it, it works great!
That is a wonderful definition of "family values". Thank you.
For all those parents who are concerned about the values that are being taught in schools, that is what should be displayed in schools, not the 10 commandments.
If you didn't get that from a book, then you should write the book!
FYI, the 10 commandments are the starting point for all the values you & Mr. Levine extol!
Having strong family values and a belief in God are not necessarilly connected. One can have either one without the other.
Well, well, that's what believing in G-d means: living the values He taught humanity!
Really? Can you prove that?
I would argue it's the rationale that Avraham taught us by IMITATING G-d.
I think the author meant to focus on values that particularize the Druze community as opposed to more general values. In today's secular society, a strong belief in the Creator and loyalty to the family faith are anomalies.
Thank you, Dr. Alt Miller!
I feel like you read my mind. Your insightful articles never fail to hit the mark on exactly what I keep thinking I need to research because of some current event.
Yasher Koach!
The article fails to mention that the Druze in the Golan heights - including Majdal Shams - are "fiercely loyal" to Syria, not Israel. 90% refused to accept Israeli citizenship and they don't participate in the army.
The Israeli Druze come from different areas.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-ties-to-syria-fade-golan-druze-increasingly-turning-to-israel-for-citizenship/amp/
Druze 90% loyal to Siria !!! Scary, Do they spy for Siria some?? Is Israel watching their whereabout ?? Can we trust them ? May be they should be send back to Siria, I don't know...
Israel is misinformed. See Leiah Bat Ami's reply to Israel.
See my comment to Jonathan Usher.