Under Beslenei's Sky: A Tale of Courage

Under Beslenei's Sky

A Tale of Courage in the Circassian muslim village

In the background, a Circassian lament song tells the tale of the Abzakh warriors, the last remaining tribe to fight against the Russian Tsar in the Caucasus. The song tells of the burning of a village by Russian soldiers during a wedding, how they burned the houses and left destruction, while in the background the cries of the women and children are heard.

Their green flag symbolizes the Circassians country of origin in the Caucasus Mountains. 12 stars symbolize the number of tribes. 3 arrows symbolize the directions of the wind in the Caucasus: North, East and West.

The poem describes the courage of the Circassian soldiers and the rescue attempts they led in those villages. Towards the end of the song, we learn about their exhaustion and wounds after long months of fighting.

Between 1763 and 1864, the Circassian genocide was executed by the Russian Empire, during which about one and a half million Circassians were murdered. They surrendered to the Russian Tsar on May 21, 1864

The Circassians were deported from the Caucasus and assimilated into the Ottoman Empire, which ruled the Middle East.

Circassians have settled in Israel in the villages Rihania and Kfar Kama. From then until today they are an inseparable part of the Israeli society.

Every year the Circassians commemorate the genocide, through an awareness week accompanied by a bike ride. On May 21, 12 mourning processions are held in the Circassian villages.

The Circassian genocide

80 Years Later...

A case that happened in Beslenei

Director: Sarah Tziproni. 2020

To this day, the rescuers of Beslenei have not been recognized as righteous among nations*, because at the time, they did not know that some of the children they saved were Jewish...

How would you commemorate the actions of the residents of the Muslim village Beslenei? on the next page, click your favorite social media logo, and then upload a video or post, raising awareness about this unique story and its relevance today.

*The honor is rewarded by a special committee of 'Yad Vashem', to non-Jews who saved Jewish People during the Holocaust, on behalf of the State of Israel and the Jewish nation.

Students from the "Anne frank High School" in israel, attending the Knesset's* Education Committee, during a discussion about the recognition of the residents of Beslenei as "righteous among nations". 2017

*The Israeli Parlament

The most important moral code of the Circassians is called 'Adige Xabze'. At its core stand values of courage, generosity, loyalty, discipline and self-control.

"It is our duty as Circassians and as Muslims to save people, certainly children who are in a Life-threatening situation. We saved those children not because they were Jews, but because they were in danger. Indeed, some of them were in danger because they were Jews; 'Whoever saves one soul'... as written in the Quran"

From: The Banality of Compassion. Yair Oron

A monument commemorating the rescue in the village of Beslenei