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Kafar Kama (Israel)

Mo'atza Mekomit Kfar Kama

image by Daniel Rentería, 10 August 2024
(adapted from here | see also here)

Former Flags

all by Dov Gutterman \| 2:3 Emblem adopted 17 November 1974			2:3
2:3			2:3

Description
Coat of Arms

See also:

Description

Today, the Circassian Heritage Center and Local Council flies only a white flag with the municipal emblem centered upon it (an image of the latter can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/live/9AqeMcgu8Jg. It does appear to be the only version used in the village. I am not sure when this flag started being used.
Daniel Rentería, 10 August 2024

Former Flags

Local Council Kafar Kama is situated in the Lower Gallile, 12 km SW to Tiberias on Afula–Kinnereth road. Founded in 1876 and got 2500 inh., all Muslim Cherkess. It was no wonder to find the Cherkess flag side by side to the national flag and the municipal flag on the city hall. In my visit I spotted a multicolour variety of municipal flags – black on blue, white on red, black on yellow and black on green – showing the emblem with the inscription 'Local Council' in Hebrew (in semicircle, above) and Cyrillic fonts (below).
Source: author's own observation, 2 October 2001.
Dov Gutterman, 24 October 2001

The municipal emblem was published in the official gazette (Rashumot), 'Publications Gazette' section (Yalkut HaPirsumim), YP 2063, 17 November 1974.
Dov Gutterman, 10 November 2001

The lower inscription in those flags reads:

АДЫГЭ ХАСЭ: ADYGE QASE
КФАР КАМА: KFAR KAMA

which is not Russian – must be Circassian (a.k.a. Adyghe, Cherkess and Kabardian). Most likely it does not mean "Local Council" – the first word, "АДЫГЭ", is the Circassian autoetnonym and means neither "local" nor "council".

António Martins, 6 January 2004

The name "Cherkess" is used by outsiders while the inhabitants call themselves "Adyghe". After failing in rioting against the Tzar in 1858, many fled from their homeland, and found home in the Ottoman Empire whose ruler Abdul-Hamid II gave them lands in his empire.
In 1876 they settled in the site of an ancient village whose former residents left it for unknown circumferences and established the second Adyghe village in the area after Ri'haniya (now in Regional Council Merom HaGalil). They were not welcomed by the local Bedouins, a fact the resulted some clashes, giving them a reputation of brave fighters.
The good relations with their Jewish neighbours in oppose to the hostility of the Moslems ones, brought them to refuse to join the Arabs and they join the IDF during the independence war as they still do until today.
The population of 2,800, is combined from 5 clans (the bigger one is Shapsug, originated from the Kuban area).
Sources: lib.cet.ac.il, lib.cet.ac.il/2286 [not retrievable], www.tiuli.com [retrieved], www.amalnet.k12.il [retrieved]
Dov Gutterman, 23 April 2005

Coat of Arms

image located by Martin Karner
(source)