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Indians in Israel

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Indians in Israel
Regions with significant populations
Tel Aviv, Beersheva, Ramla
Languages
Hebrew • Judeo-Malayalam • Judeo-Marathi • Judeo-Urdu • Hindi • English • Kannada · Konkani · Indian Languages
Religion
Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and other Indian religions
Related ethnic groups
Indian Jews in Israel, NRI and PIO, Indian Jews, Jews

Indians in Israel consist of those who identify as Jewish and those who identify as other categories of Indian. In 2023 there were approximately 85,000 Jews of Indian origin, while around 18,000 to 20,000 Indian nationals are employed in Israel.[1][2][3]

The vast majority of Indian nationals in Israel work in the healthcare sector, such as caregivers to the elderly.[2] There are also a notable population of IT workers and diamond traders.[4]

Indian students also make up the largest foreign student community in Israel.[5]

There is a significant community of Indian Jews in Israel doing white-collar jobs mainly working in the industrial sector; some have started their own businesses. They are mostly members of mixed families, more specifically, Halachically non-Jewish members of Jewish households living in Israel. The Indian migrants work in sectors of the Israel economy such as construction, manufacturing and the service sector. Most Indian migrants come from places such Ernakulam, Mala, Parur, Chennamangalam and Cochin.[6] Around 85,000 Indians in Israel are Indian Jews.[7]

Numerous Indian companies have offices in Israel, but they employ mostly Israeli nationals.[4]

Israel views India more favourably than any other country in the world,[8] and India is the most popular destination for Israeli tourists.[9] Narendra Modi has been considered by some to be the most popular person in Israel.[10] Indians are largely viewed in global circles as being pro-Israel.[11]

Culture

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Jews

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In 2011, cultural artists and performers from India arrived in Israel to participate in a three-week festival commemorating 20 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to India's then Ambassador to Israel Navtej Sarna, the purpose of the festival was to improve the bilateral relationship between the two countries by facilitating a greater understanding of each other's culture.[12]

Hindus, Buddhists, Jains

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Traditionally the majority of Indians in Israel were Jewish, though a growing population of Hindus has been appearing in recent times coinciding with the improved relations between Israel and India under Modi's premiership. In 2020, about 0.01% of Israel's population were Hindus.[13]

Yoga

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A branch of Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre International, founded by Swami Vishnudevananda, a direct disciple of Sri Swami Sivananda, of Rishikesh, India, opened in 1971 and since then the center has been the largest and most comprehensive school in Israel for the study and practice of classical yoga in all its branches.

A group of devotees is living in Katzir-Harish. Another Vaishnava community is in Israeli settlement in west bank in Israeli-occupied territory of Ariel. It is spearheaded by Jagadish and his wife, Jugala-Priti, and serves a growing community. Jugala-Priti joined the ISKCON center in Tel Aviv, in 1996 guided by Gunavatar and Varshabhanavi.[14]

In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously in favour of adopting 21 June as International Yoga Day.[15] In a clear sign of growing affinity between the two countries, the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv organizes annual yoga day celebrations, where Israelis from all walks of life take part in various yogic exercises. Yoga has proven to be immensely popular in Israel and is a sign of Israel's cultural connection to India.[16]

Muslims

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Labourers

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In May 2023, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen agreed to a foreign worker deal with Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar, in which India would send 42,000 workers predominantly in the construction field, to Israel.[17] The bilateral agreement reached the full Knesset for a vote on its approval in November 2023.[18]

The State Bank of India in Israel

In the aftermath of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Israeli business groups in October 2023, including The Israel Builders Association, have urged the Israeli government to hire up to 100,000 Indian workers to replace Palestinians who had their work permits cancelled due to the war.[19][20] These workers receive a monthly wage of $1600.[21]

Furthermore, around 20,000 from Sri Lanka will also travel to Israel as part of the same initiative, joining an existing group of 9000 Sri Lankans who work in various professional and non-professional jobs.[22]

Tourism

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Stamp commemorating the relationship between India and Israel

Israel has a strict visa policy due to security fears.[23] Nevertheless, Israel is a booming destination for Indian tourists and Israel has been courting increased tourism from India. Around 60,000 Indian nationals visited Israel in 2017, and 40,000 during the first half of 2018.[24] In 2019 75,000 nationals of India visited Israel.[25]

Conversely India is a very popular destination for young Israeli tourists.[26] India is the leading destination for Israeli tourists.[9] Around 40,000 Israelis visit India annually.[27][12]

Israel has gained sizable populartiy among business travellers from India as well.[28] Defense tourism has also been a growing niche as well.[29]

In 2024, the Indian ministry of foreign affairs said that it's embassy was in "constant contact" with 20,000 — 30,000 Indian nationals within Israel.[30][31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The first Indian Jews in Israel and the racism they faced". The Indian Express. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  2. ^ a b "Why is Israel an attractive destination for Indian caregivers?". The Indian Express. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  3. ^ "QUESTION NO-1106 INDIANS LIVING IN ISRAEL". fsi.mea.gov.in. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  4. ^ a b "Traders, students, caregivers: A look at number of Indians in war-hit Israel". India Today. 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  5. ^ Kallungal, Dhinesh (2024-05-20). "Despite war clouds, Indian students make up largest share of foreign students in Israel". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  6. ^ KUSHNER, GILBERT (1968). "Indians in Israel: Guided Change in a New-Immigrant Village". Human Organization. 27 (4): 352–361. doi:10.17730/humo.27.4.a1m3h203437557nk. ISSN 0018-7259. JSTOR 44125035.
  7. ^ "Welcome to Embassy of India, Tel Aviv, Israel". www.indembassyisrael.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  8. ^ Samuels, Ben (2023-08-29). "Israel views India more favorably than any country in the world, survey finds". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  9. ^ a b read, Getting to Israel·1 min (2011-03-07). "And the top Asian country for tourists to Israel is… India!". The ESSENTIAL guide to Israel | iGoogledIsrael.com. Retrieved 2024-06-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ PTI (2021-11-02). "Watch | 'You are the most popular person in Israel': PM Bennett to PM Modi". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  11. ^ Blarel, Nicolas (2023-11-17). "How India Became Pro-Israel". TIME. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  12. ^ a b "Three week fest to commemorate Indo-Israel diplomatic ties". The Economic Times. 6 April 2011. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  13. ^ "National Profiles". the ARDA.
  14. ^ "Waves of Devotion - Journals: May 2002 Archives". www.wavesofdevotion.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  15. ^ "Welcome to International Day of Yoga". pminewyork.org. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  16. ^ "International Day of Yoga 2018". Secret Tel Aviv.
  17. ^ "Israel, India ink agreement to allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in Jewish state". mint. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  18. ^ "History on the Knesset table: Will 40k Indian workers come to Israel?". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  19. ^ "Israel could replace Palestinian workers with 100,000 Indian migrants, says business leader". Yahoo News. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  20. ^ "Indians to replace Palestinians? Israel construction sector looks to hire 1 lakh workers amid Gaza war". Hindustan Times. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  21. ^ "With Palestinian laborers shut out of Israel, Indian workers line up for jobs there". NPR.
  22. ^ Uditha, Jayasinghe (23 November 2023). "Thousands of Sri Lankan workers set to depart for Israel despite war". Reuters.
  23. ^ "Why Doesn't Israel Allow Visa On Arrival For Indian Tourists?". www.icicilombard.com. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  24. ^ Sridharan, Vasudevan (2018-08-05). "Why Israel is becoming the destination of choice among Indian tourists". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  25. ^ Mumbai, Prasenjit Chakraborty- (2023-04-04). "'The Indian market is an important and growing source of revenue for the Israeli tourism industry'". Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  26. ^ "Israel-Hamas war takes toll on travel in peak Indian tourism season". Money Control.
  27. ^ "Lifting away the weight of 3 years: Why we Israelis go to India after the army". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  28. ^ "Israel expects 3 lakh Indian tourists annually in next 3-4 years". Hindustan Times.
  29. ^ "Indians can now head to Israel to explore something called defence tourism". India Today. 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  30. ^ "'In constant contact with Indians in Israel during challenging times': MEA". The Times of India. 2024-11-02. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  31. ^ "Our embassy is in constant touch with them: MEA on Indians in Israel". The Economic Times. 2024-11-02. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
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