Israel-Hamas war

India’s ‘Mini Israel’ Deserted After Jewish Inhabitants Decamp to Join IDF

The Palestine-Israel conflict has affected business in Himachal Dharamkot in India’s state of Himachal Pradesh, a local restaurant owner told Sputnik India.
Sputnik
More than 200 Jews of Indian descent from the Bnei Menashe community who recently immigrated to Israel have enlisted in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to participate in the combat actions against Hamas on an active or reserve basis.

After the conflict began, most Israelis had left the area, according to Deepak, the owner of a local restaurant in Dharmakot, who spoke with Sputnik India.

"The war has had an impact on our business and there are now fewer Israeli tourists visiting Dharmakot—only Europeans," Deepak said.
According to the organisation Shavei Israel, founded in 2002 by Michael Freund in Jerusalem with the goal of enhancing Israel's relations with the Jewish diaspora around the world, 90 percent of women and 99 percent of men from the Bnei Menashe community who emigrated from India joined National Military Service which is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18, to support Israel against Hamas.

The nonprofit organisation has been exhorting members of the Bnei Menashe community – which claims to be one of the lost tribes of Israel – to relocate from India to the promised land for the past 20 years.

"There are a total of about 5,000 Menashe people in India who have been requesting to immigrate to Israel for many years," according to Freund.

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