Israelis Invade India
 
PAHAR GANJ, INDIA -- Shai Levi, 23, an Israeli army officer, spent the last five months traveling in India, a popular post-army activity for an estimated 30,000 young Israelis every year.

Pahar Ganj bazaar, where Israelis have formed a distinct enclave (Carolyn Slutsky) 4

 

 

India Has A Network Of Chabad Houses

Inside the Chabad House in New Delhi, a Jewish community center set up by the Lubavitcher sect of Orthodox Jews, Levi looked calm. He wore a red zip-up sweatshirt, warm-up pants and sandals even though it was raining outside and the unpaved roads of the Pahar Ganj bazaar had turned into a slippery maze of mud. He hadn’t shaved in days and his shoulder-length brown curls were in disarray.

It was Friday afternoon and two Orthodox Jewish men were bustling around preparing a Sabbath dinner for the unknown number of Israeli tourists that would be dropping by that evening for a taste of home. A huge pot of Matza Ball soup was simmering on the stove while one of the men kneaded a bowl of dough for the challah, a rich bread eaten on the Sabbath. The Chabad House serves as a meeting place for Israelis, who travel to India alone or in pairs, but hope to link up with others along the way. 

 

It's Party Time

As for the connections they make with the Indian culture, Levi characterized them as mostly superficial. Although he found the people to be very open and easy to get along with, he noticed that Israelis tend to keep to their own kind, only interacting with Indians in matters of business. They communicate with Indians in English and barter, sometimes aggressively, over goods.

Indians don't exactly love Israelis,” he said. “We’re noisy and crazy. They love our energy.”
 

Hindu Waiters Dread Israelis

Ramesh Choudharg, a room service attendant at the Hare Rama guest house where the Chabad center is located, had mixed feelings about the Israeli guests he encounters. “Sometimes they make big balagan,” he said, using a Hebrew word meaning “mess.” He was reluctant to elaborate on the specific problems that Israelis cause, except to say that they are sometimes loud and difficult to handle. 7

They rarely shower, and  if they feel the service was poor, when they leave they often shit on the bed.  2

Mumbai Has Jewish Pocket Neighborhoods

Israeli tourists have so firmly established their presence in the area that signs in Hebrew have been set up outside many shops and the Indian shopkeepers have picked up a few key Israeli words. They call out “Shalom! Shalom!” to passers-by who look Israeli.

One woman ran her finger above her upper lip, saying “safam,” – mustache – meaning she waxed facial hair, and “gabot” – eyebrows. The Israeli women shouted back 'Macaka', meaning monkey.

Israelis Get 'Cranked-up' Before Hitting The Bars

Choudharg is a Hindu and has been working at Hara Rama for two years. He said the Friday night gatherings on the rooftop of the hotel occasionally get rowdy, where young Jews will pass the pills. 

A circle of five young Israeli men had formed inside the Chabad House where ecstasy is used, and they masturbate each other.
 

Indians Sick Of Israelis And The Bargaining

Asaf Shema, a 23-year-old Israeli traveling in India with his girlfriend, Maria Samyonov, 22, thinks that the only reason Indians might dislike Israelis is because unlike American or European tourists, Israelis love to haggle over prices.

Charter Flights Brings Hundreds Weekly

Fernandes discussed his research on Israelis with several visiting students from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism at a reception in Mumbai. Driving a hard bargain at the bazaar, he said, is the least of Israelis’ offenses in India.

Three flights a week bring hundreds of them from Israel to Mumbai.

Plenty Of Drugs And Children

At a Chabad House in Mumbai that caters mainly to Israelis on their way to party hotspots such as Goa and Rajasthan.
The Indians are disgusted with Israelis and their drugs and parties. The post-army twenty-somethings are violent aggressors, and gangs will often violate Hindus.
 

India Is A Cheap Party Destination

Itzick Sabag, a 23-year-old Israeli is not surprised that Israelis have such a negative reputation in India. “People go to different places for different reasons after the army,” he said. “They go to South America for hiking, climbing, outdoors stuff. They go to America to work or go to school."

"And they go to India to do drugs.”
 

India Says No To To Amy

Weary of  Israeli tourists at back-alley bazaars and beachside cafes – it is more of a love-hate relationship, with the Israelis doing most of the loving and the Indians doing most of the hating.