20 Things You Did Not Know About India and Israel

India is almost 100 times bigger than Israel
Both countries gained their independence from Great Britain
PM Netanyahu’s current visit to India is the first official visit of a sitting Israeli Prime Minister since 2003
PM Modi’s 2017 visit to Israel was the first-ever of a sitting Indian Prime Minister
Indian Media & IT firm L&T Technology Services is setting up a design center in Jerusalem, Israel
In 2016, Israel-India trade was around $2 Billion
Both India & Israel are characterized by multi-religious and cultural diversity
Every year more than 40,000 Israelis visit India
India is a top “Gap Year” destination for young Israelis
10% of international students in Israel come from India
In 2017, a group of Bollywood stars/directors visited Israel to promote collaboration in the film industry, including: Imtiaz Ali, Tanuj Garg, Nikkhil Advani, Vishesh Bhatt, and Mohit Suri
The Successful Indian TV show P.O.W is based on the Israeli TV show “Prisoners of War”
There is historical evidence that Jews have lived in India for 2,000 years
Both main religions in Israel and India are anchored in ancient scriptures that continue to serve them to this day. The Bible for Judaism and the Vedas and Upanishads for Hindu
In 2009 India launched a satellite into space in association with Israel Aerospace Industries
Over 200,000 Indian farmers have been trained over the years as part of Israel-India agricultural collaboration
Mango is the National fruit in India, and in Israel, it’s considered as the world’s highest crop yield per acre
Leora Isaac, a rising Israeli artist, moved to India at the age of 15 to study Indian classical music at the Sur Sarvadhan Institute in Pune. She sings in Hebrew and her music includes Indian elements
Indian cuisine is mostly vegetarian, and there is a growing scene of veggie restaurants in Israel
India’s PM Modi was born on the same day India recognized the State of Israel (17.9.1950)