Hinduism in Israel

The "Om" symbol in Devanagari

Hinduism in Israel refers to the Hindu population in Israel.

Hare Krishnas

A group of devotees is living in Katzir-Harish. Another Vaishnava community in Israel is in Ariel. It is spearheaded by Jagadish and his wife, Jugala-Priti, and serves a growing community of devotees from Russia who immigrated to Israel to escape the severe economic oppression in the CIS. Jugala-Priti joined the ISKCON center in Tel Aviv, in 1996 guided by Gunavatar and Varshabhanavi.

Hindu festivals in Israel

Krishna Janmashtami

Hindus are able to practice freely in the country. This is notably shown by the celebrations of Krishna Janmashtami. Plays are staged revolving around stories of Krishna's childhood, besides singing and dancing. The event is accompanied with a feast of 108 dishes, a number that has come to be identified as pious by the faithful.

The organisers said they were inspired by Kumbh and started the event in Israel three years ago. Many of the visitors at the festival have been to India or are planning to visit. A number of youngsters could be seen taking Yoga classes and attending Hare Krishna lectures. Long queues were to be found outside the Indian ‘dhaba’ serving boiled rice and lentil soup. Middle aged couples, draped in Indian clothes, strolled the beach, young boys and girls drew circles on the soft sand while others surfed the morning sea.

Sai Organisation in Israel

Sai Organisation was officially established in Israel in 2001.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Organisation in Israel

The center is a branch of Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre International, founded by Swami Vishnudevananda, a direct disciple of Sri Swami Sivananda, of Rishikesh, India.

The center 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, including:

• Practice Asanas (Yoga Postures)
• Pranayama (breathing yoga)
• Science of yogic stress management
• Yogic vegetarian diet
• Positive thinking
• And classical meditation

Centres

Since 1971, their activities have expanded significantly and more centers are now operating in the following cities

• Jerusalem
• Pardes
• Eilat
• Tivon

Thousands of Israelis have been trained as yoga teachers on behalf of the international organization and are working and teaching throughout the country.

Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel Aviv

The Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel Aviv is no longer a yoga studio.

The school is located in a three-story building designed for:

• Classical yoga classes for children, pregnant women, special needs and more
• Workshops and yoga courses in a variety of levels
• Workshops and meditation courses
• Positive thinking courses
• Sub-conscious tutorials and working with guided imagery
• Cooking workshops Yogi vegetarian
• With healthy stress management and relaxation.

Rami Sivan, a Sydney based Acharya, Hindu Priest, Mimamsaka, Vedanta teacher and Pancharatrika, was born in South Africa of a Jewish mother and Christian father, and rai by Hindu nannies. He was baptised as a Christian and had a basic education in Christianity and Judaism and underwent a barmitzvah. He formally converted to Hinduism at the age of 15. In 1969 he emigrated to Israel where he spent a decade studying Judaism, Christianity and Islam as well as training to be a registered nurse. He also spent 3 years in India undertaking formal study in Yoga-Vedanta philosophy, Logic, Hermeneutics, Sanskrit, and Astrology, as well as specialising in Vedic and Tantric ritual. He studied in the traditional gurukula system in highly respected centres of spiritual and Scriptural learning in Rishikesh, Varanasi, Tirupati and Chennai.

In 1982 he emigrated to Australia. He has practiced as a Hindu Priest and teacher of Yoga-Vedanta philosophy for over 40 years,

External links

• Jethro, the Druze, and Vedic Origins
• Druze Sheikhs at Home In India