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Indians launch party in Israel

Beersheva: Indian Jews who have migrated to Israel over the years are for the first time attempting to try their luck at the hustings.

They have launched a political party — Shivtei Israel (Yachad) — in this southern Israeli city to contest the coming municipal elections.

They aim to win votes by focusing on issues related to the community, including a demand for a proper cricket ground for its youngsters.

“Indian presence in local politics has been minimal with me alone in the municipal council for the last five years. I have been pushing for such an initiative as we have the adequate strength to be heard on our own,” Abraham Nagaonkar, who heads the party list, told PTI.

“The community has shown a great deal of enthusiasm for the idea,” he said.

More than 5,000 Indians have registered as party members, out of about 10,000, in the city amid efforts by party leaders to muster support of other fringe groups comprising Moroccans, Tunisians and Ethiopian Jews.

“Our focus will be to push for better educational facilities in our area, getting more scholarships to promising students, open museums to preserve Indian cultural heritage,” said Mr. Nagaonkar.

“People in the community have been complaining about poor maintenance of our synagogues, youngsters have been complaining about lack of employment, the teenagers about lack of cultural and sports facilities, including a cricket field from where they were recently ousted. If we manage a good presence in the municipality, we can achieve most of these goals”, he said. — PTI

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