Me speaking, with the pastor and one of the church leaders
Jonathan Feldstein: The Highs and Lows of Nepalese-Israeli Relations
On the surface, there’s not so much in common between Nepal and Israel, two distant countries and seemingly divergent cultures. That’s true. I’ve never been to Nepal, but it’s been a dream. One day. Meanwhile, I have been privileged to connect with wonderful Nepalese in Israel, and people in Nepal who love Israel and whose wish to be in Israel is based on a strong love for Israel based on their faith as Christians. I have had the unique privilege of experiencing this in many ways.
A year ago, I was in Dallas and called an Uber. Mindful of my outward appearance as an Orthodox Jew, my radar was up as antisemitism has become so much more prevalent and permissive. When my car arrived and before I had even shut the door, the driver asked if I was Israeli. I thought to myself that this was not going to go well. I said I was, noticing a small figure of what appeared to be a Hindu god on the dashboard. I was prepared for a hostile attack, but my driver, who later identified himself as Nepales,e launched a harsh attack on Islamic terrorists and explained how he not only stands with Israel but wishes for Israel to eliminate Hamas. Encouraging, uplifting, and not what I expected.
Connected to the war, a little more than a year earlier and immediately after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and massacre, my youngest son was in a pre-army program, that pivoted from its normal curriculum to one where they traveled across the country helping out in any way possible, dealing with things in the immediate aftermath of the war, cleaning out communal bomb shelters, picking fruit that would have been lost due to a shortage of workers, and much more.
In the immediate aftermath, they found themselves at Soroka Hospital in Beersheva, where many of those injured had been taken. At one point, the group of young men and women was asked if there was anyone who spoke English. My son spoke up. They brought him to the room of a Nepalese foreign worker who had been badly injured in the Hamas attack. My son spent hours speaking with this man, actually listening, and reported back to us what had become clear: in the frenzy to kill as many Jewish Israelis as possible, the Hamas terrorists harmed and killed many foreigners as well.
Estimates are that some10,000 Israelis travel to Nepal annually, enjoying the hikes and unique culture, as well as low prices for a getaway of a few to several weeks or more. At the same time, thousands of Nepalese come to work in Israel each year. It’s not exactly an exchange, but does allow Nepalese and Israelis to interact and appreciate one another’s cultures.
Another thing that brought Israel and Nepal closer was Israel’s response to the massive earthquake in Nepal in April 2015. Because of the large number of Israelis there at the time, Israel mounted an airlift to rescue nearly 2000 stranded Israelis. Yet Israel’s response was not only about saving Israelis. Israel established a state-of-the-art IDF field hospital providing extensive medical aid to help save Nepalese, in addition to broader humanitarian aid from other Israeli organizations. I remember standing on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport when one rescue flight returned, including Israeli babies born in Nepal to Nepalese surrogates. It’s hard to imagine a closer relationship between countries than one that is life-saving and life-affirming, as the Israeli response demonstrated.
Amone some of those who are most connected and drawn to work in Israel is a group of Nepalese Christians, members of a small minority in their own country. For them, coming to Israel is not just as foreign workers doing things and filling vital roles that many Israelis are not interested in doing. They are pilgrims among us. During Christmas week, I was invited to visit a Nepalese church in Jerusalem, falling out on the last day of Chanukah. I was asked to bring greetings as an Orthodox Israeli Jew who builds bridges between Jews and Christians all over the world. I thanked them for being here and encouraged them to send messages to their loved ones in Nepal about the incredible experience they had that day. That wasn’t meeting me, though they received me warmly.
I reminded them that they had the privilege of celebrating Chanukah in Jerusalem that week, just like Jesus did 2000 years ago. I reminded them that the only reference to Chanukah in any scripture is not in the Tanach, the Hebrew Bible, but in the book of John in the Christian bible. Just like the verse in John related to Jesus, they came to Jerusalem from all over the country to celebrate the Feast of the dedication. This epiphany from one verse in the New Testament uplifted them all.
Over the years, I have also had the privilege of connecting with and befriending Christians in Nepal. It’s been so long I don’t even know how we met, but Kumar Singh Bist and Neelima Koirala have become good friends who love Israel, and also gave me a voice to Nepalese Christians through publishing my work in their media ministries include Kingdom Voice FM 102.1 and Turahi News in Kathmandu.
From time to time, in addition to reaching out to me for questions of their own and using my reporting from and about Israel, we have discussed raising the bar and establishing various forms of advocacy for Israel. As visiting Israel is a distant dream for many, now we’re talking about creating a pastor’s trip from Nepal. It would be a trip of a lifetime for the participants, and would have a deep and lasting impact on their faith and in their churches. It will be another critical pillar of establishing deeper and wider roots to the already important relations between Israel and Nepal.
With the highest point on earth in Nepal and the lowest point on earth in Israel, one could use the metaphor of highs and lows. But the truth is that relations between Israel and Nepal are only high and getting higher.
