agamdilawari
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When you think of Janmashtami celebrations, you think of the Dahi Handis being broken in Mumbai and in some other cities of India. You don’t normally think about the way in which Jews are celebrating the festival, do you? A small town known as Harish is home to many “Hare Krishna” worshippers in Israel. On Janmashtami, hundreds of devotees, mostly Jews, from all across Israel reached the town chanting “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna”. Janmashtami marks the birth of Bhagwan Krishna according to Indian scriptures.
Most of the devotees of Hare Krishna living in Israel have settled with their families in the town of Harish and they practice their religion freely as they learned it during their visits to Vrindavan and Mayapur in India. Hence, it became the center of Janmashtami celebrations in Israel.
Many Jews also came to the celebrations as their was a big fanfare surrounding the event which made it a must-see event for many of them.
“I have a strong attraction towards Indian culture but this group has also contributed majorly to the strong inclination and I haven’t missed out on these celebrations since I was introduced to them some 14 years ago,” said Karen. Karen lives in a small town near Jerusalem and has never missed any celebrations in the last 14 years.
The celebrations included many plays which portrayed the life of Krishna, especially episodes from Shri Krishna’s childhood. The devotees also sang and danced late into the night while other devotees played tabla, dholak, harmonium, jhaal and flute for hours.
“This is probably the biggest gathering of devotees in years and we made adequate arrangements having sensed such a massive turnout. The popularity of the teachings of the sect has been constantly on the rise in Israel and it doesn’t come as a surprise,” a devotee said.
The practices of the sect “brings a welcome relief amid the chaos surrounding the region, lifting people’s spirits”, another devotee said.
Krishna Prasadam, comprising 108 vegetarian dishes, was served to the guests after the cultural programs.
Israel: Jews Celebrate Janmashtami in a Grand Way in Israeli Town Harish - Satyameva Jayate
Janmashtami a grand festival in Israeli town - The Times of India
Most of the devotees of Hare Krishna living in Israel have settled with their families in the town of Harish and they practice their religion freely as they learned it during their visits to Vrindavan and Mayapur in India. Hence, it became the center of Janmashtami celebrations in Israel.
Many Jews also came to the celebrations as their was a big fanfare surrounding the event which made it a must-see event for many of them.
“I have a strong attraction towards Indian culture but this group has also contributed majorly to the strong inclination and I haven’t missed out on these celebrations since I was introduced to them some 14 years ago,” said Karen. Karen lives in a small town near Jerusalem and has never missed any celebrations in the last 14 years.
The celebrations included many plays which portrayed the life of Krishna, especially episodes from Shri Krishna’s childhood. The devotees also sang and danced late into the night while other devotees played tabla, dholak, harmonium, jhaal and flute for hours.
“This is probably the biggest gathering of devotees in years and we made adequate arrangements having sensed such a massive turnout. The popularity of the teachings of the sect has been constantly on the rise in Israel and it doesn’t come as a surprise,” a devotee said.
The practices of the sect “brings a welcome relief amid the chaos surrounding the region, lifting people’s spirits”, another devotee said.
Krishna Prasadam, comprising 108 vegetarian dishes, was served to the guests after the cultural programs.
Israel: Jews Celebrate Janmashtami in a Grand Way in Israeli Town Harish - Satyameva Jayate
Janmashtami a grand festival in Israeli town - The Times of India
