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To visit India is to be faced with intense contrasts: sensual and spiritual, ancient and modern, wealth and poverty. Colorful, vibrant, exotic India is an exciting destination for the young seeker. Illegal drugs are freely available.

The relaxed atmosphere, cheap food and exotic character of India make the country a deeply appealing paradise to weary young Israelis who have just finished three years of military service. So for the past fifteen years, more young, post-army-age Israelis have been traveling there. Some seek an escape from the pressures of life in Israel. Others are attracted to India’s natural beauty and resources. Others still are seeking deep spiritual experiences.

These tourists are growing in number. In 2000, some 60,000 Israelis took out visas to India. Eighteen percent of Israelis are ages 20 to 24. Between October and December 2002, 35,000 Israelis got Indian visas. And many of them are far more open to the good news of Jesus in India than they ever would be at home.

Reaching Israeli seekers and Tibetans That’s why the Caspari Center (www. caspari.com) in Jerusalem launched its “Jews in the East” outreach. Teams train for a month in Jerusalem, then twice a year spend three months in a Far East outreach headed by a leader with four years of field experience.

While the program targets Israelis, opportunities abound to reach international and New Age seekers and travelers who also comprise India’s music and drug culture.

On my Caspari trips, I experienced the challenge of mingling with Israelis who may be looking for answers, confronting their openness to all forms of spirituality, and getting past the pervasive drug haze that envelops many of them. In December 2002, I traveled to Goa in south India to visit the first “Jews in the East” team, arriving in Bombay on a hot December morning and reaching Goa by late afternoon. Two team members met me, and together we traveled an hour by rickshaw taxi to the team’s house in Anjuna Beach. Having left cold, rainy Israel, Goa’s humidity and winter temperatures of 30-35C degrees were stifling.

The first evening in Goa, a Tibetan man with whom the team had been sharing Christ taught members how to cook a tasty dish. Through the team’s friendship with him, team members connected with the Tibetan trader community that spends summers in northern India and winters in Goa. The gentle, quiet Tibetans suffer from being separated from their culture and homeland. While Tibetans in Tibet are notoriously challenging to reach with the gospel, they’re open to the friendly, caring outreach of the Caspari teams.

I joined the group daily for breakfast and devotions, and together we went shopping. Afternoons and evenings we visited places where Israelis congregate. Many cafes and restaurants cater to Israeli travelers, who are generally recognizable by the smoke coming from their tables. Many restaurants have Israeli food and even menus in Hebrew. One young Israeli accepted my invitation to the team’s house where our conversation became deeply spiritual. We met several spiritually seeking international trekkers.

Northern India Travels In July 2003, I visited the northern India team in Manali. The trip from New Delhi to Manali took 18 hours on the bus. Manali has been called “the end of the habitable world” for good reason. The beautifully situated city lies at the foot of the Himalayas where wild marijuana can grow ten feet high, making it a choice destination among Israelis. As in Goa, Manali tourism caters to Israelis. Many shop owners even speak some Hebrew.

The northern team’s daily life was much like that of Goa. The main difference was that this team had two outgoing Israelis who made many contacts with Israeli travelers. It was moving to hear the gospel clearly proclaimed in Hebrew to so many Israeli young people in remote northern India.

I accompanied the Manali-based team to Dharamsala, headquarters of the Dalai Lama. The city draws young travelers with easy drugs and Indian spirituality. Hebrew advertisements abounded for courses in Eastern meditation, yoga, Reiki and Aurevedic medicine. Many Israeli travelers had either just finished a course or were about to begin one.

The Indian Church’s Mission Field An important part of the ministry is contact with Indian believers. While I was in Goa we traveled two hours twice to the church. In Manali I also visited the local church and made contact with many Indian Christians. The Indian church needs to be awakened to the mission field on its doorstep in the tens of thousands of Israelis passing through and sometimes living for long periods throughout India.

Both times I left India feeling that I had only tasted the “Israelis in India” experience. Many are seeking and few have true answers. India challenges and changes those who visit. Traveling on dilapidated buses with no shock absorbers or air-conditioning (I spent three nights on them), frequenting places where Israelis hang out and absorbing the scene were powerful, unforgettable experiences.

Lisa Loden is managing director of the Caspari Center in Jerusalem. For more information on joining a Caspari “Jews in the East” team, write [email protected].