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India-Israel Cooperation

Israel and India have very strong relations today. This blog will explore different aspects of the cooperation and relationship between the different countries in a variety of sectors. As environmental and agricultural awareness and education is a key element of the LeadEarth program we will examine the environmental and agricultural cooperation between the countries in today's post.

While olives are most closely associated with the Mediterranean region, an Israeli initiative is hoping to make India a major player in the olive industry. Israel is credited with making their Negev desert bloom, and now Israelis are trying to "green" the desert region of Rajasthan in Northern India. Through a combination of irrigation, wastewater treatment, and agricultural technologies the aim is to make India an exporter of olive oil by 2011. 

Can Israeli technologies make the desert bloom again?

  

Israel and India recently signed an agreement to promote increased scientific cooperation and development between the two countries. Not surprisingly, renewable energy initiatives was one of the main focuses of the initiative. Israel is now one of the world's leading developers of renewable energy technologies through a large variety of companies, and India is just one of many markets that can benefit from these technologies. 

Although not related to the environment or agriculture, this fun blog posts relates on tourists experience with Israeli cuisine...in India and is worth checking out!

LeadEarth

India-Israel Cooperation

A Jewish Heart for Africa

From time to time this blog will spotlight other organizations doing humanitarian work very in the spirit of Tikkun Olam. One such group is A Jewish Heart for Africa, an organization improving the lives of Africans through the implementation of electricity and agricultural technologies.

The majority of the small towns and villages throughout Africa do not have satisfactory connections to electricity grids, if at all. A Jewish Heart for Africa (AJHFA) decided to help alleviate this situation by installing solar panels to provide electricity to communities without connection to the primary electricity grids. While Africa lacks many things, one thing they have plenty of is sun. What makes A Jewish Heart for Africa unique is that they use Israeli solar panel companies equipment to bring power to these villages. To date AJHFA has provided over 100,000 people electricity that previously did not have it or only sporadically. This electricity is used to power schools, clinics, and homes.

Personally, it brings me a lot of pride as an Israeli to see technology developed in this country being used to help the less fortunate in Africa. I think AJHFA has a very similar mindset to that of LeadEarth as both organizations' goals are to improve the lives of the local populations they deal with.

LeadEarth

A Jewish Heart for Africa

Jewish Pirates and a lost tribe of Cohenim

I read two interesting articles this week about two Jewish communities that are about as different as one could imagine. The first article was written in the Wall Street Journal and dealt with the past and current Jamaican Jewish Community. After having a good laugh the existence of a Jamaican Jewish community, one learns how prosperous and thriving the community there once was. The community came to Jamaica from Holland during the 17th century and reached a peak of 2000 people towards the end of the 19th century. Not only was the community the largest in the Caribbean many of its members were in fact pirates! Many of the these pirates were secret Jews who converted to Catholicism to avoid the inquisition and fled to the Caribbean, where they picked up a trade that seems about the last one on Earth you think Jews would be involved in. The article is a really interesting read.

Is Johnny Depp Jewish?

The second article I came across this week is a BBC pieces that relates the story of a community in Zimbabwe that culturally as Jewish. The Lemba people in Zimbabwe do not eat pork, circumcise their male children (not a common practice in the region), ritually slaughter animals, and wear kippot with the Star of David. Where the story really gets interesting is that scientist have just conducted genetic testing showing the Lemba people to be of semitic origin and belonging to the Jewish priestly clan of the Cohenim! Check out the article to learn more about this fascinating community. 

The Lemba tribe of Zimbabwe (photo: BBC)

Adam Le'Adam - LeadEarth

Jewish Pirates and a lost tribe of Cohenim

Welcome to LeadEarth

Welcome to the new LeadEarth blog. This blog compliments Adam LeAdam's LeadEarth program, and will discuss issues ranging from the environment and sustainability to Indian and Israeli current events. Be sure to check back often to see the latest posts, and comments are always welcome.

The LeadEarth Team

Yarden in Tamil Nadu, India

Welcome to LeadEarth