Wearing safety gear like belts, helmets, and work boots, Raju Nishad climbs the scaffolding at a construction site in Beer Yaakov, central Israel. He is one of many Indian workers helping to build new homes and buildings, stepping in for Palestinian workers who cannot come to Israel after a serious attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Before this attack, many workers on this site would be speaking Arabic, but now you hear Hindi, Hebrew, and even Mandarin. The Hamas attack started a big and deadly war, not just involving Hamas but also other groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Huthi rebels in Yemen. However, Nishad, 35, is not scared. He feels safe and says, “There’s nothing to be afraid of here.” Even when air raid warnings go off, they quickly find shelter and then go back to work.
Many people, like Nishad, earn a lot more money in Israel than they do in India—sometimes three times as much! Nishad says he is saving for his family’s future and wants to invest wisely. In the past year, about 16,000 Indian workers have come to Israel, and many more are expected soon.
India is doing well economically and has a lot of people looking for jobs. Many Indians have worked in Israel for years as caregivers or in IT. But now, there is a need for more Indian workers in construction too. Samir Khosla, from a staffing service in Delhi, has already brought over 3,500 workers to Israel and hopes to send even more.
In Tel Aviv, some Indian workers are living together in a small apartment and have learned to cook their favorite spicy foods from home. Suresh Kumar Verma, 39, is also working in construction and believes that making good money is important for the future of his family.
However, researchers in Israel say there are still not enough Indian workers to replace the Palestinians who used to work in construction. Before the war, around 80,000 Palestinians and 26,000 foreign workers were employed in this sector. Now, there are only about 30,000 foreign workers, which is much lower than before. This shortage can cause delays in building homes, especially for a growing population in Israel.
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