Israel and the World - part 6

A cover from Israel with Israel - India joint issue 

Israel - India Joint Issue 

Israel and India issued stamps to honour their diplomatic relations with the common theme of Festival of Lights 

 Hanukkah  is a Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revoltagainst the Seleucid Empire. It is also known as the Festival of Lights 

The Maccabees successfully rebelled against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. According to the Talmud, a late text, the Temple was purified and the wicks of the menorah miraculously burned for eight days, even though there was only enough sacred oil for one day's lighting.

Many families exchange gifts each night, such as books or games, and "Hanukkah Gelt" is often given to children. Fried foods (such as latkes (potato pancakes), jelly doughnuts (sufganiyot), and Sephardicbimuelos) are eaten to commemorate the importance of oil during the celebration of Hanukkah. 

Deepavali  is the Hindufestival of lights, which is celebrated every autumn in the northern hemisphere (spring in southern hemisphere). One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance." Light is a metaphor for knowledge and consciousness. During the celebration, temples, homes, shops and office buildings are brightly illuminated. The preparations, and rituals, for the festival typically last five days, with the climax occurring on the third day coinciding with the darkest night of the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika

Both the festivals are celebrated for the common cause - victory of Good over Evil 

India is the largest buyer of Israeli military equipment and Israel is the second-largest defence supplier to India after Russia. From 1999 to 2009, the military business between the two nations was worth around $9 billion. Military and strategic ties between the two nations extend to intelligence sharing on terrorist groups and joint military training.

As of 2014, India is the third-largest Asian trade partner of Israel, and tenth-largest trade partner overall. In 2014, bilateral trade, excluding military sales, stood at US$4.52 billion.

Thanks Micha for this awesome cover and the souvenir leafs inside :)