KAPAA, HAWAII, USA, February 26, 2008: From February 17th to 21st, Hindu swamis and religious leaders from India visited Israel, at the invitation of the Israeli foreign ministry, the American Jewish Association, the World Council of Religious Leaders and the Rabbinate of Israel. They met with the Chief Rabbis of Israel, the President of Israel, members of the foreign ministry, the Mayor of Haifa and many other respected dignitaries.
It was a beautiful meeting of two ancient, non-proselytizing, non-converting religions who shared their beliefs, their traditions and their ideals with each other, finding much common ground between the two ancient traditions.
The program began in Jerusalem on the evening of the 17th February. On the 18th, they joined a discussion between Hindu leaders and Jewish leaders at the Mt. Zion Hotel in Jerusalem. Important issues such as icon worship, calendars, the meaning of the swastika and many others were discussed with great understanding and mutual respect. In the evening, the group was hosted by the Israeli Parliament where they met the Israeli Prime Minister and members of the foreign ministry, and they were greeted by a special welcome by the Israeli Parliament in session.
On the 19th February, they had a meeting with His Excellency, the President of Israel. In that evening they were hosted for a special dinner by the American Jewish Committee, headed by Rabbi David Rosen. On the 20th February, they traveled to Haifa where they met with local communities of other religions in Israel, including the Druze and the Bahai’i as well as local Christian and Muslim leaders. The final dinner was hosted by the President of Haifa University. The first Hindu-Jewish summit had taken place in Delhi in the previous year, on February 2007.
The group was formed by were Swami Avdheshanand Giriji (Acharya Mahamandaleshwar, Juna Akhara), Swami Paramatmanandji (Secretary, Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha), Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji (President and Spiritual Head, Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh), Swami Madhav Priya Dasji (Swaminarayan sampradhaya), along with other revered leaders and an eminent team of Hindu scholars. Swami Dayananda Saraswati was scheduled to play a major role in the event; however, unfortunately he was unable to attend at the last minute.