The Daily Clarity

Going to Goa? You may be surpised at who you see there

If you got to Goa in India, you might get to experience more than you anticipated. Goa is fast becoming known as the venue of choice for Israelis finishing their mandatory stint in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). IDF national service is a responsibility that young Israelis take seriously. It is also a stressful role. On completion of service, young Israeli men and women need somewhere for some serious R&R and Goa seems to fit the bill.

Goa is exotic, laid back and the scene of one or two quality party venues. Just what a young person wants to bring them back to earth. However, having an influx of recently ex-IDF service personnel also makes Goa a target, and security has to be taken seriously. This requirement has seen the Israeli Consulate in a post-Mumbai attack world, taking a tour of Goa to ensure that those partying young Israelis are kept safe and sound. It is a small, and very interconnected, world out there.

The Goa Police said Saturday that it was “natural” for officers from Israel’s Mumbai consulate to inspect the North Goa coast as it was frequented by Israeli tourists.

“They will obviously want to see the security arrangement here after what happened in Mumbai,” Superintendent of Police Atmaram Deshpande told reporters, referring to last year’s terror attack on Mumbai that left 170 people dead.

“Mumbai is only 500 km away. And a lot of tourists from Israel visit Goa,” he added.

Goa receives several thousands of tourists from Israel, mostly ex-soldiers who travel the Himachal Pradesh-Goa tourist circuit after a mandatory stint in the Israeli armed forces.

“They come to Goa during our season, at a time when it is off season in places like Manali in Himachal Pradesh,” Deshpande said.

He said the police did not know the exact number of Israeli tourists visiting the state each year.

There are two Jewish prayer houses in Anjuna and Morjim, both beach villages in north Goa, which have now been kept under discreet observation by the state police.

“We are taking every precaution and have made substantial arrangements for the safety of every tourist coming to the state,” the official said.

Israel consulate inspects Goa for safety of citizens – Goa – City – The Times of India