ISRAEL
IN CONTEXT
SUFFERING FOR
CENTURIES IN NEPAL
– now more than ever
Israel takes the lead with disaster relief I BY BEV GOLDMAN
ON THE BBC HOLIDAY PAGE: “ONE OF THE 50 PLACES
to see before you die.”
On the Visit Nepal tourist site: “Once is
not enough.”
And on my bucket list – a visit there has
always been very near the top.
Nepal has a fascinating history stretching
back centuries, and archaeological evidence
of people having lived in this Himalayan
region for thousands of years.
It is a country from which, during its
many periods of instability, rose the
34 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 85
Gurkhas, those soldiers with the fierce and
ruthless reputation who terrified their
enemies – and their friends.
Originally a monarchy which was the
home of a prince named Siddhartha
Gautam, who lived between 563 BCE and
483 BCE, and who later renounced his
status to lead an ascetic life and came to be
known as the Buddha (‘the awakened one’
or ‘the enlightened one’), it is today a
secular state – a federal republic.
But Nepal is so much more than its
history. It is the world’s 93rd largest
country by land mass and the 41st most
populous country. With Kathmandu as its
capital, it is located in the Himalayas,
bordered by China and India, and is home
to eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains,
including Mount Everest, the highest point
on Earth, and more than 240 peaks higher
than 6 096m above sea level located there.
It is a fascinating country, home to more
than 27 million people who comprise about
101 ethnic groups speaking over 92
PHOTOGRAPH: BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM
IT IS ALSO A
COUNTRY THAT
FOR CENTURIES
HAS SUFFERED
PAIN AND
SORROW