Caught between livelihood dreams and barrage of missiles in Israel

Rosy dreams have run into the harsh reality of sirens raging with increasing frequency in Israel’s capital Tel Aviv for Indian workers drawn there by the prospect of a handsome salary of up to ₹3 lakh per month and the chance to improve the standard of living of their family members.
In some cases, promised deals have not been delivered in toto. For a few others, Chinese firms extracting back-breaking work and long hours have forced them return home even though a large number employed with other companies are satisfied with their job, facilities and timely payment of salary.
That is why those who have stayed put have done so primarily due to the monetary factor even as the situation worsens in West Asia.
So far, according to officials, three workers have returned home to Uttar Pradesh till mid September, citing personal and work-related reasons, not safety concerns.
National Skill Development Corporation functionaries privy to the issue said till date around 4,700-plus workers have been sent to Israel from Uttar Pradesh. The number includes those sent in phases 1 and 2.
Most of them are from Purvanchal (eastern UP). From Ghazipur alone, more than 600 workers have gone to Israel. Ghazipur, Deoria and Kushinagar districts have also sent more than 100 workers each to Israel.
“In the first phase, around 3,500 workers have been sent to Israel from Uttar Pradesh,” principal secretary, labour and employment, U.P, Anil Kumar said.
“In phase two, recruitment is under way. NSDC is the agency of the government of India which is doing the recruitment. We are helping them. The NSDC through MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) is in touch with the Israeli government. They (Israel) have demanded 15,000 workers from all over India, so it can’t be said how many workers they will take from U.P. alone,” he added.
“Till date, we don’t know about anyone returning because of any safety concern. Nearly all the workers are satisfied with their job and facilities. There might be individuals who have come back due to personal reasons, but officially we do not have information about anyone returning to India because of the war-like situation there. We are in constant touch with all those going to Israel via WhatsApp groups,” said an NSDC official who did not wish to be named.
The minimum age has been revised from 18 years in the first phase to 25 in the second. Also, the focus is on skills in the second phase. Basic knowledge of English is an added advantage.
REASONS FOR RETURN
Barabanki resident Pradeep Singh, had gone to Israel with big dreams but had to come back due to personal reasons. Two more people from Barabanki, Yogendra and Diwakar, have returned with him.
Speaking to HT, Pradeep Singh, 38, said, “I went to Israel on June 4 this year but had to come back on September 12 due to health and family reasons. Yogendra Singh and Diwakar Singh from my village have also returned.”
“Workers are being sent from India for 186 companies in Israel. Ten to 12 are Chinese companies, in which most of the staff, from supervisor to their chairman, are of Chinese origin. These Chinese companies force many workers to toil without any rest. The workers had to work continuously in the sun. This forced me to come back to India. Also, we were chosen for plaster work as I am a mason, but we were forced to do other work also. We were working 8 to 12 hours a day. However, the salary was always credited on time,” Pradeep said.
“The ‘hard work’ made me weak physically. Also, I had an issue with my mother, so I decided to come back,” he said.
Pradeep was confident that there were ample safety arrangements in Israel.
“All the buildings there (Israel), which are more than six storeys high, have bunkers. When someone from Iran was killed, Israel was on high alert, an app was loaded on our mobile phones, which alerted us about any possible air strike on Israel, and we had to run to the bunkers. When I was there, nothing significant happened,” he said.
Many people from his village had gone to Israel for work and the lucrative salary was the main motivation.
“About 30-40 more boys from village are going to appear for an interview in Lucknow. Had I not been appointed to work for a Chinese company, I would not have come back,” Pradeep said.
EARLY DIWALI FOR SOME
The Nishad family of Sahebpurwa hamlet in Bahraich, about 130 kilometres from Lucknow, is preparing for the mundan (tonsure) ceremony of their youngest child, who is seven-year-old.
The family is in a joyous mood except that the child’s father Ram Achal Nishad is watching the entire ceremony on video call from Israel, a “war zone” these days.
The family talks to him on video calls every day and feels that an opportunity with such a lucrative salary might not knock on their doors again.
From Sahebpurwa, about 15 young men have gone to Israel in search of a better future, inspiring many more to follow their path.
Ram Achal was one of the first to go. He and his brother Abhinav Nishad are shuttering labourers in Israel.
Ram Achal has mixed feelings. He was happy that his fourth and youngest child’s mundan is being held. At the same time, he was a little disappointed that he could not be with his family for the function.
Amid raging sirens and falling missiles, Ram Achal is also confident that he is safe as there are bunkers nearby in Tel Aviv.
“Both my nephews left for Israel around six months back. A few days ago, they were in a bunker the whole night as shelling continued. There are sirens before any attack and all the people go to bunkers,” said Ram Achal’s uncle Manoj Kumar Nishad at his ancestral house in Sahebpurwa.
“Both my nephews went for shuttering work. They were trained in Bahraich. We speak to them every day. There is no fear as such. My cousin Ashish has also gone to Israel for work,” Manoj added.
Manoj he showed videos of missiles landing in Israel. The videos were shared by his nephews on WhatsApp.
He further said, “My nephew Abhinav has done civil engineering (diploma), but he couldn’t get a proper job here, so he went to Israel. His salary is better than what an DM or an SDM gets in India. If they do overtime, they get around ₹3 lakh a month. Even without overtime, the minimum wage is around 1.80 lakh INR. Around 15 youths from Sahebpurwa went to Israel for work, now three more have passed interviews for Israel.”
“My nephew is sending money regularly, we have to buy some machinery. We are in the business of contracting; we belong to the fishermen community and also do fish farming.”
When Manoj made a video call, Abhinav said, “Everything is good here, we felt a little scared one day when there was a barrage of missiles. There are safe rooms and bunkers in every building. When the siren goes off, we have to reach these safe rooms and bunkers in 90 seconds. No plans to come back as such. We will work for at least two to two-and-a-half years. If the situation worsens, then I am sure Modi Ji will get us back safely.”
The Nishads’ neighbour Shivam Sahni also went to Israel.
“I spoke to him a few days back before the missile attack, I was concerned about his safety,” said the father Jhabbulal.
Shivam’s brother Birbal said, “Shivam has gone for shuttering work; he is getting salary on time. He decided to go to Israel himself. Unemployment is rampant here. If he had work, then why would he go to Israel leaving the family behind? He is a graduate.”
“Though there is a war- like situation there, we know they have ample safety arrangements. Many boys from our village have gone and at least 50 more have given interviews. The ones who are going to Israel are getting a contract signed for five years. Their passport is with them. They can come and go whenever they want, unlike the Gulf,” Birbal added.
The other brother Vinod showed HT some videos of Shivam in Israel. He said all the workers live in air-conditioned rooms.
“A labourer gets a salary of ₹2.30 lakh and one- and-a-half days off. Our youngest brother is in the Army. We are seven brothers. Maximum youths have gone from our village in the entire district, 25 have gone to Israel and 50 are more in line,” said Vinod.
In the meantime, as Jhabbulal’s video call got through, Shivam was heard saying, “The media is showing much hyped things in India. The actual situation is normal now.”
Ram Ashish Nishad, another Sahebpurwa resident, went to Israel on April 9 this year.
His brother Virendra Kumar said, “There is anxiety. We rely on video calls to speak to him.”
“Salary was the main motivation.My brother has gone on a contract for eight months, but now he is saying it will be extended to two years,” Virendra Kumar said.
“He told me that blasts took place around eight kilometres from where they were staying,” Virendra added.
E-rickshaw driver Bablu Kumar’s brother Shatrughan Prasad has also gone to Israel and Bablu wants to follow him, eyeing “a great salary” but he wants to wait for the situation to improve before applying for a passport.
“I wanted to go but I did not have a passport. I am watching the situation. If it improves, I will apply for my passport, else not. The main motivation is the salary,” he said.
“The day bombing took place my brother was in a bunker,” he said.
Siddharth Modiyani, the labour department’s assistant commissioner in Bahraich, said that the labour department gave assistance when the first batch of workers went to Israel.
Now, the second batch’s work is being overseen by the district employment office which is dealing with NSDC directly, he said.
“I think the main reason for such enthusiasm for Israel is the disparity between the salaries here and there. People have been going to other countries like Gulf, where they get a maximum salary of around ₹50,000,” he said.
“As per my information, no one has given a distress call yet from Israel and also no one has desired to come back, we are in touch with most of the workers through WhatsApp groups. As per the MoU, they are not employed in a war-zone. Apart from this, they have bunkers everywhere. If anything comes to us, we will take proper action,” Modiyani said.