(Israel21c via JNS) - India and Israel seem like a study in contrasts.

Some 1.4 billion Indians live in a vast country stretching nearly 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) across at its widest point, while 8.9 million Israelis live in a tiny land no more than 135 kilometers (85 miles) wide.

Yet they are bound together by surprising commonalities.

For starters, they nearly share a birthday. India gained independence from Great Britain in August 1947 and Israel in May 1948. And each has a proud history going back thousands of years.

"As I often say, we are two old nations in young countries, rich wi...