• Raherimasoandro Andriamamonjy, President du “Club Shalom Madagascar”,
  Secretaire General de la “Diaspora Jiosy Gasy”

Madagascar is a large island located in the west of the Indian Ocean. The 22 autonomous regions are created on June 2004. There are organized in territorial decentralized authorities: in Regions and Communes. They coordinate and harmonise their actions for their own development. These regions form the new electoral distribution for the country. They are essentially public economic collectivises. Agriculture is Madagascar’s dominant economic sector. About 85% of the population are farmers.

At the end of 2004 and the beginning of this year, the crisis in agricultural sector, especially the decline in marketed output of rice provokes the displeasure of the population. Madagascar is a poor country. It is wealthy in unique natural resources, and in educated human resources. The Malagasy Government aims at establishing a real democracy, based on a state of law, the respect of international law and the good governance. Now, the economic development of Madagascar is in good way but it is threatened by natural catastrophes, the rise in prices of petroleum and the weight of debt.

The members of the "Shalom Club Madagascar" are persons who have received an education in Israel. They are moulded in some famous International institutes in Israel where they specialized in Agriculture, banking, stock farming etc. The mission of the "Shalom Club Madagascar" is:

• To develop the ties of friendship with its members,
• to favour the cultural ties with the Malagasy people and the Israeli people;
• to exchange some information and axperiences in many fields such as
  social, economic, cultural, technical between Madagascar and Israel.

Just now, Shalom Club Madagascar must serve like an "interface" or a "trait d'union" between Madagascar and Israel. We mention that: "Shalom Club Madagascar" has its appropriate mission and in the other hand the "Diaspora Jiosy Gasy" (the Jewish Malagasy Diaspora) in Madagascar has its own mission too.
 

There are 150 local Jews in Madagascar. These local Jews are members of the "Diaspora Jiosy Gasy". We have no place of worship but we make use of a large room of a house of one of our members for worship on the Shabbat. On the Island there are a few expatriate Jews, less than ten.