Come to India, Moshe

July 6, 2017 Agencies
Read on for article

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have met with Moshe Holtzberg, whose parents were murdered in the 26 November 2008 terrorist attack on the Mumbai Chabad House.

He told them that he misses India; Indian Prime Minister Modi said that his country was open to him.

Prime Minister Netanyahu invited Holtzberg to accompany him on his future trip to India.

Moshe Holtzberg was accompanied by his paternal grandparents (Nahman and Freida Holtzberg), his maternal grandparents (Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg) and by Sandra Samuel, his former Indian nanny who came with him to Israel.

Later on, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a special event with thousands of members of the Indian community in Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “Prime Minister, these are the Jews of India. They love India, they love Israel. They love our friendship.

We are in a historic meeting, your visit, of two ancient peoples seizing the future.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Photo: Kobi Gideon (GPO)

There was a time, a few decades ago and a few years ago, when this natural partnership was somehow frozen.

There was a young woman, her name was Tzipora Meir, a young Jewish woman in Cochin. She wrote an essay 50 years ago, just before the Six Day War, and the essay was the deep desire she had to see the partnership between India and Israel.

She won a prize for that composition but it didn’t happen. Tzipora Meir, like so many of you, came to Israel, built her home here, contributed to her life, maintained the love of Indian Jewish customs, prayers and continued to hope that one day Israel and India will form this partnership and this friendship.

Tzipora and her husband Sasson, who are here – that day has come. That day is today.

Prime Minister Modi and I have decided on a vast program to bring our partnership and our friendship to new heights. But we always remember that there’s a human bridge between us – you. We admire you, we respect you, we love you.

Seventy years ago, our countries achieved independence. Israel achieved independence, India achieved independence and our countries rise and rise and rise and rise and now they meet.

We have decided to cooperate in so many areas but there’s one area that really guarantees the future, and Prime Minister Modi speaks of it all the time – it’s the young people: the young people of India, the young people of Israel.

So, Indian students are coming here, we’re very flattered. Israeli young people are going there but there is something that we want to achieve: today when Israelis go to India, they go backpacking, they go on what is called, the ‘Hummus Trail’, there are signs in Hebrew, you hear Hebrew spoken, ‘The Hummus Trail’. I want to see young Indians come here backpacking on the ‘Curry Trail’.

I don’t want many, just an equal proportion.

We are building this future today between us, between our two great democracies, between our two ancient peoples, who believe in the future. It’s a partnership made in heaven but it’s happening right now here on earth today.”

 

Speak Your Mind

Comments received without a full name will not be considered
Email addresses are NEVER published! All comments are moderated. J-Wire will publish considered comments by people who provide a real name and email address. Comments that are abusive, rude, defamatory or which contain offensive language will not be published

Got something to say about this?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.