India looking to attract ex-pats with Jewish heritage tours
Amid growing ties, ambassador unveils plans to renovate Jewish sites across subcontinent to boost tourism, relationship with Israel
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
India’s top envoy to Israel last week urged the estimated 85,000 local Jews of Indian descent to visit their country of origin, promising heritage tours for the subcontinent’s storied Jewish community.
Encouraging the visits is a way of boosting bilateral ties between the countries, India’s ambassador to Israel Jaideep Sarkar told more than 3,500 Indian-origin Jews who gathered for the 3rd National Convention of Indian Jews in Israel that was held in Ramle last Thursday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
“We want to tell the world proudly about the rich Jewish life in India with your efforts we are working to preserve the Jewish heritage in India,” Sarkar said.
“We hope to have a package tour to Jewish heritage sites in Mumbai and elsewhere by early next year.”
India is working to ease travel for tourists from Israel Sarkar noted and highlighted the introduction of e-visas and the “Know India program” for children of Indian origin.
The Indian Jewish Community, in collaboration with the Embassy Ramla municipality and SBI, Tel Aviv, organized the…
Posted by Embassy of India, Tel Aviv on Friday, August 14, 2015
He also suggested Indian-descended Jews living in Israel consider enrolling in programs for highers education in India.
“The important thing is to continue what you began so well and pass on the spirit and idea behind the convention to the next generation,” Sarkar said. “The house of Indian Jewish unity has a strong foundation. Now we have to build upon it.”
There are four different Jewish communities in India — the Bene Israel from the Maharashtra region around Mumbai; Cochini Jews who hail from the state of Kerala; Baghdadis, who were once prevalent in Mumbai but have mostly left the country; and Bnei Menashe from states of Manipur and Mizoram in the country’s northeast.
Synagogues in Paravoor and Chennamangalam in the southern state of Kerala were recently renovated and could become major attractions for the estimated 25,000 Cochini Jews in Israel, the report said.
Israel and India have been steadily improving ties since the election last year of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has made developing cooperation with Israel a focus for his government’s diplomatic policies.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee is expected to visit Israel some time in the coming year. Modi is expected to visit sometime after that.
