Jaishankar praised the work of Indian Jews in the nation-building process of India, identifying them as “one of us,” citing old cultural and religious ties between India and Israel.
S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister, met with the Indian Jewish community in Israel on Sunday, praising its enormous effect on the country. In many ways, Jaishankar added, the community has been “an umbilical chord” that has fostered India-Israel relations.
According to the foreign minister, the Indian Jewish community brought some of India’s flavors to Israel, which they have kept or absorbed in some way. “The characteristic Malida thali, for example, is created by the Bene Israelis – and Malida is now officially incorporated into the local calendar here. Similarly, among Bene Israelis, the influence of the mangalsutra and mehendi, the Baghdadi Jews’ ritual of baat pukka for formalizing marriages, and the Cochini Jews’ symbolic decoration of the Torah arks with jasmine garlands and use of manara, “Jaishankar stated.
