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Madhura Naik: 300 of my family members stuck in Israel, I am worried, but feel safe in India
Actor Madhura Naik talks to us about the worrisome circumstances her family is stuck in, in Israel, after her sister and brother-in-law were shot dead.
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Israel and Gaza reel under relentless violence in the wake of Israel's war with Hamas. The conflict started on Saturday after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas attacked parts of Israel in a surprise move.
Actor Madhura Naik, whose mother is an Israeli and father a Hindu, has seen her life turning upside down due to this. Her sister and brother-in-law were shot dead. Talking to us, she reveals that even now about 300 members of her family are stuck in Israel. "My family informed me about them missing, and only after 24 hours were their bodies identified. Their children in the car along with them, were taken back by the officers on duty," she tells us as her voice cracks.
Her grandmother, she reveals, was a Jew, which makes her one too. "The situation unfortunately has always been like this in Israel, we have always faced a lot of such situations. My family is worried about how things are going to escalate. I felt it is necessary to talk about it in my social media post. I cannot reveal where I am right now, due to security reasons, neither can I tell you which members are stuck in Israel. I have just been getting a lot of communal hate after my post, and it is shocking that people are failing to empathise with innocent lives. They fail to understand that it is the innocent civilians who die. This is a terror attack, same like what happened in Mumbai, 26/11," shares Naik.
She adds that it is not just "nasty comments", but also threats she has been dealing with in the last few days. But praising India, she asserts, "It's very important for all Jews in all parts of the world to stay safe. I feel extremely safe here in India, the authorities are very supportive of us. If any such situation happens, I know I will have their full support. I have the best of both Jewish and Hindu religions. I am just praying for the safety of everyone."
