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Establish Jewish community museums across India, says Israel Consul General in Pune
Ya’akov Finkelstein interacts with members of the Jewish community at Succath Shelomo Synagogue at Rasta Peth in Pune
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Pune: Given the rich history and heritage of Jews in India, the members of the community should take the initiative to establish community museums across India, Ya’akov Finkelstein, said here on Tuesday.
Finkelstein was in the city for a visit to the Succath Shelomo Synagogue at Rasta Peth where he interacted with the members of the Jewish community in Pune.
“To maintain the uniqueness of the Jewish community in India, we need to create museums which will showcase the culture and history of Jews. For this, various activities can be held in these museums,” he said.
He noted that even though Jews formed one of the smallest minorities in India, their contribution was rich and “this contribution must be appreciated and highlighted”.
Taking this thought forward, Daniel Penkar, director of a management institute, said that there are more than 30 Jewish properties across India which can be developed for this purpose. He requested the Consul General to take this matter forward with the authorities concerned so that the properties could be developed as health centres or cultural centres for the Jewish community.
Finkelstein said that close to 30,000 to 40,000 Indian tourists visit Israel every year. In the coming years, India wants to double that number, he said.
Speaking on the bonhomie between the two nations, he said that Israel is investing a lot in the technology sector in India while many Indian companies were doing the same in Israel.
Israel was keen to strengthen ties with India and was taking steps to encourage Indian students to take up courses in Israel, he said.
