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In human history, the conflict between different religious groups and civilizations has generally been the cause of many massacres and bloodshed, but there are also some examples when different religious groups helped each other in their hard times.
At present there are two religions in the world which have helped each other a lot in times of need.
Undoubtedly, the political circumstances of the present world are responsible for the friendly relations between India and Israel, but to realize this closeness, it is necessary to look into the past.
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When the Jews were driven from their place of origin, how did India become their shelter.
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Thousands of years ago, when the Romans were burning the temples of the Jews in Israel and torturing them, many Jews took refuge in India, most of them settled in the southern part of India.
In 1948, the Jews got back their lost land, a new country, Israel, appeared on the world map.
Nadira one of the most famous Indian actresses of the 1950s-60s.
Nadira was a Jew originally from Iran who settled in India and has been one of India’s most famous cinema stars.
The Jews who had been living in India for thousands of years went back to Israel, about 80,000 Jews went from India to Israel and they came to be known as Indian Jews there.
A mixture of Hebrew and the local language of India in the children’s textbook.
Similarly, once again in the Second World War, when Hitler attacked Poland, around 1000 Jewish children there had to leave the country on a ship to save their lives.
No country was ready to provide shelter to these children, even Britain did not agree to give them shelter.
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In such difficult times, the king of Navannagar ( (today’s Jamnagar) Digvijay singh ji Ranjit singh ji Jadeja in Gujarat decided to help them.
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Digvijay Singh ji Ranjit Singh ji Jadeja attending a festival with Jewish children of Poland during World War II.
It is said that during that time this Maharaja had helped the people a lot by arranging for food, accommodation, medical etc.
These refugees stayed in Jamnagar for a total of nine years. The Polish children who came to India were brought up very well. A lot of attention was also given to their studies.
Special teachers were appointed for these children who taught them in their own language, and special arrangements were made by the king so that these children could continue to get information about their religion and also be able to celebrate their festivals happily.
Israel also helped India a lot in difficult time
Israel also never shied away from helping India in its most difficult times.
Due to political compulsions and India’s Nehruvian thinking, India refused to recognize Israel in 1948.
But Israel helped India a lot in the India-Pakistan war of 1971.
Something similar was seen in the Kargil India-Pakistan war.
Israel provided state-of-the-art weapons and ammunition to the Indian Army. Israel also provided laser guided missiles to the Indian Army, which helped the Indian Army a lot in the Kargil war.
Most advanced laser guided missile developed by Israel
Nicolas Blarel teaches at the Institute of Political Science, Leiden University, Netherlands.
This topic is discussed in quite detail in his book INDIA’S ISRAEL POLICY- Continuity, Change, and Compromise since 1922 (Oxford International Relations in South Asia)
Why is it necessary to strengthen India-Israel relations at present?
We find that India-Israel relations are centuries old and very strong, but in the present circumstances, there is still a need for both the countries to come closer.
Islamic terrorism cannot be considered limited to any particular area.
There is mutual nexus between ISIS, Taliban, Hamas, and other similar Muslim terrorist organizations.
In countries like Pakistan, Islamic extremist leaders can be seen warning, threatening India and Israel and calling for Jihad against India and Israel on social media.
If we look at history, the call for a holy war against India and Israel has been uniting Muslim countries.
Top politicians in countries like Pakistan have also been threatening Israel and India with nuclear weapons. Pakistan’s atomic bomb, which is also publicized as Muslim atom bomb, is a state-sponsored terrorism.
Although America and western countries are also the target of Muslim terrorism, but the lax attitude of these countries towards Muslim terrorism is a matter of concern.
In such a disappointing environment, it seems necessary to deepen India-Israel relations.
A very interesting and informative history of relations between Israel 🇮🇱 and India 🇮🇳.