Namaste Shalom Magazine Launch During Netanyahu’s Mumbai visit 

Mumbai: The Jewish community will mark Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Mumbai visit with the launch of 'Namaste Shalom', a regular monthly magazine on bilateral relations between the two friendly nations.

The magazine would be launched at the Magen David Synagogue at Byculla in south Mumbai tomorrow, Ralphy Jhirad, the editorial board member of the magazine said.

Jhirad, who is also the president and managing trustee of Bene Israel Heritage Museum and Genealogical Centre, said the magazine's editorial advisory board includes MPs Poonam Mahajan and Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli ambassador to India Daniel Carmon have welcomed the magazine and sent congratulatory messages, he said.

"The magazine is planned to carry forward the great initiative of Modi and Netanyahu to strengthen India-Israel relations and provide a platform for exchanging views between Indians and Jews the world over," Jhirad said.

In his message to the magazine, Modi said, "The deep friendship of the Indian people with Israel is something worth celebrating. The bond between the two nations goes back centuries in time and will continue to grow stronger." President Kovind in his message said, "India-Israel relations are weaved with threads of culture, civilisational values and mutual trust. More than 2,000 years ago, the Jews arrived in India. They found love, equality and a family-like reception. This was an expression of the core beliefs of India's ancient culture and its people."

The inaugural issue of the magazine has an interview with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, where he speaks at length about his Israel tour in 2015, Jhirad said.

"The farmers in Maharashtra stand to gain hugely from Israel's agro-technology and water management systems," Fadnavis said in the interview.

The inaugural issue of the magazine, under the leadership of former MP Tarun Vijay, has received wide support, Jhirad said.

"This may be the first time that a magazine devoted to India-Israel relations is being launched in a Jew synagogue, underlining the close ties between the two nations," he said.

IANS