Consul General of Israel to Midwest India, Kobbi Shoshani highlighted the significance of Holocaust Remembrance Day during a ceremony at a synagogue in Mumbai and noted that Jews have lived in India for over 2,000 years without fear of discrimination.
The Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed to pay respects to the nearly 6 million Jews killed in Europe during and after the Second World War. Speaking to ANI, he said, "It's a very important day in Israel as it is a memorial of the holocaust. 6 million Jews, mainly in Europe were murdered by the Nazis in gas chambers, or by shooting." Shoshani also emphasised the strong bond between Jewish and Indian people and stated, "Jews have lived in India for more than 2,000 years without any fear of persecution or discrimination." "It's the first time for a Governor to visit here at this beautiful synagogue. It symbolises the bond between Jewish people and Indian people," he said. Earlier in the day, Minister of State for External Affairs (MoS) Kirti Vardhan Singh also spoke to ANI and termed the holocaust as "one of the greatest tragedies that befell humankind." He stressed that they should not forget the holocaust and have to learn from it and evolve their policies and outlook towards humanity. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Kirti Vardhan Singh said, "The Holocaust was one of the greatest tragedies that befell on humankind. There's an old saying that if we forget history, history is bound to repeat itself." "We must not forget this, one of the darkest chapters in human history, and we have to learn from it and evolve our policies, our outlook towards humanity very much in the way of the Indian sense, where in our country we welcome all faiths, all cultures, all people for ages, and that is what makes our country great. That is what makes our civilization great and this is what we must remember," he added. He made these remarks while speaking to reporters after attending the event on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Delhi. The United Nations General Assembly has designated January 27 as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. (ANI)
|