BIJA delegates meet Indian high commissioner Gaitri Issar Kumar

A DELEGATION from the British Indian Jewish Association (BIJA) on Tuesday (3) visited India House in London, UK, and was received by the Indian high commissioner to the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar.

The visit was part of the high commission’s community-engagement strategy.

During their visit, members of the delegation spoke with the high commissioner on issues like education, hate crime and the potential of the two communities to work together.

High commissioner Kumar was briefed on BIJA’s latest initiatives, including raising more than £120,000 for Covid relief in India and the series of ‘Bagels and Samosas’ webinars with high-profile guest speakers.

BIJA aims at fostering the friendship between the British Indian and British Jewish communities.

BIJA co-chair Zaki Cooper said: “We are so grateful for the hospitality shown by the high commissioner. She shared some wonderful memories of her visit to Israel, when she worked for the president of India, and described being moved by the spirit of Israel. It was an opportunity to tell her about the work we have been doing, and discuss future ideas for collaboration.”

Dr Peter Chadha, also a BIJA co-chair, said, “We know that relations between Indians and Jews in the UK are strong, and this was an opportunity to showcase that. The High Commissioner commented on the energy in the room, and we look forward to building on the relationship with the Indian High Commission to build deeper and wider ties between our two communities.”