Mumbai: Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen is scheduled to inaugurate a Jewish tourism circuit and a hydroponics project in Mumbai on Wednesday during his three-day visit to India.
Maharashtra has been home to Jews for more than 2,000 years and several synagogues are still operational in Mumbai, Thane and the surrounding areas. Nearly 3,000 Jews still live in the state. Many Israelis and Jews from around the world visit Mumbai for work and tourism and have shown interest in visiting their ancestral places. For this, important monuments in Mumbai and Maharashtra have been identified and will be opened as a cultural circuit.
Circuit to be inaugurated based on book
Cohen will inaugurate this circuit identified on the basis of Professor Saul Sapir’s book ‘Bombay: Exploring the Jewish Urban Heritage’. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai have collaborated on the project.
As per an MoU, MTDC will prepare multiple travel itineraries, ranging from one to three days, and offer it as packages with tour guides and hotel. Meanwhile, the Israel Consulate, with the help of the local Jewish community, has been installing plaques at their monuments giving information about history and their significance.
Cohen will also inaugurate a hydroponics project at Bandra Promenade, which is currently managed by RG Joshi Foundation that has been striving to make it an eco-friendly and zero-waste area by using solar power and recycling waste water. The Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai has donated a container for the project wherein hydroponics technology to grow vegetables without soil would be displayed. The container has been developed by an Indian company in collaboration with an Israeli firm.
In Mumbai for two days, Cohen is also scheduled to address members of the Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce, the Israeli Manufacturers Association (IMA) and the Israeli Export Institute. They are also expected to sign MoUs with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week conducted the India Forum with the participation of several ministries with the aim of enhancing governmental coordination leading to a larger trade, innovation, tourism and cultural collaboration.
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