BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE
Atlanta, GA, December 30, 2024: A testament to the shared commitment of cultural exchange, mutual respect, and the celebration of diversity, the Consulate General of India in Atlanta in collaboration with the American Jewish Committee (AJC), Atlanta, hosted Hanukkah reception at the Consulate on December 22, 2024.
The event brought together distinguished guests from diverse communities. Notable attendees included Israel’s Consul General in Atlanta, Anat Sultan-Dadon; Republic of Korea’s Consul General, Suh Sangpyo; Georgia State Representative Esther Panitch (District 51); Mayor of Sandy Springs, Rusty Paul; Regional Director of AJC Dov Wilker; and Assistant Director of AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute Nissim Reuben.
The evening celebrated the enduring diplomatic ties between India and Israel, which mark their 33rd year in 2024. Consul General Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan expressed his joy at continuing the tradition of celebrating Hanukkah in partnership with AJC, extending warm wishes for the festival of lights. In his remarks, Consul General Lakshmanan highlighted the deep civilizational ties between India and Israel, and people-to-people connect. He remarked India’s longstanding tradition of welcoming Jewish communities, whose contributions have enriched Indian culture. There are approximately 85,000 Jews of Indian origin reside in Israel, symbolizing the enduring people-to-people connection between the two nations.
India-Israel cultural connect, as Hon. Lakhmanan noted, is much ancient than their recent official diplomatic relations. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history. The traditional account is that traders of Judea arrived at Cranganore, an ancient port near Cochin in 562 BC, and that more Jews came as exiles from Israel in the year 70 AD, after the destruction of the Second Temple. The distinct Jewish community in Cochin was called Anjuvannam. The still-functioning synagogue in Mattancherry, The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations. It is estimated that India’s Jewish population peaked at around 20,000 in the mid-1940s and began to rapidly decline due to their emigration to Israel after its creation in 1948.
Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its defilement by the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE.It is also known as the Festival of Lights and usually takes place in December, at the time of year when the days are shortest in the northern hemisphere. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days by lighting the candles of a candelabrum with nine branches, commonly called a menorah or hanukkiah. One branch is placed above or below the others and its candle is used to light the other eight candles. This unique candle is called the shammash. Each night, one additional candle is lit by the shammash until all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the festival.
The celebration marked the solidarity between the nations, further strengthening the bonds between India, Israel, and the broader global community.
