March 7, 2023 — New Delhi
American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today met with senior ministers in the Indian government as part of AJC’s efforts to strengthen ties between the Jewish community and one of the world’s most populous nations.
Deutch led a delegation from AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute (API) that met with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
The delegation discussed the warm relationship between India and the United States and the increasingly close Israel-India ties, as well as the I2U2 Group—which includes India, the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates—and aims to promote economic cooperation among these countries in a variety of sectors, including water, energy, health, technology, and food security.
“It was a pleasure to meet these leaders at a time when ties between India and both the United States and Israel continue to improve every day,” Deutch said. “AJC is focused on realizing the immense opportunities for economic, strategic, and technological cooperation between Israel, India, and the United States, as well as through the I2U2 Group.”
India and Israel marked 30 years of full diplomatic relations last year. Israel and India together have opened 30 Centers of Excellence in India, which aim to use Israeli technology to increase agricultural production in India, make water use more efficient in the country and help Indian farmers diversify crops. The UN estimates 70% of rural Indian households depend on agriculture for their livelihood. The AJC delegation will visit such a center outside Jaipur.
AJC, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, has had continuous representation in India since 1994.
India, with a population of over 1.4 billion people, is home to nearly one in five people in the world. The Jewish population is estimated to be 5,000 people. Jews have lived freely and without persecution in India since ancient times.
AJC API Director Shira Loewenberg and AJC India Representative Arjun Hardas were part of the delegation, along with AJC Chief Policy and Public Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson.
