Throughout history, Jews found refuge in India: Israeli envoy Reuven Azar

Azar said that Indians and Jews have been oppressed historically, but now as they are free, they have the opportunity to flourish together

Israeli ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, who was a guest at the event at the Austrian Ambassador to India, Katharina Wieser's house, who hosted Vinay Gupta, the author of the book, 'A Rescue in Vienna' at her residence, said that he admired the effort by Gupta's family in rescuing the Jews.

Azar, while speaking with ANI said that Indians and Jews have been oppressed historically, but now as they are free, they have the opportunity to flourish together.

Azar said that India never harboured a sense of anti-semitism, which encouraged Jews to come here for refuge.

"Well, people-to-people contact at the end of the day is the true diplomacy. You know, the bond between countries is not just a bond between leaders, but also a bond between people. India has extraordinary people, people who have been always welcoming of the Jewish people. There has never been in India any sign of anti-semitism. So people who came here throughout history to escape from persecution found refuge here and this is something worth mentioning and something that is continuing today when we are not being persecuted anymore when we have our state. Both the Indian people and the Jewish people have been oppressed for many centuries but today we are free and we have huge opportunities to develop relations to prosper and flourish together," he said.

Azar said that he was in all praise for Gupta's book and his family who helped in rescuing the five Jewish families.

"I was delighted to come here today to the Austrian Ambassador's residence, and I congratulate the Ambassador for actually hosting Vinay Gupta, who has written the amazing story of his family, and rescued five Jewish families from Vienna in the 30s, after the Anschluss, after the Nazis took over Austria. The Jewish community was a formidable community with businesspeople, academicians, and doctors who unfortunately were exterminated by the Nazis. Some of them managed to escape and each one of these stories is worth telling. I heard with admiration the amazing story of Gupta's family," he said.

Azar said that he would send the book to Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, for research purposes.

"Gupta Sr was not only an entrepreneur but was a person with a huge heart. Thanks to his goodwill, many souls were saved during the Holocaust. So it's a story that is worth to be told. And I promise Gupta that I'm going to send his book to Yad Vashem, to Jerusalem, for the researchers of the Holocaust in Jerusalem to read it and to follow it up and I'm really thankful for this opportunity to be here today," he said.