On Thursday 22nd April, BIJA hosted their latest “Bagels and Samosas” webinar with journalist and author Ben Judah. Over 60 people registered for the event which saw Judah talk about his family roots in the Jewish community of Kolkata and his exciting experiences as a journalist writing for top publications. He was interviewed by BIJA Committee Member, Natalie Machta-Joseph, and also spoke about the books he has written, Fragile Empire (2013), a study of Vladimir Putin's Russia, and “This is London” (2016).
In the course of the conversation, Judah spoke about the interviews he has carried out with eminent statesmen and leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Commenting on the friendship between the Indian and Jewish communities, Ben Judah said: “I think it’s a fabulous and important thing to nurture. I see it in my friendship groups and in the friendship groups of people I know. I see it in emerging institutional links and I am really delighted about what you’re doing and want you to do more of it. I think that there is real space to develop that fraternal relationship between the two communities. The communities have got a lot to say to the world, have got a lot to say in the US and in the UK. These are two of the most successful immigrant origin communities and I think it’s definitely an amazing story to tell. I think that there is a lot of room for more events and joint discussions like the one we are having now.” BIJA Co-Chair Zaki Cooper said: “We were delighted to welcome host shot journalist Ben Judah to address us. We were captivated by what we had to say. It was particularly poignant that he reflected on his Kolkata Jewish roots. Our Bagels and Samosas webinars go from strength to strength.”
