The Israeli Embassy and non-profit think tank Bridge India hosted a session recently with leading members of the British Indian diaspora to help break down some of these misconceptions about the integration between Jews and Arabs.
The Chief Guest was Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli Christian who fought in the Second Lebanon War and works towards integrating Arab-Israelis into mainstream society. In Yoseph’s first visit to the UK, he was keen to meet leaders in the British Indian community from across faith, business and civil society backgrounds, to share his experiences of growing up in Israel.
The event was organised as part of Bridge India’s engagement with various embassies in London, which has seen its members meet Ambassadors from Israel, Kenya, Bangladesh, Uganda and Malta in closed-door private briefings in just the last four months. It marked the latest collaboration with the Israeli Embassy in London that was initiated by one of its members, Jack Green, who sought to build closer relations between the British Israeli and Indian communities.
Attendees included Founder and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice CB Patel, Founder of City Sikhs Param Singh MBE, Founder of Faith in Leadership Krish Raval, Bridge India board member and psychiatrist for the NHS Dr Sarfraz Ashraf and others.
Topics discussed included how Yoseph tackles antisemitism and hatred towards Israelis, integration for the Arab Israeli community, their roles in the technology sector, common values Israelis shared with the British Indian community and opportunities between Britain, Israel and India. He shared that misinformation and disinformation were often to blame for animosity between different communities and that dialogue was a great way to bring people together.
Yoseph already shares a deep connection with India, including having travelled the breadth of the country for several months earlier in his life. The session also marked the ongoing and deep engagement from the Israeli Embassy in London to work across different communities, via their public diplomacy wing.
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