Jindal Center for Israel Studies (JCIS) at Jindal Global University (JGU) and the Embassy of Israel held an International Conference on Zionism, a national movement of the Jews that succeeded in 1948 with the establishment of the State of Israel. In the conference themed “After 120 Years: Zionism in its Glocal Contexts” European Zionist leaders deliberated on the creation of a Jewish state in order to normalize the abnormal situation of European Jewry.
The conference was inaugurated by the Ambassador of Israel Daniel Carmon and was attended by renowned scholars, researchers and thinkers in the field like Professor Benny Morris, Professor Emeritus, Middle East Studies Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel; Professor P. R. Kumaraswamy, Professor, Center for West Asian Studies, JNU, Dr Shimon Lev, Independent Researcher; and Dr Esther Carmel-Hakim, Adjunct Faculty, University of Haifa, Israel.
In his inaugural address the Ambassador of Israel Daniel Carmon said, “History of Israel is significant and not much is known in this part of the world. Israel and India will grow strong with each other’s history and common past. Jewish nationalism is about the Jews scattered all over the world and their socio-cultural and political aspirations. It is as rich and diverse as the Indian National Movement. They both achieved their nations in the same decade”.
The conference explored the global and local developments that influenced the rise of Zionism and impacted its success in 1948 with the establishment of the State of Israel. The relationship between Zionism and the rise of the Indian National Movement, as well as the relationship between Gandhi and the leaders of the Zionist movement in the early twentieth century were the other key topics discussed in the conference.
Professor (Dr) C. Raj Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, JGU in his opening address said, “In the light of the newly formed nations such as India & Israel it is crucial to hold dialogues and debate between them. They both have a lot to share and exchange with each other beyond trade and commerce”.
“The growing political and diplomatic interest in India towards Israel warrants greater knowledge of the past of Israel. Current enthusiasm towards Israel is driven by defence sector, foreign policy think-tanks and business groups. Yet, there is a lack of knowledge about the complex history of the establishment of the state of Israel, the Jewish people and their past. This conference is one of the elementary efforts to fill in the blanks” said Dr. Khinvraj Jangid, Faculty Coordinator, JCIS
The relationship between Zionism and the rise of the Indian National Movement were significant. The philosophical underpinnings of both nationalist movements in their respective contexts remained largely inclusive, socialist and democratic-generating identities for these nation states that they struggle keeping up with in the global scenario today.
Zionism received international attention in the traumatic context of anti-Semitism which gave rise to racial discrimination against European Jews, caused pogroms and later the Holocaust. The political trajectory of Zionist project from an idea to the establishment of a state had been and continues to be a part of the global discourse.
