“Jews have nothing but highest gratitude to Indian Security forces ;Jews will never forget this… we never forget a friend in need.”

It’s a war we can’t afford to lose, says Israeli envoy

Israel’s Ambassador to India, Mark Sofer, members of the diplomatic corps, rabbis and others congregated at a synagogue in Mumbai on Wednesday evening for a prayer service to honour the memory of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, his wife Rivka, and others who were killed in the multiple terrorist attacks on Chabad House, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Taj Mahal Palace, Oberoi Trident and other places on November 26 last year.

“When we look at all the questions, all the issues, central to 26/11 and why terrorism is so rampant, we shouldn’t lose sight of the human factor. We shouldn’t forget that 173 people lost their lives, their hopes, their ambitions,” Sofer said, adding, “26/11 was a wake-up call for India, Israel and the rest of the world for enhanced cooperation against terrorism. This is a war we cannot afford to lose; it’s a war we must win. We have to look at the future with optimism.”

Paying fulsome tribute to the security forces who took on the terrorists, Sofer said, “Jews in Israel and all over the world have nothing but the highest gratitude to India’s security forces who laid down their lives on 26/11. Jews will never forget this… we never forget a friend in need.”

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