New Delhi — Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar marked the cultural ties between the two countries by unveiling a mural of conductor Zubin Mehta in Lodhi Colony, Delhi, saying shared history, values and the arts have long bound India and Israel.
Speaking to ANI at the inauguration, Azar said culture and heritage are central to the relationship. He described both nations as ancient yet modern, and said personal and national connections have flourished through cultural exchanges, especially music. “Culture, heritage, and values are what bring us together,” he said.
Azar also highlighted the longstanding sense of safety and acceptance experienced by Jewish communities in India. “Jews have always felt very safe in India,” he said, noting India’s tradition of being a society that accepts the other. He called the bond between the countries resilient and capable of continuing through cultural collaboration and other joint initiatives.
The event also celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Azar recalled the orchestra’s origins in 1936, when Bronislaw Huberman gathered Jewish musicians across Europe to form what was then the Orchestra of the Land of Israel. By bringing those musicians together, Huberman preserved musical heritage and saved many artists and their families from Nazi persecution.
Azar pointed out the symbolic link between the orchestra’s founding and Mehta, who was born in 1936 and has had a decades-long association with the Israel Philharmonic. He said Mehta’s work with the orchestra helped make its performances internationally renowned.
He also shared a personal memory from his post in Romania, where leaders of the local Jewish community had invited the Israel Philharmonic and Mehta to commemorate musicians killed in Bucharest in 1941. In October 2024, the orchestra and Mehta performed in Bucharest to honor and resume a concert cut short by those wartime atrocities.
Azar described the India–Israel relationship as both musical and personal, emphasizing culture as an especially powerful connector between peoples. He thanked the Municipal Council of New Delhi for permitting the mural, and acknowledged the artists, the partnering company, cultural attaché Avital, and the embassy team for their roles in organizing the event.
