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Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis to visit India

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Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis is set to make an official visit to India next month.

It is understood that Rabbi Mirvis will meet religious leaders in the country – as well as visiting some of its key historical sites.

Rabbi Mirvis will look at examples of social responsibility projects in India, having emphasised social responsibility as one of the three priorities of his chief rabbinate.

He is also expected to meet members of the country’s Jewish community, believed to number 5,000.

A spokesman for the Chief Rabbi’s Office confirmed that the visit would clash with Limmud this year, and as a result Rabbi Mirvis would not be able to attend the event.

The Indian Jewish community was founded in the 11th century. The oldest synagogue in the Commonwealth, the Paradesi synagogue, was built by the Jews of the southern Indian city of Cochin in 1567.

Jews from Persia, Afghanistan and Iraq flocked to India – making Bombay home to largest Jewish community in the country by the late 18th century.

Prominent British Jewish businessmen – including the Saatchis and Reubens – are descended from Iraqi Jews who moved to India.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UK earlier this month.

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