Eli Yishai visits ORT India

18.12.06

18 December 2006 Israeli Minister tours ORT India. ORT India has played a small but perhaps crucial role in strengthening trade ties between Israel and India. Its kosher facilities provided food to meet the exacting standards of Israels Industry, Trade and Labour Minister, Eli Yishai, during his recent stay in Mumbai (Bombay). Mr Yishai, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, is a member of the Orthodox party Shas. Napoleon said that an army marches on its stomach. Well, Israels government representatives can not be expected to perform in top level negotiations without fresh, nutritious and tasty food, said ORT India Honorary Chairman Victor Sassoon. During his stay in Mumbai, Mr Yishai, who was leading a delegation of 50 Israeli entrepreneurs, had talks with his Indian counterpart Shri Kamal Nath. They signed an agreement committing both countries to harmonise their national technical standards, ease the establishment of scientific and technical collaboration and eliminate technical barriers to trade. The ministers meeting, which Mr Nath hailed as a milestone in the development of bilateral relations, ended with their announcing a hope to see annual trade between their countries double to $5 billion in the next few years. Benjamin Isaac and Victor Sassoon (front, left) at ORT India with Eli Yishai (front, right) and guests. In the days before Mr Yishais visit, ORT Indias kitchen and bakery were inspected by Zakhi Selzer, First Secretary, Head of the Economic Division of the Embassy of Israel, to see whether it had a sufficiently high standard of kashrut for Mr Yishai. Having satisfied him concerning the quality of our food preparation, we exposed Mr Selzer to our educational and vocational activities. He remarked that it would be a nice place for the Deputy Prime Minister to visit while in Mumbai, said ORT India Director Benjamin Isaac. My staff, teachers and students were elated and put in their best efforts to make Mr Yishais visit memorable despite the short notice. Mr Yishai was welcomed to ORT India by a group of pre-primary school children who sang Oseh Shalom. The Deputy Prime Minister was so overcome that he literally went down on his knees for a photograph with the kids, Mr Isaac said. The minister and other guests then watched teacher trainees perform a ballad depicting peace and harmony for the people of Israel, and a patriotic dance by traditionally dressed members of ORTs Hair Dressing and Beauty training programme. Another Hebrew song performed by ORT students was followed by a Powerpoint presentation of ORT activities. Mr Yishai expressed great happiness to find Jewish people in remote parts of the world extending warm, brotherly feelings, Mr Isaac said. World ORT, founded in 1880, is the worlds largest Jewish education and vocational training non-government organisation with some 200,000 beneficiaries in 58 countries.