March 10, 2010 – New York – AJC’s ACCESS New Generation Program has completed a ten day visit to India. The dozen young Jewish professionals, all members of AJC ACCESS chapters across the U.S., engaged in dialogue with India’s political leaders, diplomats and journalists. The group also met with leaders of the Jewish community in India.

AJC has long maintained close relations with India, a sister democracy that enjoys cooperative, productive ties with both Israel and the United States. One of AJC’s overseas offices is in Mumbai.

The ACCESS group traveled to Delhi and Mumbai to discuss with Indian hosts the unique relationship among India, the American Jewish community and Israel. They met with senior officials at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, young parliamentarians, Times of India editors and reporters, as well as Mark Sofer, Israel’s Ambassador to India.

"The US-India-Israel strategic relationship, linking three great democracies that share the same values and similar concerns, will be an increasingly important factor in global politics in the coming decades,” said Jim Busis, AJC Asia Pacific Institute director, who led the ACCESS mission. “This trip by some of our future leaders is an important milestone in furthering this special strategic, political and inter-cultural partnership.”

The AJC delegation also took time to light memorial candles at Chabad House in Mumbai to pay their respects to victims of the November 2008 terrorist attack – including Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, his wife Rivka, and four guests in the house who were among some 165 individuals murdered across the city in the three-day siege.