SO MANY STAMPS

Thank you for the particularly interesting articles that recently appeared in the June 26 Magazine. Two in particular brought back memories, of when I was still living in India – “How a stamp revived the American-Jewish colonial experience” and “So many synagogues – Ashdod.”

Let me explain: The Government of India – Post and Telegraph Department on December 12, 1968, issued a postage stamp and first-day cover (with details on the new stamp on its first date of issue) celebrating the Synagogue in Cochin, in the South Indian State of Kerala. Incidentally, there is a replica of this synagogue at the Cochini Moshav Nevatim, south of Beersheba. For the above-mentioned celebration, Indian Railways arranged a special train to run from New Delhi to Cochin, also carrying to attend the celebrations then-Indian president Zakhir Hussein and prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Then, on September 11, 2009, the Indian Post and Telegraph Department again issued a stamp and first-day cover celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of the Magen Avraham Synagogue – situated In Ahmedabad, in the Western State of Gujarat.

The third occasion that comes to mind is when on November 5, 2012, both the Israeli government and Indian Post and Telegraph Department, jointly issued stamps and firstday covers commemorating 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The stamps depict the “Festivals of Lights” that is the Jewish festival of Hannukah and the Indian Diwali.

There have been other instances of such joint collaborations, such as with Nepal, celebrating the highest region in the world, Mount Everest; and Israel celebrating the world’s lowest region – the Dead Sea.

JUDITH RAYMOND

Arad

(Photos: Courtesy) STAMPS BRING back memories.