Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu and wife's friend conferred with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award

Jerusalem: Reena Vinod Pushkarna, a celebrity chef, restaurateur, entrepreneur and a close friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, was among the 21 recipients of this year's prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA).

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, which will be held between January 8 and 10 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

These awards were announced on Monday.

Reena is a key figure in the India-Israel business and cultural arena.

She was part of a high-profile team who prepared the dishes when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel in 2017.

Born in 1958 to an Indian Army officer father and an Iraqi-Jewish mother, Reena immigrated to Israel in 1983 with husband Vinod, when India and Israel did not have full-fledged diplomatic relations.

"I am proud of my heritage. Mine has been an effort to connect people and in the process I have also been witness to all the milestones in the evolution of the strong ties between India and Israel," Reena told PTI.

"My husband, Vinod, has been the most important and consistent pillar of strength in this whole journey and all this would not have been possible without him," she added.

In the 1980s, when Israel did not know much about India beyond a few Hindi songs from Raj Kapoor's films, Reena decided to open a restaurant in Tel Aviv named Tandoori.

Soon, her restaurant was frequented by celebrities such as ace Indian conductor Zubin Mehta, actor Sophia Loren, former Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and President Shimon Peres.

Her restaurant was also the setting for the peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, which was facilitated by Norway in 1993.

The Netanyahus also went for their first date at Reena's restaurant.

Since then, the couple have not only been fans of Indian cuisine, but they also became good friends.

"Nearly 30 years ago, I went on a date with my wife Sara to an Indian restaurant in Tel Aviv. Yesterday I asked Reena Pushkarna, the owner of the same restaurant, to prepare a meal for a different kind of a date - a meal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi", Netanyahu tweeted during Prime Minister Modi's historic visit to Israel in July 2017.

In 2003, she was included in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s delegation to India, and again joined Netanyahu’s delegation during his visit to India in January 2018.

Not surprisingly, the Indian community in Israel are chuffed to see Reena being bestowed with this honour.

"Our heartiest congratulations to Ms. Reena Pushkarna, a distinguished India-Israeli entrepreneur & restaurateur in Israel, who will be conferred with the highest honour for overseas Indians 'The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2023' for her business & community welfare achievements," the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi tweeted.

Israel's Consul General in Mumbai, Kobbi Shoshani also congratulated her for this honour.

"Wow. Reena. For me and my late father you were the Taste of India for many years. You deserve the honour. Thank you and hope to see you again in Mumbai". Nissin Moses, historian of Indian-Jewish heritage and Bene Israel Genealogy Research, on a web site of Indian Jews, described Reena as "enterprising, hardworking and dedicated person" who takes on challenges and makes "dreams convert to successful reality".