In October 2021, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Israel ahead of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relation between India and Israel. A trip to Israel is incomplete withoutvisiting some of the ancient locations and archaeological and natural wonders like the Sea of Galilee. For the important Indian visitor, the Israeli Foreign Ministry chose veteran tour guide Roley Horowitz.
During Mr. Jaishankar’s visit to the Tower of David, which is also known as the Citadel, his tour guide did not just introduce him to the latest conservation practices that are followed meticulously in Israel but also its past. Ms. Roley’s presentation covered the entire timespan from the Jewish antiquity of the area to the Mamluk and the subsequent period.
To Ms. Roley, this presentation came naturally as she has done for many others like Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor and her mother Sunita, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, the late External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Ms. Roley’s most famous visitor was, however, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Israel in 2005. During that visit, she surprised him by revealing that her original name is actually Savitri Mehta. “After that, throughout his stay, Mr. Modi addressed me as Savitriben,” said Ms. Roley, who narrated to her guest how she became Savitri Ruth Mehta Horowitz.
