On July 16, 2015, Vijeta Uniyal wrote his first post for Legal Insurrection.
His first post was India prepares for fallout from Iran nuclear deal. Ten years later, we’re still grappling with the fallout from that deal.
At the bottom of the post I added this note:
(WAJ note: We are looking forward to more posts about India, the Indian diaspora, and the Israeli-Indian relationship from Vijeta.)
Little did I know that the “more posts” would amount to 2,021 posts in total as of today.
Vijeta graduated from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and worked for more than 10 years in international organizations including the German Foreign Office, Goethe-Institut and Humboldt-Foundation. A well-known expert on Israel-India relations, Vijeta is also the founder of “Indians 4 Israel,” a leading Indian pro-Israel group online on Facebook and X.
I don’t know how I met Vijeta, we must have crossed paths on the pro-Israel internet somehow. He was writing at the time for the Gatestone Institute, but has written in many publications, including the Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, The Indian Express, Arutz Sheva/Israel National News, Jihad Watch, Algemeiner Journal, Frontpage Mag, Epoch Times, Israel Hayom, JNS, and elsewhere.
Vijeta is the unsung hero of Legal Insurrection. It’s about time we sing his praises.
Vijeta served for many years as our “foreign” correspondent covering overnight developments from his home in Germany with a stint in South Africa when his wife was stationed there.
Vijeta has been a fearless defender of Israel and fighter against antisemitism.
Vijeta’s work defending Israel has been profiled in many publications, including this Israeli magazine, about which Vijeta comments on Facebook:
As a Hindu and diaspora Indian, there is no honor greater than to be counted among the friends of Israel and the Jewish people.
In 2020, Vijeta was named to JNS’s Top 40 Advocates for Israel Online.
That same year, Vijeta also was Named to Algemeiner’s “Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life 2020” (an honor I earned in 2019). Here is the entry for Vijeta:
Vijeta stepped up to the plate on October 7, 2023, and has provided our primary coverage of the October 7 Massacre and resulting wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. From his base in Germany, just one hour behind Israel time, he was able to cover overnight (Eastern) developments.
We could not have provided the coverage we have without Vijeta, and the commitment and sensitivity he has brought to the topic has been deeply appreciated.
But more than anything, Vijeta is just a great guy to work with. I’m hoping someday we can meet in person.
We are fortunate to have had Vijeta for 10 years, welcoming him into a rarified club of survivors at Legal Insurrection.
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