India's 'lost Jews' wait in hope

BBC News ^ | August 18th, 2003 | Geeta Pandey

[missyme]

A team of senior Israeli rabbis is due to rule soon on whether thousands of Indians who say they are members of one of the lost tribes of Israel can settle there.

Only 5,000 of the Benei Menashes have converted to Judaism Shlomo Amar recently led a delegation of rabbis to the north-eastern Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram where members of the Benei Menashe tribe live and practise Judaism.

At the Beith-el Synagogue in the Manipur capital, Imphal, nine men wearing knitted skull caps read silently from the Old Testament.

Four others stand on a wooden platform in the centre of the room as a young man reads from the holy book under the supervision of an elderly priest.

These people claim to be one of the lost tribes of Israel.

Recent discovery

Tongkhohao Aviel Hangshing is the leader of the Benei Menashes in Imphal.

We found that the stories, the customs and practices of the Israeli people were very similar to ours

Tongkhohao Aviel Hangshing "We are Benei Menashe, because we belong to the Menashe tribe," he says.

"Menashe is the son of Joseph, who was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. So we are the lost tribe of Israel."

Mr Hangshing says for thousands of years they did not know they were lost.

"We found out only 27 years ago," he says.

"When the Bible was translated into our language, in 1970s, we studied it.

"And we found that the stories, the customs and practices of the Israeli people were very similar to ours. So we thought that we must be one of the lost tribes."

Saturdays are observed by Jews the world over as the Sabbath, the day of rest, and the members of the Benei Menashe community meet for morning prayers at the synagogue in Imphal.

A lamb-skin scroll of the Torah, is unrolled and then rolled up again as each reader finishes his part.

Hope

There are more than 300,000 Benei Menashes in Manipur but most of them follow Christianity.

Only about 5,000 have converted to Judaism, most of them during the 1970s.

Mr Hangshing says although India has treated them quite well, they do not consider it their home.

Lucy Vaiphei (right) is hoping to join her family in Israel The recent visit by a delegation of rabbis from Israel has given new hope to the members of this community.

Caleb, a 24-year-old college student, wants to go to Israel because he says it is the land of his forefathers.

Amram is studying to be a lawyer. He says Israel is the promised land, for him and the others too.

"In Israel it will be easier for us to practise our religion."

In a chamber partitioned from the main prayer hall, about a dozen women join in the Sabbath prayers.

Lucy Vaiphei is the caretaker of the synagogue.

Her parents and six siblings have emigrated to Israel in the last few years and she is now looking forward to making the move herself.

Michael Freund, director of Amishav - an organisation that helps Jews move to Israel - says he firmly believes that Menashe is one of the lost tribes of Israel.

"We have brought over 800 of them to Israel," he says, "and the remaining people also want to emigrate".

Mr Freund says that last year the new Israeli interior minister, Avraham Poraz, suddenly declared his opposition to bringing the Benei Menashes into Israel.

"But I'm confident that if the chief rabbi issues a ruling saying that the Benei Menashes are indeed descendents of the Jewish people and should be allowed back home, then he will have no choice but to let them in."

So while the rabbis in Israel take a decision on whether or not to grant the right to emigrate to Israel to the Benei Menashes, this community here is waiting with bated breath - and praying.

[USMMA_83]

Indian Indian. As in from India.

[wardaddy]

Am I to assume some ancient Hebrews did a walkabout in that direction?

[missyme]

Can you tell me where that is in Scripture? I would be interested in reading it...

[wardaddy]

saxon...it's also a band...the prototype for Spinal Tap.

[USMMA_83]

Witty!! You'll have to pay for cleaing up my key-board, there's beer all over it.

[USMMA_83]

Don't start with Spinal-Tap....don't....

[USMMA_83]

hey Cronos...whatcha doing on this thread...there's no islamist apologist or that sort here....They are all scared of you.

[missyme]

I always post great threads.. My claim to fame here on FR

[wardaddy]

Where the heck did those Moabites go?..lol

By Northern KIngdom....do you mean Israel as opposed to Judea to the South.

that is sort of the way I recall it from sunday school way back in the last century

if so are today's Jews likely descended from Judea?

and while we are at it...what do you think of the Khazars later on 7 centuries after the Diaspora? Israel apparently takes it seriously...they have done lots of research and the question seems to be how much of the classes below the gentry converted. I think that is the only mass conversion to Judaism I know of since Jews by nature don't really proselytize...except maybe these new off Kabblaists and Madonnaists.

[Havoc]

A ritually pure cast of israelite priests has lived pretty much in seclusion in africa since the fall of the first temple. One can look upon their skin color and judge for themselves. Light colored - even white. I believe the odd one out was Ephriam who was born red skinned. Not unexpected given that the Egyptians are largely portrayed as red skinned in all the temple and ritual paintings and art up through the time of the Roman empire.

[wardaddy]

dang...your recall is incredible.

i forgot all about Ham


semite comes from Shem.(sons of)..the oldest....by Noah's count, I'm a Semite myself I reckon.

[nopardons]

Caucasian is the same as WHITE,in racial discussions,just as Negroid is the equivalent of black and Mongoloid is yellow.

Indians come in a full ranges of colors...some easily comparable to what one would automatically call "white",while others are very dark.Still, ALL Indians are considered to be Caucasoids.

I now a woman whose ancestry is Caucasoid,Negroid,and Mongoloid.She's whiter than many "white" people,but is considered "black".Go figure. :-)

[nopardons]

We know,missyme,WE know! Noah was a Caucasoid;a Semite.Noah's flood story is virtually the same as the Persian and Babylonian flood myths.Abraham cames from that region ans was a Semite.

You really need to get an education!

[Cronos]

So many Arabs are raised with a hatred for Jews.

Arabs aren't the folks raised like that -- it's theMuslims around the world that are raised with this hatred. The Arab Christians aren't that way -- and we have some in the USA like Yasmeen Bleethe and Ralph Nader (quite a combination, eh?)

[nopardons]

heheheheheheh

I don't believe in human evolution; but let's not go there.This thread is in enough of a muddle as it is. LOL

[nopardons]

Correct !

[Cronos]

Semitic people are white. This is news to you?

An incorrect term -- Semitic people are Caucasians. Indians, Iranis, Russians and Europeans generally belong to the other large branch of Caucasians -- the Indo-Europeans.

[nopardons]

Except for those from what's now Iran.

[missyme]

No one knows nothing for sure......

[Cinnamon Girl]

I didn't say Yemenites were "negroid", but I do think they may have mixed with Africans who are right across the water from them, because some of my friends look like they have African heritage.

And I think Ethiopians aren't represented in the knesset because they are recent immigrants and culturally don't have high visibility like Natan Sharansky, for example. For you to conclude that Israelis would not elect a person with black skin is totally baseless.

Israel is a very young country and has a history of bringing Jews of different colors and cultures from all over the world to live in the land. Is there some reason you want to conclude that Israelis/Jews are racist?