Posted on 08/19/2004 7:11:00 PM PDT by 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.
Blue and tied at the corners? ;)
Some actually say that the only true Aryans are from India and Iran. By the way, did you watch that PBS show on Gypsies in Europe...fascinating stuff. They can actually trace them all the way back to Rajisthan, India.
Most of the rest of us know a very great deal...FOR SURE AND CERTAIN!
LOL!
Funny....was going to say the same thing...
Would you like a Gold Medal or a Brownie Button?
I would say the Christians are the answer to Job's question.
my lord....you sure have a pc/diversity chip on yer shoulder's don't ya honey?
We have all been having a lite and fun thread and you stomp out here like you've just discovered a cross burning.
relax, if the candor offends you call JR or find another thread...it's all been just musing about stuff hardly anyone can prove.
man....the pc nature of some freepers so damned quick to hurl the racist or anti-semite slur totally unprovoked really amazes me....do you feel empowered by the drunkeness of self virtue and all?
you should be ashamed....how you can conclude that my skepticism about Israel electing a conventional black PM anytime soon is all that is dark and evil says more about you dear than anything I wrote.
go find another windmill please.
I know more than you think I do but I could care less what you think of what you say, maybe one day you will get that through your incredible thick head.
You should hook up with Prarmboy you two make a great couple....
Jesus states during his ministry that he is come not but the the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That was HIS ministry and that of the Apostles until the calling of Paul when the doors of heaven were opened by Christ through Paul to the Gentiles. This begins in Acts 9. So, this may just be a contextual misunderstanding. It is easy to fall into the trap of overgeneralizing in debate and discussion.
dadgummit...are you sure none of them became Angles or Saxons....maybe Picts or some Goth outfit?
i feel cheated.
;)
You know WarDad, the thing about these threads, at this time of night, is that we can be as un-PC as we like and not take each other seriously. I think for others who are not in our time-zone...they just miss out on the moment.
The father of one of my daughter's friends is Indian.He's VERY pale and NOT the product of intermarriage.
I personally knows Italians,who are darker than either of these people;yet you would call an Italian "WHITE". :-)
Of course Israeli's are racist not all but some just like any other place in the world racism has no boundaries....
Oh.....okay. :-)
Yasmin is Jewish...I'm almost positive.
My daughters are half Maronite (mom born in Brasil of Lebanon born Phalangists) and legend has it that I'm about 1/32 or so myself.....from the old surname Thomas...lots of maronite Thomases here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.