Washington Times On Bnei Menashe Aliya

… When Shlomo Amar, the Sephardic chief rabbi, announced recently in Jerusalem that he accepted the Bnei Menashe as one of the 10 "lost tribes" of Israel, Mr. Singson began to believe that God had finally smiled on him.…

When news of the March 29 announcement of Israel's recognition of their tribe reached Bnei Menashe villages spread across the two hill states of northeast India, people erupted in celebration.

"It is the greatest gift from God in my life. I never believed that He could be so kind to me so soon," said Rakhel, 21, who dreams of emigrating to Israel with her four brothers, two sisters and parents and working as a nanny there.

At special thanksgiving prayers as Bnei Menashes flocked to 32 synagogues across northeast India, community leaders said the tribe had become closer to Israel after rabbinical recognition.

"This recognition clearly means we have got into the process to return to our homeland [Israel], ending our 2,726-year exodus," said Mr. Singson, who is chairman of the Beth Shalom synagogue in Churachandpur.

On April 23, as Jews around the world celebrated Passover — their departure led by Moses from slavery in Egypt in the 13th century B.C. — Bnei Menashes in India celebrated the holy day with unprecedented enthusiasm, believing that it was their last in "a foreign land."

Read it all here.

Comments

[Neo-Conservaguy]

I can't believe I didn't read about this news earlier - this is amazing and wonderful news. This is one of the groups covered in the book Fragile Branches by James R. Ross; I highly recommend this book to those interested in both potential lost tribes as well as "spontaneous conversions" of tribal groups into neo-Jewish lifestyles. I've heard Mr. Ross speak in person and found him sincere, engaging and his work to be of high academic standards.

Mr. Ross notes their are several different tribes/groups in that region, and that most scholars felt if the Jews in Asia had any connection to the ancient tribes it wasn't to Menashe but rather Judah and Benjamin. He writes in detail of the initial contacts with members of the Indian tribes and the slow process of working toward educating those interested to work toward (re)conversion. Constant civil war between various tribes in that part of the world hasn't made anything easier.

Interestingly enough, and perhaps relevant to this blog, Mr. Ross notes in this section of his book that Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail - a searcher of the lost tribes in Peru, Mexico, and Asia - wrote to various rabbis including the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson (z"t), to ask for advice about how to proceed advocating for the immigration of these groups to Israel. According to Mr. Ross, R. Schneerson told him to bring more immigrants to Israel, starting with the unmarried, and to convert them once they arrived. Perhaps we'll have to give credit where credit is due in this case?