Thirty Bnei Menashe couples tie the knot this summer in Israel
Bnei Menashe brides and grooms getting ready
During the month of July, thirty Bnei Menashe couples were married at the Kfar Hasidim absorption center in Israel. For most of the happy brides and grooms, it was not their first wedding. But, having recently rejoined the Jewish people, it was the first ceremony for these “newlyweds” conducted according to Jewish Law.
As part of their aliyah, each Bnei Menashe who comes to Israel undertakes a process of formal return to Judaism. This includes an appearance before a Rabbinical court and subsequent immersion in a mikveh (ritual bath).
Shavei Israel’s Director of Bnei Menashe Aliyah and Absorption Rabbi Hanoch Avitzedek explains that at the completion of the process, “Jewish law considers each person as if they are starting anew. Therefore, married couples traditionally undergo a Jewish wedding ceremony.”
The weddings are sometimes conducted on the same day as the immersion in the ritual bath. The couples head to the mikveh in the morning and the ceremony is held by evening. The wedding ceremonies themselves are relatively simple affairs, followed by a festive meal for all the participants and guests together.
We met some of the Bnei Menashe who tied the knot this summer in Israel.
Ruth and Eliezer Baite
Ruth and Eliezer Baite were originally married 15 years ago at the Beit Tefilah Synagogue in Moreh, a bustling town on the border with Mynamar (Burma) with a small Bnei Menashe population. The couple, both in their thirties, has two sons and “having them at the ceremony,” says Eliezer, “was particularly meaningful.” Originally from Churachandpur, Eliezer worked as a driver in India and says he would be happy with similar work in Israel. The couple made aliyah on May 10, 2014.
Eliezer says about Israel: “When I arrived here, it felt great to see that G-d has given this beautiful land to His children, Am Israel [the Nation of Israel]. I hope and pray that the coming generation can be united, following mitzvot and halacha [Jewish Law] to make a better society. If so, the Messiah will surely be coming soon!”
Miriam and Caleb Haokip
Miriam and Caleb Haokip have also been married for 15 years. The couple has four children and made aliyah on June 18, 2014, from the village of Sajal in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Caleb describes Israel as “tempting and amazing” and “even better than I expected. I feel like I am home.” He dreams that his “sons and daughter will cherish the Holy Land in accordance with the laws of the Torah.”
In India, Caleb worked as a social worker and the secretary for the Sajal Natural Resources Management Group. He hopes to continue his profession as a social worker in Israel, although he is ready to do whatever it takes to become a productive member of society. “I could learn to drive a construction vehicle if I need to,” he suggests.
Caleb, who was a Shavei Israel Fellow from 2007-2011, teaching Judaism and Hebrew to other Bnei Menashe in India, says he has been patiently waiting to make aliyah for more than 20 years. His landing was made softer by both the extended Bnei Menashe family waiting for him, as well as his immediate family just across the aisle on the plane: his parents immigrated to Israel with him on the same flight.
Moriah and Aviel Hangshing
We’ve written about Aviel Hangshing before. But when we interviewed him previously at Kfar Hassidim, he neglected to tell us he was about to become the oldest Bnei Menashe newlywed to get married this summer.
Like the others profiled here, Aviel and Moriah Hangshing were married before – a good thing since Aviel is 93 years old! He married Moriah, who is 52, after the death of his first wife, with whom he has four children.
Will the couple now go on a honeymoon? “We feel a little awkward to go on a honeymoon at this age,” he jokes. “Our arrival and living in the Holy Land is more than enough for us.”
Aviel is not planning to look for a job. “At my age?” he laughs. “But I would like to study Torah and Hebrew privately at home.” The Hangshings made aliyah on May 29, 2014 after “waiting for 22 years.” Aviel says his emotions were flying high when the plane landed in Israel “I kissed the ground at Ben-Gurion Airport – as a token of my regard and love for the Promised Land, and as the fulfillment of my hope for so many years.”
Rivka and Hoshea Manlun
Rivka and Hoshea Manlun are also on the “senior” side of their married life – now in their 70s, they have been together more than 40 years, Hoshia reports. He says that the most meaningful part of their ceremony according to halacha was “being under the chuppah [the wedding canopy] with a new soul in Eretz Israel,” the Land of Israel. He pauses for a moment, then adds, “and the enthusiasm we got from the community at this age!”
Hoshia and Rivka made aliyah from Churachandpur on May 22, 2014 along with their daughter and Hoshia’s younger brother.
We wish all the new couples – young and old! – many years of health and happiness together in their new homes in Israel.
Here are a few more pictures from the weddings:
Celebrants come to wish the couples mazal tov!
The group breaks the glass together!
Dancing under the chuppah
Signing the ketuba