50 from Indian lost tribe arrive in Israel
50 members of the Bnei Menashe, a group claiming descent from a lost tribe of Israel, have arrived in Israel, Israel Radio reports. They arrived as tourists and will undergo conversion before being accepted as immigrants.
“The Bnei Menashe have a remarkable thirst for Jewish knowledge,” said Michael Freund, director of an outreach program and a Jerusalem Post columnist. “They have been cut off for so long from Israel and the Jewish people. It is our responsibility now to reach out to them and facilitate their return.”
Most of the approximately 6,000 Bnei Menashe live in the Indian state of Manipur.