Group to visit Lost Tribe
This coming December when many people are thinking of skiing holidays or warm Florida vacations a small adventurous group of people will be setting out to visit one of the ten lost tribes.
Tucked away in the Indian provinces of Manipur and Mizoram between Burma & Bangladesh are a group of people that have returned to Judaism after thousands of years. The Bnei Menashe believe that they are descended from the ancient tribe of Menashe. Evidence shows that after the exile of the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 BCE, many Israelites made their way across the silk route ending up in China. The Shinlung tribe, as they were also called in China, eventually migrated to Burma and north east India, losing many of their Jewish customs along the way.
Although their “leather scrolls” were destroyed, the Bnei Menashe still held on to their oral history and the poems describing their ancestors crossing the Red Sea and being led by a pillar of fire and a pillar of smoke. Since the areas are far off the beaten track of most tourists visiting India and Manipur restricts foreign visitors, few Westerners have actually been able to visit the Bnei Menashe or their 30 synagogues.
Spirit of India. (https://www.spirit-of-india.com) a California based company started by Barbara Sansone, organizes tours to India and the Himalayas. “Spirit of India is a culmination of all that I have done before,” states Barbara, who is also a former educator as well as magazine photographer.
“I am able to use all my skills, resources and experiences to offer unique and exceptional journeys that are educational, cultural, spiritual and creative.” Sansone has put together a unique tour to specifically visit the different Jewish communities of India.
Besides the Bnei Menashe, the group will visit Jewish sites in Bombay, Cochin, Calcutta and Alibag. Other highlights of the trip include a visit to a large rock that according to legend, has etched into its surface, imprints from the chariot of Elijah the prophet as he ascended to heaven.
Another stop will be the community of oil-pressers who are descended from the original Bnei Israel ancestors that were shipwrecked off the coast of India at the time of the first Temple.