Members of Bnei Menashe to make aliyah
Group claiming lineage to Lost Tribes of Israel set to make aliyah after undergoing conversion in Nepal by teams from Rabbinical Court
Some 7,200 members of Bnei Menashe (“Children of Menasseh”), a group of people from north-eastern India who claim descent from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, will make aliyah after converting to Judaism in Nepal.
According to a tradition that has been passed down for generations, the members of Bnei Menashe identify themselves as descendants of the Menashe tribe – one of the 10 tribes that were exiled from the Land of Israel at the end of the First Temple period.
For the past decade, the Shavei Israel organization, which helps Jewish people across the world immigrate to Israel, has been working with Bnei Menashe communities in India and building educational centers where they can learn Hebrew and Judaism to help strengthen their Jewish identity and aid those who wish to immigrate to Israel.
The organization, headed by Michael Freund, has also been working with the Israeli government in order to convince it to allow all the Bnei Menashe members to immigrate to Israel.
Currently, the Bnei Menashe operate some 50 synagogues and have an umbrella organization that coordinates among the communities.
A few members of Bnei Menashe already made aliyah back in 1982 and some 1,250 members came to Israel prior to 2003 with the permission of the Ministry of Interior.
In March 2005, thanks to Michael Freund, the Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar recognized the link that Bnei Menashe members have to the Land of Israel and decided that they must be integrated back into the Jewish people.
Conversion in Nepal
Three years ago, a team of rabbis converted a few hundred Bnei Menashe members in India, but this caused a rift between the two countries.
The proposed solution was to conduct the conversion in a different country. Nepal was chosen because officials in Israel did not think the Nepalese government would object to having the conversions take place on its territory and also because Shavei Israel already holds annual educational and young leadership seminars in the country.
In addition, the route from northeast India to Nepal is fairly short, and therefore does not pose a logistical obstacle.
According to the plan, members of Bnei Menashe will travel to Nepal in groups of 200-300 people and then undergo conversion by teams from the Rabbinical Court who will be sent specially for the task. The Bnei Menashe will be prepared for the conversion process by Shavei Israel.
After the conversion process is complete, they will be allowed to immigrate to Israel with an immigrant visa. The government estimated that within two years, the entire community can be brought to Israel.
The issue of the Bnei Menashe was first brought to the public’s attention in 1996 after members of the community sent an emotional letter to then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which they pleaded for help.
The letter was opened by Michael Freund, an immigrant from the United States who served at the time as an advisor in the Prime Minister’s office. He decided to take the matter into his own hands and it became a personal project of his. Today he heads the Shavei Israel organization.