Aliyah from India: Yaakov Misao – a Bnei Menashe immigrant 70 years in the making
Yaakov and Yehudit Misao at Kfar Hasidim
Yaakov Misao’s grandfather may have been the first Bnei Menashe to set foot in the Holy Land in nearly 2,700 years. But, on that potentially historic occasion, he wasn’t fully aware that he had Jewish roots.
Raised in the Indian state of Manipur, Misao’s grandfather was serving in the British Navy just before the outbreak of World War Two when his ship docked in the port of Haifa. He was quickly fascinated with everything to do with Israel. “He began reading all kinds of materials coming out of Israel,” Misao recalls.
Misao’s grandfather couldn’t read the Hebrew, though. Neither could Misao when, years later, he found the magazines and would flip through the pages together with his grandfather. “All I could do was look at the pictures,” Misao says. “There were scenes of the Land of Israel, its products and people and places. Slowly, a feeling started to grow in me – a love for Israel. Even then I knew I wanted to live here.”
Misao, 33, has now fulfilled that dream: along with his wife Yehudit, 32, he is among the 250 Bnei Menashe who, with Shavei Israel’s help, made aliyah earlier this year and are now living and learning Hebrew and Judaism in the Kfar Hasidim absorption center – not far from the same Haifa port which captivated his grandfather more than 70 years ago.
When his grandfather first visited Israel, assimilation among the Bnei Menashe in India was on the rise. Some had lost connection with their heritage – a history that claims descent from one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, who were sent into exile by the Assyrian Empire more than 27 centuries ago.
It was only in 2004 that Misao’s mother happened across a Tanach (the Hebrew Bible) and, as she discovered remarkable similarities between ancient family customs and Jewish tradition, began the process of rejoining the Jewish people. She became part of the small Bnei Menashe community in Kangpokpi, which numbered only about 300 people out of a village of 4,000, and, together with the family, did her best to follow Jewish Law, keeping kosher and Shabbat.
“It wasn’t easy,” Misao says. “In India, if you’re working for the government, you have no choice but to work on the Sabbath. There is a lot of writing to do and we have to sign an attendance sheet, among other things, both of which are not permitted on the Sabbath.”
The Misao family’s non-Jewish friends were not entirely accepting, either. “It wasn’t that they now hated us,” Misao says, “but they kept themselves distant. It was difficult, but we adjusted.”
Shavei Israel’s support was critical for the Misao’s. “Shavei Israel has done a great job helping us to find our way back to our home,” he says, beaming with gratitude.
Misao went off to university, becoming certified as an accountant. “In my government job, we managed a system of hospitals and health camps for the sick. We went out into the villages, to bring care to people who couldn’t afford to come to the big cities.”
Misao also served as a Shavei Israel Fellow, traveling among various rural Bnei Menashe communities in Manipur, teaching Hebrew and Judaism. Misao’s wife, Yehudit, received her master’s degree in education. Both hope to continue in their lines of work in Israel.
While Yaakov and Yehudit Misao are now in Israel, Misao’s mother, who started the whole process for the family, is still in India. “My younger brother passed away in March and my sister and her three kids live with my mother,” Misao says. “I had dreamed we’d all come together, but they will, please G-d, come later.”
Has Israel lived up to the images from those Israeli magazines Misao’s grandfather brought home so long ago? “We haven’t seen much of the country yet,” he admits. “Our daily routine is very busy, with classes in Judaism and Hebrew ulpan. My wife has a younger brother living in Ma’alot and we haven’t been there either.
The Misao’s did get the opportunity to visit Jerusalem, when they attended the Moskowitz Prize ceremony where Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund received a “Lion of Zion” award in May of this year (see our coverage here). “I kissed the ground then,” Misao says. “I thought I’d kneel down and say the aleynu prayer [of thanksgiving to G-d] when our plane from India landed, but I waited until we got to Jerusalem for the first time!”
For Misao, Israel is clearly the place to raise Jewish children. “It is only here that they can grow up with a knowledge of Torah coming first,” he says. Yaakov and Yehudit don’t have children yet. But with aliyah taken care of, and the couple having just consecrated their marriage in a new ceremony according to Jewish Law over the summer (we reported on that here), starting a family, Misao says, is next on the checklist.