Gov’t approves aliya of some 150 Bnei Menashe from India
Brazil: Jews to celebrate Rosh Hashana with new prayer book
Shavei Israel releases special Jewish New Year machzor incorporating unique liturgy, customs of Sephardic Jews living in northern Amazon region.Sephardic Jews living in northern Brazil's Amazon region have reason to celebrate with the publication of the first Rosh Hashanah machzor (New Year prayer book) which incorporates their unique liturgy and customs.
A delegation of 16 בני אנוסים, commonly referred to as Marranos by historians, visited Israel this week
Newscaster: A delegation of 16 בני אנוסים, commonly referred to as Marranos by historians, visited Israel this week. The participants came from 4 European states and have ancestors who were forced to convert to Catholicism during the Inquisition over 500 years ago. The visit was organized by "שבי ישראל", which works with בני אנוסים throughout the world. Michael Freund, the chair of שבי ישראל spoke with reporter Mark Weiss about the delegation''s visit.Olmert Decides: Thousands of Bnei Menashe will come to IsraelOlmert: 200 Bnei Menashé realizarán aliá
In a historic decision, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has decided that all 7,232 members of the tribe of Bnei Menashe who are living in northern India will be allowed to make Aliya.
Olmert and his office took the decision a short while after they decided to put a stop to the aliya of the Falash Mura from Ethiopia.
El primer ministro Ehud Olmert decidió aprobar, hace una semana, la venida de entre 150 y 200 miembros de la comunidad Bnei Menashé, del noreste de la India.
De acuerdo a lo que se estima en la oficina del primer ministro, los olim llegarán a Israel en enero, en un vuelo especial de la organización Shavei Israel, y serán recibidos por Olmert mismo en una ceremonia festiva en el aeropuerto de Ben Gurión.
Descendants of Marranos arrive in Israel
Delegation of 16 Europeans, whose ancestors were forced to convert to Catholicism during inquisition over 500 years ago, seek to renew their ties with Jewish people, state A delegation of 16 Bnai Anousim from Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France arrived in Israel over the weekend. Bnai Anousim (referred to as "Marranos" by historians) is the name for Mediterranean European Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism on pain of death during the Spanish Inquisition.Exhibit on Crypto-Jews Tours Brazil
(IsraelNN.com) For the second year in a row, a vivid exhibition tracing the history and experience of the Bnai Anousim (Jews who hid their identity for fear of persecution) is drawing large crowds across Brazil as it tours the vast South American country.www.shavei.org), a Jerusalem-based group that reaches out and assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people.
Poland’s ‘hidden Jews’ reflect on their new lives
Poland's latest generation of Jewish youth face a multitude of questions, choices and challenges as they address their past and plan their futures. Twenty-two of those young people are participating in a three-week Jewish learning seminar in Jerusalem organized by Shavei Israel, a nonprofit organization that aims to strengthen ties between Israel and the descendants of Jews around the world.Taking the Silk Route back home
Jin Jin and Nina Wang are students in Hebrew University's preparatory program. They will soon commence their BA studies, but they already have long-term dreams. Jin wants to eventually serve as a diplomat in the Foreign Ministry. Wang hopes to use her diverse knowledge of languages to represent Israeli companies in China. The two women belong to one of the smallest Jewish communities in Israel - immigrants from Kaifeng, China - which numbers just 10 souls.A Latin Love for Israel
For years they lit candles in secret, carefully avoided attending church, and hid their Bibles. Now, they have decided to come out into the open. Thousands of descendants of Anousim (known as "Marranos") are seeking to return to Judaism. But along the way it has become clear that even after the Inquisition, they now face a new foe: some Jews are placing obstacles in their path.