Israeli Government Allows 7,000 Bnei Menashe to Make Aliyah

by Elad Benari

More than 7,000 members of the Bnei Menashe will soon arrive in Israel, CBN reported on Thursday.

The Bnei Menashe claim descent from one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, which were exiled by the Assyrian Empire more than 27 centuries ago. They reside primarily in the two Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh.

Throughout their exile, and even after their one copy of the written Torah was lost, the Bnei Menashe have continued to observe Jewish traditions, including the Sabbath, keeping kosher, celebrating the festivals, following family purity laws, and remembering the Exodus from Egypt.

Shavei Israel, a Jerusalem-based group which assists “lost Jews” seeking to return to the Jewish people, has helped bring many of the Bnei Menashe to Israel, and is helping facilitate this wave of aliyah as well.

Thanks to Shavei Israel’s efforts, Israel’s Chief Rabbinate officially recognized the Bnei Menashe in 2005 as being “descendants of Israel.” The organization has also helped publish a translation of the Book of Shemot (Exodus) into Mizo, one of the main languages spoken by the Bnei Menashe, in order to enable them to reconnect with their heritage and with the basic texts of the Jewish people.

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