The Indian ‘lost tribe’ that wants to move to Israel, even ‘fight Hamas’

In Aizawl, India, Joseph Haokip, a 20-year-old undergraduate student from Manipur, expresses excitement about going to Israel. He is eager to join the Israeli army to combat Hamas, citing a desire to connect with his perceived lost tribe. Haokip and his family recently returned to Manipur after five months in Mizoram due to an ethnic conflict in Manipur.

Rafael Khiangte, a 37-year-old taxi driver in Aizawl, also desires to move to Israel with his family, aiming to reconnect with his ancestral roots and reunite with his mother, who relocated to Israel in 1993. Both Haokip and Khiangte, along with approximately 5,000 others in Manipur and Mizoram, identify as descendants of the Bnei Menashe community, believed to be one of the biblical lost tribes of Israel.

PC Biaksiama, a Christian researcher in Aizawl, notes that members from various ethnic groups in the region consider themselves descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. The Bnei Menashe claim their ancestors were exiled in 722 BC by Assyrian conquerors and eventually settled in northeast India after dispersing through China.

In India, claims of being a descendant of the lost tribes began in 1951 when a tribal leader, Mela Chala, had a dream that his ancient homeland was Israel. Since then, many people in northeast India, mostly in the states of Manipur and Mizoram, have embraced Judaism and its customs and traditions.

The Bnei Menashe's journey to Israel began in the 1980s, gaining momentum after being recognized as Jews by the chief rabbinate of Israel in 2005. Professor Shalva Weil, a senior researcher at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, initially introduced Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail to the Bnei Menashe in 1980. Despite initial skepticism, the community's numbers grew, with around 3,500 members moving to Israel over three decades.

To return to Israel, individuals must undergo aliyah, a process involving document verification, conversion to Judaism, and interviews. While enthusiasm remains high among the Bnei Menashe, delays in the aliyah process led to a Knesset committee debating the issue in September 2023.

Leah Renthlei, who resigned from her teaching job to follow religious practices, eagerly awaits her turn for aliyah. Ngaikhochin Kipgen, a 70-year-old displaced by an ethnic conflict, expresses a longing to spend her final years in Israel as a Bnei Menashe member.

Upon arrival in Israel, the Bnei Menashe must convert to Orthodox Judaism, learn Hebrew, and adopt community rituals. Despite economic challenges, some members have joined the Israeli military.

PC Biaksiama, the Aizawl-based researcher, believes the community is "misguided" and should embrace their birthplace. He suggests settling in Mizoram while acknowledging economic factors influencing the desire to move to Israel.

Thansima Thawmte, chairman of the Bnei Menashe Council in Mizoram, emphasizes the community's collective yearning for aliyah, hoping to reunite with their ancestral land soon.