Lost tribe dreams of return to Israel after 2,700 years in exile

April 02, 2005

Times
By Ian MacKinnon
Indians descended from Joseph seek new homeland

A GROUP of 7,000 Indians who believe that they belong to a fabled “lost tribe” expect to emigrate to Israel after being recognised as descendants of the ancient Israelites.

Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar has acknowledged the status of the Bnei Menashe people and will send a team of rabbinical judges to a remote corner of northeast India, next to Burma, to convert them to Judaism.

The conversions will ensure that the group who claim to be “children of the tribe of Manasseh, a son of Joseph” will be able to emigrate to Israel under the Jewish Law of Return. It will allow them to circumvent an Interior Ministry ban imposed on the Bnei Menashe Indians two years ago.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a group of evangelical Christians who work for Jewish causes, has already agreed to underwrite the cost of the Orthodox conversions of the Bnei Menashe to facilitate their migration to Israel.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1550821,00.html

I don't know if I'm just cynical, but I keep wondering, what's in it for Israel? And what's with this "International Fellowship of Christians and Jews"? It just sounds kind of creepy--like it's yet another cover for the Family--those fundies behind the Washington prayer breakfasts who are actively working to infiltrate the government (see Harper's article "Jesus Plus None"--don't have a link handy but I can look it up if anyone's interested... yesterday someone started a thread about it).

Sorry I got this thread sent to the I-P dungeon, but it had to be said....

think Jesus will return once all Jews have gone to live in Israel.

I imagine that they are therefore looking for any possible "lost tribes" in order to speed the process.

That's just my guess, since I'm not associated with those sects.

And probably closer to the truth. I went with the first thought to pop in my sluggish Saturday-morning mind...

Gotta get that Temple re-built in Jerusalem, too, don't forget.

:think:

Thanks!

The Manmaseh (claiming to be the tribe of Manaseh) have been fighting the Naga around Manipur, India, and into Burma for an independent Israelite state called Zale N Gam (pronounced Telen-gum). Now that they might immigrate to Israel en mass the violence might subside. Of course, there are a lot more than 7,000 Manmaseh, so maybe it will go on. Anyway, I generally think more immigration to Israel will be a good thing, assuming they're not located in the West Bank. Nice to know they're finally being recognized, though.

A&E ran a documentary by Simcha Jacobovici (sic?) called "Quest for the Lost Tribes." Regardless of whether you believe it or not, it's interesting. He talks about the Manmaseh in detail.

the International Association of Christians and Jews is a front for a dispensationalist group. They run telethons on CBN to sponser settlers. Pat Boone is a the host. He is a personal friend of Benny Elon.

went to settlements in the West Bank and in Gaza.

The article does NOT mention any such plans for this group.

As I'm sure you are aware, withdrawal from Gaza settlements is going forward. No doubt the outlying settlements on the West Bank will follow. Disengagement does appear to be proceeding in spite of an attack on Assad by Palestinian extremists, as well as the suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and efforts by Israeli extremists to upset the apple cart.

The total land area involved in the settlements on the West Bank is approximately 2%. However, the issue is complicated by water rights, etc, and their presence no doubt is a stumbling block to the peace process. I am sure most will be abandoned in time, although I think it would be a shame for Jewish people not to be able to live in Arab regions, as Arabs are citizens of Israel.

As far as the West Bank is concerned, one should remember that Jewish people have lived there since Biblical times.

As far as the West Bank is concerned, one should remember that Jewish people have lived there since Biblical times.

I doubt anyone would argue that there's not been a long Jewish presence in that part of the world, as there's been a long Arab presence. But my question to you is what does this have to do with the West Bank today? I might be getting the wrong end of the stick, but I'm seeing what looks to me like a warm-up routine for a 'My Team's Been There Longer Than Their Team - Therefore It Belongs To My Team!!' gig...

Violet...

people not familiar with the issues think that Jewish people are foreigners, a colonial power in the M.E., and that isn't so.

I think it's important to bring this up because many DU'ers have gotten the wrong impression, reading books that suggest modern Jews are all descendants of Turks or something, not realizing that modern Israel includes hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern Jews as well as indigenous Jews.

Moreover, the West Bank is neither monolithically Arab nor monolithically Muslim. It never has been, yet, all wars aside, people have the idea that Jewish people are invaders here when in fact they are indigenous and have lived here continually even since the Diaspora.

I also understand that many Jews lost their homes on the West Bank, prior to the 1967 war.

We are dealing with a great deal of misinformation in the American community, for one, and we need to see the region stereoscopically, I think.

You know my feelings about the settlements, I just hope the disengagement goes well. I do think, if people WANT to stay and be citizens of a new state, they should be able to.

Palestinian Jews. They may have roots in the region going way back but they are 99% recent immigrants.

Two points.

1) They share common ancestors, neither descends from the other.

2) I assume you are referring to Palestinians in general here being not related to the returning Jews.

In that vein, there have been many DNA studies which show many Jews are the closest ethnic group to the Palestinians.

http://www.jfjfp.org/thinkpieces/tp3_A5_weisglass.pdf

He called disengagement formaldyhide, so they wouldn't have to give up the settlements.

Also if Israel intends to give them up why is still building new houses? Has Israel actually prohibited anyone including these Indian immigrants from moving to them? I think not.

Also I didn't see anyone dispute the right of a Jew to become a Palestinian citizen, or a resident alien, but I do dispute their right to be governed by Israel on that territory.

and Christian communities, as to what constitutes the proper borders of Israel.

I'm finding one has to include the Christian community since it is, in real ways, the most powerful player.

I believe, however, that the majority of Israeli citizens are in favor of a withdrawal to more or less the "green line", leaving the West Bank and Gaza as a Palestinian state. Do some consider this idea terrible? You bet. Withdrawing is going to be difficult; many, many people will lose their homes, ideologies apart.

As far as the houses being planned: they are within the range of a few blocks of Jerusalem, as far as I know, and their purpose is to both develop a few blocks in an urban area near Jerusalem - this isn't a new thing; and to beef up the very narrow and vulnerable "waist" of Israel. It's almost impossible to defend that area. I will research this further to make sure I'm understanding what's up but I think this is the basic idea.

The outlying settlements, that's another story.

As far as Jews being citizens of a Palestinian state? Maybe someday. There's a lot of bigotry going both ways, and some very deep cultural differences.

One can hope:)

The West Bank will be cut in half without it. I don't think Israel is in any danger of being invaded.

what about the previous decades of war? The mass attacks by the armies of several states?

Those attacks might seem to have been in the distant past - after all the Yom Kippur War was way back in 1973 - the veritable Dark Ages!

The Holocaust was only a few years ago. I've met people with tattoos. They are not a myth. They would never have guessed that their secure existences would turn in the snap of a finger, into a surreal nightmare of destruction.

Many of them live now in Israel, where they've been confronted by decades of terror and war. Other Israelis fled the repression of the Soviet Union - and yes, there are those hundreds of thousands cast out by the Arabs. There are the Ethiopians and the Yemenis, threatened in their native lands. There are Americans, Europeans - Israel may be a pain in the ass to you but it is an ark, a lifesaver, for so many others. And if you'll take the time to look at a map, and check out some world-wide demographics, you'll find her position is anything but secure.

I'm sorry, but people don't seem to feel like gambling on this matter, history has simply proven to be too cruel.

Maybe YOU are confident that Israel won't be invaded but the leaders of Hamas, Hizbollah, Islamic Jihad and other militant haters of Israel would beg to disagree. If you read through the thread on Iran you will find the words of an Iranian mullah, bragging how Israel could be wiped off the map with nuclear weapons, while the better part of Islam would survive a counterattack.

I dream of an open, free Jerusalem. Then I read their words and I look at history.

Their point of view, their firm desire has been and continues to be, the utter destruction of Israel.

I'm glad that you aren't worried.

But like I said, maybe Zale N Gam separatist violence will wane. That could be nice.