Israeli rabbis are soon to meet to determine whether the Jews of Mizoram / Bene Menashi are “really jewish” and therefore entitled to excercise claims under the law of return. No word on whether the genetic test for the Cohen gene has been performed, like with the Bene Israel of India or the Lemba of Southern Africa.
p.s. Mizoram is a state at the eastern edge of India, just to the south of Assam, sandwiched between Bangladesh and Burma. These are desis who claim to have been a “lost tribe” but whose claims are fairly recent.
there are other reference for the bene israel link other than creationists.org!! They may not give the best perspective on matters Darwinian. GNXP has a full round up, for example…
I strongly believe, we the Mizo’s are of Mongoloid race and not of Israel. This people who try to think and try to believe that they are actually Jews are extremist, who went too far into religion. I say, anything that is too much is never good. What i meant to say is that, everything,it can be anything not only religion, if anybody is too much into it… it always brings bad things to himself or others. Everybody can make up stories but stories are stories and seldom true. They were Christians and now Jews huh. They are only crucifying Jesus Christ again.
Well I’m also a MIZO, and a Christian. Having said that, as a true Christian, I believe there is ABSOLUTE TRUTH. Which means even if the Bnei Menashe are economic migrants or in part backed-up by make-up stories doesn’t mean their claim to belong to a lost tribe of Israel is FALSE as equally it doesn’t mean it’s TRUE. The simple fact is I don’t know if I belong to a lost tribe of Israel. And about the MONGOLOID LOOKS!!! whew 4000 years of exile can do alter ur appearance — e.g. the Lemba who r blacks but some of them have the Cohen genetic make-up. My point is let’s think before making a defense of our UNBELONGINESS to an Israel tribe!!! Let’s chose a firm solid defense instead of talking nonsense. Just because ur a Christian and u think ur religion is in danger doesn’t mean u shud be afraid to FLOAT the YET UNKOWN in the unknown arena. What I do know is we already have EVERYTHING in CHRIST!!! Whether I belong to an Israeli lost tribe or not doesn’t mean a thing in view of the above as concerns God’s Plan for me!!! Perhaps God is using this LOST TRIBE phenomena to filter out the GOOD from BAD Christian Faith……….
Mizo-Jews?? WOW! Who came up with this concept? How ridiculously fascinating. Someone should write a novel about it. It’ll definitely be a new york times bestseller (or maybe not). But then again, if a book like “The DaVinci code” could recieve so much acclaim…. hmm could be worth a shot. (or maybe not).
GOI has put a stop to the conversions. Apparently they were declared “kosher” by the rabbinate.
Israel agrees not to convert ‘lost tribe’ in India
By Jonathan Saul
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel has bowed to complaints from the Indian government and stopped trying to convert to Judaism thousands of people in India who believe they are a Biblical lost tribe, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Around 7,000 people in northeast India claim they are members of Bnei Menashe, or the children of Menashe, one of the 10 “lost tribes” of Israel.
Efforts to convert them by a specially despatched team of rabbis were called off after India, a major buyer of Israeli defence exports, voiced its displeasure.
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate had given the green light to convert Bnei Menashe in India.
“The Indian authorities, through official channels, told us they do not view positively initiated efforts at conversions to other religions,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.
“When the Indian government issues a complaint we take it seriously. At the moment there is a freeze on all such conversions taking place,” Regev said.
Some 800 members of Bnei Menashe have immigrated to Israel since the late 1980s and many live in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Some members of the community were among the settlers evacuated from Gaza in an Israeli pullout completed in September.
An Israeli official, who asked not to be identified, said any Bnei Menashe members who choose to immigrate to Israel would be converted to Judaism after their arrival.
Exiled by the Assyrians around 720 BC, the tribe wandered through Afghanistan and China before ending up in a part of India nestled between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Decades after being converted to Christianity by missionaries, descendants in various areas began to reconnect with Judaism in the 1970s.
While much of their Jewish traditions had been lost on the way, Bnei Menashe still practised customs which were Jewish in origin. These included sanctifying a baby on the eighth day after birth, the time when Jewish males are circumcised.
Hmm yes… I bet it really pisses the BJP off… just as they were pissed off when there were conversions of Dalits to Christianity in large numbers – if they’re so secular and tolerant, what’s the big deal if folks are converting? It’s not as if the Mizo Jews are being forced into anything – they’re seeking to rejoin the folds of the Jewish community or affirm that they have a place within a community that they already claim a link to.
UMM..These people were Christian to begin with, not Hindu. And the BJP is not even in power.
I know – I just don’t like the BJP and randomly like to hate on them.
Who knows the root origin of the mizos. Chin, mongoloid ? whoever goes to find the fact. It is only a saying. No proof. The all knowing God will trigger the minds of rabbis to accept Mizo as israel if they are really so. If not he is the one who whispers in their ears not to accept so. No need a debate. We are certain of course that we are not jews Jews are who accept Israel religion, judaism. belonging Christianity we cannot be jew even though we might be israel in origin. Do not confuse okay
I found some comments shoking here specially the following one. Henry Vangchhia on June 6, 2005 05:49 PM · Direct link I strongly believe, we the Mizo’s are of Mongoloid race and not of Israel. This people who try to think and try to believe that they are actually Jews are extremist…………. R they going too far into religion? you r going?Now where is so called independence for choosing faith?When missonaries convert dalits to christanity it is accepted to you.When mizo r getting convert its crusifying christ.Huh? i just want to say is jews whether they r mizo or tamil always live with us side by side without any culprit for thousands of years.Neither jews nor local people try to convert each other saying each other animistic.Isan’t it?Whether they want to live in india or israel its there choice.But i think so israel and indian goverment should give them double citizenship.Because though they r jews they r living here for thousands of year n have accepted indian values and indian culture.
Mizos are definitely not Jews. This belief or faith in being a Jews is scientifically not true. . . .If we really are, then why is only ‘few’ Mizos think they are the jews? they are want to go Israel for better opportunity or manipulated and influence by some small group of people,’their leaders’. Also not to mention, Jews in Israel do not accept them as Jews. Do read up our history, literature etc,. infact let me suggest a book ‘India, Burma leh Bangladesh a Mizo Chanchin’, by B.Lalthangliana. (2001 Synod Publication). It is a research of many years by well-known Mizos and highly educated Mizos in our Mizo society, the study group are B.Lalthangliana (Hrangbana College Lecturer, RL Thanmawia (Hrangbana College Lecturer, Vanlalchhawna (Hrangbana College Lecturer), C. Laitanga (Dy. Director, Art and Culture Dept. Mizoram). The research brought them to China, Thailand, Cambodia, etc. to find out the history of Mizo and its roots. The research is span for a period of almost 10 years. Their work and writing in this book is remarkable and contain credible facts and truth. It will be a treasure for us – Mizos, for now and the generation to come.
First of all, lemme make clear of the point. I’m a MIZO, but not jew. The lost tribe tradition is definitly an inventing subject that doesn’t exist in reality. There was no concept of Lost Tribe in pre-British Mizo society. This is definity a european invention…!!come on folk, let us decolonized ourself…!!
This is the best example of how Israel try to use their money and power to buy out poor people from countries like India to take care of their home country. Bring in the poor people from around the world (calling them Jews) to do the ‘coolie’ work, so the rich Israelis can live and make money in New York and London.
I can understand if Mizos were original Jews, why they wandered out of Afghanistan but there is no reason to wander away from Chinese mountains to India.
Think about this = Mizoram is a state (23rd State) which has no much power at the center. The reason Mizoram finally became a state is because, Rajiv Gandhi married Sonia Gandhi. Laldenga knows this. So the perfect place for bring in the Judaism claim. People already believe in Jesus christ. Jesus was a Jew.
Keral State did have Jews (Kochi Jewish Synagogue is still in Kochi) All those Jews did go to Israel. However the claim on Mizos was not put forward when Kerala Jews went to Israel. This “Mizo information” was fresh information for Israelis – a quasi state in North East which is over looked by Indian government and people are Christian have no much contact with the mainland. They look different form mainland Indians.
Israel is free to give Visas to Mizos so that they can live and work in Israel. However all Mizos need to be converted to Judaism is too extreme ( My observation – the fact of the matter is most of Mizos will be willing to convert to Judaism voluntarily if given an option. So Israel does not really have to put out the premise that every one need to convert to Judaism in order to reach Israel. ==An Israeli official, who asked not to be identified, said any Bnei Menashe members who choose to immigrate to Israel would be converted to Judaism after their arrival. ===)
Best example:=
“Out of roughly 1000 members of the Mizo community in Israel, were among the settlers evacuated from Gaza in an Israeli pullout completed in September. “
Conspiracy: June 2003: Interior Minister Avraham Poraz halts Bnei Menashe immigration to Israel following charges by Ofir Pines-Paz (Minister of Science and Technology, 2006) that the Bnei Menashe (mizo jews) are “being cynically exploited for political purposes” because they are being settled in Gaza and the West Bank. Rabbi Eliyahu Birnbaum, a rabbinical judge dealing with the conversion of Bnei Menashe, says the Knesset Absorption Committee’s decision is one of “ignorance, racism, and unjustifiable hate”.
Life in Israel
In the past two decades, some 1,700 Bnei Menashe (Mizo Jews) have moved to the Land of Israel, mostly to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. [5]. Learning Hebrew has been a great challenge, especially for the older generation, for whom the phonology of their native languages makes Hebrew especially challenging, both phonologically and morphologically. Younger members have more opportunities to learn Hebrew and gain employment as soldiers and nurses aides for the elderly and infirm.
Fate of promised land:
When Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announces his plan for the disengagement of Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip and several settlements in the West Bank, the Bnei Menashe community are especially affected because most of them are settled in the territories. Prior to Israel’s subsequent withdrawal, the Bnei Menashe were the largest immigrant community in Gaza [22].
Bnei Menashe in India were concerned about family members who they feared were in the middle of violent confrontations between settlers and IDF soldiers. They were also concerned because they had thought of Gaza as their future home once they made aliyah to Israel. Although a group of Bnei Menashe left Gaza before the deadline, others stayed with their fellow settlers during the disengagement
10 · priya said
This is to priya. i am a Mizo. I,m not a Bnei Menashe. And what i want to tell you is that you misunderstood Henry’s comments. His comments never showed any dislikement of some mizo’s conversion to judaism. All he is saying is that the Bnei Menashe are extremists who went too far into the minute details of the Bible and took along a few followers. We don’t know our true origin, that’s all, like all the other races of the world (including yours). Theories are all there is. All Mizo’s are not like the Bnei Menashe, just like all Hindus and Muslims are not like the RSS and Talibans. 😉
The Mizo-jews are not converted into judaism by any jewish missionaries. These people had already accepted Judaism, and they are asking to be officially converted into their new found religion. Ask any mizo you know, you can also look it up in wikipedia. Although the mizo-jews are subjected to criticizms from the Mizo community, they are not prohibited from making their own choices. Talk about secularism among the Mizos, one of the newest member of the Indian family. Hope the rest of ur elder Indian sisters here can follow your example…
India is a secular state. But where is secularism in those Indian states where conversion is prohibited? And what is the Indian Constitution for anyway? It looks as if it was drafted to be mocked by religious extremists, judging from what’s going on in Orissa. Now, it looks as if India is a wannabe secular democracy to the rest of the world. All thanks to the manipulative works of the bloodhungry RSS in Orissa where innocent christians are slaughtered. Anyway, I don’t remember Hinduism teaching violence and bloodshed. Hope the NRI’s don’t suffer because of what’s happening here. These RSS makes us look so hypocritical. They’re not into Hinduism, they’re into chaos and anarchy. The RSS are not Hindu. They are a political instruments hiding behind Hinduism.
To believe mizos are descendants of Israelites is just a hypothesis which many are crazy with. Some of the points of argument used to testify this hypothesis are very shallow and baseless. I am a mizo and am not interested in my pre-historic ancestry as I am happy and pruod being a Mizo. If we try to connect any two cultures in this vast world, we will surely explore many similarities. Because we belong to the same ancestor, Adam. The style of dances and design of handicrafts of the American Indians are very close to us. Many of our words have different meaning but same pronuntiatin with chinese. E.g. Chinese Thien Fu or Fu Thien is God, which in mizo we call Pathian. Chinese Fu is pa and thian is sky or heaven. But we never try to use this to claim we are chinese.
One thing is clear, if mizos are the descendants of the lost tribe of Israel, there will be many others in Asia as well.
I have been very interested over the lost tribes of Israel. Especially regarding Asia. I am a JEW with a colorful background of a mother who is of the Bnei Israel in INDIA (Asia) and my father, a typical American Jew. (EUROPEAN background). The Bnei Menashe of Burma, is a fairly new idea to consider. Thus, I can understand why some Mizos say..
2 · Henry Vangchhia said
But people should try to understand, that the Jewish people were dispersed to the four corners of the world! I believe some Mizos might POSSIBLY have some Israelite in them, but not all. I am not saying this is completely true for even I do not know. Just an opinion, and thought.
JESUS is the saviour of the World. He is sent to dis Earth by the father(whom both Chrisian and Jews called God)to save us from sins.Jew was a gud religion.Jesus himself was a Jew,but the leader themselves has gone far beyond he Lords command dat God sent his son to reformed.As Christian is not a religion we can say Jew was a older believe.So, as a mizo boy i will never forsake Jesus.People don’t just believe in religion.Pliz do talk to Jesus.Dis world is very short.Let us all try to see him when we die so start beliving in him for after death it will be be too late.owuld you like to be with him or in the hell.Yes for sure there is hell.Don’t take Jesus as religion,have him in your heart.People might say you r a Jew or a christian whatever Never mind if ye have Jesus.In the name of the Father,Son and the Holy Sprit.Let it be done(amen)
JESUS is the saviour of the World. He is sent to dis Earth by the father(whom both Chrisian and Jews called God)to save us from sins.Jew was a gud religion.Jesus himself was a Jew,but the leader themselves has gone far beyond he Lords command dat God sent his son to reformed.As Christian is not a religion we can say Jew was a older believe.So, as a mizo boy i will never forsake Jesus.People don’t just believe in religion.Pliz do talk to Jesus.Dis world is very short.Let us all try to see him when we die so start believing in him for after death it will be be too late.Would you like to be with him or in the hell.Yes for sure there is hell.Don’t take Jesus as religion,have him in your heart.People might say you r a Jew or a christian whatever Never mind if ye have Jesus.In the name of the Father,Son and the Holy Sprit.Let it be done(amen)Let us have a pure mind.
Although I think that we Mizos are probably not the decendants of Israel. The thought is nonetheless intriguing and romantic. As a race who know very little of our own history. Any theory on the past gets a huge attention in Mizoram….
And also the converts get employment. So, it is a financially sound decision for many of the families who converted to get converted.
I dont think about whether we are decendent of Israel but i know i have Israeli cetyzen and I know that God has choose this tribe for his children I earned ten times more in this plase than mizoram so i happy here Israel is democracy state i can folow any religion iam very happy here to be Israelite
cochin jew saidIsraeli try to use their money and power to buy out poor people like indian etc.Tis is absolutly wrong in a present day israel have foreign lobour from some asean countries like philipine,more than 60000,from china more than30000 and from thailand 20000 from nepal 12500 from india 15000 from sri landka 4000 and from sudan (s africa)5000 from nigeria 2500 ghana 2000 ivary coast 2000 and also that all the israelis has equal right whether from usa or from mizoram and who are born in israel thier is no discrimination among them.Any new imigrant has a right to recive assistant from the govt of israel according to their family sizes.To get work visa or work permit in israel you need to pay 5000 US dolar to work agency.When you have israeli cityzen you can stay anywhere any place where you want to live .at present days about270 houses(family )of benei menashe lives in israel out of these 140 family live in kiryat arba,20 fmly bait el and 10 fmly in ofra these village is located in west bank area of israeli ocopied area rest of them are live in deferent towns and citys
I born in mizoram india from hindu family iam very interested in going abroad so i joint jewish of mizoram than i and my family converted and went to israel here iam very happy i and my wife work and earn more israel is fully democracy i can folow any religuis which i want
Let them leave that way and start a new life in Israel. Better than being subjugated in India watching their independance movement die out, and Mizos giving up the right to self determination. Indians won’t ever accept you as theirs, and you will always be the neglected stepchild in the corner of North east, called chinkis and exploited at every street corner in Indian streets. I have had a Mizo friend and he died being ragged to death. I know now how much he loved his people. Let Mizos leave, let them go to different nations, become something, than become nothing in India. Whatever way, if Jew then Jew. Mizoram is its people, not just a land. Mizoram will live on in its people wherever they go on earth. There, no one will oppress them or force them to give up their values, to keep a pathetic dream of an indian union alive.
From a Hindu Indian.
missing link.Are you Happy??????
There are the main races in the world, Mongoloid, Caucasoid (Europeans, arabs, persians ETC), Negroid (sub-africans and black americans…), Mongoloid (Chinese, Japanese, Mongols etc)
Mizo’s belong to Mongoloid race and not Caucasoid. I believe, when i say “Mongoloid race,” i think Justin in his #3 comment thought i’m refering Mizo’s as Mongolians hahahhaa no not at all, but yes Mongoloids. dum dum
When i said, “There are the main races in the world,” i am sorry i meant to say, there are three main races in the world. Apology
Again, myself i don’t care if they get converted to Islam, Hindu or any other religion, it is the betrayal of their own race that i despise, they are traitors to their own race/kind.
well well well, this is very intresting. According to my thypical mizo thinkinng, all the mizo’s who were thought that they’re jews are really insane.
well, according to our historian and researcher are clearly state that we the mizo’s are not decendant of Israel as well as i surely do believe we’er not Jews. But, as a christian, i would like to mention we’re one in Christ because the Bible tells us people were seperated in many different tongue and race from Babel. Also,we should know not only mizo’s but also there are many people which is different colour from different country who claim themselves as a jews.
On the other hand, once again i would to say as a christian, i think its hard to blame who were claim themselves as a Jews.If we look back and read the Bible from the begining. “No man are appear to work the ground”,so, God create man (Adam)in his image to be first in the mankind of the earth.
What i believe and thought is they’re not only Jews all the man in world are like brother and like sister and we are one in Christ.
What i definitely believe and thought is they were not only Jew but also all the man in the world are like brother and like sister. We are one in Christ.
Interesting topic…..all of you have bias,you’ll never agreed to others with your prejudices..we may be or may not be Bnei Menashe.Who knows?If so,no problem,I still can follow my religion.isn’t?..But in my view,there is a chance(not possibilities).
I am a Mizo I am happy I am a Christian I am smiling Bnei Menashe I dont know…
Tell me HOW and WHERE the Bible tells us that the MIZOs were the lost tribe of Israel…..
Can anyone Tell me HOW and WHERE the Bible tells us that the MIZOs were the lost tribe of Israel ?