Ninety-five members of the Bnei Menashe, a group in northeastern India claiming descent from the lost tribe of Manasseh, are to arrive in Israel on Thursday, August 29th.
The new immigrants, who hail primarily from the state of Manipur on the border between India and Burma, are making aliya under the auspices of the Jerusalem-based Amishav organization. Amishav was founded by Rabbi Eliahu Avichail and assists descendants of Jews seeking to return to Judaism and other would-be converts.
According to Amishav director and Jerusalem Post columnist Michael Freund, who visited the community in India earlier this year, the group will be the largest number of Bnei Menashe to make aliya at one time.
"The Bnei Menashe are deeply attached to Israel, and they were not deterred in any way by the security situation here," Freund said. "They are impassioned in their Zionism and deeply committed to Judaism, and we need to bring more of them here. They are a blessing for the country."
During the next year, the arrivals will study Hebrew and Judaism before undergoing formal conversion by the Chief Rabbinate to remove any doubt regarding their status, Freund said.
The group arriving on August 29th will bring the number of Bnei Menashe in Israel to nearly 700.
------------------------------
The Jerusalem Post, August 28, 2002