On April 2, less than two months since arriving in Israel, ten couples of the Bnei Menashe tribes from the North East Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur were married in a Jewish ceremony in Kfar Hasidim.
In Israel, like in India, they are labelled ‘Chinese’ on account of their appearance. But the times have been changing – and Israel has begun to recognise them as Jewish citizens with rights.
Some of the couples who were in their 70s would only have been practising Jews for the past 30 years. But they all claim a legacy that spans 27 centuries – the lineage of the ten lost tribes of ancient Israel.
It’s yet another sign from Israel that those who reclaim their Jewish heritage are welcome in the state. 70 years ago, rabbis were barred from conducting marriages of the Bene Israel Indian immigrants – who had left India following independence to settle in the ‘promised land’. Facing discrimination, they were eventually repatriated to India following hunger strikes and protests.
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