AIZWAL, Jan 5 : The selection process for members of the Bnei Menashe community seeking to migrate to Israel is currently underway, with the list of successful candidates expected to be announced later this month, a community leader said on Monday.
Jeremiah L. Hnamte, a senior leader of the Bnei Menashe in Mizoram, said that around 300 people each from Mizoram and neighbouring Manipur are likely to be chosen in the current phase. Those selected are expected to leave for Israel-their religious “Promised Land”-by February.
A screening team comprising around 35 people, including nine rabbis, representatives of the Jewish Agency for Israel, and diplomats from the Israeli Embassy-among them the Ambassador to India-had been stationed in Aizawl since December 1.
The team conducted detailed assessments of prospective migrants before concluding their visit on December 10.
“We are now waiting for the final announcement from Israel,” Hnamte said, expressing optimism about the outcome.
The screenings were held at Thara Resort in northern Aizawl, where more than 1,600 applicants participated-over 1,000 from Manipur and about 600 from Mizoram.
According to Hnamte, preference will be given to applicants with close family members already settled in Israel, particularly those who migrated earlier under the Aliyah programme.
Hnamte himself hopes to be among those selected. His daughter and son migrated to Israel 10 and five years ago, respectively, and he said he and his wife are eager to reunite with them, along with their younger son, who has yet to make the journey.
Israel has recently approved a long-term plan to absorb nearly 6,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community from India’s north-eastern states by 2030.
The Bnei Menashe trace their ancestry to the biblical tribe of Manasseh and are regarded as one of the so-called “lost tribes of Israel.”
While many in the community previously practised Christianity, they have since converted to Judaism and received formal recognition from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate. Today, they follow Jewish religious customs, observe festivals such as Sukkot, and maintain synagogues in their settlements.
Israel formally recognised the Bnei Menashe’s claim in March 2005, when then Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar acknowledged them as descendants of a lost tribe, paving the way for their migration to Israel.
(UNI)
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