A Long Journey Home
By Sabra Minkus
After a 2000-plus year journey from Israel, a group called B'nei Menashe are in the process of returning to a land they believe is their ancestral home – Israel. They are believed to be the descendants of Manasseh, son of Joseph. They were exiled from northern Israel in what is now the Golan Heights, sometime during 734-722 BCE by the Assyrians. They were taken to Assyria where they were enslaved for many years. At some point they were able to leave Assyria and it is thought they found their way to the Silk Road and eventually to China. In China, they were again enslaved and many were killed. This caused the group to flee to an area called Shinlung, which translates to “cave dwellers”. In approximately 100 CE they were expelled from Shinlung, and their “leather scrolls,” which had been with them since leaving Israel, were confiscated and destroyed.
The journey continued with some traveling along the Mekong River to other countries while the rest found their way to northeast Burma and India. They then began to assimilate with various tribal groups known as the Kuki, Chin and Mizo. Today they live in the same northern area of India in the the states of Manipur and Mizoram. The current population is more than 5,000 B'nei Menashe residents.
In the early 1950’s, Christian Missionaries came into the area and became aware of the B'nei Menashe and tried to convert them. However, during that process they recognized many similarities between their own historical traditions and ceremonies with those from the Bible. An example of this is their Red Sea song:
I tera O’ of the parting of the big red water
My enemies from the time of “Tera,O!
Like clouds in the daytime, like a fire that goes by night
O how great and determined was their cruelty in coming to fight
When the great feat was celebrated by us,
The vast red water was divided,
Led by cloud by day, by pillar of fire by night,
They were swallowed by the sea,
Rush to catch those birds for food. (1)
The melody they sing the Red Sea Song in is almost identical to the same melody sung today. They possessed no direct familiarity with the melody; rather, they understood that both the song and its melody were elements of their cultural heritage.
They celebrate a harvest festival in the spring that is similar to Passover in that they do not eat leavened bread and have special foods for the festival. Many other longstanding rituals and stories continue to be preserved today. They frequently reach out to Manmasi, their name for Manasseh and during times of severe storms or other troubling events they will call out, “We are well! The children of Manmasi are well!
Several years ago the community suffered a wave of ethnic cleansing by other tribal groups. Many of the B'nei Menashe villages were burned to the ground and there was a tragic loss of lives. The B'nei Menashe community, in Israel, banded together and sent food and supplies. A large parcel of land was donated in Manipur and the community, many of whom were now homeless, decided to move there and create their own kibbutz. It started with 10 families and now, a little over two years later, they have about 100 families. They have an established school with teachers from Israel and a program to help their transition from a remote lifestyle to a highly technical life in Israel. University students volunteer to come and teach modern Hebrew. The kibbutz, Maoz Tzur, is totally self-sufficient. They raise chickens, grow vegetables, and weave fabrics that they sell in local markets.
In Israel, many of the young adults fought in the recent war in Gaza. They were highly respected by the IDF for their strength, courage and intellect. Sixty of the families lived in Sderot where their homes and everything they owned were destroyed. Many have now returned and are rebuilding their homes and lives.
On November 23, 2025, Israel's government authorized a major initiative aimed at completing the Aliyah process for the B'nei Menashe Community from northeastern India.
This historic decision will bring approximately 5,800 members of the community to Israel by 2030, including 1,200 already approved for 2026.
The Jewish Agency will, for the first time, lead the entire pre-Aliyah process: eligibility interviews together with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the Conversion Authority, and the Population and Immigration Authority; organizing flights for eligible candidates and managing their absorption in Israel. This includes roughly 6 months in two absorption centers in northern Israel, operated by the Jewish Agency with government funding. (2)
I first visited the B'nei Menashe in northern India with friends from Chicago. We had heard of the group and were curious. After a little investigation we learned they needed a Sefer Torah. After learning more about the group, we went in the spring of 2004 and took a Torah and filmed a documentary.
Several months later we went to Israel to meet with members of the community there and with Hillel Halkin, who had written a book about them, and Rabbi Avichial who had become their mentor. The B'nei Menashe are a strong, intelligent and creative group that is proud of their heritage and their history. Their resolve to return home to Israel remains strong, and with the government's recent decision, their long journey is finally nearing its end.
If you would like to learn more about the B'nei Menashe or help in any way please check out the following sites, and the website of our organization: https://www.degelmenashe.org/. You can also contact me and I can connect you with the appropriate sources at: sabra1degel.menashe@gmail.com.
Sabra Minkus has lived in New Mexico for over 20 years and spent time volunteering for the Jewish Community of our beautiful state.
Notes and related sites:
- Samson Dochang, p. 264. Across the Sabbath River, In Search of A Lost Tribe of Israel, by Hillel Halkin, Houghton Mifflin, 2002.
- Editor’s Note: Exodus 13:21: יהוה went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, to guide them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, that they might travel day and night. https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.13.22 The Contemporary Torah, JPS, 2006.
2. Government Approves Plan to Bring All Bene Menashe Jews from India to Israel by 2030. Times of Israel, November 25, 2025.
Lives of the Children of Manasia, Oral History Interviews with the B'nei Menashe Community, Hillel Halkin, Isaac Thangjom, Gefen Publishing House, 2022.
YouTube.com/This Song Is Old https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L7ocPSTG7k (trailer, Torah brought to community in India).
The website of our organization: https://www.degelmenashe.org/
Community Supporters of the NM Jewish Journal include:
Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico
Congregation Albert
Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque
The Institute for Tolerance Studies
Jewish Federation of El Paso and Las Cruces
Temple Beth Shalom
Congregation B'nai Israel
Shabbat with Friends: Recapturing Together the Joy of Shabbat
New Mexico Jewish Historical Society
Where the North Ends, A Novel by Hugo Moreno
Policy Statement Acceptance of advertisements does not constitute an endorsement of the advertisers’ products, services or opinions. Likewise, while an advertiser or community supporter's ad may indicate their support for the publication's mission, that does not constitute their endorsement of the publication's content.
Copyright © 2025 New Mexico Jewish Journal LLC. All rights reserved.
