Who Are The Bnei Menashe?
- Mizos and Manipuris claim they are descended from the ancient and “lost” Manasseh tribe of Israel
- Some 1,700 have migrated to Israel, another 7,000 are waiting to join them
- One of Israel’s top rabbis ruled that they may “return” only after conversion to a most orthodox stream of Judaism
- Their return has been controversial in Israel, especially as many have been settled in the ‘occupied’ West Bank
“If there is a need to live in the occupied territories, we will do it,” declares Rabbi Yehuda Gin Vaiphei. He lives in Kiryat Arba, a volatile illegal settlement near Hebron on the West Bank, whose residents routinely clash with...
