Jerusalem – “Operation Menashe 2017” reached an emotional climax this morning when 162 members of the “lost” tribe of Bnei Menashe finally arrived in Israel.
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A special welcoming ceremony featuring Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri, Shavei Israel Founder and Chairman Michael Freund, and Deputy Minister of Finance Yitzhak Cohen, received the new olim.
“I promise that we will make all of you feel at home. Our heart is big enough and has room for each of you. When a Jew meets a Jew, there is an immediate connection,” said Deri. “I promise you that the Interior Ministry, under my leadership, will do everything it can to help every Jew – wherever he is in the world – get the appropriate approvals so they can make aliyah to Israel.”
The Bnei Menashe, who are descendants of the tribe of Menasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, will make their new homes in Tiberias, Israel. They came to Israel thanks to the Jerusalem-based nonprofit Shavei Israel, which has made the dream of aliyah possible for over 3,000 Bnei Menashe over the last 15 years and plans to bring more members of the community to Israel. Currently there are 7,000 Bnei Menashe awaiting their return to the Jewish homeland.
“This is an exciting day for all of us,” said Freund. “After spending time at the Shavei Israel Absorption Center, the Bnei Menashe immigrants will settle in Tiberias, where they will begin to build their new lives here in the Jewish state. We will do everything we can to ensure that their integration into Israeli society goes as smoothly as possible. More than 2,700 years after their ancestors were exiled from the Land, the Bnei Menashe are at last returning home to Zion.”
After the welcoming ceremony, the members of the Lost Tribe gathered at the airport for an emotional reunion with family members already living in Israel. One such reunion included the Lhouvum family. Janglhai Lhouvum, 77, one of the new olim, cried with joy after reuniting with her daughter, son and four grandchildren, whom she hadn’t seen since they made aliyah in 1997.
Is everybody nuts? How in the world do these people know which tribe they are from? Even we “orthodox” don’t Know What Tribe we are from! Btw if they are here then they are a found trinbe not a “lost” tribe. This is complete ahm horatzos.
Hopefully, like the Ethiopians, they go through the proper Giyur process.
to mr lirch
instead of spewing your yeshivash lomdus and labeling every one an amhaaretz
why dont you marvel at the nissim that we see everyday
and the fullfillment of the nevuas of zecharia and yeshaya in our days
focus on that
I wonder what the psak of the rabbanut is regarding their status. I seem to recall that the poskim aren’t sure if this group is halachicly Jewish.
Is there any way we could exchange these people for the Nuteri Karta.??? They look so happy to be in Israel and the NK would love nothing more then to get the Zionist off their backs.
Nishtoo ver zul lachen
Such naive people there are here. I’ve been to Israel recently and have seen tons of these so-called Ethiopian “Jews” who are actually Christian and quite a few Ethiopian Christian institutions. Yes, there are some wonderful Ethiopian converts, but for that thousands of Chritians can’t consider themselves Jews and make a home in Israel. These is the same kind of situation. “Bnei Menashe” sure…
To the naysayers, who can’t accept that these people were checked thoroughly by Rabbonim, if I were you, I’d think of it this way, doubt all you want, but they have the Zechus of living in Eretz Yisroel, while you don’t!