Members of 'lost tribe of Israel' arrive at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv (Courtesy Shavei Israel)
Posted on 08/30/2007 9:53:38 AM PDT by NYer
TEL AVIV – One-hundred-seventy-four people from a group of thousands in India that believes it is one of the 10 "lost tribes" of Israel landed here this week, fulfilling for many a life-long dream of returning to what they consider their homeland.
Shavei Israel, a Jerusalem-based organization led by American Michael Freund, hopes to bring to the Jewish state the remaining 7,000 Indian citizens who believe they are the Bnei Menashe, the descendants of Manasseh, one of biblical patriarch Joseph's two sons and a grandson of Jacob.
The tribe lives in the two Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, to which they claim to have been exiled from Israel more than 2,700 years ago by the Assyrian empire.
"I truly believe this is a miracle of immense historical and even biblical significance," Freund told WND as the group of 174 arrived here earlier this week.
"Just as the prophets foretold so long ago, the lost tribes of Israel are being brought back from the exile," said Freund, who previously served as deputy communications director under former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Another planeload of 57 Bnei Menashe is slated to touch down in Israel tomorrow.
The group, which has preserved ancient Jewish customs and rituals, has been trying the past 50 years to return to Israel.
Over the last decade, Freund's Shavei Israel, at times working with other organizations, brought about 1,200 Bnei Menashe members to the Jewish state. Many settled in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. About 80 lived in Gaza's slate of Jewish communities, which were evacuated by the Israeli government in 2005.
The original batches of Bnei Menashe to arrive here were brought to Israel as tourists in an agreement with Israel's Interior Ministry.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
Ping!
Oh Geez!!!! I thought it might have been the Nephites!!! Sorry, my bad.
Saw an excellent documentary on the Quest for the Lost Tribes. One of the last images they leave you with is a Menasse standing in his army gear praying at the wall. Every affecting.
Even in LDS scripture it is understood that the lost tribes were scattered by Assyria(about 721 BC) before the BoM starts (600 BC), therefore they would not be Nephites. LDS members who believe the lost tribes are Nephites would be mistaken.
Umm... They were all destroyed. Guess you didn't read the book, eh?
I believe the B’nei Menashe were mostly Christians who undergo formal conversion to Judaism before coming to Israel.
I thought is was the lost 12 tribes not 10. One for each of the apostles.
Really? There were 12 tribes, but only 10 were exiled - how else would there have been any continuity of the Jewish religion and culture if they were ALL lost?
And what relationship could they possibly have with the apostles of 7 centuries in the future?
No disrespect, but please read a bit more.
do they look Semetic featured?
i can’t tell from that little pic
you could tell with manof the Falashas
i would really like to see more about are these little Hebrew tribes wandered off to the past 2-5OOO years
Those “Semitic features” are a myth. Look at the Jews of Israel today. Almost all races are in there.
I guess that makes sense. It’s why I asked your id since you seem to have the most informed replies.
Wow, this gives me goose bumps.
High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel, WOT
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You’ll find lots of FReepers with informed replies (though few of us, myself specifically included, have even close to 100% informed replies).
“Even in LDS scripture it is understood that the lost tribes were scattered by Assyria(about 721 BC) before the BoM starts (600 BC), therefore they would not be Nephites. LDS members who believe the lost tribes are Nephites would be mistaken.”
If a modern-day Assyrian Empire were to invade and carry off the nation of Mexico, do you believe all Mexicans would be gone? How about those living up here in the U.S.? So far as I know, there was no formal fence between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Given the terrible conditions of the Northern Kingdom for generations before 731 BC, would it be surprising that some of the Northerners emigrated to the Southern Kingdom? Therefore, probably not every member of the Ten Lost Tribes was scattered into the wilderness.
Interesting, and plausible, but if their ancestors have been Jews for thousands of years, why do they need to be “converted”?
There are 12 tribes, one for each of the sons of Jacob. If I remember correctly Judah and Benjamin are the two non-lost tribes (currently the nation of Israel) while the other 10 are “lost” as in not gathered yet unto Jerusalem.
Now depending on your definition of “lost” they either are truly lost and we don’t know who or where they are (the tribe itself may not even know), or we do know them but they just haven’t been gathered yet for one reason or another. I personally subscribe to both, depending on the tribe. That is my personal opinion and should not be construed as anything taught by any religion.
Bobby Brown, Whitney & Madonna??????????
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