'Lost tribe of Israel' arrives in Jewish state

WorldNet Daily ^ | August 30, 2007 | Aaron Klein

[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.

[NFOShekky]

I can only imagine why it took them 50 years - the bigoted Labor governments! Welcome home brothers!

[wardaddy]

Those “Semitic features” are a myth

I worked in Israel for many years in the 80s and know plenty Israelis from Spehardic to Ashkhenazim to Oriental......most I've known have some semetic features....even the Falashas look a bit Jewish compared to other Ethiopians

granted some Palis and Sephardic Jews look alike since afterall both are Semetic

[wardaddy]

interesting

[wardaddy]

agreed but they do look a bit alike...,,because they do share a genetic tree...a recent one...relatively speaking to hominid chronology

[wardaddy]

No they don’t which is why I asked?

the Falashas do look semetic rather than transSaharan African.

most of those look Mongoliad racially....

the older guy on the main pic did look a bit Semetic which piqued my interest.

I have seen I believe Jeremy Piven in India visiting old Jews....the branch the Sassoons come from and they certainly looked more Semetic than other Indians...no doubt.

these folks look a bit different ....I would guess the girl at the bottom was Amerindian did I not know different.

[wardaddy]

why on earth do folks think Semetic features are bad?

we’re not talking Protocols here and Goebbels cartoons

we’re talking Michael Nouri and Natalie Portman too.

[Marysecretary]

It’s very prophetic and end timesy. Very exciting.

[John Leland 1789]

They knew where they were. They knew where they had been for 2,700 years, so, they weren’t lost.

[John Leland 1789]

I’m intrigued with the suggestion that there were “lost” tribes. They were all there at the Israeli/Jewish Feast of Pentecost, 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ. James wrote to the “Twelve Tribes which are scattered abroad (not lost).”

[Lijahsbubbe]

And Paul Newman,Goldie Hawn, Lauren Bacall, and Cary Grant.

I agree with what you said about Ethiopian and Indian Jews. There are definitely some traits that set them apart.

And now that I think of it, Grandpa did look kinda like Jerry Stiller. :(

[John Leland 1789]

That’s interesting. What would have been their prior “Christian” training and tradition? Would they have been some off shoot of the Orthodox (Byzantine) tradition like many in north Africa? Just wondering, not testing you.

[dighton]

The tribe lives in the two Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur.

Way on India's eastern end. We're talkin’ lost.

[John Leland 1789]

“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.”

---

You are correct! That is one reason the Scriptures, the Bible, doesn’t describe the ten northern tribes as “lost,” only scattered (e.g. James 1:1). The “lost” idea came much later. It was promoted also by those who believe the concept called “British Israelism.” I think early Mormonism was somewhat affected by British Israelism. So was Gene Scott.

[Lijahsbubbe]

[John Leland 1789]

You forgot to put a Scandinavian blond and an East Asian in the photo.

[Lijahsbubbe]

On the other hand....

[wardaddy]

you bad....

but Babs does have a nice rack....it looked good in Prince of Tides anyhow

[jimfree]

That hideous creature kinda reminds me of Xerxes in the movie 300.

Good call Suzi. I'm surprised though. Mrs. jimfree would not go to that movie - I thought it was a guy thing - - though Xerxes seemed indeed a bit androgynous. Is that true of all conquering Persians? (Real men have Spartan mothers I've been told.)

[satan]

Manasseh?

We do have some jews in Manassas but mostly we have hispanic illegals. We’re changing our town name to manana.

[Lijahsbubbe]

I actually thought Barbra was attractive in some of her movies. Don’t ask me why. But she’s a liberal who’s worthy of bashing. :)