Shavei Israel
Roots - the Shavei Israel Newsletter
February 2011
About us
Shavei Israel
Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org) reaches out and assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people. These include the Bnei Menashe of India, the Bnei Anousim of Spain, Portugal & South America, the "Hidden Jews" of Poland and others. Please click here to support us.

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Shavei Israel
58 King George Street,
4th floor
Jerusalem, Israel 94262
Tel: +972-2-625-6230
Fax: +972-2-625-6233

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2 Bnei Menashe Boys at Summer CampHelp an Indian Jew learn Hebrew
  

For Rivka Lhungdim, a young Bnei Menashe community leader in the Indian state of Manipur, learning Hebrew has become a passion.

Ever since she began studying the language several years ago, the cadences and rhythm of the ancient tongue spoken by her ancestors have intrigued her, strengthening her Jewish identity as well as her sense of connection with her people. 

 

Now Rivka, along with dozens of other Bnei Menashe youth, will have a unique opportunity to delve into the language and make it her own.

This year, Shavei Israel is dedicating its annual leadership training seminar for Bnei Menashe in India to the study and dissemination of Hebrew. The focus will be on enabling young Bnei Menashe leaders to master Hebrew, as well as how to teach the language. 

After the seminar, these freshly minted Hebrew instructors will return to their homes throughout northeastern India to teach the language to members of their home communities.

The program's goal - to strengthen the community's knowledge of Hebrew in anticipation of immigration to Israel - is more important than ever this year in light of last month's decision by the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs calling on the Israeli government to allow the remaining 7,232 Bnei Menashe still in India to make aliyah as soon as possible. 

To help facilitate the critical need to develop solid language skills, Shavei Israel has retained Dr. Yehudit Eyal, one of Israel's leading experts on teaching Hebrew to new immigrants. Eyal is designing a special curriculum tailored to meet the unique pedagogic needs of the Bnei Menashe. Eyal will attend the seminar in India and lead the training sessions herself.

Providing the Bnei Menashe with the best possible preparation for the challenging transition to establishing a new home in Israel is expensive, though: the total cost of this program is more than $11,000.  

 

As a result, we are urgently seeking sponsors who will partner with us in this crucial endeavor. Your support can have a profound effect on the Bnei Menashe community, smoothing their aliyah and absorption when the day finally arrives, and strengthening this Indian community's Jewish identity.

If you're ready to join us in helping Rivka and other young Bnei Menashe, please click here. Or visit our Bnei Menashe causes page on Facebook.

New exhibition on Bnei Menashe opens in Jerusalem

Michael Freund at B.M. Exhibition
Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund at the exhibition in Jerusalem

As we reported in last month's issue of the Roots newsletter, Shavei Israel has curated a moving new exhibition on the history, culture and immigration of the Bnei Menashe community. Here are some pictures from the opening.

Bnei Menashe singing at exhibition in Jerusalem
Bnei Menashe perform at exhibition in Jerusalem

The exhibition is now on display at the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption in Jerusalem and was conceived by MK Sofa Landver. We have more pictures on our Facebook page.

Shavei profile: Two Bnei Menashe find their place in the IDF as "lone soldiers"


Immigrating to Israel is challenging at any time. Now, try doing it without your parents and then jumping straight into the Israel Defense Forces. Such brave new citizens are known as "lone soldiers." And now the army has two more - from the Bnei Menashe community of India.
 
Binyamin Vaiphei and Sagi Haokip arrived in Israel in 2007 along with 232 other Bnei Menashe who were brought on aliyah by Shavei Israel. Due to limits imposed on the number of Bnei Menashe immigrants allowed in at the time, their families were forced to stay behind.
 
After an initial period of acclimatization, during which they studied Hebrew and Judaism, the two young men were set up in apartments by Shavei Israel - Vaiphei in a Jerusalem suburb and Haokip in the Galilee town of Ma'alot. They subsequently joined the IDF and were drafted into the elite Golani unit.
 
Although Vaiphei and Haokip are not serving in the same specific unit, their experiences are remarkably similar. Both have continued to improve their Hebrew through the army's immigrant ulpan and are very pleased to have made new friends. Indeed, "all my friends are Israeli now," says Haokip with pride. "I am learning a lot from them."
 
Vaiphei, for his part, is enjoying getting to know his new country-mates, too, in Ma'alot where he lives. "Friends often invite me for the Sabbath," he says. Ma'alot is also home to a sizable Bnei Menashe community, which helps with the absorption process.
 
Both Vaiphei and Haokip grew up in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Their parents kept many Jewish traditions - "as many mitzvoth as we knew," says Haokip.
 
Continue reading on the Shavei Israel website.
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This month in social media

Here's some of what we posted to the Shavei Israel Facebook page this month:

  • The Turkish Jewish newspaper Shalom profiles Michael Freund and Shavei Israel (in Turkish). 
  • The Jewish Tribune of Canada writes about the roadblocks confronting Russia's Subbotnik Jews and what Shavei Israel is doing to smooth the way to their immigration to Israel. 
  • We have more pictures from the wedding at our December seminar for Polish "Hidden Jews."
  • Yediot Ahronot calls Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund the "Christopher Columbus of Hidden Jews." Hebrew speakers can see a copy of the article here.
  • Pictures from "Judaism Day" in Poland.
  • Michael Freund writes in The Jewish Press about his testimony in front of the Knesset Committee on Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs calling on the Israeli government to swiftly bring home the 7,232 Bnei Menashe still in India.   
  • We've redesigned our YouTube page to make it easier for you to find the videos you're looking for.

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