India's 'lost tribe of Israel' awaits a second exodus

[emad]

By Simon Denyer, AP Writer, in Aizawl, India
25 April 2005


All together, they dip their middle fingers into plastic cups of grape juice, calling out in Hebrew the names of the 10 plagues they believe their God sent to curse the ancient Egyptians. Plastic Israeli flags and photographs of Jerusalem adorn the chipboard walls.

Saturday's feast could have been a celebration of Passover anywhere in the Jewish world, but this is no ordinary celebration and these are no ordinary Jews.

In India's remote hill states of Mizoram and Manipur, thousands of people who believe they belong to one of the 10 "lost tribes" of Israel are celebrating what they hope is their last Passover here before ending a 2,700-year exodus.

Three weeks ago, reports came from Israel that Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar had accepted the B'nei Menashe as one of the fabled lost tribes, and would send a team of rabbis to formally convert them and bring them back to Israel.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=632717

[On the Road]

1. Well This is Fascinating

Who knows if they really are Jews? It's not inconceivable. Might not have happened under the Assyrians. The Ethiopians Jews became isolated long ago. There was synagogue in China many centuries ago. So why not India?

The thing that's strange is that it's on the opposite side from Israel. Right here:



But the more remote, the more likely ancient traditions are likely to survive intact.

[emad]

2. 'Bout as far away as possible....

[bleedingheart]

3. fascinating but one has to wonder...

is their story true? and how can they verify this genetically? is their some indicators in the genes???

[On the Road]

4. Actually, That Might Work

They can do that now. Did you see the special on the geneticist who had traced the development of humanity from Africa to Central Asia and into the Americas? They can be very specific about that now.

[Bhaisahab]

5. the people of the north eastern hills of india

have mongoloid features, very tibetan. but i kid you not, its one of the most BEAUTIFUL places on earth that i have seen (not much really..err)





this is from a miss mizoram contest :) -->

[Johnyawl]

6. from the article....

...However little genetic evidence has been found to support the claims

Sounds like they've already started some testing.

[xchrom]

7. hey, passover with chicken tikka massala!

[Mizmoon]

8. I thought Jamaicans were the other lost tribe

those tribes just got all over the place, now didn't they?