Figure 1.--In Assam is small group of people who have been practicing Judaism for more than 25 years. They call themselves Bnei Menashe and have a wonderous history. Some of these people started researching the origins of their religion and realized that they were descended from Jews (1970s). They discovered that their tradition of being the "children of Manmaseh" actually referred to the tribe of Menashe.

Jews are reported in India even before the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem. Some Indian Jews claim to be descended from one of the lost tribes of Israel. The Roman supression of the Jewish Revolt dispersed Jews from Palestine (66-70 AD). It is at this time that Jewish comminities appear in North Africa and Europe. Jewish colonies existed in Malabar/Kerala (1st century AD).

Lost Tribes of Israel

Solomon ruled a united Jewish kingdom. His two sons disputed the sucession and the kingdom was divided (about 900 BC). The northern kingdom was Isreal. The southern kingdom was Juah. Religious differences developed in the two kingdoms. The prophet Elijah describes this era. The two kingdoms existed between Assyria to the West and Egypt to the east. For a time the Assyrians were content to receive tribute from the Jews. Egypt was ruled by the southern Saites dynasty and was absorbed in internal affairs. Assyrian power varied over time. The Jews instead of joining forces against the Assyrians quareled with each other. There were wars between Israel and Judah. And there were civil wars within the two states iver the kingship. There were also wars with neigboring peoples like the Canaanites. Assyria began expanding south (6th century BC). Onbe of the most important Assyrian king was Tiglathpileser III. As a way of controlling territory in his expanding empire he would exile conquered peoples and replace them with people more amenavle to Assyrian rule. In addition the exiled people proved less prone to revolt. The northern kingdom of Israel gradually sucumbed to the Assyrian armies. Tiglathpileser conquers northern areas of Israel and exiles the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali (575 BC). Shalmanaser V conquers the territory of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, and exiles them. Sargan II, one of the greatest Assyria kings conquered the rest of Isreal, completing thecconquest (556 BC). This is decribed in the Bible. "And the King of Assyria took Samaria and exiled the Israelites to Assyria, and he settled them in Halah at the [River] Habor, at the River Gozan, and in the cities of Media. This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God ... they worshipped other gods and followed the customs of the nations. [2 Kings 17:6-7] The Jewish people of the northrn tribes were scattered through the Assyrian empire. These are the lost Tribes of Israel.

Babylonian Captivity (586-516 BC)

The period from the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.) to the reconstruction in PaleTstine of a new Jewish state (after 538 BC) is known as the Babylonian Captivity. A new empire arose in western Asia with the decline of the Assurian Empire, The Babylonian Empire gradually expanded and defeated the Assyrians. The ews under their king Josiah were allied with the Asyrians. The Egyptians dispateched troops to assist the Babylonians, but Josiah and the Jews at the battle of Megiddo blocked the Egyptian column. The Babylonians even without Egyptian assistance defeated the Assyrians. Babylonian became the dominant power in western Asia and conquered both Israel and Judah. The Babylonians saw the Jews as hostile, in part because they had been hard fighting Assyrian allies. The Babylonians destroyed Solomon's Temple (the First Temple), They took many many Jews hostage, chosing the Jewish elite, both men and women, and their children. Deportations like this were common imperial practices by both the Asyrians and Baylonians. The Babylonians brought the Jewish hostages to Babylon itself where they could be better controlled. Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonians and allow the Jews to return home, but not all Jews did so.

Roman Supression of the Jewish Revolt

The Roman supression of the Jewish Revolt dispersed Jews from Paestine (66-70 AD). It is at this time that Jewish comminities appear in North Africa and Europe. Jewish colonies existed in Malabar/Kerala (1st century AD).

Bnei Menashe

Northeast India or Assam is wedged between Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Bangladesh with only a narrow connection to the rest of India. In Assam is small group of people who have been practicing Judaism for more than 25 years. They call themselves Bnei Menashe and have a wonderous history. They claim to be descendants of the Tribe of Menashe, one of the ten lost tribes of Israel. The oral history of Bnei Menashe that has been passed down for 2,700 years describes their escape from slavery in Assyria to Media/Persia. From there they moved on to Afghanistan, mostly through less-travelled areas, ever on the lookout for kings or powerful people who might drag them back to slavery. From Afghanistan they travelled toward Hindu-Kush and proceeded to Tibet, then to Kaifeng, reaching the Chinese city around 240 BC. Today, the descendants of those Israelites who settled in India and Burma have different names depending on where they live. Some are known as Shinlung, some Kuki, Mizo, Lushai or Mar. Christian missionaries arrived to the Manipur area of North East India, intent on converting the local population (1894). The Kukis, having been brought up with an oral history of their link to their ancestor "Manmaseh" and other stories, recognized some of the Bible stories. They eventually converted to what they thought was the religion of their ancestors and began practicing Christianity. Some Kukis started researching the origins of their religion and realized that they were descended from Jews (1970s). They discovered that their tradition of being the "children of Manmaseh" actually referred to the tribe of Menashe. Small numbers started to learn and practice Judaism. Over a period of years the group grew, and today there are about 5,000 practicing Jews in Northeast India and across the border in Myanmar. The Kuki and Mizo tribes comprise about 1.5 million people. Those who call themselves Bnei Menashe are only a small part of the larger Kuki tribe. About 300 Bnei Menashe have gone to Israel.

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Created: 6:50 AM 2/17/2007
Last updated: 6:50 AM 2/17/2007