Why Kuki-Zo community in Mizoram and Manipur has joined Israel's fight against Hamas

The person in the video is a native of violence-hit Manipur’s Churachandpur district. However, the homeland he volunteers to guard is more than 3,000 nautical miles from Manipur.

There lies the twist in the tale.

Hausuanmang, the man in the video, represents a duality of identity that turns the clock back to 721 BC, over 2,700 years ago. The homeland he was referring to is Israel, the country he migrated to in 2000. But this is not an ordinary migration story.

Hausuanmang, who now goes by his Jewish name Yehoshua Menashe, is among 5,000-strong community of Kuki-Zo ethnicity in Israel.

‘Restored’ homeland

They have adopted Israel as their ‘restored’ homeland, making ‘Aliyah’ in four batches since the 1990s after their Biblical roots stretching back to over two-and-half centuries were claimed to have been established.

So what does Aliyah mean? The Hebrew word Aliyah literally means ascent or rise. But since 1950, when Israel opened its boundary for the Jews world over and enacted the Law of Return, the Aliyah became the official term for “immigration” to what is perceived as a “promised land” by immigrants.

Israeli rabbi late Eliyahu Avichail, who had visited Mizoram in 1986 and again in 1988-89 and 2004, named the Jews community of Zo-Kuki ancestry as Bnei Menashe, meaning descendants of Menashe. He gave the recognition after scrutinising the community’s account of their anchestral connection with Menashe, the largest of the 10 lost tribes mentioned in the Bible.

DNA testing of several hundred male members of the community in 2003–2004 did not find any Middle-East ancestry. However, a Kolkata-based study in 2005 found some traces of maternal lineage to the Near East, giving some scientific credence to the Lost-tribe theory.

Since the mid-1990s, about 1,500 people from Mizoram and another around 3,500 from Manipur have made Aliyah, said Asriel, secretary of the Mizoram chapter of Shavei Israel, an Israel-based Jewish organisation that helps people whose ancestors had become separated from Judaism to reconnect with the religion.

He said another 800 to 900 people in Mizoram and Manipur are currently awaiting their turn to make Aliyah to the holy land of their ‘actual’ origin.

Fighting Hamas

Many members of Bnei Menashe are now on the battlefield fighting Hamas which launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, prompting Israel to formally declare a war on Sunday.

“There are about 80 members of the Bnei Menashe community serving in Israel’s defence force, while another around 300 are on the reserve,” said Lalam Hangshing, president of the Bnei Menashe Council, Manipur.

Hausuanmang aka Yehoshua, whose video message went viral, is one of the reservists. When contacted, he said he was not supposed to divulge anything and that the video was meant for “friends” but it “accidentally” went viral.

In the video message, Hausuanmang said he served the Israeli army for 20 years and is now a ‘reservist’ He lives in Ofra town in northern West Bank and is a photographer by profession.

“Fortunately, all the people from the Bnei Menashe community here are safe. There is no casualty and no one is taken hostage,” said Issac Thangjom, the executive director of Degel Menashe Israel, an Israeli NGO.

According to its website, the NGO is assisting the Bnei Menashe community in Israel by encouraging its integration into Israeli society, advancing it educationally and vocationally, helping to develop its younger, Israeli-born generation, and working to preserve its cultural heritage; and in India, by strengthening it and furthering its immigration to Israel by all possible means.

Critical situation

“To say the situation is terrible will be an understatement. Hamas keeps firing rockets though their armed factories and command centre were destroyed by Israeli forces and the country’s southern border with Gaza has been secured,” said Thangjom on Wednesday.

Thangjom, who resides in a Tel Aviv suburb, said he awoke to a faint whistling sound at 6 am on Saturday. “It was Saturday, so I was a little relaxed and taking things easy. But that sound got me out of bed. As I was wondering what that nagging sound could be, the siren rang. We had no choice but to rush to nearby bomb shelters that are erected in every locality,” he recalled. Some rockets even came up to Tel Aviv, he said.

“We spent most of that morning in the bunker. Subsequently, things were back to normal and we came out. The afternoon was calm. The alarm again went off at night and we had to take refuge in the emergency bomb shelter. Since Sunday morning, it has been relatively quiet,” he added. He said many members of the Bnei Menashe community have been called up to serve the country.

It is mandatory for every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 (although there are some notable exceptions) to serve in the Defence forces. Once enlisted, men are expected to serve for a minimum of 32 months and women are expected to serve for a minimum of 24 months.

Those who are not retained in the force on competition of compulsory military service are assigned to military reserve for reinforcements during emergencies such as war, military operations or natural disasters. They serve as reservists till the age of 40.

“My three sons have completed compulsory military service and are now awaiting a call for the emergency war service,” said Peer Tlau, who migrated to Israel in November 2006 with his entire family. Tlau, a former Mizoram government official, is currently working at RH Technologies in the northern Israel city of Afula.

North unaffected

He said since the fighting is confined to southern parts of Israel, life is quite normal in Afula and other northern cities. “Things are pretty bad in the south. Many members of our Bnei Menashe community are living there, particularly in Ashkelon and Sderot,” he noted.

“One of my sons, Michael, was lucky to escape the attack. He retired from the army in September this year after 10 years of service. His unit has been posted in Sderot. Around 10 members of the unit were killed in the Hamas attack,” stated Tlau.

“Bnei Menashe community stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the Israeli citizens in our fight against the enemy. There is no question of our return to India. This is our promised land,” he added.

Prayers for peace

Back in Mizoram and Manipur, the Bnei Menashe community has been holding regular prayers since Saturday for the peace and safety of the Israeli people.

“These are trying times for us. As you know, our people in Manipur are battling the worst-ever ethnic cleansing….. And now our people have to cope with this terrorist attack in Israel…. With the grace of ‘Almighty Father’ we hope our victory will come sooner than later,” said Elishava Zodingi, an elderly member of the Bnei Menashe community in Mizoram. She said the devotees are regularly reciting Tehillim in the synagogues in Mizoram and Manipur to overcome the crisis.

Jews believe that the recitation of Tehillim in times of trouble is an “effective means of reaching out to the Lord for help when all else has failed to redress the situation.”

(With inputs from Zodin Sangha)