15:53 Jun 27, '06 / 1 Tammuz 5766
by Hana Levi Julian and Hillel Fendel
The Ministry of Absorption is holding back the immigration of 218 Jews from India whose bags have been packed and ready to go for more than nine months, according to Shavei Israel.
More than nine months after they sold their homes and all their belongings in order to immigrate to Israel, over 200 Jews from India are still stuck in the country of their birth in the wake of Absorption Minister Ze’ev Boim’s refusal to allow their arrival.
Shavei Israel, a non-governmental organization (NGO) which helps members of the
Bnei Menashe community to immigrate and acclimate to their new surroundings, has been working with the would-be immigrants on the problem.
The group, from the community of Bnei Menashe Jews in India, converted under the supervision of the official Beit Din [Jewish legal court] of the State of Israel in September 2005, led by Israel's Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Shlomo Amar. When they completed their conversion proceedings nine months ago, they became new Jews - and they all received their official conversion certificates from the State of Israel's Conversion Authority, which is part of the Prime Minister's Office.
Nonetheless, after long months of uncertainty, Boim recently decided to further delay their aliyah, claiming the legal status of the Bnei Menashe community in Israel has yet to be established.
In response, Shavei Israel threatens to file a petition "in the coming days" with the High Court of Justice on their behalf.
“Minister Boim’s attitude is not only hard to understand,” said Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund, “it is illegal.”
Minister Boim's spokesperson Shiri Krispin told Arutz-7 in response, "Minister Boim is not against the aliyah of the Bnei Menashe. He is still studying the issue, and wishes to discuss it with Prime Minister Olmert, as 7,000 people are involved. Shavei Israel asked for a meeting with Minister Boim, and we will schedule one in the coming weeks."
Asked when Boim will meet with Olmert on this issue, Krispin said, "In the same time frame; in the coming weeks."
Freund responded, "There is nothing for Mr. Boim to study. By law, the 218 Bnei Menashe who were converted by Israel's Chief Rabbinate are now Jews in every respect, and they have the right to make aliyah under the Law of Return. By trying to link the fate of the 218 who underwent conversion to the larger issue of the Bnei Menashe, the Absorption Ministry is just playing for time and this is entirely unacceptable."
The entire Bnei Menashe community numbers some 7,000 individuals who live in northeast India near the border with Burma and Bangladesh. They were declared by the official Rabbinate of Israel in March 2005 to be descendants of the Jewish people. Some 1,000 members of the community have immigrated to Israel under the auspices of Shavei Israel thus far.
“They serve in the army, volunteer for combat duty, and support themselves and their families with honest work. What does Minister Boim have against these people?” Freund demanded.
“I trust and believe that we will get past these obstacles,” Freund added,” and be able to greet the new [Bnei Menashe] immigrants at Ben Gurion Airport.”
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"They were declared by the official Rabbinate of Israel in March 2005 to be descendants of the Jewish people." Further eroding respect for the BRITISH-ordained and defunct organization. Joseph Isn't Jewish! Manasseh was a son of JOSEPH - they were JOES - never Jews. The Indian CONVERTS are not ethnic descendants of Joseph, are not Joes, and don't bear a single prophetic birthmark that only the Anglo-Saxon peoples, the British-Israelites do. They may be converts to JUDAISM, but they are not ethnic sons of Menashe! "Bnei Menashe" - Jewish CONVERTS See also Brit-Am Israel's The Burma Blues
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