I'm Celebrating Sukkot with the Children of B'nei Menashe

Shalom Yeladim:

I want to introduce you to my new friends.

These boys belong to a community called B'nei Menashe. The people of this community say they are descendants of the tribe of Menashe which was sent into exile more than 27 centuries ago by the Assyrian Empire. In other words, the B'nei Menashe claim they are one of the lost 10 tribes!

Do you know what the words B'nei Menashe -- בני מנשה --  mean?
That's right, the sons and daughters of Menashe.

Let's go back to the time of the Bible. Who was Menashe?
He was one of Joseph's two sons. The other son was Ephraim. Many fathers bless their sons on Friday night by reciting the blessing
ישמחה אלוקים כאפריים ומנשה -- May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe.

Why this blessing?
Because Jacob blessed his two grandsons instead of their father Joseph. He wanted them to become role models for all Jews.
Here's an interesting thought: Their mother was Egyptian. Now, that's something to discuss!

Where do today's  B'nei Menashe come from?
North East India. Somewhere between Mynamar and Bangladesh is a piece of land where the Bnei Menashe have been living a Jewish way of life. Their customs and beliefs are very similar to the Biblical Children of Israel. 

AWESOME!!!!
So awesome, that when an Israeli organization called Shavei Yisrael found about them and discovered that the B'nei Menashe want to return to live in the Jewish homeland, the organization's director -- Michael Freund -- travelled to India to meet them.  Sure enough, he discovered that they celebrate Sukkot just like the rest of us. Maybe that's when he decided he would do everything to help bring this community back to Israel?!

So far, Shavei Yisrael has brought 2000 members of the B'nei Menashe to Israel. That's how I met my new friends. Close to 7,000 are still waiting back in India. I'm looking forward to meeting ALL of them, AND I'm looking forward to meeting other long lost Jews brought over by Shavei Israel.

You gotta admit: you and I, we belong to an interesting nation.

Chag Sameach!!!!




Photo Credit

I’m Getting Ready for the Sukkot-Simhat Torah Vacation

Shalom Boys & Girls: It’s me again – Zvuvi – and this time my cousin Zehava has come along for the ride.

Have I told you that Israel is a country made for kids? The best time to prove that is during the holidays. Take the Sukkot/Simhat Torah vacation, which is about to begin. There is no school for 10 whole days!!! -- starting from the day before Sukkoth and continuing through the day after Simhat Torah, because that’s Isru Chag – the carry-over day after the holiday, and school is still out. Sukkot is one of the most fun times of the year. Here’s a sneak preview so you’ll understand why.

Since Sukkot is one of the three festivals during which we should all go up to Jerusalem, I’m going to start with Israel’s capital city. Whew…what a schedule! Sooo many activities in all the museums, including puppet theater shows, scavenger hunts, arts & crafts workshops -- you name it, they’re doing it. There’s more besides museums. This year I’m going to zip by The Red Bull Festival in Sachar Park because there’s going to be a Flying Car Competition. Hey – I fly too! Maybe I can compete. I’m also going to buzz over to Ghepetto’s Woodworking Workshop held every day during Hol Hamoed in one of Jerusalem’s colleges. Uh, oh. It says kids must be accompanied by an adult. I have to tell my mother about that. She loves bird watching, so I’ll make a deal with her. I’ll join her on a family hike or a night safari held by the Jerusalem Bird Observatory if she takes me to Ghepetto.

Speaking of nature – and you’re right, I’m also a part of that – I love buzzing by all the special Sukkot events held at Israel’s National Parks.

Israel has over 60 national parks and nature reserves. I’m too much on the move to tell you about each, so check them out for yourself. The parks host all kinds of fun activities every Sukkot – from juggling to make-believe Nabatean markets as they existed thousands of years ago. There are even more nature activities in Israel’s forests. Every Succoth the Jewish National Fund becomes the Jewish National Fun with family hikes, meals, bicycle tours and more.
Many parents only work half a day each day of Hol Hamoed so that they can spend time with their children. Some even take the whole holiday off. That’s why there are periods during Sukkot when traffic can get bumper-to-bumper on Israel’s highways and by-ways. The distances in Israel are not that big, so families are out enjoying a different activity every day.

I haven’t even told you half of what goes in Israel during Sukkoth. There are fun events everywhere – in the southern desert region, in Tel Aviv and the cities surrounding it, and up north. Like I said, this was just a sneak peek. So bye for now.
Chag Sameach…Zvuvi