Mizos in festive mood, though differently

Aizawl, Apr 8(UNI) While a larger sections of Mizos are celebrating Good Friday and the subsequent Easter Sunday, in remembrance of the salvation from sin through Jesus Christ while a small section of Mizos celebrated Passover, in remembrance of the night God, who saved their "ancestors" from death in ancient Egypt.

The largest group of Mizo Jews, who call themselves "Bnei Manashe", or the children of "Manashe", one of the lost tribes of Israel, are numbering around 5000-7000, excluding those in the neighbouring Manipur and Myanmar, according to Elisavha Khiangte, secretary, Hadas, Bnei Manashe.

The "Bnei Manashe" have observed a "national day" in Aizawl on March 30 and they were officially recognised as the "true descendants" of the biblical Manashe.

Israel's Sephardic Chief Rabbi Slomo Amar told UNI that the Bnei Manashe in the North East India were recognised as the "descendants of Manashe" on March 30, 2005.

Following the historic recognition, mass conversion of members of the community have been conducted in Aizawl in two occasions by Israel's rabbis (religious clerics) following which a large number of them have "returned" to Israel or the "Promised Land." Majority of them were eagerly looking forward to their turn to be "brought back." ''The Passover festival is celebrated for seven days, during Nissan 14-22 in the Hebrew calendar. Nissan 14 marks the night God sent the plague to Egypt to liberate the Israelites from the yoke of Egypt through Moses. The celebrations, include feasting and reading the Holy Scripts,'' Elishava said. What to be consumed during the Passover, also known as the Festival of Unleavened Bread, such as matza (unleaven bread), keroseth, etc are brought from Israel.

While in Israel the Passover was celebrated for seven days, the same was celebrated for eight days outside Israel due to different time zones.

''If we are to go by Hebrews calendar, and the fact that the Last Supper, Jesus had taken with his disciples before his death is believed to be the Passover feast. Good Friday was celebrated on Nissan 14, which in the case of this year, was April 2, Monday last week, according to Elishava.

Other than the Bnei Manashe, there are other groups of Mizos, who have claimed to be descendants of the biblical Israel, and professing Judaism.

These groups include Beith Hashem Mitraz, Assembly of Yehweh, Beth Isreal, Chhinlung Israel People's Convention (CIPC), and a few others also celebrate the Passover and all other festivals of Judaism, but not as the Bnei Manashe. In fact, only the Bnei Manashe community have been recognised by Israel as one of the lost tribes.

Coincidentally, CIPC founder president Lalchhanhima Sailo breathed his last at the Aizawl civil hospital here on Thursday, during the Passover festival.

CIPC claims that Mizos are descendants of one of the lost tribes of Israel, which "has been proved scientifically through mitochondrial DNA test". The organisation, under its energetic leader Sailo, had gone as far as the United Nations, claiming independence for the people of Mizos by virtue of being descendants of Israel. Unlike the Bnei Manashe, the CIPC has not sought for migration to Israel, but living an independent nation where they are.

The Mizo-Isrealism, which the churches have condemned as "false teachings", dates back to as early as 1960s when some "enlightened people" began to teach that the Mizos were descendants of Israel.

There has been a never-ending debate over the issue. While the converted Jews believe that they have "returned" to the land God had promised to their ancestor Abhraham, Christian writers call them "economic migrants." UNI ZS JYN RD 1428