Pioneers

Daniel Thangkholun Lhungdim

Daniel Thangkholun Lhungdim was born in 1940 in Molnom Village, Churachandpur District, Manipur, India (erstwhile British India). He was the pioneer among the Bnei Menashe (commonly referred to as Kuki, Chin, Mizo, and Zomi) to study in-depth the Menashe tribe and their origin and roots as one of the lost tribes of Israel.

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Mr. Lhungdim began his research work on the Menashe tribe around 1960. The nascent period of awareness about Judaism came in 1960 when the Christian publication of the Old Testament was made available to the Bnei Menashe. [It should be noted that the popularity of the Christian faith in Northeast India bestowed the Bnei Menashe a new dimension of hope to reclaim their true identity.]

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With the Bible at their disposal, many Bnei Menashe households began initiating a new chain of thought—vis-à-vis the practice of their faith—due to the many similarities between ancient Israelites’ practices and their own customs, culture, and traditions.

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As more and more people became interested in the Jewish religion, by the early 1960s, a number of individuals began exploring the lost tribe theory further. Thereafter, they became aware of the many similarities between the laws and customs of their forefathers and those written in the Bible.

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T. Daniel Lhungdim (along with his research associates Samuel Sumkhothang Haokip and Yosef Jangkhothang Lhanghal) published "Israel Ihiuve"—literally "We are Israel"—in 1974. It is noteworthy that this work was the result of their decade-long systematic research on the lost tribes of Israel, beginning in the early 1960s.

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T. Daniel Lhungdim, a thinker and poet, was headmaster of Gandhi Memorial High School in Molnom, Churachandpur (Manipur). His deep thirst and passion to find the roots of Manmasi led him to embrace Judaism, making him arguably one of the first to practice Judaism in Northeast India. The research work he undertook on the "Lost Tribe Theory" and the different ideologies he advanced led to misunderstandings and clashes of views with close kinsmen. The Jewish faith he championed created a new social milieu that was uncongenial for him, and finally, having no better choice, he left his home and his job at the school in 1968.

Abandoning his home, the wandering scholar was provided shelter by his next of kin, Mr. David Jamkhosem Lhungdim, the then-chief of Gelmol Village in Churachandpur.

 

T. Daniel was fortunate enough to be in the company of the chief, who shared the same opinion on faith. The chief rekindled his spirit by encouraging him to continue his research work and also pledged to sponsor his project. At that time in Gelmol Village, some families had begun wearing Jewish religious skullcaps, making the village one of the first places in Churachandpur to observe semi-Judaism.

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Thereupon, T. Daniel was able to embark on research field trips to Calcutta and Bombay, visiting libraries and meeting people in the later part of the 1960s. In 1974, three men met in a photo studio called "The Lion Photo Studio." They were: (1) T. Daniel Lhungdim, (2) Jangkhothang Joseph Lhanghal, and (3) Sumthang Samuel Haokip. The trio had been researching the Bible and the origins of the Kuki tribes. The fruit of their research was the publication of the book "Israel Ihiuve" ("We are Israel"), which was an instant success and became a talking point among the Kukis in Manipur.

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The studio was founded in 1971 in New Bazaar, Churachandpur. It was later renamed Judean Photo Studio in 1976. In Northeast India, Judaism originated in Manipur, specifically in the town of Churachandpur. From this small town, the light of the original Abrahamic religion—Judaism—humbly spread incognito to other parts of Northeast India and then to the Chin State of Myanmar (then Burma).

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As noted earlier, since the early 1960s, with the initiation of the Sabbatical movement, some households in Old Gelmol Village began wearing kippot (skullcaps). The establishment of the first religious-based Jewish organization, Manipur Jews Organisation, was followed by the founding of another organization, the United Jews of Northeast India (UJNEI). Though these organizations derived their religious doctrines from the Torah, their core beliefs were still based solely on the "savior Jesus."

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The year 1973 saw another trip by T. Daniel to Calcutta and Bombay, this time accompanied by Israel Ginjamung Suantak. Upon his return to Manipur, Mr. Lhungdim brought three key messages from Bombay:

1. Judaism is the religion of the Jews,

2. Circumcision is obligatory for Jewish males and also for converts, and

3. Jews do not believe in nor recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

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In February 1976, at the behest of the UJNEI, T. Daniel made yet another trip to Bombay. There, with the generous support of a Jewish philanthropist, Mrs. Esther Immanuel, Mr. Lhungdim—along with Moshe Yitzchak Gin Vaiphei and his family—underwent brit milah (Jewish male circumcision). The brit was performed by Dr. B. Kollet, who was highly trained in the field of circumcision.

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When Mr. Lhungdim returned from Bombay that same year (April 1976), which coincided with the intermediate days of Passover (Chol Hamoed Pesach), he brought home a Sefer Torah (Torah scroll), tallitot (prayer shawls), tefillin (phylacteries), prayer books, and Jewish Halachic texts, among other items.

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It could be said that only after his return from Bombay that year did the Jewish religion begin to be observed practically for the first time by the Bnei Menashe—at least in accordance with the general laws of Judaism.

It should be noted that it was his enthusiastic and tireless work that connected the Bnei Menashe with other Jewish communities around the world. He built bridges for the Bnei Menashe community and remained in contact with the Bene Israel in Bombay and with Rabbi Efraim Eliazeri, z"l, the then-Chief Rabbi of the Indian Jewish community. Through this connection, eligible youngsters were able to study Judaism and receive professional vocational training at ORT Bombay.

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Although he did not merit to see the Land of Israel—which he cherished all his life—his wife, Rivka Lhungdim, z"l, and his three daughters, Rakhel Wisky, Esther Shatz, and Nira Haokip, along with their respective families, all merited to live in the Promised Land.