History of Bnei Menashe Judaism
Pioneers
Moshe Itzhak Gin Vaiphei Z”L
Moshe Itzhak Gin Vaiphei Z”L
Moshe Itzhak was born in 1933 at Santing village in the Churachandpur district of Manipur. His given name was Khaikhopau, and he was the youngest son of Pu Khupgen Vaiphei and Pi Neidim. He married Miriam Phakhoniang, daughter of Pu Henkholam and Pi Neikhup, in 1960. The couple was blessed with four children. Unfortunately, one died at a very young age in Kangvai village. The remaining three sons were Simon Gin, Binyamin Gin, and Yehuda Gin. All of them made Aliyah to Israel and settled in Kiryat Arba. The youngest son, Yehuda Gin, is serving as the community rabbi in Kiryat Arba.
Moshe Itzhak was a devout individual from a very young age, as was his wife. Initially, they adhered to Presbyterian Christianity, which emphasizes trance during church services. Their eldest son, Simon, experienced a revelation during a church service in a trance at an early age, asserting that the seventh day should be observed as a day of rest and that they must abstain from consuming unclean animals as delineated in the Bible.
The revelation regarding their young son Simon profoundly affected his parents, prompting Moshe Itzhak to inquire about the Sabbath and ultimately conclude that it must indeed be observed as prescribed in the Tanakh.
As a result, they began to align themselves with Thangruma and Thangkamlo, Seventh-day Adventists who observed the seventh day as a day of rest.
Under his leadership, Moshe Isaac established a communal settlement, specifically a farming village known as the Jewish colony, near Torbung on the outskirts of Churachandpur town in 1969.
Contact with Jewish brethren commenced in the late 1960s when Daniel Lhungdim conducted his inaugural outreach visit to the external world during a research field trip to Calcutta in 1969, where he visited libraries and engaged with individuals.
Concurrently, a small collective in Churachandpur, united by a shared interest in the Sabbatical movement, established the inaugural Bnei Menashe organization, named the “Manipur Israel Family Association,” on May 31, 1972, with Mr. Moshe Isaac Gin (Khaikhopau Vaiphei) serving as president and Stephen Vumzakap Ngaihte as secretary. It was subsequently renamed to "Manipur Jews Organization (MJO)."
On August 15, 1972, a new executive election took place in Boljang village at the residence of Zanang Sektak. V.L. Benjamin, also known as Lalmalsawm, a Mizo-speaking Vaiphei, was elected as the president, followed by Vumzakap Stephen Ngaihte as the general secretary, T. Daniel Lhungdim as the assistant secretary, and Moshe Isaac Vaiphei as the treasurer. Additionally, there are three members without portfolio: Thangkamlo Vaiphei, Jamsem Lhungdim, and Jacob Zanang Sektak.
During his research expedition to Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1973, T. Daniel Lhungdim was accompanied by Israel Ginjamung Suantak. They engaged with notable members of the Jewish community in Kolkata and visited the Calcutta National Library. That year, T. Daniel returned to Bombay to further his research endeavors. He encountered a distinguished South Indian Jewish family, Esther David Immanuel. She was the inaugural individual to exhibit a genuine interest in the Bnei Menashe community, and due to their endeavors and assistance, Judaism commenced to establish its presence in Manipur and subsequently in Mizoram.
Upon their return to Manipur, T. Daniel disseminated the three messages he had acquired from Bombay to the populace: 1. Judaism is the faith of the Jews; 2. Circumcision is mandatory for Jewish-born males and for non-circumcised Jewish male converts. Jews do not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.
A significant number of members of the Manipur Jews Organization (MJO), established on August 15, 1972, to adhere to biblical laws such as Shabbat and refrain from consuming non-kosher animals, repudiated T. Daniel's message, as they staunchly believed that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah.
The MJO dissolved due to internal conflict, as its fundamental principle was the observance of Shabbat and the avoidance of impure animals, with faith in Jesus being prioritized above all else.
Consequently, on 10 October 1974, the United Jews of Northeast India (UJNEI) was founded, primarily aimed at promoting Jewish practices among the Chin, Kuki, and Mizo communities.
Regrettably, the UJNEI fell victim to the same schisms that precipitated the downfall of the MJO. The group disbanded in January 1975 due to its members' differing religious perspectives and beliefs.
The faction known as UJNEI, consisting of T. Daniel and his close associates Yosef Lhanghal and Shemuel Sumthang, now joined by Yonatan Touthang and David Jamkhosem Lhungdim, distanced themselves from Christian beliefs and endeavored to align more closely with Jewish practices.
In 1976, Miriam, the spouse of Moshe Itzhak, experienced a revelation during a spiritual trance, indicating that the family should make Aliyah to Israel; otherwise, it would jeopardize the life of her youngest son.
In the same year, the UJNEI organization sent T. Daniel to Mumbai. This was T. Daniel's last journey to Mumbai, marking the conclusion of his extensive travels for his research project on lost tribes of Israel, during which he intended to obtain a small Sefer Torah, tefillin, tzitzit, and various Jewish texts. T. Daniel was accompanied by the Moshe Isaac family, who were undertaking their Aliyah to Israel.
However, the Moshe Itzhak family was unable to fulfill their aspirations, as their desire to emigrate to the Promised Land was obstructed. They arrived in Bombay without any valid travel documentation, such as a passport or visa. Moreover, Israel was not yet attainable for the Bnei Menashe tribe during their observance of Shabbat and the regulations delineated in the Tanakh, alongside their belief in Jesus.
Despite their disappointment, the Gin family remained undeterred by the unfolding circumstances. Instead, they maximized their potential by studying Judaism, undergoing circumcision with T. Daniel, and leaving their faith in Jesus.
The Brit Milah was conducted by Dr. B. Kollet, a proficient mohel. It is significant that T. Daniel commenced the essential practices of Judaism following his return from Bombay in 1973 and articulated the necessity of circumcision while rejecting the belief in Jesus as the Messiah; however, he only accomplished the procedure in 1976 alongside the family of Moshe Isaac.
Moshe Isaac performed the circumcision in 1974; however, as previously noted, despite their observance of Shabbat and avoidance of impure animals, their belief remained intertwined with Jesus as the savior.
T. Daniel returned to Manipur on the intermediate festival (Chol HaMoed), accompanied by a small, printed Sefer Torah and assorted Jewish sacred artifacts. The occasion signifies the rebirth of Judaism within the Bnei Menashe community, accompanied by a lavish feast to commemorate the reception of the Torah through the sacrifice of an ox and two heifers on 21st of Nissan, 5736 (April 21, 1976). Moshe Isaac Gin and his family resided in Bombay for more than a month before returning to Manipur on May 26, 1976.
The synagogue, situated at the residence of Daniel Lhungdim in Tuibuong Headquarters, relocated to Phunglen Resident in New Bazaar in October 1978, having moved in March 1974.
In the same year, Daniel Lhungdim was unable to fulfill his role as spiritual leader due to financial difficulties and misunderstandings within the community. Consequently, he entrusted the Sefer Torah and UJNEI logo to synagogue chairman Moshe Isaac, Chazzan Gidon Rei, and esteemed members Jeremiah Lhungdim and Yonathan Touthang. The UJNEI conducted new elections. V.L. Binyamin was elected president, Jeremiah Lhungdim as secretary, and Moshe Isaac Vaiphei as treasurer.
In 1981, the organization UJNEI received a communication from Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail concerning the sending of youth to study in Israel. The community appointed Gideon Rei Vankhuma and Simon Gin, the son of Moshe Isaac.
In 1981, an election was conducted, resulting in the election of the following members: V.L. Benjamin (President), Jeremiah Lhungdim (General Secretary), Moshe Isaac (Vice President and Treasurer), Jonathan Touthang (Finance), Gideon Rey (Khazzan), and Jangthang Joseph (Advisor and Speaker).
In 1980 the synagogue was relocated adjacent to the Sub-Divisional Office (SDO) in Churachandpur. The Beith Shalom Synagogue established a community school in this location in 1983.
It was a primary school named Beith Shalom JB School cum Hebrew Ulpan, enrolling students up to the fifth grade. The institution received sponsorship from Moshe Isaac Vaiphei and his spouse, Miriam Vaiphei. Miriam Lhanghal (currently Miriam Samra, residing in Sydney, Australia) served as the headmistress of the school, which operated successfully for two years (1984 and 1985), yielding positive outcomes for the community.
In 1986, the synagogue Beith shalom relocated to B. Vengnuom Tuibuong, a plot donated by Sum Shemuel Sumthang in 1977, where Moshe Isaac served as chairman of Beith Shalom Synagogue, until his Aliyah to Israel on 15/05/1997.
In that year, Moshe Isaac merited immigrating to Israel, the land he had cherished through his life; he merited seeing his youngest son, Yehudah, as community rabbi in Kiryat Arba, and one of his grandsons, Salem Gin, today serves as an IDF officer.
After living a good part of his life in the land of Israel with his growing members of the family, he passed away on 20th December 2015. He was buried in Hebron Cemetery, the ancient biblical holy city of Israel. Moshe Itzhak's contributions to the Bnei Menashe community will be unforgettable, and his memory will be cherished in the history of Bnei Menashe forever.