Vaniah L. Binyamin

V.L. Binyamin, also known as Vanlalmalsawma, was born on October 27, 1940. From a young age, he exhibited leadership qualities. He married Sangliani, with whom he had three children, and eventually they got divorced. V.L. Binyamin remarried Shuva, with whom he also had three children.

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Contact with Jewish brethren began in the late 1960s, when T. Daniel Lhungdim conducted the inaugural documented outreach visit to the external world during his research field trip to Calcutta in 1969. During this trip, he visited libraries and engaged with individuals.

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On May 31, 1972, a small group in Churachandpur established the "Manipur Israel Family Association," with Moshe Isaac as president and Stephen Vumzakap Ngaite as secretary; the organization was subsequently renamed the Manipur Jews Organization (MJO).

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The group acquired land from Khuplal Seialiap near Boljang village and designated it as a Jewish colony, which attracted significant media attention, ultimately prompting an investigation by the Indian intelligence department.

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Several members were detained in police custody due to concerns regarding the establishment of a Jewish colony without the Indian government's knowledge. Upon learning that they were not Jewish but Indian citizens seeking to explore their Jewish ancestry due to the theory of the ten lost tribes of Israel, they were released.

On August 15, 1972, a new executive election occurred in Boljang village at the residence of Zanang Sektak. V.L. Binyamin was elected president, Vunjakap Ngaihte as general secretary, T. Daniel as assistant secretary, Moshe Isaac Vaiphei as treasurer, and three members without portfolio: Thangkamlo Vaiphei, Jamsem David Lhungdim, and Jacob Zanang Sektak.

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The newly elected president, V.L. Binyamin, along with his colleagues, Stephen Vumjakap Ngaihte and T. Daniel, traveled to Mumbai in October 1972. There, they met the Director of the Jewish Agency and visited the Consulate General of Israel. They also discovered a global Jewish institution known as ORT, which provides vocational education courses.

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Bina Caustil, Binyamin's sister, got married to an Indian Jewish man after being the first Bnei Menashe to attend ORT Bombay. She became the first Bnei Menashe woman to marry a Jewish guy.

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Finally, a few years later, his son Yoshua Binyamin attended the ORT institute as well. After three years of studies, he completed his drafsmanship training and moved to a government agency in Mizoram as a junior engineer.

In 1973, T. Daniel Lhungdim and Israel Ginzamung Suantak visited the Calcutta National Library. That same year, T. Daniel traveled to Mumbai to further his research, where he encountered a distinguished South Indian Jewish family, Esther David Immanuel, who was the first known Jewish individual to express interest in the Bnei Menashe community.

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T. Daniel returned from Bombay with three messages following his meeting with the Jewish community. Judaism is the faith of the Jewish people. Circumcision is mandatory for Jewish males. The Jews did not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, a position that caused internal conflict within the communities, as the majority fervently believed in Jesus as the Messiah.

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On October 10, 1974, the United Jews of North East India (UJNEI) was established following a schism from the MJO, with the primary aim of unifying diverse pro-Judaism factions (for details, refer to Menashe Manmashi—The Lost Tribes of Israel, Chapter 12).

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The pro-Judaic ideology introduced by T. Daniel was not embraced by numerous community members, resulting in the organization's dissolution in January 1975. T. Daniel, however, maintained the UJNEI organization with the backing of notable senior figures such as Sum Shmuel Haokip, Joseph Jangkhothang Lhanghal, David Jamkhosem Lhungdim, and Jonathan Touthang.

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In 1975, V.L. Binyamin was ousted from his presidency due to internal discord within the Manipur Jews Organization. Subsequently, Yoseph Jangkhothang Lhanghal visited V.L. Binyamin to offer consolation regarding his removal from the MJO. During this visit, Joseph encouraged V.L. Binyamin to join and lead the UJNEI organization, to which Vaniah Binyamin acquiesced and was appointed as president of UJNEI.

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Consequently, V.L. Binyamin maintained his presidency even after the rebirth of Judaism on April 21, 1976 among the Bnei Menashe, until 1986, when the synagogue was bifurcated into two: one in D. Phailen and the other in B. Vengnuom, named Beith Shalom.

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V.L. Binyamin was a prominent figure among the pioneers of Judaism throughout his life, and a letterhead bearing his name from September 26, 1977, sent by the ORT Institute, is currently housed at the Bnei Menashe Gallery Museum in Sderot, Brith Arim 16.

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In June 1977, Gideon Rei went to Bombay with Abshalom, Yosef Rohluma, and Yoshua Binyamin son of V.L. Binyamin to fulfill the ritual mitzvah of circumcision performed by Dr. Barukh Kolet. 

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Two of his children from his first wife, Sangliani, merited to immigrate to Israel with the help of Amishav Organization under the late Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail: the eldest son, Yehoshua Binyamin, currently resides in Nitzan in southern Israel, and Yerusha lives in Beith-El in Judea and Samaria, while the third child, Zimna, has already perished. Three children from his second wife, Shuva, namely Damary, Armstrong, and Rakhel, reside in Mumbai, India.

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On August 27, 1988, V.L. Binyamin passed away without having the opportunity to see the Holy Land, which he cherished throughout his life; however, his dedication, unwavering faith, and sacrifices for his community will endure in our history.