New Year Gifts from the Mayor and the visiting Jewish Agency

Chairman and Director to the Bnei Menashe in Sderot

 

It was an unusual day for the Bnei Menashe community in the southern city of Israel in Sderot, the weather on Wednesday 21 September was incongruously perfect, the skies were too clear and the temperature at the last week before the Jewish New Year, the Rosh Hashanah was just right, and the white and fluffy clouds of the autumn were happily roving above the growing community of the Bnei Menashe.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Upon the arrival of the Jewish New Year, the spiritually thriving community was fortunate to have unexpected gifts from the Municipality of Sderot. The variety of gift packages for Rosh Hashanah contained food, fruit, wine, chocolate, honey, and more. A gift for the holiday is the perfect way to show gratitude and care for the 116 blooming families of the Bnei Menashe by the Mayor of the city Alon Davidi and the Chairman of Merkaz Kehilati Avner Khai and his co-workers who turn the day into a happy occasion.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Meanwhile, before the distribution of the gift baskets, they were informed by Edward, an assistant to Mayor Alon Davidi, about the exciting news that the Chairman of the Jewish Agency Doron Almog and Shay Felber, Director of the Jewish Agency’s Aliyah and Absorption Unit, were coming to join the Mayor Alon Davidi in visiting the Shivtei Menashe community.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

The community was very excited to have such special guests in their synagogue. Still, the sad part was that the community could not welcome them in their own synagogue, because the Synagogue Alfei Menashe situated in Natan Elbaz 23 is a caravan, a portable building made of aluminum and other metal sidings with corrugated metal roof. The caravan is not a safe place at all since the city is under constant threat of rockets fired from Gaza, and moreover, the place was rented temporarily until the community could effort to get a permanent and safe place from the Mayor of Sderot.

Rabbi David Lhungdim gave a word of thanks to the guests, followed by the speech of the Mayor of Sderot, and then they heard from Doron Almog Chairman of the Jewish Agency, something which touches the heart of the community. Almog was a retired Israeli Army Officer (Maj. Gen. Res.) who took part in the Lebanon war, Yom Kippur war, and the War of Attrition and was also one of the IDF officers who participated in the famous rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda in July 1976, notably known as Operation Entebbe.













 

In the keynote speech of Almog, he said that his experiences as an officer the combat soldier underline the need to love and respect one another, where ever they come from. And Shai Felber Director of the Aliyah and Absorption Unit took the stage to say that the Aliyah of Bnei Menashe will resume as soon as possible. He hopes that with G-d’s blessing they will quickly see the Bnei Menashe community here in Israel without any interruption.

As our important guests left, the community started to daven Arvit (evening prayer), and as they finished the Amidah prayer, Rabbi David Lhungdim, the Rabbi of Benei Menashe community in Sderot, saw another important guest among them, and Rabbi Lhungdim could not believe his eyes because he saw one the great benefactor, Rabbi of our generation, Rabbi Kobi Levi Shlita joining their evening prayers.









 

After Arvit prayer Rabbi David Lhungdim and Rabbi Kobi Levi Shlita began to share and discusses Torah insights nearly for an hour, and the Rabbi was very excited and impressed to see one of the lost tribe of Israel, the Bnei Menashe returning to Eretz Israel, establishing their Synagogue, Yeshiva and evening Kollel. And at the end of their short meeting, they exchange blessings.

With G-d’s blessing, they hope in the coming New Year that they may be merited to see the redemption of all Israel, and hope and always pray for the Aliyah of Bnei Menashe from Manipur and Mizoram without any disputes, setbacks, and interruptions.