Last week, Israel welcomed the first group of olim from the Bnei Menashe tribe in India, marking a historic aliyah made possible with help from The Fellowship. Prior to their arrival, staff traveled to the remote region of India where this Jewish community lives and met families who have long dreamed of returning to their biblical homeland. For Leah, the matriarch of her family, this moment has been decades in the making.
“It’s been 35 years that I have been waiting for this moment,” she said, “My parents… they were very loving and kind, and they loved Israel—the land of Israel. From them, everything began. They realized that we are… the blood of Israelites. They believed it deeply, even before we knew what to do with that belief. They were searching for the way, how we can reach our land… how to find a way. They even helped others who were trying to go.”
Leah has three children and one grandchild, born to her oldest child. She has considered herself a faithful Jew since 1991. Like her parents, she held onto that identity as a connection to her homeland. With no access to Jewish teachers or rabbis where she lived, Leah became a self-taught observer. Keeping Shabbat and learning Hebrew were especially challenging. In 2003, her sister Esther moved to Israel. Their mother had planned to go as well but passed away before she could.
“What kept me going all these years is my faith. Everywhere, all the time… God is with me, with my family. When I am in sorrow, when I am in trouble, I ask Him, I pray to Him. When I have something, I give my gratitude. He is the one who saves us, who gives us life, who looks after us all the time.” Leah said.
Now arriving in Israel with her children and grandchild, Leah hopes to settle in Jerusalem, where her sister has lived for more than two decades. Though she is retired from teaching, she wants her family to have the opportunity to learn Hebrew and grow in the Jewish traditions that were once so difficult to access. She also carries this journey in memory of her husband, who passed away years ago. Despite the pain, she believes she will be reunited with him in spirit in the Holy Land.
“To all the people who helped us—especially the Christians who support bringing Jews to Israel—I want to say this: ‘In the eyes of God, we are all one… He is the father of us all. We should walk hand in hand.’ I give my heartfelt gratitude to all of them.”
