tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6243820228863559571.post3123046053564035480..comments2023-10-30T06:33:43.815-07:00Comments on Socialistplatform: Zionism Recruits Indian “Jews” as Settlersworkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082400936784871827noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6243820228863559571.post-61992018441487708532010-06-11T03:24:11.068-07:002010-06-11T03:24:11.068-07:00Whether or not one believes that the Bnei Menashe ...Whether or not one believes that the Bnei Menashe are physical descendents of the Tribe of Menashe, the important thing is that they – as you write – identify as Jews. It is this identification with the Jewish People and Tradition which makes them potentially eligible to convert to Judaism and so take their place alongside their brothers and sisters in Eretz Israel.<br />The Jews are a nation and have been ever since the Exodus (the leaving of Egypt, not the ship). So, as the New York Times reported this week, various studies have shown that most Jews share a lineage that can be traced back to the Middle East. However, over the centuries many people from various backgrounds have converted to Judaism and so become part of the nation. <br />Therefore, your comment that the Bnei Menashe do not have an ancestral connection to Middle East populations is irrelevant. The important thing is whether they have the connection now to Jewish faith and practice and commit themselves to raising their children in the same way. However, your comment re DNA implies that, in your eyes, those Jews who can show an ancestral connection to the Middle East would have a legitimate claim to residing there – and most Jews have such a connection.<br />Your claim that the Bnei Menashe are being sent to Nepal for “fast-track conversion” is based on what information? Far from having friends in high places, the Bnei Menashe have struggled to have their Jewishness recognised by the Israeli rabbinate; it has taken years for them to reach the point whereby the sincerity of their commitment (which is not based on ‘Zionist’ criteria but on their willingness to submit to the requirements of God as revealed in the Torah and Jewish Tradition) has been accepted. Even though they have lived as Jews for many years, and have suffered discrimination and even persecution as a result, they still have to undergo a formal conversion process. Given that they have already been living as Jews this process may be faster than for those people who are converting without any such experience but they will be individually evaluated no less rigorously. <br />Your hatred of Israel and the Jews who live there – and those who want to live there – is palpable. Your ignorance of the country and of the Jewish People is pervasive.Stefannoreply@blogger.com