For more than two decades, W L Hangshing, a retired Indian Revenue Service officer, has carried a dream — not of career advancement or recognition, but of spiritual return. At 68, the Kuki-Zo leader from Manipur awaits the fulfilment of his long-held aspiration to “make aliyah” — the Hebrew phrase meaning “to go up”, which represents a sacred journey, or migration, to Israel.
His story is emblematic of a community’s collective longing. Hangshing is among the 5,800 members of the Bnei Menashe in India. Spread across Manipur and Mizoram and part of the larger Kuki-Zo group, the community identifies itself as descendants of one of Israel’s 10 lost tribes.