INDIAN EMBASSY HOLD ANNUAL HAIFA BATTLE COMMEMORATION WITH B'NEI MENASHE DELEGATE IN ATTENDANCE

(8 October): The Indian Embassy in Israel held its annual commemoration on Thursday, October 7th of the conquest of Haifa by Indian troops in the final stages of World War 1. Although the commemoration usually takes place on the 23rd September, the day on which Indian troops conquered the city from its Turkish, German and Austrian defenders, it was held 2 weeks later because of previous covid19 restrictions. In attendance at the ceremony as an invited representative of the Israel's B'nei Menashe community was Isaac Thangjom, the Executive Director of Degel Menashe.

Isaac Thangjom signing the ceremony's guestbook.

While only a minor footnote in the history books, the Battle of Haifa is memorable for several reasons. It was the first time that Indian troops, who served widely in the British imperial army during World War 1 fought entirely under the command of their own officers. And it may well have been the last time in the annals of modern warfare in which an "old-fashioned" cavalry charge was successfully executed.

The battle took place during the last week of Gen. Edmund Allenby's Palestine campaign, which took a sudden turn when the British Army broke through Turkish lines in mid-September and turned what had been a standstill into a rout. The troops participating in the battle came from its ranks of Jodhpur Lancers, Mysore Lancers and the Hyderabad Lancers. Their task was to clear the narrow strip of flat land between the Mediterranean Sea and Mt Carmel on which Haifa, at that time a small town was located, and to clear the path for further advance to Acre. They faced two main obstacles: the swamp along the Kishon river, which blocked their path of the advance and the German and Austrian machine gun and artillery emplacements on the lower slope of the mountain. Armed with nothing but swords and lancers, the three battalions swept under heavy fire through the area that is now downtown Haifa and reached the Kishon while foot soldiers outflanked and captured enemy gun positions. In the end, the Turkish troops they were supposed to be supporting having fled, the Germans and the Austrians surrendered. 1,350 prisoners were taken by the Indians at the expense of 34 wounded and 8 killed, including the Commanding Officer, Dalpat Singh Shekhawat.

Indian soldiers with Indian and Israeli flags.

The ceremony of the commemoration started at 9 am at the Indian Military Cemetery at the bottom of Mt Carmel. The Indian Defense Attaché, Group Captain Sundaramani Krishnan conducted the commemoration. The Ambassador H. E. Sanjeev Singla gave a tribute on the contribution of the Jodhpur Lancers on the final

assault that liberated the Haifa from the Turks. Mr. Gary Koren followed talking about the wonderful relationship between the countries, trade, economic ties, defense and off course, tourism. Indian contingent from the UNDOF performed the Guard of Honour. The Haifa Police band played the Indian and Israeli national anthem. The last item, laying of the wreath, the first one by the Indian Ambassador and then, Mr. Gary Koren followed by imminent citizens like Mr. Nissim Moses, a Bnei Israel historian and other prominent personalities including those of Indian origin. Then it was laid by various Defense Attachès of countries like the US, Britain, Canada, Germany, Poland, South Korea, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Australia, Japan and several others.

Ambassador Singla and Defence Attaché, Group Captain Krishnan speaking at the ceremony.

Indian soldiers fought with the British Army in a number of battles in 1917-18 and some 900 are buried today in cemeteries all over Israel. Although, Gen. Allenby's conquest of Palestine is generally regarded as marginal to the conduct of World War 1, it was in fact, a crucial element in hastening the war's end with the total collapse of the Turkish 7th and 8th Army that had faced Allenby's troops, there was nothing to prevent the British from sweeping through Turkey itself and threatening German and Austrian lines from the south. When the Central Powers surrendered soon after in November 1918, the speed with which they did so was partly a result of Allenby's victory.

Guests at the ceremony.

An interesting sidelight to this story is that two battalions of Jabotinsky's Jewish Legion, the 38th and the 39th of the Royal Fusiliers, fought in the same British breakthrough. Of the opposite side of the front from the Indians, they crossed the Jordan, north of Jericho and took part in the British conquest of Trans-Jordan. The only time in which Indian and Jewish units have ever fought together, this can be thought of as the first harbinger of the close cooperation between India and Israel today.

SOME 270 B'NEI MENASHE SET TO MAKE ALIYA

(30 September) Our Newsletter has learnt that some 270 B'nei Menashe from Manipur will be leaving for Israel on the 14th October. Although no official announcement has been made, the prospective immigrants have all been informed by Shavei Israel, a private Jerusalem based organization that has been put in charge of B'nei Menashe aliya.

The group of immigrants is comprised of the last of the 722 men, women and children who were on the 2015-16 list of candidates for aliya approved by Shavei Israel and the Rabbinate. With their arrival in Israel, all B'nei Menashe approved for aliya will have made it. This leaves over 5,000 B'nei Menashe still waiting for their turn. Upon being informed of their upcoming aliya, the heads of all families involved were summoned to Shavei Israel office in Churachandpur. There they were made to pay a fee of Rupees 500 per person to have their photos taken and required to sign an oath of loyalty to Shavei Israel. In this oath, those of them who had signed the petition last February asking the Israeli government to put an end to Shavei's monopoly on B'nei Menashe aliya were made to declare that their names were put on the petition without their knowledge. No room was left for doubt that whoever refused to sign such a statement would be struck from the aliya list. Virtually all of the petition signers complied with this ultimatum. "Even though my family knew this was not true, we signed anyway because we were afraid to lose our chance for the aliya," we were told by a B'nei Menashe who asked to remain anonymous. "I would like to state clearly that I stand by my beliefs and I, like everyone else I know whose name was on the petition, signed it willingly and with full consent."

One sign of the imminent aliya was the departure from Israel for Manipur on the 29th September of Tzvi Khaute, Shavei Israel's Coordinator for B'nei Menashe affairs. Khaute was sent from Israel to make the final arrangement and supervise the proceedings.

According to informed sources, the immigrants will spend a period of time in an absorption centre in Israel where they will undergo formal conversion to Judaism, after which they will be given housing in the northern city of Nof HaGalil (Upper Nazareth). In this, they will join the two previous groups from the 2015-16 list who are now living in Nof HaGalil, too.

TRADITIONAL BNEI MENASHE SUKKOT FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT RENEWED

(30 September) Apart from the Sukkot that they build, eat and sometimes sleep, the Bnei Menashe in Israel have another holiday tradition, a gala Sukkot football tournament going back 10 years or more. The traditional tournament was skipped last year due to the covid19 epidemic but renewed during this Hol HaMoed.

The crowd at Afula.

The tournament, a two-day event, was held at the Northern city of Afula. About a thousand Bnei Menashe from all over the country-Beit El, Kiryat Arba, Sderot, Nitzan, Acco, Ma'a lot, Kiryat Shmona, Nesher, Migdal HaEmek, Beit Shean, Tiberias and Tzfat- attended the event. In addition there were dozens of other spectators, including many residents and India Persaud, a social media celebrity.

14 teams competed in the tournament. The players, all from Bnei Menashe, came from many different communities and teams that were formed especially for the event. During the year, most simply play with friends or neighborhood groups.

Match in progress.

The tournaments were held at the Afula Illit Stadium. Each team resulted in the elimination of the losing team in which the winner goes to the next stage. On the second day, with four teams left, semi-finals and the final took place, pitting FC Yehuda, a team comprised of young northerners against Los Asesinos FC, with a heavy contingent from the town of Beit El in Samaria.

The match was a "hardplayed" one, FC Yehuda scored first and led 1-0 at the end of the first half and in the second half Los Asesinos' Moshe Rey equalized it. The game then went into a two 7 minute overtime toward the end of which, Rey scored again, granting a win to Los Asesinos. As a consolation prize, however, Menakhem Haokip was voted the games' most valuable player. Los Asesinos' Moshe Wertheimer from Beit El, son of a Kuki mother and an Ashkenazi father, was voted the best goal keeper.

From the left: Moshe Rei, top scorer, Menakhem Haokip, best player and Moshe Wertheimer, best goal keeper.

Between games, many old Bnei Menashe friends and families that did not see each other all year, spent their time socializing and catching up on one another. Bnei Menashe operated stalls served a variety of home made food to the crowd, including specialties such as dumplings, chowmein, buhchhiar, aloo subzi and more.

"This is my first exposure to the Bnei Menashe community" we were told by India Persaud ,"The people were wonderful and the children adorable. I am sure it won't be the last time".

India Persaud with the winning team, Los Asesinos.