AIZAWL: Like the Israelites who are fighting an unwinding war, in another part of the world one from the "Lost Tribe" is promising a battle political to raise a "New Jerusalem".
Lalthlamuani Sailo, a member of Mizoram's Jewish community, has promised to fight to build a New Jerusalem in this state of the Northeast. "I am fighting the elections to make Mizoram the New Jerusalem a Jerusalem that believes in Jesus Christ," the 63-year-old Sailo said.
Explaining her vision, she said, "The recognition of our identity is part of New Jerusalem that I envisage. I want the United Nations to recognise that we are a Lost Tribe of Israel. Also, I want to bring all Jews, scattered in parts of the Northeast and Bangladesh, under New Jerusalem".
Mizoram is currently home to around 20,000 Jews who claim to be descendants of one of the ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Some 20,000 others had migrated to Israel over the years. The community has three synagogues, one at the house of Sailo.
Sailo, who has been fielded by Zoram Thar, is contesting from Aizawl South-I Assembly constituency and is up against biggies like R Vanlalvena of ruling Congress and C Liantlinga of opposition Mizo National Front. She is the lone candidate from the Jewish community.
These days she is busy conducting house to house campaigns to woo voters. She quotes verses from the Yewah of the New Testament and appeals to voters to vote for her.
"I tell my voters it is God's calling that I am contesting the polls. I tell them that if they feel god wants them to vote for me, then vote for me,-" Sailo said. Her son, Franky, said sometimes people laugh at her but she does not get angry or discouraged. He said his mother's campaign has been very low-key.
"She has so far spent around Rs.5000, donated by friends and relatives. The money has been mostly utilized in printing pamphlets,-" the 33-year-old Franky, who is the marketing head of a company, said. He is also the president of Chhinlung Israel People Convention (CIPC), an NGO which works for the welfare of the Jewish community, called Bnei Menashe or Ephrim.
Beth Israel is their religious group. The theory that they are a Lost Tribe of Israel developed after some of them got official legitimacy. In 2005, the Sephardi Chief Rabbinate of Israel, Shlomo Amar, had recognized them as the descendants of ancient Israelites or Bnei Menashe.
"We got to know through oral as well as written history that we are one of the Lost Tribes of Israel. In 1996, we had submitted a memorandum to the UN saying that we are a lost tribe. Three years later in 1999, an identity referendum was held in Aizawl in the presence of some UN observers. We had told them that we are Jews and we want the recognition that we are descendants of the Lost Tribe. The Israel government has already admitted this. Had it not been so, it wouldn't have accepted our people," Franky argued. He said the Jewish community in Mizoram follows the Israeli traditions of Christianity.
He said the Jews in Mizoram follow the Old Testament while those in Mizoram follow both the Old Testament and the New Testament. "If she wins, she will become a legislator and it will help her to fight for our cause," Franky signed off.