Article by Bard Professor Emeritus Sanjib Baruah Published in India Forum

Sanjib Baruah, professor emeritus of political studies at Bard College, published an article in the India Forum about the Bnei Menashe, a community of people from northeast India who self-identify as Jewish and which Israel has officially recognized as a “lost tribe.” Baruah expands on the history of how the Bnei Menashe became an emerging Jewish community in a region that saw many convert to Christianity during colonial times. “The Bnei Menashe phenomenon is the product of a process of reimagining historical myths and discovering that some of traditional Kuki-Mizo customs and practices had apparent similarities with biblical traditions,” Baruah writes. “They turned to the legend surrounding Lost Tribes to validate their new identities.” Private philanthropies and the Israeli government have deployed resources to officially reconvert these and other “lost tribes” to Judaism and permitted such communities to move to Israel.

Bard's Politics Program gives students a well-rounded understanding of political theory, American politics, comparative politics, and international relations, studying the choices we can make as individuals and the fates of communities, nations, and states.
 

Post Date: 07-28-2026