The quest of India's 'lost Jewish tribe'

India's Bnei Menashe community is comprised of the Mizo, Kuki and Chin peoples, who speak Tibeto-Burman languages. Their ancestors are believed to have settled in northeast India around 6,000 years ago. They converted to Christianity in the 19th century.

Quite a lot of the Bnei Menashe people are now converting back to Judaism and trying to immigrate to Israel. About 2,000 of them have already migrated to Israel, while some are planning to.

In 2005, the Israeli government started to refuse visas to the Bnei Menashe people after the mass conversions sparked political controversy in India. New Delhi believed the conversions in its insurgency-marred Manipur and Mizoram states increased threats to its national security as a large number of people were accused of forsaking loyalty to the Indian government.

Both India and Israel are skeptical of the Bnei Menashe people's intentions. They have been suspected of wanting to leave India for economic reasons. The community, however, says it is their religious duty to immigrate to the promised Holy Land.

This Bnei Menashe family is expected to move to Israel this year. Their daughter has already been living there since 2007.

The political issues have no impact on the lives of these people, who perform their religious duties devoutly. These Bnei Menashe women congregate in a synagogue every week in the Moreh town of Manipur.

This girl in Moreh shows a Jewish holy book, which has been translated into a local language.