ADAM ZERTAL: The existence of Asherite families in Manasseh at the beginning of the Iron Age I period is well accepted (cf. Kallai 1967, 128; Aharoni 1979, 242ff; Avi Yonah 1972, column 786, which supports the Asher Taiyasir identification), as well as the name preservation of the area.
All of us at Shavei Israel are stunned at the unprovoked attack on a young #BneiMenashe Jew who was assaulted for 'looking Chinese' in the wake of the #coronavirus pandemic.Please pray for Am-shalem ben Bat-El pic.twitter.com/zZ0Jl6EkYP— Shavei Israel (@shaveiisrael) March 15, 2020
JEWISH ENCYLOPEDIA: The coast-land west of the shoulder of Carmel, though assigned to Asher, was occupied by Manasseh (Josh. xvii. 11).
Stephen Epstein: Some went down the Mekong River into Vietnam, the Philippines, Siam, Thailand and Malaysia, while some of the Israelites moved to Burma and west to India.
Esther Colney: I saw myself as the daughter of Menashe, as a Jew… People mistook us for Filipinos, for Thais or for Chinese workers. I felt that no one considered me as Jewish in Israel.
Saudamini Jain: The Bnei Menashe have consistently faced racism in Israel. They are often confused with Thai and Filipino workers despite their orthodox Jewish clothing.
Hilary Leila Krieger: "People are only looking skin-deep," countered Tzvi Kaute, who charged that the government's policy stems from the fact that he and his fellow Bnei Menashe look like Filipinos. "They are judging us on our appearance."
Yonathan Haokip: Israel is country where Jews from all parts of the world unite under one roof. There are Jews from Europe, US, Russia, Indian Jews, the Ethiopian, the Kaifeng Jews etc. Each has its own unique culture and their feature are similar to where they came from. So do the Bnei Menashe from India, who, but bears a look of Thailandis or Filipinos.
Most youngsters may refused to ignore putting a kipah on their head even if they are not really religious. Because that differentiate us from a similar feature looking people - The Thais and the Filipinos.
Ron Csillag: Shimon Gante has been mistaken as Filipino, Japanese, native Hawaiian, and a kung fu master.
Yitzhak: In Israel, we get mistaken for Filipinos and Chinese.
Shimon Gangte: And it's the same here in Israel again. You go to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, and people tell you, "You guys aren't Jewish! You look Philippine! Why are you wearing a kippah?"
Esther Thangluah: Our physical features are like Philippine and Thai people. Someone asked me if I'm looking for work as a caregiver.
Dor Shabashewitz: Today, about five thousand Bnei Menashe live in Israel, scattered between Kiryat Arba, Nof HaGalil, Sderot, Nitzan, Akko and a few other towns. Roughly as many remain in India, waiting for their chance to move to Israel. Nevertheless, most Israelis know little to nothing about the community and its unique culture, often confusing fellow Jews of Northeast Indian background with non-Jewish labor immigrants from Thailand and the Philippines.
