The Long Road Home

Little is known about the B’nei Menasseh,the 7,500 strong Jewish community residing in Northeast India. And that is what goaded 27 -year-old Zorawar Shukla to make a documentary on this subject. His debut venture,A Prayer For Aliyah is the first film ever to be made about Northeastern Jews and their quest for aliyah,which means the return of Jews to the Land of Israel.

The 30-minute documentary,which will premiere in the Capital on Thursday at the India Habitat Centre,gives an insight into the lives of three

Manipuri Jews who hold a steadfast belief that one day they will end their 2,500-year-old exile. The film starts with the residents of a village called Langol in Manipur. “The Rabbinical council of Israel told us that we have been ‘lost’ for many years and needed a way to filter us through. That is why we now practise orthodox Judaism,” says a member from the community.

Shooting in the most turbulent part of the country,Shukla and his crew overcame bomb blasts and blockades,language barriers and high fuel prices,and completed filming

under two weeks. “At first,the community was apprehensive,however,once I explained to them the non-controversial nature of my film they were cooperative,” says Shukla,who worked with Mira Nair on Midnight’s Children. “I really want to go to Israel but a hundred things need to be taken into consideration,including money,job and family. “I hope that one day all of them manage to migrate,” adds Shukla.