The Jerusalem-based nonprofit Shavei Israel today released a new and improved version of the very first Kuki-Hebrew siddur, a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers, which the organization first published seven years ago.
The updated siddur, which is intended to be used all year round, is aimed at assisting members of the Bnei Menashe community both in India and Israel. It contains a special letter of blessing from Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, who reviewed its contents carefully.
The siddur contains the original Hebrew text according to the Sephardic rite along with a phonetic transliteration and annotations in the Kuki language.
The Bnei Menashe are descendants of the tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes exiled from the Land of Israel more than 2,700 years ago by the Assyrian empire. Thanks to Shavei Israel, there are now more than 5,000 Bnei Menashe living in Israel. Another 5,000 still reside in India and await the day when they too can make Aliya.
The Kuki language and its various dialects are a branch of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages that are spoken in the northeastern part of India where the Bnei Menashe community resides, as well as in eastern Bangladesh and western Burma.
“Shavei Israel is proud to be reissuing the first ever Hebrew-Kuki Siddur,” said Shavei Israel Founder and Chairman Rabbi Michael Freund. "When a person prays from a Siddur, he connects with his Creator and with Jewish tradition. Publishing the siddur is part of our ongoing efforts to reach out to the Bnei Menashe of northeastern India and assist them as they reconnect with the Jewish people after 2,700 years of exile.”