Am-Shalem Singson, 28, member of the Bnei Menashe Jewish community who made Aliyah from Manipur, India, in 2017, was attacked last Saturday in Tiberias by two men, Shavei Israel said in a press release. The attackers first yelled “Chinese” and then “Corona! Corona!” while beating and kicking Singson hard in the chest. Singson was hospitalized in Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya, in Tiberias, with severe injuries to his chest and lungs. He is currently in stable condition.
Singson made Aliyah with his mother, grandmother and brother. He lives in Tiberias with his family and attends a Hesder Yeshiva in Ma’alot.
“I told both of the attackers that I was not even Chinese, but rather a Jew from the Bnei Menashe community, not that there is any justification for attacking a Chinese guy or anybody else,” Singson said from his hospital bed. “But they were totally crazed and kicked me hard while yelling, ‘Corona! Corona!’”
“Shavei Israel is stunned by the vicious and racist attack on Am-Shalem Singson,” said the organization’s chairman Michael Freund. “Bnei Menashe are our brothers and sisters and anyone who raises a hand against them must be brought to justice. I demand that action be taken, and I call on the police to investigate this incident immediately. The coronavirus does not distinguish between different types of Israelis based on their skin color or the shape of their eyes – and neither should anyone else.”
About 6,500 members of the Bnei Menashe community in northeast India want to immigrate to Israel. 700 of them have already received an Aliyah permit and are awaiting approval from the Israeli government to come home. More than 4,000 people from Bnei Menashe have already immigrated to Israel and have been successfully absorbed.