Daniel Lhungdim

Daniel Lhungdim also known as T. Daniel Lhungdim (April 5, 1940 – June 11, 1998) was a scholar, songwriter and poet from the Bnei Menashe community in Manipur, India. He is known for his wide research on the origins of the Bnei Menashe and their connection to the lost tribes of Israel. His work laid the foundation for the resurgence of Jewish identity and practices among the Bnei Menashe, making him a key figure in the community’s spiritual and cultural revival.

Early life T. Daniel Lhungdim was born in 1940 in Molnom Village, Churachandpur District, Manipur, India (then part of British India). Growing up in a region deeply influenced by Christianity, Lhungdim was exposed to the Old Testament in the 1960s, which sparked his curiosity about the similarities between the customs of his people and ancient Israelite traditions.

On April 8, 1976, Lhungdim returned from Bombay with Jewish religious items, including a Tallith, Tefillin, a Torah scroll, and a copy of the Code of Jewish Laws, donated by Mrs. Esther, a Jewish woman from Bombay who had supported his journey. The synagogue’s Torah Ark in Manipur was later donated by Rivkah Lhungdim in memory of her husband, T. Daniel Lhungdim z”l.

Recognition T. Daniel Lhungdim’s seminal work Israel Ihiuve (We Are Israel), co-authored with Samuel Sumkhothang Haokip and Yosef Jangkhothang Lhanghal, is considered a foundational text in the Bnei Menashe’s journey to reclaim their Jewish identity.