This year marks the official start of a mass migration of practicing Jews from India, who say they are one of the long lost tribes of Israel. After centuries of displacement and decades of political debate, some have already made the move to what they see as their homeland on their own.
Now, Israel is financially supporting the relocation of over 5,000 more to Nof Ha-Galil – a Jewish-Arab town. The migrants come from the state of Manipur, hit by conflict and tough economic times. DW’s Adil Bhat travelled there, and met a whole community preparing to leave.
In the ancient city of Kaifeng, China, Jewish life thrived for centuries, blending with Chinese culture while maintaining its unique identity.
Today, with no synagogue, rabbi, or official state recognition, the community has dwindled, with some making their way to Israel to reclaim their Jewish roots. Meanwhile, those who remain in Kaifeng continue to live quietly, holding onto their ancient heritage in defiance of history’s attempts to erase it.
Special thanks to the organization Shavei Israel, who provided much of the footage and images for this video. Learn more at www.shavei.org.
Featuring a discussion with the filmmakers, Dani Rotstein and Patricio Serna. NOTE: The full film was included in the webinar, but only the trailer for the series is included in this recording. Learn more about the RE-EMERGE Project here: https://www.reemergeproject.com/
The RE-EMERGE Project is a nine-part series that explores the history and identity of the Bnei Anusim—descendants of Jewish converts who are now reconnecting with their heritage across Latin America.
RE-EMERGE is an intimate and eye-opening portrait of Latin America’s emerging Jewish communities – ordinary people taking extraordinary steps to reclaim a faith that was once stripped away.
Directed by Jewish filmmaker and educator Dani Rotstein, and produced by Rotstein and Mexican filmmaker Patricio Serna, this short documentary series spotlights communities across Latin America rediscovering their Jewish identity, often after generations of silence.
The first episode is set in Puerto Rico, where a small group of devoted individuals independently built a Jewish life from scratch: learning online, gathering in a repurposed synagogue, and reconnecting with a lost heritage despite resistance from both outside and within the Jewish world.
RE-EMERGE asks what it means to “belong” and invites us to rethink who gets to be part of the Jewish story. This isn’t just a film—it’s a conversation starter, a bridge to forgotten histories, and a celebration of Jewish continuity in unexpected places, even after centuries of repression and forced assimilation.
In a nation that claims to be 100% Muslim, one teenager dared to say otherwise.
In the heart of Mogadishu, a young man named Rami lit his menorah in secret, whispered prayers no one could hear, and blogged about being Jewish in a place that denied he could even exist.
His story captivated a Jewish psychoanalyst halfway across the world—and then, just as suddenly, he vanished. Were he and his mother the last Jews in Somalia? Or merely the last ones willing to say so?
Their brief flicker of connection defies erasure—and hints at a forgotten Jewish past buried beneath fear, silence, and sand.
