Jewish-Indian MMA star to make aliyah to Israel after High Holy Days

In partnership with the Absorption Ministry and the Interior Ministry, around 722 Bnei Menashe including Hrangchal and his family will be making aliyah following the High Holy Days.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Obed Hrangchal from Bnei Menashe Jewish community in India (photo credit: SHAVEI ISRAEL)
Obed Hrangchal from Bnei Menashe Jewish community in India
(photo credit: SHAVEI ISRAEL)
Jewish-Indian MMA and Kickboxing champion Obed Hranchal will be making aliyah to Israel following the High Holy Days.
The seven silver and two bronze national medalist in Wushu, Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Karate announced that he will be making aliyah along with his parents, Gabriel and Ruth Hrangchal, and sister, Lucy in partnership with Shavei Israel- wishing to fulfill a life-long dream of moving to the Jewish state. His family is set to settle in the city of Nof HaGalil.
"I have always dreamed of making aliyah to the Land of Israel and I am very excited at the prospect of doing so. If possible, I would certainly like to join the IDF and I would be honored to represent Israel in MMA and Kickboxing competitions," Hrangchal said.
Hranchal is a member of the Bnei Menashe Jewish community in northeastern India, purportedly descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. To date, more than 4,000 members of the community have made aliyah to Israel - some 6,500 still live in India.
In partnership with the Absorption Ministry and the Interior Ministry, around 722 Bnei Menashe, including Hrangchal and his family, will be making aliyah following the High Holy Days.
"We are very proud of Obed and his impressive accomplishments and we look forward to welcoming him and his family here in Israel along with the 700-plus other Bnei Menashe whom we will be bringing on aliyah in the coming year," said Shavei Israel Founder and Chairman Michael Freund. "Obed is another outstanding example of how the Bnei Menashe can contribute to Israeli society and I hope that we will soon see him ascending the stage and winning medals for Israel worldwide."
Originally from the village of Thinghlin in Mizoram, India, Hrangchal and his family used to be the only Jewish family in town. They moved to Aizawl in 2013 to join the existing Jewish community there while awaiting their chance to make aliyah. Without the farm, and unable to work on Shabbat, Hrangchal's father found it more and more difficult to find work.
In light of that, Hrangchal sought recognition in the martial arts and became well known and well respected within the Mizoram State Sport Council and the Mizoram State Wushu Association, both affiliated with the Indian Olympic Association and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
"I started practicing martial arts from a very young age, about 6 years old, but without proper instruction," said Hrangchal. "As I grew up, I steadily improved and then I began to compete at the state level in 2014, when I competed in Chinese Kickboxing or Wushu and won second place. That same year, I began to study Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) under an instructor."
Hrangchal said that when he arrives in Israel, he doesn't just want to be a citizen, he also wants to contribute to the State of Israel - continuing his martial arts training in order to compete with the Israeli blue and white emblazoned on his uniform.