3 min readGuwahatiApr 24, 2026 07:59 PM IST
Over 240 members of the B’nei Menashe community of Manipur and Mizoram, who believe they are descendants of one of the “ten lost tribes of Israel”, were flown into Tel Aviv on Thursday night, in the first such batch of relocation of members of the community by the Israeli government.
The B’nei Menashe are a Jewish community among the Mizo and Kuki tribal communities of Manipur and Mizoram, who believe that they are descendants of the Menashe tribe.
There are about 7,000 members of the community living between Manipur and Mizoram, but many have already migrated to Israel over the years. Shavei Israel, a private body that oversees migration to Israel, said it has assisted in the movement of around 4,000 B’nei Menashe to Israel over the years. A mass emigration took place in 2006, when 213 members of the community migrated from Mizoram, followed by another 233 people from Manipur in 2007. Over 400 had emigrated in 2018.
This batch, however, is being undertaken as part of an Israeli government operation to relocate them to Israel, a move that was decided on by the Israeli cabinet last November. It had announced a decision then to set aside a special budget to cover the costs of their flights, housing, “conversion classes”, Hebrew lessons, and to transport all the members of the community by the end of 2030. The B’nei Menashe are not considered Jewish under Israeli law, and therefore their relocation to Israel required special authorisation.
A member of Degel Menashe, a B’nei Menashe organisation based in Israel, confirmed the arrival of the 249 members on Thursday night. According to the organisation, the new immigrants will be settled in various parts of northern Israel, such as Nof HaGalil and Kiryat Yam.
“This is the beginning of an operation that will allow the entire community to immigrate, 1,200 per year,” AFP quoted Immigration Minister Ofir Safer, who received them at the airport, as saying.
“This inaugural flight is just the beginning, with two additional flights scheduled to bring in a total of 600 olim in the coming weeks. Following this, an additional 600 immigrants are expected to arrive later this year, with the operation continuing steadily until 2030,” read a statement by the Degel Menashe.
