About 250 members of the Indian community from the northeast arrived in Israel recently, becoming the first batch of the community to do so, and more are expected to follow in the coming weeks.
The Jewish community is called Bnei Menashe, and has long resided in northeastern India, largely in Manipur and Mizoram. Their arrival in Tel Aviv is part of Israel’s broader efforts to repatriate the Jewish community under “Operation Wings of Dawn”, which was announced in November 2025.
While 250 members have arrived in Israel, about 1,200 more are expected to arrive by the end of this year, according to estimates. Jerusalem Post a report.
Who are Bnei Menashe?
The Jewish community, which has been living in some parts of Manipur and Mizoram for years, claims connection to the Meenashi tribe, one of the ten tribes that were driven into exile about 2,800 years ago.
According to A New York Times According to the report, about 10,000 people from the community live in the northeast of the country and teach their children about the importance of their religion and how their ancestors wandered from the ancient Middle East across Asia.
“We have good faith in the Israeli government. They promised that all the people of Menashe will go to Israel by 2030,” the newspaper quoted Shimon Najamthanlal, a community member, as saying.
The Bnei Manashe community is said to have a history of moving across Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet and China, while continuing to follow Jewish religious practices. Missionaries in India converted them to Christianity, and as they make their way to Israel to be in the land of the Jews, they will have to convert again to become citizens, according to a PTI report.
Since the 1990s, nearly half of the community has immigrated to Israel and about 6,000 people are still waiting.
Why does Israel want the Indian community?
In 2025, the Israeli government announced a program – Operation “Wings of Dawn”, to facilitate the emigration of the remaining members of the Jewish community. For the community transportation, the Israeli government has set a cost of about $30 million, which includes their flights, conversion classes, housing, Hebrew lessons, and other special benefits.
As stated in New York Times In the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu feels the funding is “an important Zionist decision that will also strengthen the northern and Galilee regions” of Israel.
The Beni Manashi community in India is closely associated with their religion. “We follow Judaism, and here we cannot follow all our customs,” Benjamin Hokib, a community member in Manipur, told the New York Times. “We want to go to Israel for the sake of our religion,” he said.
Operation “Wings of Dawn” is reportedly a joint initiative led by the Ministry of Immigration and Integration and the Jewish Agency for Israel. While the first flight of Bnei Menashe members landed in Tel Aviv recently, two additional flights are scheduled in the next two weeks, according to the Immigration and Integration Ministry, PTI reported.
The new arrivals received a warm welcome in Tel Aviv, where members already in the country cheered them on and walked the red carpet wearing traditional clothing.
Aliya and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer were quoted as saying in a statement: “We are making history as we bring the entire Bnei Menashe community to Israel… There is no more appropriate and poignant time to welcome a plane full of olim than right after the country’s 78th Independence Day. Welcome home.” Jerusalem Post a report.
“Aliya” is the term used to describe the migration of the Jewish people to Israel and the group making the move is called “Olim.”
