Around 600 Bnei Menashe from Mizoram, Manipur to migrate to Israel by February

Aizawl: Around 600 members of the Bnei Menashe community in Mizoram and Manipur, who identify themselves as descendants of the biblical tribe of Manasseh, one of Israel's "lost tribes," are set to migrate to the promised land, Israel.

Community leader Jeremiah L. Hnamte told reporters that about 300 people from Mizoram and another 300 from neighbouring Manipur are preparing to leave for Israel by February next year.

The migration will be carried out under the Aliyah (Return to Zion) programme, he said.

More members are likely to follow later in 2026, he added.
“Our children are already in Israel. They miss us. My spouse and I will be part of the group, which will migrate to the promised land next year,” Hnamte, an entrepreneur who runs a bamboo-based industry in Aizawl’s Zuangtui area, said.

More than 2,000 from Mizoram have already been resettled in Israel.

Israel recently approved a plan to absorb nearly 6,000 Bnei Menashe by 2030.

According to the Israeli government’s decision, the group, mainly tribal ethnic communities from Mizoram and Manipur, will be settled in the Galilee region of northern Israel, an area affected by conflict with Hezbollah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the move as "important and Zionist," saying it would help strengthen Israel’s north.

The Israeli government will provide newcomers with initial financial support, Hebrew language instruction, job guidance, temporary housing, and social programmes.

The community, which practised Christianity for generations before embracing Judaism, now observes major Jewish festivals, dietary laws, and synagogue traditions while in Mizoram and Manipur.

Israel formally recognised the Bnei Menashe in March 2005, and in 2006, 218 members were allowed entry and settled in Nazareth Illit and Karmiel as part of Israel's efforts to strengthen population presence in the Galilee and Negev.

The movement resumed more steadily after 2012, and by late 2023, about 5,000 Bnei Menashe had migrated to Israel.