Over 250 members of the Bnei Menashe community from northeast India arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday as part of a government operation to relocate the group to Israel.
- Operation Wings of Dawn: The government aims to relocate the remaining 6,000 community members to Israel by 2030.
- 2026 Targets: Officials plan to fly 1,200 people to the country throughout 2026, with two additional flights scheduled in the next two weeks.
- Population Stats: Approximately 4,000 Bnei Menashe have immigrated since the 1990s, while roughly 7,000 remain in India.
The arrivals were greeted with a red carpet, blue-and-white balloons, and a rendition of “Oseh Shalom” playing through loudspeakers. Many newcomers wore traditional Orthodox Jewish attire, including knitted kippahs and head coverings for married women.
Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer described the arrival as a “historic moment,” noting that this is the beginning of an operation allowing the entire community to immigrate at a rate of 1,200 people per year.
The Process of Bnei Menashe Immigration
The Bnei Menashe community claims descent from the biblical tribe of Manasseh and has been gradually moving to Israel since the 1990s. The current acceleration follows a November decision by the government to fund the immigration of thousands more members from the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur.
Facilitated by the Shavei Israel organization, the process includes a requirement for newcomers to convert to Judaism to obtain Israeli citizenship. The community’s oral history describes a centuries-long exodus through Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, and China.
The relocation comes amid a backdrop of instability in Manipur, where periodic clashes between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community have killed more than 250 people over nearly three years.
Integration and Personal Reunions
The latest group of immigrants will be settled in an absorption center in Nof Hagalil, a northern city that already hosts a significant Bnei Menashe population. For many, the flight marked the end of years of separation from family and friends.
Dagan Zolat, a 71-year-old resident of Afula who moved to Israel in 2006, reunited with a neighbor he had not seen in nine years. Zolat, who lost his eldest son to rocket fire during the Gaza war, noted that they were among the only Jews in their village in India.
Other community members are already fully integrated into Israeli society. Amos Namte, 17, who has lived in Nof Hagalil since age four, is currently completing high school and preparing to enlist in the army as an Iron Dome air defense system operator.
Namte noted the cultural transition, describing a shift from the “humble” and “polite” values of his Asian heritage to the more open and outspoken nature of Israeli society.
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