Over 250 people from northeast India arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on April 23, 2026, many in tears as they waved Israeli flags and reunited with their relatives they had not seen in years, NDTV reported.
They belong to the Bnei Menashe, a community from the Manipur and Mizoram that believes it descends from the Biblical tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
For most of you all, their story raises a compelling question: Who are they, and what is exactly driving them to move thousands of miles away to Israel?
Ancient claim considered it a Lost Tribe from the Bible
The Bnei Menashe, a Hebrew name meaning “Children of Manasseh”, maintain that they are descendants of the tribe of Manasseh, one of the biblical lost tribes of Israel said to have been exiled in 722 BC by the Assyrian Empire, according to Al Jazeera. To put this belief in context, during ancient time, Israel was divided into two kingdoms: the southern Kingdom of Judah, largely home to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and a northern kingdom comprising ten other tribes. The Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom and exiled the tribes living in the region. Thereafter, these tribes disappeared from historical records, earning the name “Ten Lost Tribes.” The Bnei Menashe believe their forebears were among those displaced communities.
According to their oral history, after being exiled from the Kingdom of Israel, some members of these tribes are believed to have migrated over centuries through regions such as Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, and China, while continuing to observe certain Jewish customs such as circumcision. They eventually settled around 400 years ago in the present day northeastern Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, as reported by The Times of Israel.
According to Degel Menashe, the Bnei Menashe, locally known in India as the Shinlung, are a community of around 10,000 people belonging to Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups residing along the India–Bangladesh–Myanmar border. The group includes members of the Chin, Kuki, and Mizo communities. Prior to British rule in the late 19th century, they practiced a ancestral tribal religion that featured a figure named Manasia or Manmasi. After being introduced to the Bible, many began to see parallels between their beliefs and biblical narratives, leading them to identify Manasia with Manasseh, the son of Joseph, and thus connect their origins to an ancient Israelite tribe.
Lets understand how they became Christians, Then turned towards Judaism
Citing Degel Menashe, NDTV reported that, British rule brought Christian missionaries in northeast India, and by the late 20th century large section of the Kuki and Mizo community were Christian. However, a section of the community continued to feel a deeper connection to older roots.
As reported by Al Jazeera, the Bnei Menashe movement started in 1951 when Challianthanga (also known as Challa), a Pentecostal leader from Mizoram, claimed to have had a vision identifying Israel as the ancestral homeland of his people. This belief prompted many among the Chin-Kuki-Mizo groups in northeast India to see themselves as descendants of the lost tribe of Manasseh.
By the 1970s, a Judaising movement began to develop, drawing inspiration from the Hebrew Bible, although it remained largely disconnected from mainstream global Judaism.
Is their Jewish ancestry proven?
The origins of the Bnei Menashe remain disputed. Genetic studies conducted in 2003–04 did not find clear evidence of Middle Eastern ancestry, while a 2005 analysis indicated only limited maternal links, likely shaped by long periods of intermarriage, NDTV reported. Scholars also note that many of the community’s claimed Jewish practices were already part of local traditions, and there is no documented historical evidence directly linking them to ancient Israelite lineage.
According to Times of Israel, despite these findings, in 2005, Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi, Shlomo Amar, recognised the group as descendants of a lost tribe. However, members seeking Israeli citizenship are still required to undergo formal conversion.
Operation Wings of Dawn: Israel’s plan to bring them all back
As per the Jewish News Syndicate, the latest phase of this long migration story unfolded this week. Around 6,000 members of the Bnei Menashe are expected to relocate to Israel under Operation Wings of Dawn, effectively completing their resettlement. The plan, approved by Israel in November 2025, aims to bring roughly 1,200 migrants by the end of 2026.
According to NDTV, the initiative provides comprehensive support, including airfare, religious conversion programmes, housing assistance, Hebrew language training, and help with employment and education. Most new arrivals are expected to be settled in northern Israel.
