The community claims to descend from Manasseh, the forefather of one of the biblical \u2018lost tribes\u2019 of Israel
\n Tel Aviv
\nMore than 250 Indians claiming descent from a biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday, as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel.
\nThey are the first \u201cBnei Menashe\u201d (\u201cSons of Manasseh\u201c) to arrive in Israel since the government decided in November to fund the immigration of around 4,600 members of the community from the state of Manipur in northeast India.
\nThe community claims to descend from Manasseh, the forefather of one of the biblical \u201clost tribes\u201d of Israel exiled in 720 BC by Assyrian conquerors.
\nThe Shavei Israel organisation, which seeks to trace the descendants of the lost tribes, said that some 4,000 Bnei Menashe had already immigrated to Israel since the 1990s, with around 7,000 others still living in India.
\nTheir oral history tells of a centuries-long exodus through Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet and China, all the while adhering to certain Jewish religious practices, like circumcision. In India, they were converted to Christianity by 19th-century missionaries.
\nThe 250 Bnei Menashe who arrived on Thursday are to settle in northern Israel, according to the Ministry of Integration. They will need to convert in order to become Israeli citizens.
\nImmigration Minister Ofir Sofer, who welcomed the newcomers at the airport, told AFP that their arrival marked a \u201chistoric moment.\u201d
\n\u201cThis is the beginning of an operation that will allow the entire community to immigrate, 1,200 per year,\u201d he said.
\nManipur has seen periodic clashes for nearly three years between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community, which have killed more than 250 people. Since April 2025, more than 18,000 Jews have immigrated to Israel, down 18 per cent over the previous year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The community claims to descend from Manasseh, the forefather of one of the biblical \u2018lost tribes\u2019 of Israel Tel Aviv More than 250 Indians claiming descent from a biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday, as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel. They are the first \u201cBnei Menashe\u201d (\u201cSons […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":543353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-543332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n