More than 250 members of the Bnei Menashe community from India’s northeastern state of Manipur arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday as part of a government-backed relocation initiative by Israel. The arrival marks the first wave of a larger immigration plan approved by the Israeli government in November, aimed at bringing thousands of people from the community to Israel over the coming years.

The group was welcomed at the airport with traditional Jewish songs and national flags, according to reports from AFP. The Bnei Menashe community claims ancestral ties to one of the “lost tribes” of Israel, specifically the tribe of Manasseh, which, according to biblical tradition, was exiled in 720 BC following Assyrian conquests. Their arrival has been described as a symbolic moment for both families and supporters of the long-standing migration effort.

According to the Israeli organisation Shavei Israel, which works to identify and assist descendants of the lost tribes, around 4,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community have already settled in Israel since the 1990s. An estimated 7,000 individuals are still believed to reside in India, primarily in Manipur and neighbouring regions, awaiting possible relocation under the ongoing programme.

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Israeli Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer said the initiative is expected to continue in phases, allowing approximately 1,200 people to immigrate each year. The current arrivals are part of a structured government plan designed to integrate the community into Israeli society while reconnecting them with what they consider their ancestral homeland.

As part of the integration process, the newly arrived group is expected to undergo formal conversion to Judaism under Israeli religious procedures, a requirement for obtaining full citizenship. Authorities say this step is necessary to align religious status with national immigration laws, while also facilitating cultural and religious integration.

Following earlier missionary-era conversions to Christianity in the 19th century, many Bnei Menashe families have maintained oral traditions linking them to ancient Jewish heritage. The current relocation effort, officials say, aims to reunite families and complete what is viewed as a historic return migration, with most of the newcomers expected to be settled in northern Israel under supervised resettlement programmes.

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