JERUSALEM: The Israeli government has approved a large-scale plan to bring all remaining 5,800 members of the Bnei Menashe community from India’s northeast to Israel over the next five years.
The initiative aims to complete the community’s Aliyah by 2030, including 1,200 members already cleared for immigration in 2026. For the first time, the Agency will oversee the entire pre-immigration process — from eligibility interviews with the Chief Rabbinate and Conversion Authority to flight arrangements and resettlement.
The plan, presented by Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer, requires a special budget of 90 million shekels to cover travel, conversion courses, housing and language training. A large delegation of rabbis is set to visit India soon to interview around 3,000 community members with close relatives in Israel.
It is worth mentioning here that earlier groups of Bnei Menashe were settled in the Palestinian territory of West Bank.
The Bnei Menashe claim descent from an ancient Israelite tribe, and their immigration was formally enabled after a 2005 religious recognition by former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar.
Around 2,500 Bnei Menashe already live in Israeli occupied territory of West Bank, with many youth serving in the Israeli Defence Forces.
