Bnei Menashe

News: Israel has approved a plan to bring the remaining 5,800 Bnei Menashe Jews from Northeast India to the country within the next five years.

About Bnei Menashe

• The Menashe or Bnei Menashe are an indigenous community from Manipur and Mizoram in Northeast India.
• They belong mainly to the Chin, Kuki, Mizo, and Zo ethnic groups.
• The community believes it descends from the biblical Tribe of Menashe, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel exiled by the Assyrian Empire roughly 2,700 years ago.
  • According to historians, the community is believed to have reached India approximately three to five centuries ago.
  • Their claim has cultural and traditional roots, though it is not scientifically proven.
• They are Christians who have converted to Judaism and now follow traditional Jewish practices, including observing holidays like Sukkot.
  • Over the last several decades, many Bnei Menashe have embraced Jewish rituals.
• In 2005, they were recognized as “Zera Yisrael” (descendants of Israel), a classification that allowed them to pursue immigration.
• In November 2025, Israel approved a plan to bring all remaining 5,800 Bnei Menashe from Northeast India over the next five years, completing their Aliyah by 2030.