Bnei Menashe Community from Northeast India Begins Relocation to Israel
Who Are The Bnei Menashe? Northeast India Community That Claims To Be Israel's 'Lost Tribe'
News 18
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Approximately 240 members of the Bnei Menashe community from Manipur and Mizoram in India arrived in Tel Aviv as part of a state-supported initiative to facilitate their immigration to Israel. This program aims to bring around 6,000 members of the community, who claim descent from one of Israel's lost tribes, over the coming years.
- 01240 members of the Bnei Menashe community arrived in Israel as part of a relocation program.
- 02The Israeli government aims to facilitate the immigration of around 6,000 members from India.
- 03The Bnei Menashe claim descent from the ancient tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
- 04About 4,000 Bnei Menashe have migrated to Israel since the 1990s, with around 7,000 remaining in India.
- 05The community's migration is influenced by ethnic tensions in Manipur, India.
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On Thursday, 240 members of the Bnei Menashe community from Manipur and Mizoram, India, arrived at Tel Aviv airport as part of a state-backed program aimed at relocating them to Israel. This initiative, approved in November 2022, seeks to facilitate the immigration of around 6,000 individuals from this community, who claim descent from the ancient tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Since the 1990s, approximately 4,000 Bnei Menashe have already settled in Israel, with an estimated 7,000 still in India. The Israeli government plans to bring in 1,200 members annually, with the recent arrivals expected to settle in northern Israel. Israeli Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer described this event as a “historic moment,” emphasizing its significance for community integration and demographic development in Israel. However, the community's historical claims have not been universally accepted by mainstream historians. Their migration is also influenced by ongoing ethnic tensions in Manipur, where clashes between the Hindu Meitei majority and the Christian Kuki community have resulted in over 250 deaths in recent years.
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The relocation of the Bnei Menashe community to Israel may provide them with better integration opportunities and safety amidst ongoing ethnic tensions in India.
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