More than 250 people from northeast India landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on April 23, 2026, weeping, waving Israeli flags and embracing relatives they had not seen in years. They were members of the Bnei Menashe, a community from the Manipur and Mizoram who believe they are descendants of Biblical tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. For many Indians, their story raises a fascinating question: who exactly are these people, and why are they leaving India for a land thousands of miles away?
The Ancient Claim: A Lost Tribe From the Bible
The Bnei Menashe, a Hebrew term meaning "Children of Manasseh", believe they are descendants of the tribe of Manasseh, one of the biblical lost tribes of Israel exiled in 722 BC by the Assyrian Empire, according to Al Jazeera. To understand this claim, a little biblical history helps. During ancient times, Israel was divided into two kingdoms. The southern one, known as the Kingdom of Judah, comprised mostly the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, whilst the northern part was made up of ten other tribes. The Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom and exiled the tribes living there. These ten groups vanished from recorded history and became known as the Ten Lost Tribes. The Bnei Menashe believe their ancestors were among those exiles.
As per their oral history, after the tribes' exile from the Kingdom of Israel, some of them wandered through Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, and China for centuries, all the while adhering to certain Jewish religious practices such as circumcision, eventually settling some 400 years ago in the Mizoram and Manipur regions of northeast India, reported The Times of Israel.
Who Are They in India? The Kuki-Mizo-Chin Tribes of the Northeast
According to Degel Menashe, the Bnei Menashe, known in India as the Shinlung, are a community of about 10,000 people from Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups living near the India-Bangladesh-Myanmar border. They include members of the Chin, Kuki and Mizo groups.
Before British rule in the late 19th century, they followed an ancestral tribal religion featuring a figure called Manasia or Manmasi. After the tribe's people were introduced to Bible, many noticed similarities with their traditions and came to believe Manasia was Manasseh, son of Joseph, linking them to an ancient Israelite tribe.
How They Became Christians, Then Turned Towards Judaism
According to Degel Menashe, British rule brought Christian missionaries to northeast India, and by the late 20th century the Kuki and Mizo peoples were largely Christian. Even so, some felt their roots lay deeper.
According to Al Jazeera, the Bnei Menashe movement began in 1951 when Challianthanga (Challa), a Mizo Pentecostal leader in India, had a vision that his people's homeland was Israel. This sparked a shift among the Chin-Kuki-Mizo people in Northeast India, leading them to embrace their identity as descendants of the lost tribe of Manasseh.
In the 1970s, a Judaising movement emerged, inspired by the Hebrew Bible, though it had little contact with global Judaism. In the 1980s, Israeli rabbi Eliyahu Avichayil guided the community and taught Jewish traditions.
What Do They Practise? A Deeply Orthodox Way of Life
The Bnei Menashe strictly follow Jewish law, built synagogues in northeast India, and completed ritual mikveh baths in Mizoram and Manipur in 2005 under Israeli rabbinical supervision.
According to The Times of Israel, men wear kippahs or hats, married women cover their heads, but migrants must still undergo Orthodox conversion, as Israel does not recognise them as Jewish under the Law of Return.
Although the Bnei Menashe live Jewish lives before arriving in Israel, they undergo a conversion process there to remove any religious doubt. Most community members are young and come from the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram. The younger generation, in particular, speaks English, has at least a high-school education, and is technologically literate, as per the Ynetnews.
Is Their Jewish Ancestry Proven?
The origins of the Bnei Menashe remain disputed. DNA tests in 2003-04 found no clear Middle Eastern ancestry, while a 2005 study suggested limited maternal links shaped by long intermarriage. Researchers say many claimed Jewish customs already existed locally, with no written proof of Israelite roots. Still, in 2005 Israel's Sephardi chief rabbi recognised them as a lost tribe. Migrants must undergo formal conversion to gain citizenship.
Operation Wings of Dawn: Israel's Plan to Bring Them All Back
According to Jewish News Syndicate, the latest chapter of this long story unfolded this week. Around 6,000 migrants are expected to arrive in Israel under Operation Wings of Dawn, completing the Bnei Menashe migration. Israel approved the plan in November 2025, with about 1,200 arrivals due by the end of 2026. The programme covers flights, religious conversion classes, housing, language studies, and help with jobs and education. New arrivals will settle mainly in northern Israel. About 4,000 Bnei Menashe have already moved since the 1990s, while around 6,000 still live in India, mainly in Manipur and Mizoram. They believe this journey returns them to homeland.
