UKHRUL, NOVEMBER 26: The Israeli government along with the Jewish Agency on Sunday (November 23) cleared the proposal to settle all remaining 5,800 members of the Bnei Menashe community from Northeast India by 2030.
The Jewish Agency, for the first time is set to handle the entire pre-immigration process. The eligibility interviews will be conducted alongside the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
The Conversion Authority and the population and Immigration Authority will organize the flights for eligible candidates and manage their absorption upon arrival.
The plan is estimated a budget of 90 million shekels (USD 27 million or INR 243 crore) covering flights, coversion programmes, housing support, Hebrew classes and other benefits.
The decision was submitted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Immigration and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer.
“It will be the largest delegation sent to date and the first in more than a decade. The delegation will interview the first half of the community, about 3,000 Bnei Menashe who have first-degree relatives in Israel,” the announcement read.
A professional and expanded delegation of rabbis is likely to leave for India in the coming days.
In the initial immigration stages of the community, the members were resettled in the West Bank.
Recently, they have been sent to towns in Northern Israel, with Nof Hagalil, a mixed Jewish-Arab city very close to Nazareth — a prime destination. According to the cabinet’s decision the thousands arriving in the coming years will also be settled there.
“This government decision reflects the shared responsibility of the State of Israel and The Jewish Agency for a national effort that is meaningful, values-driven, and deeply moving. Our extensive professional involvement in planning, preparation, transport, and absorption is central to ensuring the success of this initiative,” the agency said.
The Bnei Menashe are settled in the Indo–Myanmar frontier, with their primary settlements in the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram.
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They trace their ancestry to the tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel exiled by the Assyrian Empire nearly 2,700 years ago.
For decades, their Jewish status was a subject of intense debates until 2005, when the then Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel formally recognized them as “Zera Yisrael” (Descendants of Israel).
Around 2,500 community members already live in Israel. Local media reports say that most of their young members serve in combat units of the Israel Defence Forces.
Disclaimer: All information in this article is drawn from publicly available sources and/or insights provided by the experts consulted.