The government on Sunday approved a broad plan to complete the immigration of the Bnei Menashe community from the northeastern Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur.
Under the decision, about 1,200 members of the community are expected to immigrate to Israel by the end of 2026 at a projected cost of 90 million shekels. The budget covers immigration arrangements, the community’s conversion process, housing in absorption centers, integration grants, Hebrew studies and placement in education and employment. A second phase, slated for completion by 2030, aims to bring an additional 4,600 people, effectively completing the immigration of the entire community and reuniting families already split between Israel and India.
Roughly 4,000 Bnei Menashe have arrived in Israel over the past two decades under previous government decisions. The Bnei Menashe identify as descendants of the biblical Tribe of Manasseh, one of the ten tribes exiled more than 2,700 years ago. About 5,500 have immigrated so far, many with assistance from the Shavei Israel organization.
A first delegation representing state agencies and the Chief Rabbinate will travel to India within a week to assess eligibility, in line with a 2007 government decision regulating entry for groups seeking conversion and citizenship. Once approved by the Sephardi chief rabbi, who serves as president of the Supreme Rabbinical Court, immigrants will arrive with A/5 temporary residency visas.
Most newcomers are expected to settle in Nof Hagalil and additional northern cities as part of a coordinated absorption plan involving ministries responsible for finance, foreign affairs, justice, housing, energy, culture, science, environmental protection and diaspora affairs. The effort is coordinated with Minister Zeev Elkin, who oversees the northern rehabilitation directorate.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision “important and Zionist,” saying the new arrivals would bolster the Galilee as part of a broader strategy to strengthen northern communities. He thanked his staff, Nof Hagalil Mayor Ronen Plot and the partners involved, especially Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer.
Sofer said the move would enable the community’s immigration over the next five years and comes amid rising aliyah from multiple Jewish communities worldwide. He credited Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Elkin and ministry officials for advancing the plan.
Smotrich said the decision reconnects families and fulfills a long-held yearning for Zion. He said settling newcomers in the Galilee will reinforce Israel’s presence in the north and thanked Sofer and Plot for their partnership in preparing for the community’s absorption.