‘Operation Wings Of Dawn’: Israel Plans Fresh Relocation Of This Community From Northeast India

Last Updated:April 23, 2026, 21:36 IST

The community numbers around 10,000 people, with nearly half already having migrated to Israel since the 1990s.

Israel is set to airlift around 250 members of the B’nei Menashe community from India to Tel Aviv under a programme called “Operation Wings of Dawn". The move marks the latest phase of a long-running effort to relocate members of the community who identify as descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, according to a report by The New York Times.

The B’nei Menashe community is concentrated largely in Manipur and Mizoram in India’s northeast. Many believe they descend from the biblical tribe of Manasseh, said in Jewish tradition to have been exiled more than 2,800 years ago.

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The community numbers around 10,000 people, with nearly half already having migrated to Israel since the 1990s. Israel now plans to help bring the remaining 5,800 members, with around 1,200 expected to relocate this year alone, as per the report. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the initiative as an “important and Zionist decision", saying it would help strengthen areas such as northern Israel and Galilee.

Labour Shortages Add Urgency

The migration drive also comes at a time when Israel faces labour shortages after the October 7 attacks and the war that followed. Military mobilisation, internal displacement and a drop in migrant workers from countries such as Nepal and Thailand have strained several sectors of the economy. Many B’nei Menashe migrants in Israel now work in construction, transport and manufacturing.

For many families, however, the motivation is deeply religious. Community members say practising Judaism fully in remote parts of northeast India can be difficult because of limited access to synagogues, kosher food and the religious quorum required for certain prayers. One member told the publication, “We have faith in the Torah… We have good faith in the Israeli government. They promised that all the B’nei Menashe will go to Israel by 2030."

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The B’nei Menashe are ethnically linked to the Kuki people and speak Tibeto-Burman languages. Many Kukis converted to Christianity in the early 20th century, but interest in possible Jewish roots grew in the 1970s after Israeli researchers noted similarities between local customs and Judaic practices.

News world ‘Operation Wings Of Dawn’: Israel Plans Fresh Relocation Of This Community From Northeast India

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