Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised new immigrants from India’s Bnei Menashe community on Thursday that Israel will “bring the entire community to Israel over the next four years” during an event welcoming its first members.
Approximately 600 new immigrants from the Bnei Menashe community in Northeast India have moved to Israel since the beginning of this year, with an additional 600 expected to arrive by the end of 2026.
A proposal made by the Aliyah and Integration Minister was approved by the government to bring the entire 6,000-person community to Israel in about five years.
The community currently resides in the northeastern Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram.
"After years of strengthening the bond between Israel and India, thanks to the warm relationship with my friend Narendra Modi, I am thrilled to see the Bnei Menashe returning home,” said Netanyahu during the event.
“We are going to bring the entire community to Israel over the next four years. You are an inseparable part of the Jewish People, and Israel is your home. I wish you a successful absorption and great success in the Galilee and in Nof Hagalil. Welcome back home to the State of Israel."
Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said it is “deeply moving” to witness immigrants fulfilling a long-standing dream. He thanked Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for their support in advancing the “historic decision to bring the entire Bnei Menashe community to Israel.”
Sofer also announced the inauguration of the Tavor absorption center, whose goal is to provide immigrants with a supportive framework, including helping them learn Hebrew, integrating them into the education system and the job market, and helping them build homes.
The center was created in cooperation with the Jewish Agency and the municipality of the northern city of Nof Hagalil.
Fulfilling a prophetic vision
"This moving event here is clear evidence of the fulfillment of the prophetic vision of the Return to Zion in our generation,” said Smotrich, who added that he was thrilled to celebrate together with the community.
“You are an inseparable and essential part of the fabric of Jewish life throughout the ages, and of Israeli society here today,” he told them. “We will continue to stand by your side, remove barriers, and ensure that every immigrant feels at home, takes root, and integrates into the action and building of the land. Welcome back home."
The mayor of Nof Hagalil, Ronen Plot, called the immigration a “historic moment” for the city and the “realization of the vision of absorbing immigration from all corners of the earth."