Israel to Bring 10th Lost Tribe Home from India

Israel has moved a step closer to bringing home one of the world’s most unique communities — the Bnei Menashe, a group in northeast India who Israel recognizes descendants of the Lost Tribe of Manasseh, Israel.

In a recent decision, Israel’s Parliament approved a NIS 90 million (approximately FJD 60 million) allocation to accelerate the resettlement of the remaining Bnei Menashe still living in India.

The funding supports flights, housing, Hebrew language training, and conversion processes required under Israeli religious law.

The vote signals a major shift in Israel’s long-standing approach to the Bnei Menashe, who have been waiting for years for official approval to immigrate in larger numbers.

The Bnei Menashe are an ethnic minority from Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India. For generations, they have maintained traditions and oral histories that they believe link them to the ancient Israelites — specifically the Tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes exiled around 722 BCE.

For decades, India has allowed the Bnei Menashe to openly preserve their cultural identity, operate synagogues, learn Hebrew, and maintain their traditions without major restriction.

Israel’s new plan is expected to bring about 5,800 members of the community from India to Israel by 2030, potentially completing the modern return of a group that has lived in the Indian subcontinent for hundreds — possibly thousands — of years.

If fully implemented, the decision will mark one of the largest returns of a “lost tribe” community in modern Jewish history.

For the Bnei Menashe — farmers, teachers, students, and families living in India’s remote hill regions — the vote represents not only a political milestone, but the fulfilment of a long-held spiritual promise.

Israel hopes the first wave of new arrivals will start by 2026.