Who are the Bnei Menashe?

About  Bnei Menashe:

• The Bnei Menashe, known in India as the Shinlung, is an ethnic community that hails from the northeastern states of Mizoram and Manipur.
• They are a community of about 10,000 people from Tibeto-Burman ethnic group They include members of the Chin, Kuki, and Mizo groups.
• The population claims to be descendants of the Biblical tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, which were exiled by the Assyrian Empire in 722 BC.
• They are Christians converted into Jews and observe traditional Jewish practices and celebrate holidays such as Sukkot.
• After a centuries-long exodus through Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, and China, the community reached India's northeast and settled in Manipur and Mizoram.
• Historians believe this community may have arrived in India within the last 300–500 years.
• Their ancestors were exiled long before the Roman dispersion, but they continued to practice Judaism across the generations, even if not in a contemporary Orthodox way.
• Once they came into contact with Israel and global Jewry in the 1980s, they embraced modern Jewish learning and practice.
• Nearly half of the ‘Bnei Menashe’ population migrated to Israel over a period of time and became its citizens.
• Operation Wings of Dawn:
  • In 2025, the Israeli government launched ‘Operation Wings of Dawn’ to facilitate the immigration of the remaining members of the Bnei Menashe community to Israel.
  • The programme includes flights, conversion classes, housing, Hebrew lessons, and other benefits.
  • According to the recent Israeli Government plan, approximately 1,200 community members are expected to immigrate to Israel by the end of 2026.
  • A second stage, slated for completion by 2030, will bring an additional 4,600 people, effectively completing the arrival of the entire community.