PM Modi’s Israel visit delays Northeast’s Bnei Menashe migration to March

Aizawl, Feb 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day state visit to Israel has lent fresh momentum to bilateral ties and, at the margins, reshaped timelines for the long-anticipated migration of the Bnei Menashe from Mizoram and Manipur to their ancestral homeland.

PM Modi, who arrived in Tel Aviv on February 25 to a ceremonial welcome by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressed the Knesset during the visit; becoming the first Indian Prime Minster to do so.

Against this high-level diplomatic backdrop, the first batch of Bnei Menashe families scheduled to migrate to Israel in 2026 has been deferred by a few weeks.

Jeremiah L. Hnamte, a prominent Bnei Menashe leader in Aizawl, said the initial group, comprising around 300 individuals each from Mizoram and Manipur, was originally slated to depart in the latter half of February. The revised expectation now is early March.

“The first batch for this year is now anticipated to leave for the Holy Land in early March,” Hnamte said, expressing confidence that the adjustment would be temporary.

According to him, the Prime Minister’s diplomatic engagement with Israel necessitated a brief rescheduling of logistical arrangements tied to the Aliyah process.

Hnamte hopes to be among those cleared for departure, along with his wife and son. His daughter migrated to Israel a decade ago under the Aliyah programme, and another son followed five years later.

He said rabbis and representatives of the Jewish Agency had earlier indicated that applicants with close family members already settled in Israel, particularly those who migrated under Aliyah, would receive priority consideration. Yet, the final list of approved candidates remains awaited.

In December last year, nine rabbis conducted an extensive selection exercise in Aizawl during the first half of the month. Those who underwent scrutiny are still awaiting confirmation of their inclusion in the upcoming batch.

The migration forms part of a broader Israeli government decision to facilitate the phased resettlement of nearly 6,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community from the Northeast by 2030.

The move, given a green light by the country in November, reflects Israel’s continued recognition of the community’s long-standing claim of descent from the biblical tribe of Manasseh.

Often described as one of the “lost tribes of Israel”, the Bnei Menashe trace their lineage to the ancient tribe of Manasseh. Over decades, many transitioned from Christianity to Judaism, underwent formal conversion and secured recognition from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate.

Today, the community observes Jewish religious traditions, celebrates festivals such as Sukkot, and maintains synagogues across Mizoram and Manipur.

For many families, migration represents more than relocation; it is framed as a spiritual homecoming shaped by decades of faith and identity.

With diplomatic engagements temporarily influencing scheduling, community leaders remain hopeful that the revised March departure will proceed as anticipated and that the larger 2030 resettlement roadmap will stay firmly on course.