Who Are The Bnei Menashe? Northeast India Community That Claims To Be Israel's 'Lost Tribe'

Last Updated:April 24, 2026, 19:42 IST

The Bnei Menashe, meaning “Sons of Manasseh,” say they trace their ancestry to the ancient tribe of Manasseh, one of the Assyrian exile of the Ten Lost Tribes.

Around 240 people from India’s northeast landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday as part of a state-backed programme to bring members of the Bnei Menashe community to Israel.

The arrivals are part of a broader Israeli plan approved in November last year to facilitate the immigration of around 6,000 members of the community from the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram.

Who Are The Bnei Menashe?

The Bnei Menashe, meaning “Sons of Manasseh," say they trace their ancestry to the ancient tribe of Manasseh, one of the Assyrian exile of the Ten Lost Tribes, when the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered and populations were dispersed.

According to their oral traditions, the community migrated over centuries through regions including Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet and China, preserving certain religious customs along the way.

Today, they are largely associated with the Kuki people of northeast India and speak Tibeto-Burman languages. Many Kukis converted to Christianity during the colonial period, but renewed interest in possible Jewish roots emerged in the 20th century.

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