In a move that carries religious and political dimensions, Israel this week received a new batch of immigrants coming from India, who say they are descended from one of the “lost tribes of the children of Israel.” The arrival of this latest batch, which includes about 240 people, does not represent an isolated event, but rather falls within a broader process that aims to resettle thousands of individuals with Israeli funding, in a context that raises questions about identity and belonging. While the Israeli Minister of Immigration described the event as a "historic moment."

Published on: 04/24/2026 - 14:45

On Thursday, hundreds of Indians arrived in Israel as part of an organized migration process based on historical and religious narratives about their origins, in a move that reflects the authorities’ efforts to bring in communities that they consider part of their historical extension, despite the ongoing controversy over recognition of their religious identity.

This, and a plane loaded with about 240 Indians landed at Tel Aviv Airport, who say they are descended from one of the tribes of the children of Israel, as part of a process organized by the authorities in order to allow them to settle in Israel.

These people say that they are descended from the "Tribe of Manasseh", one of the twelve tribes according to the Torah, and they are the first arrivals among six thousand Indians whose migration to Israel was funded by Israel, who live in the states of Manipur and Mizoram in northern India.

“A historic moment,” according to the Minister of Immigration and Integration

Israeli Minister of Immigration and Integration Ofir Sofer said, "This is a historic moment," welcoming "the beginning of a process that will allow the entire community to immigrate."

Dagan Zolat, who has lived in Israel for twenty years, did not hide his feelings when he saw a man he called “my brother” as he got off the plane. He said: "We were neighbors and among the few Jews in our village."

Zulat was wearing a T-shirt bearing a picture of his son Gary, a 21-year-old soldier, who was killed during the war in the Gaza Strip in November 2024.

Read also: Israel receives Jews from Ukraine

These Indians represent themselves as descendants of Jews deported from the Holy Land following the Assyrian invasion, which historians date to the eighth century BC.

18 thousand Jews have immigrated to Israel since 2025

According to the “Young Israelites” (Returns to Israel) association, which is concerned with tracking the descendants of the “Lost Tribes of Israel,” about 4,000 from the tribe of Manasseh have immigrated to Israel since the 1990s, and about 7,000 others are still in India.

Although members of this group preserved some Jewish rituals, such as circumcision, the official rabbinate in Israel does not recognize them as Jews. In India, most of them converted to Christianity in the nineteenth century by missionaries.

The Ministry of Immigration and Integration reported that the Indians who arrived on Thursday will settle in northern Israel. They, like others, will have to begin the process of converting to Judaism to become Israeli citizens under the “Law of Return,” which automatically grants citizenship to Jews.

Since April 2025, more than 18,000 Jews have immigrated to Israel (including 6,000 from Russia, 3,500 from the United States, and 3,277 from France), i.e. 18 percent fewer than in the previous 12 months.

With AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.