As part of Operation “Wings of Dawn,” a first group of around 240 immigrants from the Bnei Menashe community in northeastern India landed at Ben-Gurion Airport overnight on Thursday, April 23. The initiative is a joint project of the Ministry of Aliyah and the Jewish Agency.
Upon arrival, the newcomers were welcomed in a festive ceremony. Those present included Aliyah Minister Ofir Sofer, Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog, World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel, and Israel’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef.
Over the past two decades, around 4,000 members of the community have already immigrated to Israel, based on previous government decisions. Under the current plan, another roughly 1,200 people are expected to follow by the end of 2026. By 2030, Israel intends to complete the immigration of approximately 4,800 additional members from the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur. In total, the operation is expected to bring around 6,000 people to Israel, completing the migration of the entire Bnei Menashe community.
From left: Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer, World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoelder, and Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog. Photo: Maxim Dinshtein for the Jewish Agency.
Thursday’s flight was the first of three flights expected over the next two weeks. Altogether, around 600 new immigrants are expected to arrive. Among those who landed are many young families, who will initially be housed at the absorption center in Nof HaGalil. There, they will also be reunited with relatives who immigrated to Israel in previous years.
The operation was launched on the basis of a government decision made last November, initiated by Sofer, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Its goal is to complete the immigration of the entire community, enable family reunification, and promote integration in Israel.
Implementation is being handled by the Ministry of Aliyah and the Jewish Agency, in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, the relevant conversion authorities, the Population and Immigration Authority, and other institutions.
The Jewish Agency organized the preparation of the Bnei Menashe for their immigration and departure to Israel, with support from donations from the Jewish Diaspora and pro-Israel supporters around the world. These include the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Christians for Israel, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, and supporters in Korea.
This past week, Israel welcomed 240 olim from the Bnei Menashe community in northern India.
From distant corners of the world to one shared home, their journey is a powerful reminder of connection, identity, and return.
Welcome home, sisters and brothers. 🇮🇱@IsraelinIndia pic.twitter.com/989l5rfx0v
— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) April 25, 2026
The newcomers are expected to be housed in Jewish Agency absorption centers operated with the support of the Ministry of Aliyah in the northern Israeli cities of Nof HaGalil and Kiryat Yam, in cooperation with the local authorities.
Minister Sofer said: “We are making history by bringing the entire Bnei Menashe community to Israel. Today we welcomed the first plane from northern India with great joy and excitement. I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich, who joined this initiative that I launched — a step that will unite the entire community in the State of Israel.”
He added: “There is no more fitting or moving time than welcoming a plane full of immigrants shortly after the 78th Independence Day of the State. Welcome home.”
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