First Bnei Menashe flight lands as Israel launches operation to complete community’s Aliyah

Jerusalem Post/Aliyah240 immigrants from northeastern India arrive under the “Wings of Dawn” initiative, with thousands more expected by 2030.Bnei Menashe olim arriving in Israel, April 23, 2026.(photo credit: Maxim Dinshtein/The Jewish Agency for Israel)ByTOBIAS SIEGALAPRIL 24, 2026 10:02Israel welcomed 240 new immigrants from India’s Bnei Menashe community this week, marking the launch of a broader government-backed effort to complete the group's aliyah, according to an official statement.The arrivals, who landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Thursday, are part of Operation “Wings of Dawn,” a joint initiative led by the Aliyah and Integration Ministry and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI).The flight is the first in a series expected over the coming weeks, with approximately 600 immigrants set to arrive in three waves. Many of the new arrivals are young families who will initially settle in absorption centers in Nof HaGalil, where some will reunite with relatives who immigrated in previous years.The broader initiative aims to bring the remaining members of the Bnei Menashe community, currently living in Mizoram and Manipur states in northeast India, to Israel. According to the plan, some 1,200 additional immigrants are expected by the end of 2026, with the full relocation of approximately 6,000 community members projected by 2030.Bnei Menashe olim arriving in Israel, April 23, 2026. (credit: Maxim Dinshtein/The Jewish Agency for Israel)Initiative led by multiple government bodies, Jewish orgs, and pro-Israel groupsThe “Wings of Dawn” operation follows a government decision approved in November, spearheaded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The effort is intended both to reunite families already in Israel and to support the community’s long-term integration into Israeli society.Officials emphasized that the initiative is being carried out in coordination with multiple government bodies, including the Foreign Ministry, the Population and Immigration Authority, and the Conversion Authority, as well as international Jewish organizations and pro-Israel groups.The new olim were greeted at a reception ceremony attended by senior officials, including Sofer, Jewish Agency chair Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, World Zionist Organization chair, Yaakov Hagoel, and Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef.Addressing the new olim on Thursday, Sofer said, “We are making history as we bring the entire Bnei Menashe community to Israel… There is no more fitting and moving time to welcome a plane full of olim than right after the State's 78th Independence Day. Welcome home.”Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer, Jewish Agency Chairman Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, Jewish Agency CEO and Director General Yehuda Setton, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Yaakov Hagoel, and other leadership with the new Bnei Menashe olim, April 23, 2026. (credit: Maxim Dinshtein/The Jewish Agenc

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We are making history as we bring the entire Bnei Menashe community to Israel… There is no more fitting and moving time to welcome a plane full of olim than right after the State's 78th Independence Day. Welcome home.