Israel is flying approximately 250 members of the B'nei Menashe community from India to Tel Aviv this week under Operation "Wings of Dawn." The group, which believes it descends from the ancient tribe of Manasseh exiled around 2,800 years ago, has been gradually immigrating since the 1990s. About 10,000 B'nei Menashe remain in India's Manipur and Mizoram states.

The Israeli government agreed in November to help the remaining 5,800 community members immigrate en masse, with 1,200 expected this year and completion targeted by 2030. Prime Minister Netanyahu called the funding "an important and Zionist decision" that will strengthen Israel's north and Galilee regions. Israel seeks to replenish a workforce thinned by wars since the October 2023 Hamas attack.

The community maintains strong faith despite thin historical evidence supporting their lineage claim. "We have faith in the Torah," said one community member. Economic hardship drives some: Manipur's per capita economic activity is about $1,200 annually versus Israel's $55,000. Recent ethnic violence between Kuki and Meitei groups has also made life more difficult.