Bnei Menashe migration to Israel hits pause button amid West Asia war

Migration of the Bnei Menashe community from Mizoram and Manipur to Israel has been postponed due to the ongoing war in West Asia, a community leader in Aizawl told TOI.

Jeremiah L. Hnamte noted that 300 members had already been selected by nine rabbis who visited Aizawl in December, along with officials from the Jewish Agency for Israel and Israeli diplomats, to screen candidates for the first wave of migration.

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Hnamte, who has been selected along his spouse and son, said though they were earlier scheduled to leave for Israel first in February and again in early March, the migration date has to be rescheduled due to war between the US-Israel combine forces and Iran. "We are expecting to be informed of the new schedule, most probably by the end of this week," he said to TOI, adding that the matter was also discussed at the congregation of the community held in the outskirts of Aizawl celebrating the Purim festival.

He, however, stated that it is yet difficult to predict the time of the migration in view of the war in West Asia as Israel itself is actively involved in the conflict.

Israel has approved a phased plan to resettle nearly 6,000 Bnei Menashe members from northeastern India by 2030, according to a recent government decision.

With TOI inputs