Bnei Menashe: Coming Home, November 2006

The Bnei Menashe claim descent from the tribe of Menashe, one of the ten tribes exiled from Israel over 2,700 years ago. They reside primarily in the two Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh. Following a decision of the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Absorption to enable their aliyah, the IFCJ has contributed 1.5 million dollars towards their immigration and absorption. The Jewish Agency is facilitating the Bnei Menashe's transition into Israeli society. The force behind the aliyah of a large group of the Bnei Menashe community is Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and head of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). “We’re happy to cooperate with the Jewish Agency in assisting with the Ingathering of the Exiles, and we’ll continue to support aliyah,” states Rabbi Eckstein.