Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer and Nof Hagalil Mayor Ronen Plot, today (Thursday) attended an event, honoring the new immigrants from the Bnei Menashe community, who recently immigrated to Israel.
Since the beginning of the year, approximately 600 new immigrants from the Bnei Menashe community in Northeast India have moved to Israel, with an additional 600 expected to arrive by the end of 2026. Their immigration is being carried out as part of a government decision, which was approved following a proposal by the Aliyah and Integration Minister, to bring the entire Bnei Menashe community, numbering about 6,000 people from Northeast India, to Israel within approximately five years.
This week, the ‘Tavor’ absorption center was inaugurated in Nof Hagalil. The center will serve the new immigrants and assist them with the integration process, Hebrew language studies, and acclimating into the community and city life. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer, Jewish Agency Chairman Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Doron Almog, and Nof Hagalil Mayor Plot.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "After years of strengthening the bond between Israel and India, thanks to the warm relationship with my friend Narendra Modi, I am thrilled to see the Bnei Menashe returning home. We are going to bring the entire community to Israel over the next four years. You are an inseparable part of the Jewish People, and Israel is your home. I wish you a successful absorption and great success in the Galilee and in Nof Hagalil. Welcome back home to the State of Israel."
Aliyah and Integration Minister Sofer said: "It is deeply moving to meet the new immigrants who recently arrived in Israel and fulfilled a long-standing dream. I want to thank the Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for their support in advancing this historic decision to bring the entire Bnei Menashe community to Israel. This week, in cooperation with the Jewish Agency and the Nof Hagalil Municipality, we inaugurated the 'Tavor' absorption center. The goal is to provide the immigrants with a supportive framework that will help them learn Hebrew and Judaism, integrate into the education system and the job market, and build their homes and futures here in the State of Israel."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said: "This moving event here is clear evidence of the fulfillment of the prophetic vision of the Return to Zion in our generation. I am thrilled to celebrate together with our dear brothers from the Bnei Menashe community. You are an inseparable and essential part of the fabric of Jewish life throughout the ages, and of Israeli society here today. As promised, the government is leading a large-scale national operation to bring thousands of community members to Israel in the coming years, while investing the necessary resources for an optimal and dignified integration. We will continue to stand by your side, remove barriers, and ensure that every immigrant feels at home, takes root, and integrates into the action and building of the land. Welcome back home."
Nof Hagalil Mayor Ronen Plot said: "This is a historic moment for Nof Hagalil, which is celebrating 70 years since its founding, its growth, and the realization of the vision of absorbing immigration from all corners of the earth."