Those who will migrate includes Mizos, Paites, Kukis and Hmars from Manipur and Mizo Jews from Mizoram.
Jeremiah L Hnamte, one of the leaders of a lost tribe of Israel living in Mizoram, said, "We are arranging their documents so that they are ready to migrate whenever travel arrangements are made." Hnamte added that the 160 Mizoram Jews include children and even newborns.
"Many of those who had migrated to Israel earlier were baptized by the rabbis (priest) at the mikvehs (spiritual ponds)," said Hnamte. Gurion Sela, the first and only Mizo rabbi, also had to undergo the same ritual.
Hnamte added that after the rabbis were denied a visit to Mizoram by the government, baptism or formal conversion in Mizoram was discontinued for some time.
He said those who got selected to shift to Israel have studied Hebrew, Talmud, Halakha and Torah and also learned the culture and tradition of Jews at the Shavey Israel Hebrew Centre in Republic Veng locality of Aizawl.
The population of the Jews in Manipur is gradually increasing. Bnei Menashe are the descendants of one of the 10 lost Israeli tribes exiled by the Assyrians over 2,700 years ago, said a member of the community staying in Churachandpur district, which is predominantly settled by Chin-Kuki-Mizos.
An Israeli rabbi (priest) officially recognized them as one of the 10 lost tribes of Israel. They (Bnei Menashe) have been practising Judaism in Manipur, Mizoram, Assam and Nagaland since the last two decades.
"The total number of members of the community in the northeast is about 7,000 and most of them live in Churachandpur district of Manipur and Mizoram," said a member of the community on Tuesday.
He added, "The number of Synagogues (worship place of the Jews) in the district has increased from around 14 to 20 in the last five years, which suggests that their population is increasing."
Majority of the 899 Jews who will migrate to Israel in a phased manner from December are from Churachandpur, he said.
The Israeli cabinet's decision taken recently allowed 200 Bnei Menashe people from India to be brought to Israel by the end of this year, 400 in 2014 and 300 in 2015.
Over 274 Jews from the northeast moved Israel earlier this year. So far, about 2,000 Jews from the region have settled in Israel and half of them were from Churachandpur, he added.
BACKGROUND
* The Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribes of Manipur and Mizoram began to claim that they were descendants of the lost tribes of Israel only after they were converted to Christianity.
* With their introduction to the Bible, the Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribes saw a similarity in their pre-Christian traditions and those of the ancient Israelites.
* In 1951, Challianthanga, the head deacon of the United Pentecostal Church in Mizoram's Buallawn village, had a vision of God telling him the Mizos were descendants of the Israelites. A few families left Mizoram for Israel later, but could manage to reach only Haflong in Assam and returned to Mizoram three years later.
* Many theologians disagree that the Mizos, who belonged to the Mongoloid stock, have a racial connection with the Israelis who are Semitics.
* Chin-Kuki-Mizos, who have migrated to Israel, seem to blend easily with the local population there.
* Many young boys are already fighting the Hezbollah and other Muslim radicals shoulder to shoulder with the Israeli soldiers and a young Mizo has already become an army officer there.