The B'nei Ephraim (Hebrew for "Sons of Ephraim") is a small community in India that identifies as Jewish and claims descent from the biblical Tribe of Ephraim, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. This is a concept of a self-identified ethno-religious group, also known as the Telugu Jews because they speak Telugu. The community is primarily located in the village of Kotha Reddy Palem near Chebrolu in the Guntur district, and in Machilipatnam, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh.
The movement began in the 1980s when their leader, Shmuel Yacobi (also Shmuel Ya'acobi), a former Christian preacher, visited Jerusalem and became convinced of his people's Jewish ancestry. The problem it sought to solve was the rediscovery and reclamation of a lost religious and ethnic identity, which had been largely obscured after the community adopted aspects of Christianity following the arrival of British Baptist missionaries in the early 19th century. The community, which was originally part of the Madiga and Dalit castes, began to practice modern Judaism.
The mechanism of the B'nei Ephraim's practice involves learning Hebrew, maintaining Shabbat (the Sabbath), observing Jewish festivals, practicing circumcision, and adhering to dietary laws. They maintain two synagogues and hold services in Hebrew and Telugu. The community's claim of descent from the Tribe of Ephraim is a belief, as the Encyclopaedia Judaica notes there is no historic element to the Bene Ephraim's claim.
The B'nei Ephraim concept connects to the broader idea of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel and other Indian groups with similar claims, such as the B'nei Menashe (Children of Manasseh) in Mizoram and Manipur. The B'nei Menashe received recognition as a "Lost Seed of Israel" from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel in 2005. The B'nei Ephraim have sought recognition from rabbis worldwide and are assisted by organizations like Shavei Israel in deepening their knowledge of Jewish practice. The community has not undergone a recent, formal change in its status, but its practice has been continuously evolving since the 1980s to align with mainstream Judaism.