How Alaska Airlines Rescued Nearly 49,000 Jews from Yemen [ajXXVS05KNE]
When Yemen’s ancient Jewish community faced escalating persecution, an unlikely partner helped carry out one of the most extraordinary rescue missions in modern Jewish history. Beginning in 1949, Alaska Airlines participated in Operation On Wings of Eagles—also known as Operation Magic Carpet—airlifting nearly 49,000 Jews from Yemen to Israel. Many of the passengers had never seen an airplane before. Some believed their journey fulfilled the biblical promise of being carried to freedom “on eagles’ wings.” The flights were long, dangerous, and conducted under extraordinarily difficult conditions. By September 1950, almost the entire Jewish community of Yemen had been evacuated. Their story is part of the broader history of more than 850,000 Jews who became refugees from Arab and Muslim countries following the establishment of the State of Israel. Today, virtually no Jewish community remains in Yemen. Video attribution: Jewish Facts Daily