Exactly 73 years ago, the last two planes covertly carrying Jews from Yemen touched down in Israel, concluding Israel’s clandestine airlift operation nicknamed Operation Magic Carpet that brought 49,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel.
After the 1947 UN Partition Plan, Muslim Yemenite rioters launched a series of pogroms against the Jewish communities in Yemen, resulting in 82 dead and countless homes destroyed. Soon after, false accusations of the murder of two Muslim Yemenite girls led to another pogrom that resulted in the destruction and looting of many Jewish homes and stores.
In light of these events, the Jews of Yemen came to an agreement that they must leave Yemen and move to Israel, whereupon Operation Magic Carpet (officially named On Wings of Eagles) was launched.
Over the course of a year and 380 flights, Israel carried out one of, if not the most, complex immigration operations in history. Eighty percent of Yemenite Jews were scattered throughout small villages, making it extremely difficult to gather everyone together.
It was also calculated that the money needed to absorb all the immigrants was more than the country could afford. Despite all the hardships, the operation was a success and Israel was able to provide a safe haven and freedom to all those who sought it.
Remembering the Farhud and the Jewish Nakba 