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Operation Solomon
 
 
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Operation Solomon was a 1991 covert Israeli military operation to take Ethiopian Jews
Beta Israel

The Beta Israel is the Jewish community originating in Ethiopia, but now most of which lives in Israel. They are also known as Falasha by non-Jewish Ethiopians, but this term is considered pejorative....
 to Israel.

In 1991, the sitting Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
n government of Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam

Mengistu Haile Mariam was the most prominent officer of the Derg, the military junta that governed Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and the President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991....
 was close to being toppled with the recent military successes of Eritrean
Eritrean

Eritrean may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Eritrea* A person from Eritrea, or of Eritrean descent. For information about the Eritrean people, see Demographics of Eritrea and Culture of Eritrea....
 and Tigrean
Tigray-Tigrinya people

For other uses please see TigreThe Tigray-Tigrinya are an ethnic group who live in the southern, central and northern parts of Eritrea and the northern highlands of Ethiopia's Tigray province....
 rebels, threatening Ethiopia with dangerous political destabilization. Several Jewish organizations, including the state of Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
, were concerned about the well-being of the sizable population of Ethiopian Jews, known as Beta Israel
Beta Israel

The Beta Israel is the Jewish community originating in Ethiopia, but now most of which lives in Israel. They are also known as Falasha by non-Jewish Ethiopians, but this term is considered pejorative....
, residing in Ethiopia.






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Operation Solomon was a 1991 covert Israeli military operation to take Ethiopian Jews
Beta Israel

The Beta Israel is the Jewish community originating in Ethiopia, but now most of which lives in Israel. They are also known as Falasha by non-Jewish Ethiopians, but this term is considered pejorative....
 to Israel.

In 1991, the sitting Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
n government of Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam

Mengistu Haile Mariam was the most prominent officer of the Derg, the military junta that governed Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and the President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991....
 was close to being toppled with the recent military successes of Eritrean
Eritrean

Eritrean may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Eritrea* A person from Eritrea, or of Eritrean descent. For information about the Eritrean people, see Demographics of Eritrea and Culture of Eritrea....
 and Tigrean
Tigray-Tigrinya people

For other uses please see TigreThe Tigray-Tigrinya are an ethnic group who live in the southern, central and northern parts of Eritrea and the northern highlands of Ethiopia's Tigray province....
 rebels, threatening Ethiopia with dangerous political destabilization. Several Jewish organizations, including the state of Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
, were concerned about the well-being of the sizable population of Ethiopian Jews, known as Beta Israel
Beta Israel

The Beta Israel is the Jewish community originating in Ethiopia, but now most of which lives in Israel. They are also known as Falasha by non-Jewish Ethiopians, but this term is considered pejorative....
, residing in Ethiopia. Also, the Mengistu regime had made mass emigration difficult for Beta Israel residing in Ethiopia, and the regime's dwindling power presented a promising opportunity for those Beta Israel who had been wanting to immigrate to Israel. In the previous year, 1990, the Israeli government and Israeli Defense Forces, aware of Mengistu's worsening political situation, made covert plans to airlift the Beta Israel population in Ethiopia to Israel. This became the largest emigration of Beta Israel to date.

In 36 hours, non-stop flights of 34 Israeli aircraft, including IAF
Israeli Air Force

The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the Israel Defense Forces. The current Commander in Chief is Aluf Ido Nehoshtan. The Israeli Air Force has approximately 700 aircraft....
 C-130s and El Al cargo planes, transported 14,500 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

Operation Solomon airlifted twice as many Ethiopian Jews to Israel as Operation Moses
Operation Moses

Operation Moses, refers to the covert removal of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984. The operation, named after the Bible figure Moses, was a cooperative effort between the Israel Defense Forces, the Central Intelligence Agency, the United States embassy in Khartoum, mercenary, and Sudanese state security forces....
 and Operation Joshua
Operation Joshua

Operation Joshua was the 1985 removal of 800 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan to Israel.George H. W. Bush, Vice-President of the United States at the time, arranged a CIA-sponsored follow-up mission to Operation Moses, which had brought 8000 people to Israel....
 combined. The operation set a world record for single-flight passenger load on May 24, 1991 when an El Al
El Al

El Al is the national airline of Israel. It operates regular international passenger and cargo flights between its Airline hub at Ben Gurion International Airport and destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, as well as domestic connections to Eilat....
 747
Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....
 carried 1,122 passengers to Israel (1,087 passengers were registered, but dozens of children hid in their mothers' robes). "Planners expected to fill the aircraft with 760 passengers. Because the passengers were so slight, many more were squeezed in. Two babies were born during the flight.

See also

  • Operation Moses
    Operation Moses

    Operation Moses, refers to the covert removal of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984. The operation, named after the Bible figure Moses, was a cooperative effort between the Israel Defense Forces, the Central Intelligence Agency, the United States embassy in Khartoum, mercenary, and Sudanese state security forces....
  • Operation Joshua
    Operation Joshua

    Operation Joshua was the 1985 removal of 800 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan to Israel.George H. W. Bush, Vice-President of the United States at the time, arranged a CIA-sponsored follow-up mission to Operation Moses, which had brought 8000 people to Israel....


Further reading

  • Naomi Samuel (1999). The Moon is Bread. Gefen Publishing House.
  • Shmuel Yilma (1996). From Falasha to Freedom: An Ethiopian Jew's Journey to Jerusalem. Gefen Publishing House.
  • Alisa Poskanzer (2000). Ethiopian Exodus. Gefen Publishing House.
  • Baruch Meiri (2001). The Dream Behind Bars: The Story of the Prisoners of Zion from Ethiopia. Gefen Publishing House.
  • Stephen Spector (2005). Operation Solomon: The Daring Rescue of the Ethiopian Jews. Oxford University Press.
  • Ricki Rosen (2006). Transformations: From Ethiopia to Israel.
  • Gad Shimron (2007). Mossad Exodus: The Daring Undercover Rescue of the Lost Jewish Tribe . Gefen Publishing House.