Yemen's Vanishing Jews: Operation Magic Carpet and the Last Exodus

In this episode of The History of Yemen, Lucas and Luna explore the dramatic story of Yemen's ancient Jewish community, from its legendary origins in the time of King Solomon to its near-total exodus in the mid-20th century. They trace the community's survival under Zaydi imams, the catastrophic impact of the 17th-century Mawza expulsion, and the deteriorating conditions in the 1940s that led to a mass escape. The heart of the episode is Operation Magic Carpet (1949-1950), the clandestine airlift that transported over 49,000 Yemenite Jews to the newly established state of Israel. Lucas unpacks the campaign of terror that triggered the exodus — the murder of Jews in Aden — and the complex motivations behind the operation, including Zionist ambitions and U.S. diplomatic maneuvering. He also examines the cultural shock of absorption, the tragic toll of the journey, and the handful of Jews who remained, now facing a desperate choice in the current civil war. This is a story of faith, persecution, and a community's determination to survive.

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