Altogether 48,000 Jews were flown to Israel from Yemen. By Septem ber, 1950, Yemen was empty of Jews. God had spoken and fulfilled His promise. Probably no other prophecy in the Bible has had such an indisputable, unambiguous fulfill ment as this phrase, “I will say to Yemen, keep not back.” Obviously God had not spoken prior to 1949 on this matter. The mass move was under way and some were already in the refugee camps in Aden before the authorities in Israel heard of it. As soon, how ever, as the facts were known, an airlift was organized. Large planes, converted bombers, were flown to Aden. They contained only benches, running lengthwise in the plane. It was all new to the Yemenites. They were a primitive people, entirely un acquainted with machinery or mod ern scientific development. Only a handful of all the Jews in Yemen had ever seen a plane before, or even an automobile. With considerable trepi dation the crew was wondering, too. The roar of the motors, the move ment of the plane, the sudden lift ing from the ground, and of these could cause a stampede in the plane. A rush to the door, a crowding of all to one side or an attack upon the crew might wreck the plane. But nothing did happen. Everyone sat quietly, open-mouthed, breathless. Then the plane moved off and was airborne. Soon it was flying smooth ly with its strange human cargo. The Yemenites just smiled and explained that God had promised that, “. . . they shall mount up with wings as eagles. . . .” Here were the “eagles’ wings” provided to bring them back to Zion. God made them to know that it was time to leave.” No other explanation could meet the actual circumstances and facts. Not only did God make them to know that it was time to leave, but also He put a desire and a determination in them to do so. 34
ing, End we fulfilled the command ments as was proper, and the women and children were on the donkey. “And one day a messenger from Israel spoke before us, and strength ened our heart, and filled us with the breath of life, and said to us: ‘Do not worry. No man will remain in the exile of Yemen, and the State of Israel will not forsake you. In a little while an end will come to your troubles. There is a Jewish heart in Israel. And you too, let there be no hunger among you.’ And he fulfilled all his words. “And companies came from all the ends of Yemen, and our heart ached in its great yearning for the land of Israel. And thus we came to Aden as long as there was breath in our nos trils, bruised and robbed, weary and bereft of everything. After a way of travail, som e tim es la s tin g two months and sometimes three, there was not a penny with us nor any pos session. Also the rich among us came, most of them without money, in the same position as we, bereft of all. And they gathered us into the great camp which was near the city, and it was on the sands of the desert, and the place was too small for us all, and we lay in large numbers on the sand under the bare sky, next to one another, each family together, and mighty sand-storms raged about us, and in our heart was a prayer for Aliyah to fly ‘on eagles’ wings to our country. And we went up.” ON EAGLES' WINGS William Hull, “The actual exodus of the Jews from Yemen was not the result of Zionist propaganda from Israel or elsewhere. Except for a letter received from Jerusalem tell ing of the setting up of the State of Israel, the move was entirely spon taneous on the part of the Yemenite Jews. They had heard, too, that a new David (David Ben-Gurion, F irst Prime Minister of Israel) now ruled in Jerusalem. When the time came,
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