Image by Haaretz

In a covert cross-continental operation, the Jewish Agency airlifted 17 Yemeni Jews to Israel on Wednesday, reuniting members of several families who had been separated for two years.

The group included four adults and one small child flown in directly from Yemen to Ben-Gurion International Airport where they were reunited with their family members who had been previously smuggled out of Yemen and taken to Argentina two years ago by a group of Satmar Hassidim.

The other 12 Yemeni Jews had been residing in Buenos Aires, and they were taken out of Argentina clandestinely, without the knowledge of their Satmar patrons. The group consisted of four children from one family and five from another, one of whom had married and had a husband and child joining her on the flight to Israel.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Jewish Agency said the rather logistically complicated operation had been in the makings for several weeks and was prompted by concerns for the safety of the small Jewish population of Yemen, in the wake of growing threats from radical Islamist groups including Al-Qaida. These threats have intensified since the ouster of the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Israeli ministries of foreign affairs, interior and immigration absorption were also involved in the operation.

Read more on Haaretz.com.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount