Operation Joshua, also known as Operation Sheba,
was the 1985 airlifting of
Ethiopian Jews
The Beta Israel ( he, בֵּיתֶא יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Bēteʾ Yīsrāʾēl''; gez, ቤተ እስራኤል, , modern ''Bēte 'Isrā'ēl'', EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "House of Israel" or "Community of Israel"), also known as Ethiopian Jews ...
from refugee camps in
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic ...
to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
Ethiopian Jews had fled to refugee camps in Sudan from
a severe famine in their country. The Israeli
Operation Moses had previously airlifted 8,000 people to Israel from November 21, 1984, to January 5, 1985,
but when word leaked out to the press, under pressure from other
Muslim countries
The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...
,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic ...
blocked further flights,
leaving many behind.
All 100
United States senators
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and power ...
signed a secret petition to President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 196 ...
, asking him to have the evacuation resumed.
[ Vice President ]George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; p ...
then arranged a follow-up mission called Operation Joshua.[ On March 22, 1985, six United States Air Force ]C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
transport aircraft were dispatched, landing near Al Qadarif. "Around 500",[ "more than 500"][ or "around 650"][ Jews were located and transported to Ovda Airport in southern Israel.
]
See also
* Aliyah from Ethiopia
*Operation Solomon
Operation Solomon ( he, מבצע שלמה, Mivtza Shlomo) was a covert Israeli military operation in May 24 to 25, 1991, to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Non-stop flights of 35 Israeli aircraft, including Israeli Air Force C-130s and El Al ...
*Jewish Agency for Israel
The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...
Further reading
*Mitchell G. Bard, ''From Tragedy to Triumph: The Politics Behind the Rescue of Ethiopian Jewry'', 2002, , p. 161 - 170
References
{{reflist
External links
Operations Moses and Joshua
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Aliyah operations
Beta Israel
United States Air Force
Airlifts
Jewish Ethiopian history
1985 in Sudan
1985 in Israel
1985 in international relations
Israel–United States military relations