Operation "Lion of Judah"

November 21, 1984: At the height of the famine in Ethiopia between the years 1983-1985, which led to more than 400,000 deaths, on this day Israel launched operation "Lion of Judah" and brought 6,364 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

Since at the time there were no diplomatic ties between Israel and Ethiopia, the Mossad established connections with high ranked officials in neighboring Sudan, which permitted to set transit camps in the Muslim country. From Sudan, IAF transported the refugees after traveling there by foot through a difficult and arduous way in a massive airlift to Israel.

The operation came into a halt after it was leaked to the press.

Photo by Tzvika Yisraeli (GPO): Ethiopian refugees arriving in Israel in 1984.