Operation Ali Bab

Operation Ezra Nehemiah: The Airlift of Iraqi Jews to Israel

Exodus from Iraq

Operation Ezra Nehemiah, also known as Operation Ali Baba, was a clandestine airlift operation that brought over 120,000 Jews from Iraq to Israel between the years 1950 and 1952. The operation was initially named Operation Ali Baba, after the legendary thief from the "One Thousand and One Nights" tales, as the Iraqi government was unaware of the true nature of the operation.

Codename Origins

As the operation progressed and became more widely known, it became more commonly referred to by its original code name, Operation Ezra Nehemiah. This name comes from the biblical figures Ezra and Nehemiah, who led the return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem from Babylon in the 5th century BCE.

A Plan of Deception

In order to avoid detection by the Iraqi government, the operation employed several elements of deception. The flights carrying the Jewish refugees were disguised as commercial flights, and the passengers were given false passports and new identities. The operation was also carried out with the cooperation of the British Royal Air Force, which provided covert support.