Israel: The Yemenite Children Affair

How can more than 2,000 babies simply disappear? It’s a question being asked in Israel, as the mystery of the Yemenite Children Affair nudges ever closer to the truth.

This film tells the remarkable story of the aftermath of “Operation Magic Carpet” – the 1949 relocation of almost 50,000 Jews from Yemen to the newly created state of Israel. Most settled in Israel but it is alleged several thousand babies were separated from their parents while staying in transit camps. Did these infants succumb to deadly childhood illnesses or is there a darker truth?  Evidence now suggests that many were given up for adoption without their parents’ knowledge and were raised by wealthy childless Israeli and American couples. Israel has finally acknowledged the state’s role in the Yemenite Children Affair and launched a redress scheme, but many questions remain unanswered.