In 1991, Ethiopia was on the verge of chaos. As part of the IDF’s efforts to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel, the IDF carried out three top-secret operations where they brought thousands of Ethiopians to Israel in secret. The biggest operation, Operation Solomon, brought 14,325 Ethiopian Jews home to Israel on 34 planes in just 36 hours. This operation brought Staff Sergeant Ortal Ayaso’s family to Israel.
Although initially placed in a different unit, Ortal was determined to serve on the same fleet of planes that once brought her family home. After requesting to move several times, today, Ortal is a technician in the Israeli Air Force and works on the exact same plane that rescued her family.