Alaska Airlines
I Am Yemenite Series
Medium: Glass mosaic
Materials: Stained glass, clay & metal.
Dimensions: 18” H x 14” W
Alaska Airlines
Between 1949 and 1950, nearly 50,000 Jews—most of Yemen’s Jewish population—were airlifted to Israel in an operation known as On the Wings of Eagles, also called Operation Magic Carpet. Amid rising danger and political hostility, the mission became one of the earliest large-scale civilian air evacuations, transforming the exodus of an ancient community into a modern rescue carried out by aircraft.
This mosaic was inspired by a historic photograph of Alaska Airlines pilots Warren Metzger and Marian Liscomb and honors the brave pilots and crew members who risked their lives to rescue the Jews of Yemen. For Yemenite Jews, the arrival of airplanes marked a profound physical and spiritual transition. Many were encountering aircraft for the first time and experienced them as both miraculous and overwhelming.
Over 11 months, a small group of courageous Alaska Airlines crew members carried out the evacuation. In 1949, the airline secured a charter funded by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and its pilots flew repeated night missions transporting refugees from Aden to Israel. With minimal equipment, they navigated by compass, stars, and the Red Sea, crossing hostile airspace and making critical refueling stops in Asmara, Eritrea. Each flight carried immense urgency and uncertainty.
Below is a map drawn by pilot Elgin M. Long in his 2016 book On Eagles’ Wings: An Untold Story of the Magic Carpet, charting the route over the Red Sea—the only flight corridor that avoided hostile territory where the planes risked being fired upon by surrounding countries.
Photo credit: Elgin M. Long, On Eagles’ Wings: An Untold Story of the Magic Carpet, 2016
During the evacuation, as many people as possible were crowded onto these desperate flights, reflecting both the urgency of the situation and the vulnerability of the Jews seeking escape. To maximize passenger capacity, Alaska Airlines removed all of the standard seating and replaced it with long benches.
Below is an image of a DC-4 plane retrofitted to carry as many evacuees as possible during each flight.
Photo credit: JDC Archives
Among the pilots and crew were Warren Metzger, Marian Liscomb, Bob Maguire, Clark Cole, Sam Silver, Larry Currie, Elgin Long, Bob Platt, and others who repeatedly risked their lives to bring strangers to safety. Over hundreds of flights, they helped evacuate nearly the entire Jewish population of Yemen despite immense logistical, political, and environmental challenges.
In researching this evacuation, it became clear that these Alaska bush pilots—accustomed to limited supplies and unpredictable conditions—were uniquely suited for such a perilous mission. Their experience working in remote and demanding environments helped make this extraordinary airlift possible.
The operation drew its name, On the Wings of Eagles, from biblical verses long embedded in Jewish prayer. Exodus 19:4 speaks of being “borne on eagles’ wings,” while Isaiah 40:31 describes renewed strength and the ability to “soar on wings like eagles.” For many Yemenite Jews, the airlift was understood through this spiritual language—as the fulfillment of prayers recited for generations.
The journey began long before the flights themselves. Jews from more than 1,000 villages traveled—often on foot for weeks or months—to reach Aden at the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Carrying Torah scrolls and only essential belongings, many endured severe hardship; some perished along the way or in overcrowded refugee camps marked by hunger, disease, and unsafe water.
Once in Aden, refugees waited in extremely difficult conditions until the airlifts could begin. From there, the Alaska Airlines missions became the final link in a long and arduous journey to safety.
While Operation Magic Carpet is the name most often used in historical accounts, On the Wings of Eagles carries the deeper resonance of faith and prayer, connecting the physical rescue to a spiritual narrative of protection and hope.
Through clay, glass, and metal, this work honors both the extraordinary efforts of the Alaska Airlines pilots and the resilience of the Yemenite Jewish community, bringing together faith, survival, and aviation history in a singular passage to safety.
More information: https://news.alaskaair.com/community/on-eagles-wings/