The operation was organized by the Israeli government, the Jewish Agency, and the American Jewish community to save the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community as Ethiopia's civil war collapsed Mengistu Haile Mariam's dictatorship.

The operation was organized by the Israeli government, the Jewish Agency, and the American Jewish community to save the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community as Ethiopia's civil war collapsed Mengistu Haile Mariam's dictatorship. Planners stripped seats from aircraft to accommodate as many refugees as possible, most of whom carried minimal baggage.