When Cuba promoted aliya

Between 1951 and 1953, Cuba played a major role in bringing olim (immigrants) to Israel. Cuban pilots, it was disclosed this week, flew some 150,000 Jews from Arab countries to their escape in Israel, because Israeli pilots were not allowed to land in Arab countries. In the first years of the state, Cuban planes and pilots brought nearly 150,000 Jews to Israel from Iraq, Iran, Yemen and India,