This film concerns a Yemenite Jewish family that was flown to Israel during "Operation Magic Carpet" - a clandestine operation that flew 49,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel the year after the state was formed - and is forced to move to a government settlement camp. The patriarch of the family tries to make money and obtain better housing, in a country that can barely provide for its own. Israel is in the midst of absorbing hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from Arab countries.
This film is an Israeli comedy film about the chaos of Israeli immigration and resettlement. This social satire placed the director Ephraim Kishon and producer Menahem Golan among the first Israeli filmmakers to achieve international success. It also introduced actor Chaim Topol (Fiddler on the Roof) to audiences worldwide.
