Yemen Jews smuggled to U.S. amid rising inter-faith tensions
Ongoing battle with Shi'ite rebels reportedly preventing Sana'a from protecting Jewish community.
By Haaretz Service and Shlomo Shamir Tags: Yemen Jews Jewish World Israel newsAbout 60 Yemini Jews have been secretly flown in to the United States since July, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, adding that 100 more were scheduled to arrive in the coming months.
Earlier in the year Haaretz reported that the U.S. government was taking part in efforts to extricate Jews in Yemen as result of the physical harassment they had suffered from their Muslim neighbors.
The issue took on more urgency following the murder this past December of a prominent activist in the Jewish community, Moshe Yaish Nahari. It is unclear if the U.S. involvement in helping facilitate the Jews' exit from Yemen is the result of an initiative by Washington or an appeal from Israel.
The operation was reported as being the brainchild of the umbrella group United Jewish Communities, which is being aided by other organizations specializing in absorbing and resettling refugees.
The Wall Street Journal stated that there were an estimated 350 Jews left in Yemen prior to the operation, with some of which expected to emigrate to Israel, with others likely to stay behind, protected by the government in a specially-made enclave.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the operation, which was plotted with Jewish relief groups, came after a year which saw mounting harassment against Jews in Yemen.
Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has been trying to protect the country's Jewish community, but his inability to quell the Shi'ite rebellion in the north hindered his efforts, prompting the U.S. to step in.
"If we had not done anything, we feared there would be bloodshed," says Gregg Rickman, former State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.
Shaker Yakub, who was taken out of Yemen along with half a dozen members of his family out of the town Raida, told the Wall Street Jounral the operation saved his family from a life of almost unbearable intimidation.
Jews are believed to have reached what is now Yemen more than 2,500 years ago as traders for King Solomon. They survived -- and at times thrived -- over centuries of change, including the spread of Islam across the Arabian Peninsula.
"They were one of the oldest exiled groups out of Israel," says Hayim Tawil, a Yeshiva University professor who is an expert on Yemeni Jewry told the Wall Street Journal, adding that "This is the end of the Jewish Diaspora of Yemen. That's it."
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Israel purposefully taint what happens commonly in all countries with the specific actions of prejudice. All and everybody can be subject to prejudice even in the US. But Israel makes a drama of this to inflate the fears of people and accuse everybody of anti-semitism. This is becoming a case of one to many times and anti-semitism becomes real.
After all the Jews have gone from Yemen ,who will Ali Abdullah Saleh blame for his country,s ineptitude,maybe Gideon Levy can enlighten us ?
In response to Finkelstien and Silberman's text, where were they during Solomon's time? What did they base their theory on that Yemen's Jews are converts.And theories are only conjecture. Read "The Bible Unearthed" by Finkelstein and Silberman. There was no Solomonic empire and no evidence for Solomon at all. These Jews, like most, were converts.
how can they have been "exiled" out of israel? and not that matters to me; but why are they being brought to the u.s. instead of israel? or is the u.s. STILL the destination of choice.
just like we welcomed the 40,000 Lebanese who ran from the ugliness of Lebanon's wars. Works for me!!
:)
Colin Wright and Walid are pointing out how "like Iranian Jews" these Yemenite Jews that are persecuted in their own countries (which they could trace their ancestry to millenia before Mohammad's hoards came and raped the natives and turned them Muslim) are avoiding Israel for a better life in the US. Of course, they would have a hard time explaining why there are over 5 times more Iranian Jews in Israel than in Iran, and soon to be thousands of more times Yemenite Jews in Israel than in Yemen. Ditto Morrocan, Tunisian, Egyptian, Lebanese, Syrian, Algerian, Libyan, Turkish, Afghani, Pakistani Jews. Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people. Always has been, always will be. Sorry Jew-haters. You lose.
No shortage of history books to contradict the revisionists. PS Do you have a special interest in selective reading on Jews do you? Like the one on Einstein not being a supporter of Israel?
Salahudin Yemeni Jews speak Hebrew better then any other group of Jews on this face of this earth, Not only do they speak better Hebrew then any other Jew, any time a Yemeni Jew participates in the International Bible Contest, you can be sure he is the one who will win, that is how it has been ever since this contest has been going on! So, spare me your theories on who are the Yemeni Jews! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwVvwo_NSwk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4bXA57svfM
Is UN going to set up fund for these Jewish refugees fleeing Yemen? They have maintained UNRWA for so-called palestinian refugees for generations, longer than for any other group of refugees. Why the preferential treatment? Why didn't they set up fund when Jews fled for their lives from arab states? Because UN has proven over & over their bias for muslims & against Jews. The so-called palestinians have rejected peace so many times - time to pull plug on UNRWA.
First, we are dealing with a small community but over the last few years many Yemenite Jews have ended in Israel. Second, Jews, like anyone else don't want to go from the frying pan into the fire. The same Arabs that threaten Yemini Jews, Iranian Jews, who have "cleansed" their countries of Jews, continue to threaten Israeli Jews. So, yes, some Jews will avoid Israel ... for now. But the beauty of Israel is that it gives Jews a fighting chance, something they never had when surrounded by Arab people. Now there is a cost for attacking Jews and your people just can't stand it, eh Walid?!!!!!!!!
as a Jewish state. It lies ill in the mouth of the Arabs of the world to deny it. Though there have undoubtely moments of tranquility, thoughout history and today there continues to be strife and violence and harrassment. This combined by the propensity of Islamic people to be as violent as they are, just look at the stats around the world, and the absence of any place that is truly safe for jews, means there must be an Israel and it must be a Jewish state. I would hope that it would be an exemplary state where all Peoples are free and can enjoy the good life.
It's a shame the remaining Yemeni Jews were sold a bill of goods by the United Jewish Communities to have them leave their country. In 2003, Yehuda Shenhav wrote in Haaretz how the Yemenites and other Arab Jews had been practically dragged to Israel to offset right of return claims by Palestinians. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=329736
"Imagine arriving in Israel looking like a old-fashioned Arab and talking Arabic." Imagine being in Houston, Texas and talking out of your "southern side."
"The rising tension between the remaining Jewish communities in Sa`adah and Raydah and their Muslim neighbours is ultimately due to Israel`s own policies." The rising tension between Jewish communities and the Muslims surrounding them is based on the Arab intolerance of Jews, which is what varying Israeli policies are also based on. You can try to blame all the problems Jews have sustained over the centuries on Israel, but Arab intolerance of Jews has been ongoing since Mohammed's time. You blame Middle Eastern Jewish problems on Israel? Not on the Arabs who perpetrate their intolerance upon the Jews of Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Morroco, etc.? That's lame.
many jews migrated from france UK Turkey and US some i have relatives from US migrated to isr... and they were very good in US its not about security and wealth for everyone people prefer living in their own country i bet if jews in US were given the chance to live in israel the same life they live in US the jobs the life they have there the same home etc... half of them would prefer to live there.. in turkey where we dont have any problem at all (economically not so bad even better than many turks and we re not persecuted) 50% of the jew population would happily go to israel if they could have the exact conditions of life there... many of us re not returning cuz its hard to start a new life a new job... i prefer living in my own country Israel than living in diaspora in which we re exiled and become dependent... ask jew any of em do u prefer to live in a foreign country or isr if you had every chance to start from the begining the answer will be for many = israel
so before the creation of Israel, Muslims and Jews lived together, side by side. then, Israel was created. let the Wars begin!
The rising tension between the remaining Jewish communities in Sa'adah and Raydah and their Muslim neighbours is ultimately due to Israel's own policies. Despite all the frictions Yemenite Jews were exposed to in the past, they never faced expulsion. But with Yemeni society antagonised by Israel's attitude towards fellow Arabs and towards sites they regard as Muslim heirlooms, which dominates Yemeni and Arab media on a daily basis, the few Jews who had remained after Operation Magic Carpet have slowly become targets by default - lacking any major Western presence in Yemen. Ali Abdullah Saleh, of course, will be happy to have one problem less to worry about now. A loss that can't be repaired.
'In any case, they seem to be as reluctant as the Iranian Jews to go to Israel in spite of attractive incentives' Very few Jews have ever emigrated to Israel if they had a good alternative. Look up how many Jews have emigrated to Israel from the US -- or any country where they were economically secure and not subject to persecution. By and large, Jews have only gone to Israel when they have had no choice. This absence of choice has often been engineered by the Zionists themselves. In particular, see the 1947-48 influx into Palestine and the exodus of Soviet Jewry in the Seventies. In both cases, steps were taken to prevent entry into the United States or anywhere else -- except Israel.
"In any case, they seem to be as reluctant as the Iranian Jews to go to Israel in spite of attractive incentives and prefer to go elsewhere." - Walid Imagine arriving in Israel looking like a old-fashioned Arab and talking Arabic.
What does the government fighting in the north have to do with the Yemeni Jews? In any case, they seem to be as reluctant as the Iranian Jews to go to Israel in spite of attractive incentives and prefer to go elsewhere. No Magic Zarpet ride for them but an express trip to the US.
A recent suicide terrorist attack in Yemen went unnoticed by Haaretz - or the US Press, but the issue of culture shock might have played a part in it. http://www.emptyquarter.net/?p=3675
In my opinion, Jews in Yemen should be transferred to Israel or to the US, and the advantage for them to integrate a stronger Jewish Community will soon be evident.
The Hashid tribe is fighting the Huthis which is aligned with the government. At the same time the Hashid are fighting a side war the Bakeel on it's own. The Al-Bushr tribe is involved recently siding with the government in an attack on some Ben Aziz tribesmen who are supporting the Houthis. This has led to the Ben Aziz joining the war against the government. Now the Usaimat tribe is blocking traffic on highways trying to get compensation from the government for collateral damages. Iran is a cheer leader and Saudi has been flying airstrikes for the Yemen government. But it is just old fashioned tribal warfare in Yemen. It's been going on for thousands of years. I realize it is easier to simply imagine what is going on rather than keeping up with reality, but you can try to do the later at: http://www.emptyquarter.net/?p=587
So that Yemen turns into a Iran satelite state , wich would facilitate the smuggling of illegal weapons to hamas in the Gaza strip .
These folks are in for some severe culture shock. How and where they are absorbed in the US must take their past situation/circumstances into account.
"Jews are believed to have reached what is now Yemen more than 2,500 years ago as traders for King Solomon." Read "The Bible Unearthed" by Finkelstein and Silberman. There was no Solomonic empire and no evidence for Solomon at all. These Jews, like most, were converts.
It is sad to read that another Arab country has joined the long list of those that actively practice discrimination to the point that 60 must be snuck out of the country to the USA as refugees. Is this the hallmark of a peaceful Islam and of Governments that are impotent to stop Islamist fascists from ethnically cleansing their nation of its Jewish citizens. When are we going to read more about these horrible violations in the world media, and when is the UNHRC going to take up the issue of Arab crimes of this nature including genocide in Somalia?
Yemeni Jews are local Arab Yemenites who converted to Judaism hundreds of years before Islam. When Islam reached Yemen, many Jews embrased Islam but a few chose to stick to the old religion. So they are not Israelites. I dont think Israel is safer for them though it is better economicly.