previous   index

Encyclopaedia Judaica

Jews in Yemen 04: Migration to Palestine and to racist Herzl Israel 1919-1970

Emigration waves - professions - settlement structures - familiar developments - clans - confrontation with "modern life" - Yemenite Jewry - song and dance tradition "integrated" - jewelry and embroidery

from: Yemen; In: Encyclopaedia Judaica 1971, vol. 16

presented by Michael Palomino (2008)

<Settlement in Erez Israel (Ereẓ Israel). [1919-1970]

At the end of World War I there were 4,500 Yemenite Jews in the country [[in Palestine]]. Jewish emigration from Yemen to the towns and moshavot [[settlements]] of Erez Israel (Ereẓ Israel) continued after World War I. In the towns the immigrants worked in various branches of the construction trades, the services, and as hired labour. During this period agricultural settlements were established whose inhabitants were Yemenites. By the outbreak of World War II there were about 28,000 Yemenite Jews in Palestine.

With the War of Independence and the establishment of the [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] State of Israel the Yemenite Diaspora was almost totally eliminated by emigration. Both the Jews and Muslims of Yemen saw in the victories of the Israel army and the establishment of the state the hand of God and the divine will which could not be opposed.

[[The aims of racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl Israel are to establish a "Greater Israel" with the borderlines from the Nile to the Euphrates according to 1st Mose, chapter 15, phrase 18, in combination with the booklet by racist Theodor Herzl "The Jewish State" of 1896 stating that all Arabs could be driven away as the natives in "America" had been driven away, and that the Arabs would be the slaves of the Jews, and that gold could be found in Palestine as in South Africa the gold mines had been found, and the Jews would be rich in their "Jewish State". The main fault of this fantasy is that to be Jewish is not a "nation" but to be Jewish is a religion. And since 1896 Arab anti-Semitism was coming up. But the non-Zionists and the Orthodox Jews who were always warning from this war trap were dominated by the racist Zionists]].

The Jews of Yemen asked, "If God has given a state to His people, what reason is there for remaining in the Diaspora among the gentiles?" (col. 752)

On the other hand, the believers among the Yemenite Muslims said, "God expelled the Jews from their land and God has been appeased and has restored their land to them. Who are we then to challenge the will of God?" Thus, the Jews in Yemen decided universally to immigrate to Israel, while the Muslims did not prevent this movement.

ECONOMY.

[Professions of the Yemenite Jews in racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl Israel]

In the Diaspora the Yemenite Jews were craftsmen. However, since Yemen was a backward and underdeveloped country whose economic structure and development was on a par with the Middle Ages, the Yemenite immigrants in Israel were unable to pursue their native professions in a state whose economy was of a progressive and technological nature. As there was no demand for them - with the exception of such specialized artistic crafts as goldsmithery and embroidery - they faced a severe crisis which called for a radical reform, namely, changing their professions for new ones in keeping with the time and the country. The overwhelming majority of the Yemenite Jews in Israel, both urban and rural, earned their livelihood from manual labour and physical work.

[[The Yemenite Jews in racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl Israel  were with other Arab Jews in the lowest ranks. They had been in the lowest ranks before, and now again]].

In the moshavim [[settlements]] they engaged in agriculture and mixed farming, while in the moshavot most of them were employed as hired labour in picking and packing fruit. In the towns they were employed in the construction trades, factories, clerical work, and the services in public and government institutions. Only a small percentage of them found their way into the professions, both technological and intellectual, which required extensive knowledge and experience;

for they lacked the education required for the acquisition of technical knowledge corresponding to the prevailing standard in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel. A considerable number of young intellectuals were employed as teachers and kindergarten teachers and attained success in this field. As there was a tendency to form closed societies in several branches of the Israel economy, immigrant elements coming from countries with little experience in these fields were shut out. As a result of this their presence in such areas as commerce, brokerage, and banking was negligible (the small number who engaged in commerce in Yemen did not succeed in this field in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel and gradually abandoned it [[probably because of Ashkenazi monopolization of commerce]]).

The number of Yemenite women in the labour force in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel was small. Many devoted themselves to housekeeping and to their large families. A number worked as housekeepers and cleaning women in order to augment family earnings. Some of the younger ones acquired an education and were inclined to do clerical work and teach.

[Settlement structures of the Yemenite Jews - poverty in racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl Israel]

Some 36 moshavim [[settlements]] were inhabited by Yemenite Jews (only three of which were established before 1948). Their population was estimated at 15,000. Their settlement was planned by various government institutions, and they worked in such areas as dairy farming, fruit growing, and the cultivation of industrial crops. According to recent statistics the level of income of Yemenite families fell below that of the families of every other country of origin, including those of the Mediterranean countries.

FAMILY AND SOCIETY.

[New forms of life, intercommunity marriages - women's education]

The modern life of [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel led to conflict between the different generations in the Yemenite community. The tendency of the youth to follow current social patterns and discard former religious and traditional values aroused objections from their elders who continued to adhere to those values. This split disturbed the peace and unity of the family and constituted a contrast to the calm and idyllic life for which Jewish family life in Yemen was noted. In spite of the upheavals which overtook family life as a result of the generation gap, and the new forms of life and intercommunity marriages, the family sentiments of the community remained basically sound.

The Yemenite woman also recorded achievements in (col. 753)

[[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel. Whereas in Yemen she was a chattel, illiterate, enslaved, and deprived of rights, in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel she was educated and free.

[[The Jewish women had to give birth to children for the Jewish war trap in Palestine, and Yemenite women with many children gave many children for the racist Jewish army...]]

The Yemenite woman's progress stemmed from the equal treatment of the sexes in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel [[but there was the racism against Arab Jews in general]].

Since girls received the same education as boys, their status withing the family and society rose, and opportunities and positions which were open to men were also open to them. As women received education their innate artistic aptitudes were revealed. Talented singers and actresses emerged. The Yemenite woman's embroidery was outstanding for its originally, fineness, and good taste. She also played an important role among teachers, kindergarten teachers, and nurses, and took her part in the Israel Defence Forces.

[Structures of the Yemenite settlements: synagogues, clans, and marriages]

In the early 1970s the Yemenite Jews still wavered between the modern and the old in public and social life. They found it difficult to abandon the old and had not yet adapted themselves to the modern. They did not identify themselves with the political parties, as was evident from their frequent changes of party. In the new moshavim [[settlements]] of Yemenites the synagogue was still the social center. In *Rosh ha-Ayin, the largest homogeneous center of Yemenites in Israel, with a population of about 12,000, there were 66 synagogues but not a single coffeehouse (1970). Family clans were still an important factor. Their public life was plagued by strife. The democratic systems which prevailed in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel in the administration of pubic life and local government did not accord with their past traditions and were not beneficial to them. This fragmentation and division was attested by the large number of synagogues and the frequent conflicts which broke out between the clans of the moshavim. As a result, there were very few public enterprises, societies, and cooperatives among them.

Numerous marriages took place between them and members of the other communities of [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel. A large percentage of Yemenite girls married young men of European origin. On the other hand, the percentage of Yemenite men who married girls from other communities was smaller and was mainly confined to girls from the oriental communities. This was due to the fact that members of this community found it easier to coexist with Yemenite and oriental girls who were not yet as completely emancipated as Western girls, whose cultural standards was higher than their own, whose demands were more numerous, and who objected to being dominated by them in family life.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHANGES.

[The arrival in the "whirlpool of modern 20th-century Western life"]

The changes which Yemenite Jews underwent in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel were not restricted to the economic and social spheres but were also of a cultural nature. The world of the Jew in the primitive and patriarchal way of life in Yemen was complete and stable, undisturbed by upheavals. He was independent in his trade, his work was generally done within the walls of his house, and he was thus capable of supervising the conduct of his households and the education of his sons. Jewish social life was based on the foundation of religious culture: daily prayers in the synagogues accompanied by the study of the Torah.

In Israel the Jews of Yemen were suddenly uprooted from the peaceful medieval form of life and thrust into the agitated whirlpool of modern 20th-century Western life. They have not yet recovered from this confrontation with modern life. The religious and spiritual values which in the Diaspora they regarded as precious and holy appeared here to be outmoded, while they had not yet adapted themselves to the values of the new Israel culture. As a result their cultural progress did not keep pace with that of western Jews, nor even with that of certain other oriental communities, and they were regarded as still undergoing an evolution. Their innate intelligence, high intellectual standard (col. 754)

and the amelioration of economic and social life were however harbingers of future progress.

[The Yemenite settlements are isolating the Yemenite Jews from developments]

In the early 1970s, it was possible to divide the Yemenite population in Israel into three groups according to their acclimatization and their integration within the Israel society:

(1) The older generation, which adhered to the traditional life of Yemen in every sense - in speech, garb, and ways of life, was religious and traditional, and the new life of [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel hardly made an impact upon them. It consisted of the elderly and the families which had been unable to transform their lives. Most of these people were "magic Carpet" immigrants who lived mainly in agricultural settlements, far from the fast-moving urban life. The homogeneous concentration of the members of this community in the moshavim [[settlements]] and their isolation from the western communities encouraged the preservation of their way of life and slowed their integration within society. The low standard of education in the schools of the moshavim also left its mark on their younger generation born in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel.

(2) The younger generation group, which turned its back on the whole of ancient tradition, discarded the Jewish-Diaspora values, and endeavoured with all its strength to integrate and assimilate itself within the new life of [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel. This group's members were either native-born or arrived in the country as children, and their adaptation to the life was not accompanied by crises. Most of them were concentrated in the towns or suburbs and their close and daily contact with the members of other communities facilitated their integration within society. They tried to find their place among the various trends in the country - both secular and religious - and their lives resembled those of the other groups in society. In addition to those who joined the Jewish secular parties, it is worth mentioning the "Magic Carpet" immigrants who joined Agudat Israel and found their place among these Orthodox elements. Their sons and daughters received their education in the schools of the Agudah, studied in the yeshivot [[religious Torah schools]], and adopted their dress, speech (including Yiddish), and way of life.

(3) A limited group, which attempted to synthesize the old with the new, were those older members of the Yemenite community and the intellectuals, who both discerned the positive and superior elements of their culture and sought to combine them with the positive values of others.

CULTURE AND ART.

[Yemenite Jewish culture in the new settlements of racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl Israel]

The culture of the Yemenite community was more outstanding for its Jewish originality than that of any other Jewish community. As a result of their confinement and isolation in the Arabian Peninsula and exclusion from non-Jewish culture, they had preserved the Jewish way of life of ancient times. This applied to their speech and pronunciation, dress, art, melodies, and dances. It was no wonder that in the [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] State of Israel many sought the elements of an original culture in the areas of song, dance, and art (goldsmithery and embroidery) from among this group.

From the time of their mass immigration to Jerusalem in 1882 the members of this community aroused the interest of Jewish researchers. The various aspects of their culture attracted attention because of their close affinity to ancient Hebrew culture. Ancient elements which had long disappeared from other Jewish communities were uncovered. The community's life in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel drew the attention of Jewish authors who dedicated poems, stories, and even entire novels to them. Later its own younger members et out to study the community's history, literature, and rich folklore. A noted Hebrew author (Mordecai Tabib) emerged from among them who depicted figures and characters from among the members of the community in Israel.

[The destruction of Yemenite song and dance tradition by "integrating" it into "modern melodies" and "Israel folk dance"]

The community's treasury of manuscripts not only (col. 755)

enriched Jewish culture with the spiritual works of the Yemenite Jews themselves but also with many works of ancient Jewish literature which were lost and forgotten by other Jewish communities. Their manuscripts, whose number is not insignificant, were to be found in the libraries of the world. The artistic talent which they brought with them was developed in Israel and their contribution to the treasure-house of Jewish art was considerable, e.g., through their dance and theatrical troupes. The Yemenite *Inbal company, under the direction of Sarah Levi-Tanai, became well known as a theatrical dance ensemble of originality. This troupe exhibited the rich Yemenite folklore in song and dance. Yemenite song won a place in modern Israel music (under the initial influence of Bracha *Zefira). Composers adapted it, created modern melodies from it, and integrated it within the new Israel song. Their dances constituted a kind of transition between Mediterranean and Indian dance and influenced Israel folk dance.

[Wanted Yemenite jewelry and embroidery]

Goldsmithery and embroidery were the most prominent crafts in the area of art. The jewelry of the Yemenite goldsmiths was masterful, and even the embroidery, which was exclusively a feminine craft, revealed a developed culture. Yemenite jewelry and embroidery became popular among women in [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel. In the jewelry of San'a, researchers discovered remnants and traditions of the skilled metal crafts from the Greco-Roman period which influenced also North African Jewish craftsmen. Others found a formative connection between Yemenite jewelry and the goldsmithery of Ethiopia and India. In [[racist Zionist Free Mason CIA Herzl]] Israel some Yemenites also developed a talent for painting.

[Important Yemenite settlements for the Jewish war state]

The Yemenites had a reputation for their industry and rapid assimilation within society. The criminal rate among them was low. The standard of their housing, clothing, and food consumption placed them among the middle class. The Yemenites played an important role in the settlement of the country. Those who immigrated before the establishment of the State - especially the immigrants of the first aliyyot [[migration movement]] - were among the initiators of Jewish labour and pioneers in various branches of the construction trades. Those who immigrated after the establishment of the State played an important part in settling the arid regions and establishing agricultural settlements.

[Y.R.]> (col. 756)

Sources
Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): Yemen, vol. 16, col. 751-752	Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): Yemen, vol. 16, col. 753-754	Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): Yemen, vol. 16, col. 755-756

previous   index

È  Ḍ  Ḥ  Ṣ  ©  Ṭ  Ẓ
ā æ  è  ḍ  ḥ  ī  ō  ṣ  ¹ ṭ  ū  Ÿ  ẓ

^