Yemeni Jews Fearful

The Yemen Times, an English-language newspaper, published a story about the Yemeni Jewish community. Around 300 Jews remain in Yemen. They have continuously suffered from religiously motivated attacks against their community.

SANA’A, Feb. 8 — Despite numerous government assurances and presidential instructions to protect and relocate the Jewish minority in Raidah village, Amran governorate, the some 400 Yemeni Jewish citizens fear for their lives today more than ever.

After the murder of a prominent figure among the Jewish community, Masha Al-Nahari, 30, the remaining members expressed their concern at the fact that the trial of the murderer has stalled while his tribe is threatening to eliminate the Jews who remain in Yemen.

Children of deceased Masha Nahari, playing in their front yard. Because of hostility against them and fear of harm they remain indoors as much as possible. (YT Photo by Amira Al-Sharif)

The majority of the Jewish men in Amran work in trade and vocational jobs such as cobblers or silversmiths. However, for the last two months they could not practice their usual routine and their children are no longer going to the community school fearing that they will be targeted by extremists from the neighboring villages.

Attacks against Yemeni Jews have occurred prior to the Operation Cast Lead in Gaza against Hamas. For example, in early December 2008, a few days before the Israeli operation against Hamas, a Yemeni Jewish man was murdered in the Raydah district. However, the recent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, according to Yemen officials, has also contributed to hatred of Jews in Yemen.

The recent war in Gaza increased hatred towards Yemeni Jews to the extent that some adults called them names and threw stones at them, according to a local journalist Mahmoud Taha. Amran security denied this, calling what happened as “children’s mischief.”

One week after the murder, a grenade was thrown at the house of Said Israel, a Yemeni Jew. There were no casualties but some material loss. This attack was also not investigated.

Moreover, former Rabbi Yahia bin Yaish said he received death threats by phone. He gave the numbers to security but identities of the callers were not revealed and no action was taken.

As a response to their demand for protection directly from President Saleh, the president instructed that the Jews relocate to Sana’a governorate. He ordered money for the burial of Masha Al-Nahari and a piece of land in Sana’a (about 222 square meters) for each Jewish family.

The president instructed that they move to apartments in the tourist city in Sana’a while the families manage to sell their old houses in Amran and build new ones on the lands they are supposed to get. However, many Jewish families did not want to move because the apartments in tourist city are quite small compared to the size of their families. Moreover, many did not want to leave their home.

Abraham bin Yahya bin Yusif, a member of the community, explained that local Sheikh Yahya Mujahid Abu Shawarib, who is a deputy at the National Security Apparatus, wants to facilitate the selling of the Jews’ homes and lands as well as their transfer to Sana’a where they can get better protection.

“How are we expected to start all over again?” said one of the Jews in the community about the suggested plan. “Even if they give us the lands, who will build the homes for us? And who will buy our homes and lands in the village at a decent price? It all seems very unreal and highly unpractical. Instead of protecting us in our own village, they are asking us to leave.”

“We want to stay in Yemen because this is our fathers’ land and we love it,” said Moshe’s father Yaish Al-Nahari.

Also See:
- Yemen: Man killed in religious hate crime
- Yemen begins transfer of Jews to Sana'a
- Yemenite Jewish Community Under Attack (Again)
- The Yemenite Jews

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Posted in: Anti-Semitism,Human Rights,Mizrahi,Yemen