The address could not be more appropriate—the intersection of Shlomo HaMelech and Shalom Shabazi Streets in Rosh Ha’Ayin, Israel. That is the location of the Yemenite Jewish Heritage House, a museum opened in 2006 to document the history and culture of the Jews at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula.
The reference to Shlomo HaMelech recalls the Yemenite belief that their community dates back to that Biblical period.
Mori (teacher or master; the Yemenite honorific title given to revered rabbis) Shabazi was a leading figure of Yemenite Jewry. During the 17th century he wrote a commentary on the Torah and composed hundreds of piyyutim (Jewish liturgical poems), some of which constitute today’s Yemenite zemirot shabbat (sabbath songs). In his will he directed that only simple stones be placed to mark his grave. Lore says that several rich people felt that such a simple kever (burial place) was unbecoming a great rabbi. They erected a large and impressive monument, only to find it gone the morning after completion. Only simple stones remained.
Most of what we know about Yemenite Jewry is based on the travel logs of Yaakov HaLevi Saphir (1822-1886), an Ashkenazi of Romanian descent who ventured from Jerusalem to Yemen and described the customs and traditions that he found. Much of the material on display in the Yemenite Jewish Heritage House is meant to illustrate Saphir’s descriptions.
Life in Jewish Yemen was wrought with problems and not without pogroms quite similar to other areas of the Diaspora. In the 17th century, for example, Jewish houses were plundered and destroyed in Ta’izz and Sana’a, and Jews were expelled from those cities. When Jews resettled, the standard building style emphasized defense—simple exterior walls and buildings not more than two stories high to avoid Arab envy, small windows on the first floor, and inner courtyards protected from the street. The apartments tended to be multi-room to accommodate the large extended family.
There was a simplistic quality of life, perhaps romanticized in today’s “on the go” society. Women rose early to prepare breakfast, as men went to synagogue for shacharit, (morning prayer), and learned both before and after prayer chumash, mishna and mussar. In general terms, gentiles worked the fields, and many Jews were artisans of various types. At the end of the day it was tefilot, then learning, followed by relaxation.
Life was not as pleasant as it might seem. Jewish men were not allowed to ride on an animal, lest they appear “above” non-Jews. A 1922 government decree dictated that all orphaned children were to be raised as Muslims (several dozen Jewish orphans were hidden by the community, then smuggled out of the country). Fear was an undercurrent in an uneasy existence in a far-off land. Yemen was not home.
In 1881-1882 the first group of Yemenite Jews traveled with a new hope. Two to three hundred families set sail from Hodeida to Port Said, and then onward to Jaffa. By camel and donkey they made their way to Jerusalem, where they settled in Silwan, the site of the ancient City of David. More groups followed in 1911 and 1912, then again after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
The immigration of 1937 resulted in a trip to Yemen by the Mufti, Haj Amin el-Husseini (1895-1974), pleading that Jews not be allowed to leave for Israel. His arguments fell on deaf ears, and Jews continued to trickle out of Yemen. Then, in 1948, came the point of no return: the year was marked by severe anti-Jewish riots, and it was clear that Jews could no longer remain. In the museum there is a reconstruction of a sukkah in which Jews lived for months outside Aden, Yemen, waiting for a plane out. Space was at a premium, and as many people as possible were boarded, not by the number of seats, but by the maximum safe weight of the aircraft.
Upon arrival in Israel there was a severe housing shortage, so families were assigned tents, one of which is on display. There is also an extensive display of pictures of the 1950s in Rosh HaAyin, the “Yemenite capital” of Israel.
A visit to the museum is certainly an enlightening experience. What are the baladi and shami styles of prayer? What is the taj? Yemenite Jews have a proud religious tradition, and it behooves all of us to become more familiar with it.
The museum is also interested in receiving—as a gift, a loan, or on film—items that can help to explain the Yemenite Jewish experience.
The Heritage House is located at Rechov Shabazi 21 in Rosh Ha’Ayin and is open Sunday through Thursday 8:30 to 4:00. Special hours during Chol Hamoed. An English speaking guide can be arranged by calling 03-938 8050.
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Jay Levinson a Ph.D. from New York University. He is now retired from the Israel Police. He is an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and has authored several books.
