The Yemenites part 9

Things have gone much better for the Yemenites after the 1950s. Many have "made it" in Israeli life, becoming businessmen, merchants, writers, even politicians. Ironically, although Yemenites and other Mizrahi Jews have political views that are right of center, those in government almost always gravitate to the left of center parties, despite the fact that these parties were their oppressors in the 1940s and 1950s. The reason that is usually given for this is that the right wing parties generally promise more, but give virtually nothing, while the leftist parties keep their promises. Nevertheless, Israeli society treats Mizrahi groups, and especially the Yemenites, as third class citizens. Most Ashkenazi Israelis would object to their children marrying Sepharadic or Yemenite spouses. A study came out in about 2000, that an Arab Israeli is far more likely to earn a college degree than a Mizrahi Israeli. From time to time, issues surface that highlite this situation. The 1995 assassination of Yitzchak Rabin was carried out by a Yemenite law student, who was also religious. Graffiti appeared at the site of the assassination "here, a little Yemenite, murdered a great man". Those words stood there for a month. Anti Yemenite and anti religious sentiments ran high for the next several years. The assassin, Yigal Amir, has been in solitary confinement ever since, in violation of every standard of International Law. His brother, Haggai Amir, was in solitary for sixteen years, for allegedly being an accomplice, but was finally released. He now writes extensively against the racism and prejudice in Israeli society. Many beleive that had their name been Goldberg, they would have been treated very differently. A current controversy centers around Elor Azaria. Elor, a sergeant in the IDF, was serving as a medic in Hevron, when two Palestinian terrorists stabbed an Israeli soldier. One terrorist was wounded, the other killed. Elor went to attend to the wounded terrorist, and shot him in the head, killing him. An army investigator came on the scene quickly. He asked Elkor what had happened. Elor said that the terrorists was making suspicious movements, and he feared that he was wearing an explosive vest. He felt his life to be in danger, and had acted in self defense. Elor was put on trial, in a way that many consider  to be a show trial.  The investigator told the court that Elor had said that he had acted in self defense. A few weeks later, he retracted that testimony, saying that Elor had admitted to acting out of vengeance. Elor, claimed the investigator,  is nothing more than a murderer. The Israeli left is anxious to show the world that it scrupulously safeguards the lives and rights of Palestinians. Calls were made for going tough on the young sergeant. To the right, it was obvious that he was being scapegoated. Elor was found guilty, but given only an eighteen month sentence.  His lawyers sought an appeal. They were told that if he appealed, the prosecution would press for a much tougher sentence,. If he didn't appeal, they would get him out quickly. His lawyer asked "how quickly, and will you put it in writing?" He was met with a refusal, and went on to appeal. The new trial is now ongoing. Even the Israeli Justice Minister said that he did not receive a "clean trial". Netanyahu asked  President Rivlin for a pardon, that was not forthcoming. In the last few days, Elor has been released to house arrest. The fact that he is Yemenite has figured prominently in news coverage. An entire community is, in effect, on trial. It is widely felt by many (including yours truly), that an expendable Yemenite is being sacrificed to appease world opinion. Elor's friends have been warned by "justice" officials not to speak to the media. There is the overwhelming feeling that had he been an Ashkenazi, nothing would have happened. How this turns out, remains to be seen. Many Yemenites have made their way to the United States. Yemenite synagogues are now commonplace in major American cities. They still have their internal conflicts, but are now a thriving community, here as well as in Israel, but with far less prejudice here. We must wait for not only the national redemption of Israel, but for the psychological and spiritual redemption as well. May it be soon!

The Yemenites part 8

All in all, some 4,500 Yemenite children "died" in hospitals from the late 1940s until the mid 1950s. Bodies were never returned to families. This also happened to other Mizrahi (Eastern) Jews,. as well as those from the Balkans, albeit on a smaller scale. Rumors abounded that the children had been given for adoption, in a Machiavellian social engineering  plot to insure smaller families of Yemenites. Denials from the government  were strong and unambiguous. In the late 1980s, some Yemenites formed a political party around this issue, that did not succeed in making it into the Knesset. Aging parents were desperate to learn of their children's' fate, before they went to their own graves. People whispered, but no one knew for sure. I had several Yemenite friends who had missing siblings. In 1994, a relatively unknown figure, self styled Rabbi Uzi Meshulam, went public with the claim that he had in his possession proof that the children had been given for adoption to wealthy Ashkenazi families. Meshulam alienated the vast majority of Israelis, both religious and secular, with his claim that the secularists, especially those in government, were not actually Jews at all, but were souls of the Mixed Multitude; non Jews who joined the Israelites at the Exodus (Exodus 12:38). Such divisiveness was offensive to nearly all Israelis. Meshulam demanded an impartial commission of inquiry. I, personally, saw a photocopy of a letter to Meshulam from a high ranking government official, telling him that if he dropped the issue, he could have any rabbinic position he wanted; even Chief Rabbi. If he didn't, he would become an "ex". Police came to arrest him at his home. He barricaded himself, together with a group of heavily armed followers. A Waco style confrontation occurred, with a standoff of over as month. Finally, the police stormed his compound, killing one follower and arresting the rest. Meshulam was given an eight year sentence, but was pardoned after five. He was released from prison paralyzed, with many suspicious illnesses.Many beleive he was poisoned. He lingered between life and death for over a decade, finally succumbing in 2013. A commission of inquiry was set up, that concluded that the vast majority of the children had died from natural causes,  with only fifty six unaccounted for, who may have been given for adoption. Case closed. A few months ago, after the death of Ben Gurion's last remaining close associate, archives were opened. They told a story beyond anyone's wildest imagination. Thousands of babies were given for adoption to wealthy Ashkenazim. Many were sold for adoption overseas, transported by the government's own shipping lines. But many others were used for experimentation in Israeli hospitals. After the experiments were over, they were allowed to die by neglect. The doctors saw them as "laboratory monkeys", not as fellow Jews, or even fellow human beings.Photographs of these victims were in the released  archives. Israel was in shock.  One member of this group told me of her efforts to hide the news reports from her daughter. Uzi Meshulam had been vindicated, at least posthumously. Israel is now in the grip of dealing with its legacy. The Yemenites are dealing with their identity as Israelis.

The Yemenites part 7

This part is difficult for me to write, and will be difficult for many to hear. If you are offended, I am sorry. These are facts. Israel was founded as a Socialist Paradise, for European, secular  Jews. David Ben Gurion, the head of the Jewish community in pre State Israel, and Israel's first Prime Minister, ran strict policies against Right Wing elements, as well as marginalizing the religious, as well as Eastern Jews and their culture. On  the other hand, Eastern Jews were necessary to strengthen the ranks of the military, as well as providing cheap, unskilled labor. The young State absorbed over a million Eastern Jews, tripling its size in a short time. A whimsical picture of this situation can be seen in the classic movie "Salah". The Yemenites proved to be a special challenge. Although they were well versed in Torah literature, and many were skilled artisans (especially silver smiths), they had virtually no secular education, and were, essentially living in a different century. In operation "Magic Carpet" (also called Mashiach's Coming), some 49,000 Yemenite Jews were airlifted to the fledgling State between 1949 and 1950.. One often hears the story of how these people were so backward, that they lit fires on the planes for warmth! What one doesn't generally hear, is that they were led to beleive that they were coming to a spiritually based Torah society, where the promised Redemption had begun. When they got on the planes, they were told that their belongings were too heavy, and they would have to be shipped to Israel separately. People parted with gold, silver, family heirlooms, as well as priceless ancient manuscripts. Most of these were  never seen again. Some of the manuscripts were later found on display in museums, and were later recovered through legal action. The new immigrants arrived to find secular officials in charge of their absorption, who "explained" to them that Torah observance was no longer necessary, as its purpose had been to bring them back to the Holy Land, and now they were back. Many had their peyot forcibly cut, as they might harbor lice. It must be understood that for the Yemenited, peyot, which they call "simanim" (signs) are their ultimate symbol of Jewishness. They were first put in tent camps, later replaced by "maabarot" (transit camps) consisting of makeshift temporary buildings. They were perturbed by the fact that European immigrants were quickly switched to permanent housing, while they, and other Eastern Jews,  languished for years in sheds.Most became either farm hands for more established, mostly Ashkenazic communities, while the women worked as domestic help. New mothers were told that if tehy nursed their babies, they would be denied medical care. The State needed then to work.  But the worst was yet to come. Families would go for medical check ups to the government  clinics. Large families frequently were told that one or more of their children needed to be taken to the hospital for observation. The next day, they were told that the children were dead, and had already been buried. After forty years of clamoring "where are our children?", some of the graves were opened. There were no remains. What happened and why? Why has this story been covered up until recently? Why were previous investigations always stymied? What were the effects of these policies on the attitudes of the Yemenites to the Isreali establishment and vice versa?