Yemenite Jews

The Kadoori, Hamias, and Ashram families sit at an improvised Shabbat dinner table next to their demolished houses in Givat Amal, Tel Aviv, Sep. 19, 2014. (Shiraz Grinbaum/Activestills.org)

The Mizrahi communities destroyed by Israel

Since its founding, Israel has systematically erased hundreds of Palestinian villages from the map. But Palestinians were never the only victims. This is the story of the Mizrahi communities erased before and after Israel’s founding. By Eitan Bronstein Aparicio It is well known that since the early days of Zionist immigration to Palestine, the Israeli establishment and…

By +972 Magazine December 28, 2017

Still from 'Prophets: Operation Amram.'

New web series spotlights disappeared Yemenite children

In the years following Israel’s establishment, thousands of Yemenite babies, children of new immigrants, were reportedly taken from their parents by the medical establishment and disappeared. Now two filmmakers are working to bring to light the stories of the families who were torn apart. By Tammy Riklis and Yonit Naaman The past half year saw the…

By Haokets May 7, 2017

Yemenite Jews walking to a ‘reception camp’ near Aden, 1949. (Photo by Kluger Zoltan/Israel National Archive)

How Jewish and Palestinian cultural artifacts became Israeli property

A new book looks at the ways in which ancient religious manuscripts belonging to Yemenite Jews, as well as thousands of books owned by Palestinians and Holocaust survivors became part of Israel’s National Library in Jerusalem. By Gish Amit (Translated by Shaked Spier) The book “Ex Libris: History of Robbery, Preservation, and Appropriation in the National…

By Haokets April 25, 2015

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Yemenite goldsmith Yosef Araqi.

Reviving the spirit of Yemen’s Jewish goldsmiths

Although goldsmithing among the Jewish community in Yemen goes back generations, most Yemenites were stripped of their ability to continue their work upon their arrival in Israel. The few who remained in the profession watched as their work lost its meaning in Israeli-tzabar culture. By Tom Fogel My family from my mother’s side is a…

By Cafe Gibraltar January 2, 2014

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at Arik Einstein's memorial service, held in Rabin Square, Tel Aviv. (photo: Activestills)

Arik Einstein and the failure of Israeli liberal Zionism

As the death of legendary Israeli singer and actor Arik Einstein became a nationwide event, it became clear that some of his mourners were more interested in lamenting what they saw as the end of Ashkenazi rule in Israel. Tom Pessah talks about the role that someone as great as Einstein can play in creating…

By +972 Magazine November 29, 2013

A family of Jewish immigrants from Yemen at the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, 1948-49. (photo: Wikicommons)

‘But you’re not really Mizrahi’: Rewriting an erased identity

In the face of repeated sexual harassment and offhand racist comments by friends and acquaintances, one writer turns her anger into a reformulation of her identity. The awakening of sorts follows Amnon Levy’s Hebrew-language TV documentary series, “The Ethnic Demon.” By Naama Katiee (Translated from Hebrew by Rachel Beitarie) I’m about to finish high school, and I’m…

By Haokets September 14, 2013

Revivo's Project singing in a cafe (Photo: Screenshot)

‘Revivo’s Project’ brings Mizrahi pop back to its Arab roots

The Revivo Project’s debut album is a rare homage to the forefathers of Mediterranean pop and provides an educational introduction to the history of Mizrahi music — or at least the Yemenite part. By Ophir Toubul Israeli-Mizrahi music has, from time immemorial, been divided into two main, often competing groups. The first is comprised of…

By Cafe Gibraltar March 11, 2013