OPERATION TATTERED CARPET: LAST JEWS OF YEMEN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SANAA 001549

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SOCI YM
SUBJECT: OPERATION TATTERED CARPET: LAST JEWS OF YEMEN
WEIGH OPTIONS UNDER STRESS

Classified By: Ambassador Thomas C. Krajeski for reasons 1.4 b and d.


1. (C) Summary. Yemeni Jews are one of the oldest and most
culturally distinct diaspora communities in the world. Since
the mass migration of Yemeni Jews to Israel in 1949-50, only
a few isolated families have remained in Yemen where they
attempt to preserve their traditional customs. In recent
years, they have enjoyed increased contact with the outside
world, studying in ultra-orthodox Jewish schools in the U.S.
and visiting family in Israel. At the same time, a number of
Yemeni Jews claim that incidents of anti-Semitism fuel the
slow but steady process of emigration among the younger
generation. Recent political instability in northern Yemen
has further undermined Jews' feelings of security, and they
may not persist in Yemen for another generation. End summary.

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Jewish Yemenis Since Antiquity
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2. (U) The Jewish community in Yemen dates to at least the
2nd Century, but local legend tells of earlier migrations in
the time of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Jews of
Sanaa traced their roots in folklore to an exodus of 75,000
Jews at the time of the prophet Jeremiah, before the
destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. Yemen itself
was ruled as a Jewish kingdom from 390-626, until the advent
of Islam. Under Muslim rule, the status of Jews has
fluctuated dramatically, depending on the political climate
and leadership. Jews were expelled from Sanaa in the 19th
Century, and in the 1920s faced forcible conversion by the
Imam Yahya. At other times, however, Jews have lived at
relative peace with Muslim neighbors under the protection of
powerful sheikhs.


3. (U) Although estimates vary, in 1948 there were
approximately 60,000 Jews in northern Yemen and Aden
combined. Nearly 50,000 Jews immigrated to Israel in
1949-1950 as part of "Operation Magic Carpet." Many
thousands died crossing from northern Yemen to Aden where
they were transported to Israel, and only a few isolated
communities remained behind. In the last decade, an
additional 400 Jews emigrated, leaving a current total of
between 300 and 400 remaining in Yemen.

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Attacks Against Jews
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4. (C) Yemeni Jews and Muslims interact regularly, traveling
and doing business together, but recently they have reported
increased incidents of anti-Semitism from previous years.
Yossef and Yitzhak from Raydah recounted to pol/econoff that
during a recent trip to Sanaa, they were surrounded by dozens
of high school students chanting anti-Israel and
anti-American slogans. The crowd then proceeded to cause
damage to the Jews' car and kick one of them in the leg.
Yossef and Yitzhak confronted the school principle about the
incident, who promised to instruct the students that their
behavior was unacceptable. Jews in Raydah also report that
one of their Torah scrolls was stolen, presumably by non-Jews
(although no one has been charged). The recent death of
Sheikh Mujahid Abu Shawarib, a close confidant of the
President and recognized tribal protector of the Jewish
community, has made the situation even more sensitive.


5. (C) Despite reticence on the part of Jews to talk directly
about anti-Semitism, some aspects of daily life belie the
difficulties. Children in Raydah ride to school in a covered
truck, which Jewish residents explain is designed to protect
the students from being hit by thrown stones. When traveling
in Sanaa, Jewish men routinely cover their heads with scarves
to hide their side-locks. As non-Muslims, Jews are also
banned from participating in electoral politics.


6. (U) On April 13, the Yemen Times reported that Azar
Abraham, a Yemeni Jew who attempted to run for a seat on the
local council in Raydah, was found dead in al-Dhalih City in
Hamam-Damt. The official cause of death was "tripping on a
smooth surface" in the bathroom. In an interview with
al-Osbua newspaper, Abraham said he was running to demand
justice for minorities in education, health, employment, and
political participation. Abraham attempted to run as a
candidate for the ruling GPC party, which supported his bid
in the government newspaper al-Mithaq. The election of a
non-Muslim would require a constitutional amendment.


7. (C) Yossef from Sa'ada tells of suffering a severe attack
four years ago, when a local Muslim came into his shop and
fired seventeen bullets into his shoulder, stomach, and right
leg. With help from a local doctor, the Ministry of
Interior, and former U.S. Ambassador Edmund Hull, Yossef
received medical help in Jordan and the U.S. Despite a
miraculous recovery, Yossef walks with a severe limp and has
trouble performing his work in the silver trade. The
perpetrator is now in prison, but Yossef receives regular
threats from his brothers intent on revenge. Yossef confided
to pol/econoff June 2 that the current atmosphere of
lawlessness in Sa'ada has made him more of a target and
therefore he plans to move his family to Sanaa within a few
weeks. "Muslims are killing Muslims to go to heaven," said
Yossef, "So what do they have to lose by killing a Jew?" If
he is able to convince his parents, Yossef eventually intends
to move his entire family to Israel.

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How They Live
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8. (C) Nearly all the remaining Jews in Yemen have
congregated in the town of Raydah, about an hour north of
Sanaa. There remain three extended families in the Sa'ada
area, but many of their children live most of the year in
Raydah where they attend school. There may also be a few
isolated families in areas of northern Yemen. There are no
legal restrictions on employment, but custom restricts the
Jews to artisanship, including basket weaving, leatherwork,
and auto-mechanics. Yossef from Sa'ada is the last active
Jewish silversmith in Yemen, a trade for which Jews were
renowned. No Jews are employed by the government, police, or
any other official institution. Despite obvious hardships,
the Jewish community is not destitute. Some own houses, many
own cars, and the men are able to afford Qat on a daily
basis. Yossef from Raydah explained that most of this money
comes in the form of remittances from family members in
Israel.


9. (SBU) Social services remain limited for the Jewish
community. Medical care is scarce and Jews often do not
receive the social security benefits available to non-Jewish
citizens. There is one three-room school with four teachers
that holds approximately eighty students. Several residents
confided they are afraid to expand the school, for fear of
vandalism. Few girls attend school at all, and the
curriculum does not include secular subjects or vocational
training. Jews are legally permitted to attend Yemeni public
schools, but Islamic requirements such as Koran recitation
make this an unwelcome option for religious Jews. Once they
reach high school age, many of the boys travel on student
visas to New York or London, where they receive a traditional
religious education.

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Not Anti-Zionists, Just Pragmatists
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10. (C) The English press runs semi-regular articles about
Yemeni Jews who claim they are anti-Zionists and have no
interest in moving to Israel. On March 7, The Yemen Times
wrote: "Jews shun traveling to Israel because they fear
wrongdoing. Traveling to Israel means mortification and
bearing oppressive forms worse than what they face in Yemen."
Such claims are part of the ROYG's standard practice of
distinguishing between Jews and Zionists. When asked about
their Jewish minority, ROYG officials say Jews are accepted
as Yemenis -- it is Zionists they oppose. (Note: On June 1,
President Saleh was in quoted the government daily al-Thawra,
saying: "We are not against Judaism. We are ready to
peacefully co-exist with Israel if it pulls back to the 1967
borders." End note.)


11. (C) In reality, however, there is constant traffic back
and forth between Israel and Yemen. All families have
relatives in Israel, mostly in the city of Ashkelon, and some
younger couples have moved to Israel permanently in the past
year. Although they confess that life in Israel poses
difficult economic challenges and fear that the young will
become less religious, many plan to move there within the
next few years. It is the "Holy Land," said Yossef from
Raydah. Yossef, who returned from Israel last year to care
for his father, noted that many of the younger generation
remain in Yemen out of respect for their parents. (Note:
Moshe from Raydah, who at twenty-five has ten children, is
the exception. He claims to be "single-handedly repopulating
Yemen with Jews." End note.)


12. (C) Yossef from Sa'ada explained that in previous years,
Yemeni Jews were extremely cautious about any link with
Israel. In order to send letters to their families, Jews had
to pass them to foreigners hidden in souvenirs. According to
Yossef, with the advent of modern telecommunications and
transportation, Jews are allowed greater contact with Israel.
Jews in Yemen can now receive calls from Israel on mobile
phones, and are able to fly to Tel Aviv through Jordan on
flights booked by non-Jewish travel agents. Artisans remain
subtle when employing the Star of David in their work, for
fear of being accused of Zionism. Instead of using the full
symbol, they design a more oblique six-pointed star and write
"Magen David" (Star of David) on the back.


13. (C) The Yemen Jewish community believes itself to be
under constant surveillance by the ROYG, and is especially
conscious of contact with Americans. Moshe from Raydah
expressed his concern that the ROYG would charge him with
being a Mossad agent and imprison him indefinitely. Whether
accurate or not, Yemeni Jews took extensive precautions when
talking to pol/econoff, hiding behind curtains and asking
that Embassy staff not come to Raydah accompanied by a
security detail.

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East Meets West: The Satmars
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14. (SBU) One of the strangest aspects of Jewish life in
Yemen is the community's intimate relationship with Satmar
Hassidim, mostly in New York. The Satmar are an
ultra-orthodox Ashkenazi (European) movement, best known for
their radical anti-Zionist stance. (Note: According to
Satmar theology, establishment of a Jewish state in Israel is
only permitted with the coming of the Messiah. As such, the
current secular state is profane. End note.) The Satmars
established contact with Yemeni Jews, believing them to be
kindred spirits who rejected Zionism. This was likely more
true for the older generation, but younger Yemeni Jews tend
to view Satmar support simply as an opportunity to study
abroad. Yemeni boys receive scholarships to attend religious
academies in New York, where they study only religious texts
and learn Hebrew and Yiddish. Many are proficient in
Yiddish, the Eastern European Jewish language, while none
speak English and most are illiterate in Arabic.


15. (C) Moshe from Raydah and Yossef from Sa'ada both
ridiculed Satmar politics, but praised the Satmars for
imparting a "love of Torah" to their children. All Jews in
Yemen are religious, strictly following dietary laws,
observing the Sabbath and all holidays, and adhering to
religious jurisprudence. Moshe, a teacher at the
Satmar-supported Jewish school in Raydah, explained that the
Hassidim supply the community with religious texts, and fund
three small synagogues. Moshe denied recent reports in the
New York Times that the Satmars have held Yemeni children in
religious institutions against their will, but confessed that
the Satmars' imposition of Ashkenazi culture was detrimental
to Yemen's unique Jewish heritage. (Note: It seems likely
that the ROYG allows the Satmars to operate in Yemen, as
opposed to the Jewish Agency or other international Jewish
groups, because of their anti-Zionist politics. End note.)

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Comment: The Last Days of Yemeni Jewry
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16. (C) Yemen's Jewish community is now on its last legs.
Despite ROYG insistence that Yemeni Jews do not support
Israel, emigration continues among the younger generation.
Those who remain have abandoned various isolated villages to
create a holdout settlement in Raydah. There they live a
tenuous existence, depending on the benevolence of the
authorities, the generosity of relatives in Israel, and
donations from the United States. Most Yemeni Jews express
love for their native country, but discrimination and
periodic anti-Semitic attacks make it difficult for them to
justify staying. Officially, the ROYG maintains the line
that Jews are full citizens of Yemen. In practice, however,
the current state of uncertainty in much of northern Yemen
makes it difficult for the state to provide protection for
Jews. For many Yemenis, the line between Jews and Zionists
no longer exists, and as such the Jews believe they are
perpetual targets. In some respects, increased links with
the outside world has made it easier for young Yemeni Jews to
preserve their community. If current trends continue,
however, they may have little will to do so. End comment.
Krajeski