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Sharʿab District, Taiz, Yemen

Description

Background on Jews in Yemen (site description continued below):

Although tradition states that Jews initially arrived in Yemen forty-two years before the destruction of the First Temple, the first archaeological evidence of Jews in Yemen comes from about 110 BCE, referring to the approval of Himyarite Kings for the constructions of synagogues. Moreover, many Jews fled from Judea to Yemen after the Bar-Kokhba revolt, and by the 550s CE Yûsuf ’As’ar Yath'ar became the first known Jewish king of the Himyarites, although the details of his life are not well defined [1].

Throughout the centuries, Jews faced alternating waves of oppression and prosperity. Depending on the whims of political and religious leaders, Jews were prosperous merchants or craftsmen that were allowed to live comfortable lives. Yemenite Jews were known as talented silversmiths, weavers, blacksmiths, potters, and more [5]. 

At other times, Jews were forced to pay heavy taxes, or to convert to Islam or be killed. One of the traumatic events of Yemenite Jewish history occurred in 1679 when the Jews of Yemen were exiled to the arid region of Mawza. Jews largely traveled to the region on foot through dangerous terrain, and the conditions of Mawza were difficult to survive. The exile lasted only a year because surrounding communities needed Jews’ services and products, but most Jews’ properties and possessions had been seized by their neighbors, so Jews returned from exile only to find they had nothing left. The pain of the Mawza expulsion hugely influenced the poetry of Shalom Shabazi, who was venerated amongst both the Jews and Muslims of Yemen [2].

Some Yemenite Jews practiced Shami, Sephardic liturgy, but most did not assimilate to these customs and continued to follow Baladi, which adhered to Yemenite traditions and the rulings of Maimonides. Indeed, Maimonides corresponded with Yemenite scholars and praised the Jews of Yemen for their dedication to Torah and Jewish customs.

In the Middle Ages, the Ottoman Empire took control of Yemen, allowing Jews easier access and communication with other Jewish communities. Ideas such as Kabbalah were popular amongst Jewish Yemenite scholars [7].

With over 430 flights, "Operation Magic Carpet" brought 48,818 Yemeite Jews to Israel during 1949-50. Operation Magic Carpet was an initiative by the newly formed Israeli government to use passenger planes to transport the Jews of Yemen back to Israel. Before Operation Magic Carpet, most Jews first made their way to Aden, a British colony, in order to gain passage to Palestine, which was also controlled by Britain [3]. Even before Operation Magic Carpet, the Jews of Yemen had a strong desire to make aliyah: Between 1911-49, 18,000 Jews escaped to Palestine. As of March 28, 2021, only six Jews remain in Yemen due to extreme antisemitism and violence. Notably, Levi Salem Marhabi is currently jailed in Sana’a by Houthis for helping to smuggle a Torah out of Yemen. 

The Sharʿab District: The Sharʿab District encompasses the city of Taiz and previously had large Jewish communities. The district encompasses both Sharʿab As Salam and Sharʿab Ar Rawnah; however, a historical and dense Jewish concentration can be denoted to Sharʿab As Salam specifically[2]. The community’s genesis is believed to be dated to 130 CE with Jewish migrants from Eretz Israel arriving following the destruction of the Second Temple. Overtime, the community became an extremely notable area for Jewish settlement, with recent estimates claiming around 10,000 Jews resided in the district in the 19th century[3]

This community is historically remembered as possessing a large emphasis on Torah study. Yeshivot were highly common in the district and many notable Yemenite scholars/rabbis hailed from such academies. These communities were known for their study of Midrash and Kabbalah, although most Jews there were craftsmen or landowners known for participating in industrial labor. Common occupations include being goldsmiths, merchants, silk weavers, and shoemakers [4]. The Jewish communities of the Sharʿab District began immigrating to Israel in 1911 .

Notable Individuals: Rabbi Shalom Sharʿabi was a Kabbalist that followed the thought of Isaac Luria. Sharʿabi was born in 1720 and moved from Sharʿab to Sana’a to Jerusalem, further studying Kabbalah. He authored "Emet va-Shalom", "Rehovot Hanahar", "Derech Shalom", "Nahar Shalom", and "Minhagei Rashash" [5]. Mordecai Sharʿabi is another notable rabbi born in Shar’ab and the founder and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Nahar Shalom, a yeshiva for the study of the Kabbalah of Shalom Sharabi[6]. The famous Yemenite poets Joseph b. Israel and Shalom Shabazī were also born in Sharʿab [7].

Taiz, Yemen

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