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Magen Avraham Synagogue (Great Synagogue), Aden, Yemen

Aden, Yemen

The Magen Abraham (“Shield of Abraham”) Synagogue, also referred to as the al-Milama’l-kabira (“the Great Synagogue”), was built in 1858 on the foundation of a destroyed synagogue.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 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 Magen Abraham synagogue was financed by Menahem Messa, a leader in the Jewish community of Aden, and David Sasson, a Jew from Bombay (1). The synagogue became a major attraction for passing tourists and evolved to become one of the most beautiful religious buildings in the world. The floors of the building were made of alabaster and marble and the ceilings and windows were made of breathtaking stained glass (2). The central section of the synagogue contained a marble bima or pulpit (3). The sacred Torah Scrolls, kept in a huge Ark, were decorated with crowns and gold or silver pomegranates (4). Silver lamps hung from the ceiling in front of the Ark. As was tradition in many synagogues, most of the lamps were donated by congregation members. There was a space on the eastern part of the synagogue, separated by a high iron fence, reserved for women (5). The synagogue was built to hold around 2000 worshippers. A yeshiva named “Torah ve Hamitzvah” was built next to the synagogue (6). As per tradition, the synagogue faces north looking toward the state of Israel (7). Before WWII, 4,500 Jews lived in Aden, but due to the several pogroms in the city, only 1,100 Jews remained after the war. By the mid-twentieth century, the population shrunk to only 830 Jews living in Aden. Tension between Israel and its neighbors worsened and the ideologies of the Arab nationalist Ba’ath Party rose in popularity, making Aden increasingly dangerous for Jews. In 1947, the Jews of Aden were attacked and many of the synagogues located throughout the city were destroyed. After the Six-Day War, the majority of the Jews living in Aden left (8), a combination of the economic downturn which resulted when the British withdrew from Aden and the Suez Canal was closed, and the rise of a Marxist state in South Yemen.

The Great Synagogue of Aden, built to accommodate thousands of eager congregants, existed until 1994, when it was destroyed after Yemen's civil war.

The concept of the “Shield of Abraham” in Judaism comes from the Tanakh, a collection of Jewish stories and texts. When Abraham, patriarch of the Jewish people, left his native home of Ur and settled in Canaan, he faced trouble with four kings who wanted to get rid of him. They were jealous of his power and agreed that by kidnapping Abraham’s nephew Lot, they could corner Abraham and kill him. When Abraham received the news that Lot was kidnapped, he gathered 318 members of his family and went to attack the army of the four kings, already celebrating what they thought would be an easy victory. God, however, intervened. God protected Abraham in the battle and destroyed the opposing army (9). Abraham returned home and prayed and thanked God for protecting him. God replied to Abraham: "Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be great" (15:1). Many Rabbi’s interpret the word “shield” to mean “Shield of Abraham.” In a traditional Jewish service, the prayer: "Praised are you Lord, Shield of Abraham" is said in the Amidah, the central prayer of the service (10).

Magen Avraham Synagogue (Great Synagogue), Aden, Yemen

Aden, Yemen

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Gallery

Sources

Background on Jews in Yemen 


A. Jamme, W.F., Sabaean and Ḥasaean Inscriptions from Saudi Arabia, Instituto di Studi del Vicino Oriente: Università di Roma, Rome 1966, p. 40


Rachel Yedid & Danny Bar-Maoz (ed.), Ascending the Palm Tree – An Anthology of the Yemenite Jewish Heritage, E'ele BeTamar: Rehovot 2018, pp. 21–22


Schechtman, Joseph B. "The Repatriation of Yemenite Jewry." Jewish Social Studies, vol. 14, no. 3, 1952, pp. 209-224.


Ratzaby, Yehuda, and Yosef Tobi. "Mawza'." Encyclopaedia Judaica, edited by Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik, 2nd ed., vol. 13, Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, p. 694. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2587513436/GVRL?u=mlin_m_wellcol&sid=summon&xid=2a53428a. Accessed July 2021.


“Wrongful Detention by the Houthis of Levi Salem Musa Marhabi.” U.S. Embassy in Israel, 12 Nov. 2020, https://il.usembassy.gov/wrongful-detention-by-the-houthis-of-levi-salem-musa-marhabi/.


Yosef Tobi. ‘Mawzaʿ, Expulsion of’. Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Ed. Norman A. Stillman et al. Brill Reference Online. Web. July 2021.



Magen Avraham Synagogue:


Footnotes:


(1) Ahroni, Reuben. The Jews of the British Crown Colony of Aden: History, Culture, and Ethnic Relations. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994.


(2) Ibid., p. 50.


(3)"The Jews of Yemen." Manfred and Anne Lehmann Foundation. Accessed July15, 2016. http://www.manfredlehmann.com/sieg282.html.


(4) Ahroni, Reuben. The Jews of the British Crown Colony of Aden: History, Culture, and Ethnic Relations. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994, p. 51


(5) "The Jews of Yemen." Manfred and Anne Lehmann Foundation. Accessed July 15, 2016. http://www.manfredlehmann.com/sieg282.html.


(6)"History of the Jews of Aden." Kosher Delight. Accessed July 15, 2016. http://www.kosherdelight.com/Yemen_Jews_of_Aden.shtml.


(7) "The Jews of Yemen." Manfred and Anne Lehmann Foundation. Accessed July 15, 2016. http://www.manfredlehmann.com/sieg282.html.


(8)"Aden, Yemen." Aden, Yemen Jewish History Tour. Accessed July 15, 2016. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Aden.html#6.


(9) Mendel, Nissan. "The Shield of Abraham." Chabad.org. Accessed July 15, 2016. http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111921/jewish/The-Shield-of-Abraham.htm.


(10) "Shield of Abraham." My Jewish Learning. Accessed July 15, 2016. http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shield-of-abraham/.



Further Viewing:


"Leon Betensky's Aden Memoir and Photos, 1947-1948." Betensky-Kraut Family Album. Accessed July 30, 2016. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~kraut/Family_Photos/pages/Aden/Aden.shtml.


History of the Jews of Aden Part 1:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zndbhdnwQFg


History of the Jews of Aden Part 2:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj9ZYJz5bWo


History of the Jews of Aden Part 3:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9aZ3OOt6Os


History of the Jews of Aden Part 4:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw3KXQ4_9ss


History of the Jews of Aden Part 5:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1FRrZ7At_8


History of the Jews of Aden Part 6:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-vsnmIcvVY


History of the Jews of Aden Part 7:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovHCoZKJVPo