Below are some photos I took at the Yemeni Museum in my recent visit to Rehovot, Israel. I was lucky enough to have a guided museum tour conducted by an Israeli man of Yemeni extraction.
Jews from Yemen started to immigrate to Israel as early as the 1880’s. Yemeni Jews are part of the Jewish Diaspora, similar to the Jews of Ethiopia, who have also immigrated in large numbers to Israel.
The artistry and beauty of the culture shows through the handicrafts, fine clothing, and the photos of the people. I learned that it was only in the 1970’s that a the first paved road was built to link North and South Yemen. The people of the regions speak different languages. Prior to the road being built, the only way to cross the rugged mountains was by slow caravans traveling by camels or horses.
Yemen is a very impoverished country, currently under attack from Saudi Arabia (using American-made weapons). It’s outrageous that modern military forces are killing and causing starvation among the poor Yemenis. There is a movement among Congressional Democrats to stop the US support for the Saudi attacks on Yemen. Once again, as in Syria and Iraq, an ancient culture is being destroyed by the conflicts within the Islamic world.
