US embassy cable - 05SANAA1549

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 
------------------------------ 
 
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 
-------------------- 
 
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 
------------- 
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. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Not Anti-Zionists, Just Pragmatists 
----------------------------------- 
 
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. 
 
----------------------------- 
East Meets West:  The Satmars 
----------------------------- 
 
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.) 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Comment: The Last Days of Yemeni Jewry 
-------------------------------------- 
 
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