Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-20
THE YEMEN|TE JEWS
interesting People Now Perse-
cuted by Arabs.
DATE BACK TO SOLOMON
Thousands Sought Their Fortune in
Yemen at the Time of Baby
lonian Exile.

Inc femenite Jews are at this mo-
ment an object Of interest throughout
the Jewish world. The cry of despair
that has been wrung from them by
their suffering among the savage Arabs
has met with response in European
Jewries
Yemen is a province comprising the
southwestern part of Arabia, separated
from the northern part by a great
trackless desert. Tradition traces the
settlement of the Jews in that country
to the times Of King Solomon.
During the Babylonian exile also
some $4,000 Jews are alleged by tradi-
tunes in Yemen, and as they did not
respond to the call of Ezra to return
to Palestine the latter uttered a ban
upon them. Whereupon he was punished
in that he was denied burial in Pales-
tine and to add to his disgrace the
then from giving their children the
name of Ezra.
All this is, however, mere fiction: the
truth seems to be that the Jews settled
in Yemen not earlier than in the second
century Of the Christian era. For the
first few centuries they seem to have
led a quiet and prosperous life in
friendly intercourse with the neighbor-
Ing Arabs.
Conversion of King.
In their zeal for making converts. a
zeal that seems to have been common
at that time to Jew and Christian, they
succeeded in gaining for Judaism one
OF the most powerful Yemenite kings.
Dhu Nuwas. who was very Jealous in
the cause of the new faith he had
adopted. 1t was only with the rise and
spread of Islam that the persecution of
the Jews began.
The Yemenite Jews do not differ much
physically from the Arabs, whom they
resemble in the colOring of the eyes and
the hair and in the measurement of the
head. This fact has led many anthropolo-
gists to the conclusion that the Yemenite
Jews are no more than Arabs who had
adopted Judaism at an early date. This
resemblance may simply go to prove that
the Yemenite Jews are racially purer than
their European brethren, and hence re-
semble more their Semitic kinsmen
However that may be. the Jews OF
Yemen can easily be distinguished from
the Arabs by external characteristics.
such as dress and long side locks. AS
for their intellectual standard, they tower
above their oppressors. the Arabs. Their
popularity of dress has been imposed
upon them, as they are not allowed to
wear, except on Saturdays, any clothing
indicating equality with the Moslems.
Nor are they allowed to ride on dom
keys. and. to a certain extent. they are
forbidden to trade. These restrictions
have thrown the Jews of Yemen into the
various sedentary trades, with few ex-
ceptions engaged in business and agrfcul-
ture; they are the workmen and artiflcers
of the country-goldsmiths. blacksmiths.
carpenters, tanners, tailOrs, shoemakers.
etc.
Exposed to the Mob.
This fact has. in a manner. been the
saving grace of the Yemenite Jews, pro-
tecting them against total determination
at the hands of the savage Arab. for the
latter, unskilled in handicrafts as he is
can simply not get along without the
Jew, who mends his wife's trinkets and
jewelry, repairs his gun and fixes his ag
ricultural implements.
With all this the life and property Of
the Jews are hardly safe, but are always
the arbitrariness of the law. The Jews
live in separate quarters. in small. dark
houses, which look like caves. or, rather
like graves, having holes for windows
which can hardly admit any light for fear
of thieves at night and robbers-that is
to say, the native popLlation-in the day
time.
There is no legal justice for them and
they are compelled to do some of the
meanest public work, which the Arab
thinks below his dignity to do. Even the
Jewish representative. the one responsible
to the officials for the community. is not
spared, but is subject to all kinds of in
dignity plus blows and torture. Hence no
rich Jew Is willing to serve in the capac-
ity of Jewish representative, but a poor
Jew is generally hired for this purpose,
namely, to be the scapegoat of the COM
munity.
arbitrarness, the Yemenite Jews had re-
course to the feudal system of vassalage.
the one employed in the medieval ages.
They would put themselves under the
protection of some powerful Arab chief
tain, perhaps. whom they would repay
with some service for the tenure of his
protection The result of this system,
however. was that the Arab, once hav-
ing got the power over the Jew. would
force the latter into state of serfdon1.