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Jewish World Review Jan. 19, 1999 /2 Shevat 5759
IN RECENT WEEKS Yemen has been in the news quite a bit thanks to the
kidnapping of 14 Westerners, and the rescue attempt that resulted in the
death of four of them.
Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the
world, yet one of the richest in Jewish history. The tip of the Arabian
peninsula that is today the country of Yemen, actually spawned two
distinct Jewish communities, and today marks the 160th anniversary
of the critical event that defined their distinction. It was on January
19, 1839 that the British occupied Aden, thus leading to a Yemenite
community and an Adenite community.
I first learned of the Adenites in 1987 while on a visit to Ethiopia to
visit the Beta Israel - the Ethiopian Jews. We planned to spend a full
week up in the mountainous Gondar province where the Beta Israel lived,
but would go to Addis Ababa, the capital, for the Sabbaths on either
end.
When I half-jokingly inquired about a synagogue in Addis where we
might participate in the services, I was told, in all seriousness, that
we would be davening (praying) and eating with the small but vibrant Adenite
community
. What was an Adenite? Not wanting to advertise my ignorance I
remained silent (a good practice in general).
Since Ethiopia is just a short hop
across the Red Sea from Aden, small Adenite communities developed in
Addis and in Asmara, Eritria, in what was then an hospitable
environment. Following this briefing I was warned that these Jews are
Adenites, not Yemenites, and they do not like to be confused.
It is like mistaking a Litvak for a Galitziana --- both may hail from Eastern Europe
but they do not consider themselves of the same stock.
That trip piqued my curiosity and I decided to learn more about this
small but fascinating Jewish community that I, like most Western Jews,
knew relatively little about. I was therefore thrilled to recently
discover the book The Jews of the British Crown Colony of Aden: History,
Culture, and Ethnic Relations by Reuben Ahroni (314 pp. E.J. Brill:
Leiden. 1994) which answered all of my questions.
Prof. Ahroni was born in Aden, grew up on a kibbutz in Israel, and is
today a professor of Biblical studies at Ohio State University in
Columbus. While writing a book about Yemenite Jewry he became aware of
the dearth of information about the Adenites. His book indeed fills that
void.
The Adenite community is simultaneously one of the oldest and one of
the newest Jewish communities in the world. There is written evidence of
Jews in Aden, as in other parts of Yemen, dating back to the fourth
century, and anecdotal evidence going back many more centuries.
What
makes the Aden community distinct is that in 1839 Aden went from being a
tiny village in southern Yemen to being the British Crown Colony of
Aden. Captain Stafford B. Haines conquered Aden on January 19, 1839 and
annexed a 75 square mile peninsula to the British Crown. At the time the
total population was only 600, of which 250 were Jews. By 1842 the
Jewish population had reached 1100 and by 1947 there were 8550 Jews out
of a total population of 78,400.
The impact of the British occupation was fast and dramatic. The British
immediately granted extensive civil rights to all the inhabitants of
Aden. For the first time since Mohammed a Jewish community in the
Arabian Peninsula could live freely. Although during the early decades
of British rule most Jews were still poverty-stricken, they slowly
developed businesses and edged their way into a new world.
The Jews were of Yemenite descent and possessed the rich Yemenite
Jewish tradition thousands of years old. For several decades after the
British occupation, the Jews of Aden continued to send potential
shochtim (ritual slaughterers) to San'a, the capital of Yemen, for
ordination. But by the beginning of the 20th century the community had
developed customs and cultural traits of its own, tinged with both
sephardic and European influences. It was the confluence of these two
diverse forces, Yemenite origin and western, British occupation, that
fostered the development of this unique Jewish community.
The community, while developing economically continued to be centered
around the synagogue. Schools were established for both boys and girls.
The religiosity of the community is evident from little incidents. For
example, the long-time wealthy president of the community Banin Mesha,
would take a cow on board ship with him on all his journeys to ensure
the availability of milk that was kosher beyond all doubt.
One of the religious symbols often associated with Eastern European
Chasidim is payes --- long side curls or earlocks. Interestingly, payes
were universally worn by the Jewish men of Yemen. The most fascinating
aspect of this is that they were not always worn voluntarily. In the
17th century an "Earlocks edict" was passed that forced all Jewish males
to grow earlocks as a means of enforcing the outward distinction between
Jews and Muslims.
With the exception of religiously motivated riots in 1932, the Jews of
Aden lived in relative tranquillity until the massacre of 1947. In
protest of the UN establishment of Israel, all hell broke loose in Aden.
During the riot 82 Jews were killed, 76 wounded, 2 Jewish schools and a
synagogue were burnt, and almost all Jewishly owned cars were destroyed
by fire.
Between Dec. 16, 1948 and Sept. 24, 1950 Israel carried out 430 flights
that carried 48,818 Yemenite Jews to Israel. This was known as Operation
Magic Carpet and it included almost all of the Jews of Aden. A 1954
census revealed only 831 Jews in Aden s population of 130,000.
This most ancient of communities closed its doors and turned out the
lights in June 1967. A few days before the six-day war some 300 Jews
departed Aden for Israel and England. Following the war, on June 16,
1967, the British authorities placed Aden under curfew, rounded up the
remaining Jews, and flew them to Israel and Great Britain. With their
departure there was not even a vestigial remnant. Shortly thereafter,
the British ended their 129 year rule by granting The People's Republic
of South Yemen independence on Nov. 30, 1967.
The community is truly fascinating and Ahroni's book includes chapters
on all aspects of Jewish daily life, marriage customs, education, and
Zionist influences. The broader Yemenite community is also discussed. A
small section is even devoted to the "most exotic of all the Jewish
communities on the Arabian peninsula" - the Jews of Habban. All
approximately 450 of them were resettled in Israel as part of Operation
Magic Carpet.
I have spent four wonderful Sabbaths with the Adenites of Addis. They
are warm and hospitable people. Their Judaism is traditional, but
flavored with exotic customs. The reading of the Torah is with a unique
pronunciation and accent that I will never forget. But I knew very
little about who they were. Thanks to Ahroni's remarkably easy to read
and yet scholarly and well-researched book, I now know so much more
about their colorful history and culture, and can truly appreciate their
unique niche in the multi-cultural canvas of Jewish
Arabian
Peninsula Diarist
Anniversary of the Intersection of Western Culture and an Ancient Jewish
Society
The Adenite Synagogue at Addis Ababa
By Ari Z. Zivotofsky
I soon learned the basic facts: Aden, the capital of the former South
Yemen, had hosted a Jewish presence for over a thousand years. But its
character was significantly altered by the British occupation last
century. In the early part of this century some of the Adenite Jewish
businessmen and traders starting settling in other parts of the world,
most notably Tel Aviv and London.
JWR contributor Ari Z. Zivotofsky, a suburban Washington writer, is a researcher at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
