Jerusalem – Researchers Turn To Facebook In The Hopes Of Uncovering The Truth Behind The Yemenite Children Affair

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    Yemenite Jews in Israel.Jerusalem – Academics and social activists are hoping Facebook will be the right medium to help them discover what really happened to thousands of Yemenite children during the so-called “Yemenite Children Affair”, Ha’aretz reports (http://bit.ly/VPYj6E).

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    At a conference this week organized by the Bar-Ilan University Dahan Center, participants, many of them siblings of Yemenite children who died or disappeared, were encouraged to share their stories and upload documents and photos to The Association for Society and Culture, Research and Documentation Facebook page in an effort to discover the truth surrounding the Affair.

    An estimated 50,000 Jews were airlifted to Israel from Yemen during “Operation Magic Carpet” after the creation of the State. However, between 1948 and 1954, approximately 1,500 to 5,000 Yemenite children, mostly toddlers, were reported missing by their parents. Despite three separate committees in Israel which subsequently investigated the whereabouts of the children, there has never been any real closure in this matter. Many of the children were found to have died from illness, while a small number of them were adopted out. But a large number of children are still unaccounted for.

    According to Dr. Esther Meir-Glitzenstein, an expert on Sephardic Jewish communities from Ben-Gurion University, Israel was ill-equipped to accommodate these Yemenite Jews when they arrived, which may explain why so many children needed to be hospitalized and later died upon their arrival in Israel. “Despite the tendency to portray Operation Magic Carpet as one of the great moments of Zionist history, it was an operation that failed,” Meir-Glitzenstein said.


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    23 Comments
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    Liepa
    Liepa
    11 years ago

    My father in laws sister was stolen from her family upon arrival in Israel from Yemen, back in the 50’s, under false pretences.
    How she was stolen, is a long story, which I wont get into.

    zooog
    zooog
    11 years ago

    The israelies took them & SHMAT them It is a fact

    savtat
    savtat
    11 years ago

    This chapter sounds heartbreaking. But, it is important to remember that Israel doubled its population between 1949 and 1952. That is quite a challenge for even a superpower country. We hope that the community can have closure.

    rebbeofalltherebbes
    rebbeofalltherebbes
    11 years ago

    to all our NK friends,

    Yes, this again confirms to us that the entire motivation of the establishment of the State of Israel was and continues to be the eradication of Torah UMitzvos. Not to protect Jews, not to provide a homeland, not to be a Tris Bifnei HaHisbollelus.

    All the Zionists are either a) Erev Rav or b) Amelek. Herzl? He was the Sitra Achra incarnate.

    What the Zionists did or didn’t do during the Holocaust and the first years of building the State was deplorable, though its hard to imagine they killed children outright.

    But it was a very difficult time, the very existence of the State was in jeopardy, very few resources, very little oversight, strong enmity between religious and non-religious ( Imagine, it was worse then than now).

    It is very easy to villify Zionists if you see them as non-Jews or worse. But I have news, they are as much Zera Avraham Yitzchok Yakkov as the Atzei Chaim and the Beirach Moshe.

    JOTHEPROFESSOR
    JOTHEPROFESSOR
    11 years ago

    A reward of say $10,000 for the best information might bring out the truth.

    hey_you_never_know
    hey_you_never_know
    11 years ago

    For those of you who don’t know the late pop star Ofra Haza was killed because she started pointing fingers as to who was to blame for it…

    ohvei
    ohvei
    11 years ago

    (Reply to 4)
    All I could reply on you’re comment is oh vei that a religios Jewish person could write like this.

    my4amos
    my4amos
    11 years ago

    Of the countless crimes that zionists committed, the one against Taimanim is probably the worst.

    FranZ
    FranZ
    11 years ago

    My machutin’s sister was taken away and was never seen again. She would be in her late 50’s now.
    Re Ofra Haza, she was married to an (Ashkenaz) HIV carrier, but he never told her that he was.