Yemen – The World Zionist Organization executive called on the communal umbrella of American Jewry to stop the fundraising effort meant to move Yemenite Jews to a Satmar community in Monsey, New York.
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The Jerusalem-based WZO, whose leaders form part of the leadership of the Jewish Agency, disapproves of the United Jewish Communities’ efforts on behalf of the move because the Yemenites will be joining an anti-Zionist community.
“Bringing Yemenite Jews to the Satmar community is an anti-Zionist activity, because it’s bringing Jews to a place that doesn’t really recognize the State of Israel,” said Paula Edelstein, who sits on the WZO executive and is co-chair of the Jewish Agency’s Immigration and Absorption Committee.
The WZO statement, which is being finalized and will only be released tomorrow, “is a strong call for the UJC to stop its activities encouraging the immigration of Yemenite Jews to the US,” according to agency and WZO spokesman Gil Litman.
Some 113 Yemenite Jews are expected to leave Yemen for the United States in the coming weeks, aided by the US State Department and Jewish refugee agencies in the US, (as was reported here by VIN News). Many of the remaining 160 or so Jews in the country are expected to eventually come to Israel, Jewish Agency officials believe.
The push to pull the Jews out of Yemen comes in the wake of attacks and threats against their property and lives made by radical Islamist groups or individuals. Most of the Jews currently live under the protection of the Yemeni government.
The Yemenite Jews “don’t really have freedom of choice because they’re under a great deal of pressure,” said Edelstein. “The Satmars have worked on them for a long time.
“We believe they should be offered the option of coming to Israel, and that the UJC, which is a partner of the Jewish Agency, shouldn’t be raising money to bring them to the Satmar community without making every effort to offer them the option of coming to Israel first,” she said.
UJC spokesman Dani Wassner rejected the criticism, saying “we continue to support, finance and encourage aliya and we would be delighted if the Yemenite Jews chose to go to Israel. If [the Yemenite Jews] make this decision, JAFI and the WZO know very well that they can count on our 100% support.”
Wassner added that “it is our belief that every effort has been made to offer them the option of coming to Israel. UJC encourages [the Jewish Agency] to further efforts to bring these Yemenite Jews to Israel, and would applaud any and every step in that direction.”
“Edelstein acknowledges that in this case, the Yemenite Jews have chosen to go to the US and, as in the past, UJC supports their freedom of choice, and their rights to immigrate,” Wassner said.
their we go again
afraid they will stay frum
i dont understand is the point to get them out of harms way in yemen or the point is they are only worth it if they follow the zionist party line
if the satmars can get them out and reserttle them in mosey or monroe as long as they are not doing it against the will of these people kol hakavod to them
do not use these poor people as pawns in fundraising efforts
Freedom of choice? re they not religious jews. maybe even more religious with their customs than the satmars. This is just another proof of why we should not support the zionist movement.
nice! finally in 2009, a fight between d KJ gov. of satmer vs. d gov of isreal, this is somthing that evry satmer shuld b proud of
They are correct in asking that this not be funded, but for the wrong reasons.
The Zioinism issue is irrelevant.
What’s relevant is that the Teimonim will only suffer in Monsey and are better off where they will able to live as normal human beings.
its a free world let them decide where they want to live……..
Now we understand what R’ Chaim meant when he said that Zionists are חשוד on רציחה!
“The Yemenite Jews “don’t really have freedom of choice because they’re under a great deal of pressure,” said Edelstein. “The Satmars have worked on them for a long time. “
I am a Zionist, however even I cannot bear the scent of this person’s seething condescension! Who does this Edelstein think he is, claiming that the Teimanim do not have bechira chofshis?! The Teimanim are free to choose to live wherever they want. If they feel it is better for them to remain in Yemen, let them stay there – if they think the US is the best option for them and their families let them go to the US… if they think Israel will afford them the most opportunity, let them go there…. this is their decision, and their decision alone to make. How haughty these organizations are to presume to be able dictate where they should live. It is their decision and no one else.
I’m not a satmerer nor am I a supporter but in all fairness two points must be made
1. the state of israel has failed the yeminite commmunity terribly in the past as is well know in history.
2. yemen like most muslim countries are anti-zionist. since satmer is well know to be anti-zionist they are given much freedom & goodwill by the yemenite gov’t then the uja/state of isreal/zionist would get.
the zionist attitude is consistent.
during ww2, weitzman or bengurion said “rak b’dam tihyeh lanu ha’aretz”, which means, in other words, the blood of our grandparents is ok to be spilled, as long as it will bring about the zionist state.
reason number 364 why I dont support zionism!
maybe a jew living with jews IS NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE not EVERYTHING IS POLOTICIS
Why were the Satmars trying to bring the Taymonim here with UJC, which is a Zionist entity’s money. I thought they were too holy to take Tzionishe money. Hmm.. the Zionists should pay to bring Teymonim and indoctrinate them with Satmar shtusim?!
Comment 14 hit the nail on the spot, the zoinist are only looking to advance their agenda, and meanwhile the satmars have brought many yemenith to the US and let them live the lifestyle they choose, look at lakewood, london, those community’s are flourishing, and for those of you who don’t know , here’s the newsflash, satmar has always been very active in saving jewish people around the world, its well known reb yoilish’s first words after the stroke he suffered in 1968, ‘what’s news with bucharian children’
Give it a rest guys. The WZO didn’t say they they shouldn’t go to live with heimeshe yiddin. They don’t want them going to Satmar. The feelings between the zionists and satmar are mutual.
I think they should be allowed to go where ever they want but that doesn’t mean I can’t understand why KJ woiuldn’t be the WZO’s first choice for them.
The Isreali government asked the pope on his last visit to Isreal to help indentify all Jewish childern adopted by christians during WW2. We ask the Isreali govt. to help find all Yemenit childern they took away from their families. Help them to reunite again.
It is foolish to a great degree to say, Well the Zionist Gov responsible for the atrocities done to the tymonim in the 50’s is no longer the same and that the current Gov. will do everything in its disposition to help these poor helpless people.
If so why not have all current Holocaust survivors stop collecting vidergutmaching gelt from the Germans since it happened in the 40’s? perhaps we should all go back to Europe Germany and continue with our lives there from where our grandparents left off due to the current Germans didn’t kill us then?
Israel was the place where the well documented and undisputed facts of horrific kidnapping against the tymonim occurred in the 50’s how can we tell the tymonim, “well accuse us for what we did 50 years ago it was our fathers that did it to you, but we will take good care of you” …………………………
The only reason the Israeli Gov. would want these Yementi Jews to make the so called Aliyah is for Political reference only so the world sees them as a good refugee center for Jews in trouble, Well, they themselves are in a great deal of trouble with a nuclear armed Iran and Billions of Arabs in dire desire to wipe them off planet earth, THERE IS CURRENTLY NO SAFER PLACE FOR ANY JEW THEN IN THE USA.
how about bringing them to iran, so at least they can be around people who understand and respect and understand their jewish culture.
if they wanted to go to israel they would have gone the during operation magic carpet another rescue mission. they obviously didnt want to go there. i say send them to iran. it will give israel less incentive to bomb it and destroy the thousands of years of jewish history there, like they did in the rest of the arab world.
It is foolish to a great degree to say, Well the Zionist Gov responsible for the atrocities done to the tymonim in the 50’s is no longer the same and that the current Gov. will do everything in its disposition to help these poor helpless people.
If so why not have all current Holocaust survivors stop collecting vidergutmaching gelt from the Germans since it happened in the 40’s? perhaps we should all go back to Europe Germany and continue with our lives there from where our grandparents left off due to the current Germans didn’t kill us then?
Israel was the place where the well documented and undisputed facts of horrific kidnapping against the tymonim occurred in the 50’s how can we tell the tymonim, “well accuse us for what we did 50 years ago it was our fathers that did it to you, but we will take good care of you” …………………………
The only reason the Israeli Gov. would want these Yementi Jews to make the so called Aliyah is for Political reference only so the world sees them as a good refugee center for Jews in trouble, Well, they themselves are in a great deal of trouble with a nuclear armed Iran and Billions of Arabs in dire desire to wipe them off planet earth, THERE IS CURRENTLY NO SAFER PLACE FOR ANY JEW THEN IN THE USA.
The whole argument has no grounds. The Yemeni Jews are going to the city they want. Those who selected Monsey can go to monsey were thwy have a nice Yemeni shul with a very nice leader. He is a very respected well known person, Rabbi Shimshon Chatuka who handles all the yemeni families for about 4 years.
Some Yemeni families have chosen to settle in Lakewood, and they will be placed there. They will be in lakewood just like the Dahari family who came from Yemen about 16 years ago and had litle luck to establish a Yemen comunity.
The Yemeni Jews had no plans to go to KJ nor williamsburg which is a Satmar area. The plan is to give them the freedom of choice, so they choose mostly Monsey and a few will go to Lakewood.
The name SATMAR is just mentioned like the Torah says in Parshas “Balak” that they jews were so hatefull in the eyes of the Midyanim and Moavim. The torah’s words are “Vayukitzu mipnay bnei Yisroel” the jews were like thorns in their eyes.
The Satmars are like thorns in they eyes of the Israeli Agents.
Just wondering…are any of the. Yemenite men married to two women? If yes, must they give one wife a get before coming to the. US?
fyi, rabbosai, they are not coming to Monsey to be with the Satmeren! Monsey is a huge community of every type of Yid. Ask ANYONE in the U.S. if the new Teimanim will be part of the Satmer system. A remarkable coalition of concerned Jews is working on this –lishma — in tandem with our wonderful American government, which has NO GOOD REASON TO BE DOING ThIS except pure humanitarian concern. Federation, Litvish, Lubavitch, Yemenite, and just plain Yidden are standing up to help. ZOA has no clout to force these poor people to E”Y, where they will only be thrown into absorption centers and treated like beheimas.
This article and the ensuing thread are too much babble.
What happened to all those brilliant folks who thought it was a great idea for Jews to be forced to swear allegiance to the zionist entity? they seem to be quiet about this bit of news about their heros.
The zionazis don’t care if the yemenite or any other jews die, as they have consistently proven thoughout their checkered history. that is really all there is to say.
Number 39, that was the first answer I appreciated. I see a practical point for a change. In the end, I just want to know that people are taking care of them and i also do not want to see them forsake all of their traditions to fit in with Chasidim who will most likely not marry them. And I love the Chasidim too. On a related topic, I think the Sephardic community in general is facing a major challenge. Many in their various subgroups keep leaving their traditions behind to blend better with the Ashkenazim. This is rampant in Yeshiva communities like Lakewood and Brooklyn. Sephardi men wearing black Borsalinos, Sephardi women wearing typical Ashkenazi shaitels (Sephardim don’t have these customs of black hat and shaitel; they have different ways). I have read articles written by frustrated Sephardim who think their communities are just seeking to fit in with the majority. And I do see the Yemenite kids in Monsey looking oddly exactly like the Chasidish kids. Mothers look just like typical Chasidish women with double head covering. I don’t blame them for trying to fit in, but their ways should not be considered “backward.”. We should be celebrating who they are and we should be teaching our kids the beauties of the Adut Hamizrach, their Minhagim, etc. Are the Chasidim in Monsey and the Litvish in Lakewood making an effort to teach their kids about these wonderful Jews? NOPE. The Ashkenazic kids know basically nothing about them or their Minhagim.
they should all be broughts out of yemen. if not gor themself for the children. idealy they should be brought to israel where lots of thier family is. i= as they understand them more then the u s a ..you will all see they will be borught to u s a against thier will and then most of them willl pick up and go to israel, as soon as they can think for them self. people should stop thinking for these peoiple. if they say they want to go to israel dont tell them no. just get them out of yemen.
the WZO is just afraid that the teimanim will stay frum. GO SATMAR!!
Shame on the WZO. The Yemenites have long memories and know what can happen if they resettle in the State of Israel. An all out assault on their culture and religion. They don’t want to have their lives saved at the expense of their souls and mesorah. The State of Israel is the absolute LAST place on earth they should relocate. Satmar will be considerate of not only their physical well being but will work to maintain their centuries old traditions. This is what is important and NOT the populating of an anti religious state. To all the immigrants: Welcome to the Goldene Medina!
There must be more to this than meets the eye. UJC and WZO are partners in the large-scale ‘shmad’ of the hundreds of thousands of Sefardi Jews including the Yemenites. Just listen to a Yemenite-descendant like Rav Amonon Yitzchak Shlit”a who will tell you what the Zionist State did to them. You don’t necessarily have to like Satmar in order to see the truth. Sure, thgose who wish to go to Eretz Yisroel must get help there from everyone, but to force them is “deja vu all over again.”
If we wanne them to keep them with their holy tradition the only solution is the Satmar and the U.S.! Cause we know what happent with them 60 years ago…
Google “In Satmar Custody.” Unfortunately, there are cases in which Satmar brings the families here to the US, and then separates the parents from the children.