Yemenite Jews

Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews (Hebrew: יהודי תימן Yehudei Teman; Arabic: اليهود اليمنيون‎) are those Jews who are, or once were, residents of Yemen. The term may also refer to the descendants of the Yemenite Jewish community. Between June 1949 and September 1950, the overwhelming majority of Yemen's Jewish population was transported to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet.

History

Yemenite Jews have a unique religious tradition that marks them out as separate from Ashkenazi, Sephardi and other Jewish groups. They are an ethnoreligious group of Hebrew speakers who used to live in Yemen for many centuries, although most members of this community have since migrated to Israel.

Culture

The culture of Yemenite Jews is a blend of religious and ethnic traditions that evolved over centuries in Yemen, but also absorbed influences from surrounding cultures. This includes the use of the Yemenite Hebrew dialect in religious contexts, and the performance of unique liturgical traditions and songs, known as Diwan.

Cuisine

Yemenite Jews have their own distinct cuisine, which has been influenced by the foods and cooking techniques of Yemen. This includes dishes such as jachnun, malawach, skhug and kubaneh, as well as the use of spices like hawaij.

Religion

Yemenite Jews follow a form of Judaism that is influenced by the Zohar and other Kabbalistic texts. They have their own unique prayer tradition, known as Baladi-rite Prayer, which is different from the Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions.

Migration

Most Yemenite Jews migrated to Israel in the mid-20th century, during Operation Magic Carpet. Today, the majority of Yemenite Jews live in Israel, with smaller communities in the United States, United Kingdom and elsewhere.

See also

• History of the Jews in the Arabian Peninsula
• Operation Magic Carpet (Yemen)
• Yemenite Hebrew
• Baladi-rite Prayer