Forty-five Jews living in Sa'ada, a province in Yemen, were
forced to flee their homes in the Al Haid area following
death threats by Muslim extremists, reported Saudi newspaper
Al-Wattan on Monday 3 Shvat. According to the report
the Jews were given ten days to leave the country or they
would be subject to abduction and looting.
One of the women from the kehilloh confirmed the
report in a phone conversation with a Yemenite immigrant in
Eretz Yisroel referred to in the media as Massaud. She
said the government sent the Jews letters advising them to
flee in light of threats by Al Qaida to kill any Jews who
remained and to kidnap their children. She said a group of
Jews is staying at hotels in the city of Sa'ada, located
north of the capital city of Saana. They plan to remain in
the country, but are not being assisted by the Yemenite
government.
Another Jew named Yihya Mousa of Rahbi, said Yihya el-Hadir,
commander of the Organization of Young Believers, issued a
threat giving the Jews two days to leave or to face
abductions and looting. After returning home based on
instructions by the local authorities four masked figures
arrived at their homes, warning them to leave.
"We are under Islamic protection," Moussa said. "We were
taken out of our homes, our money is gone and we cannot
support our children. We ask the president and the government
to treat us properly as Yemenites."
The Jews filed a complaint with Yemenite President Ali
Abdullah Salah and the local governor demanding protection.
The local authorities then held a meeting attended by area
sheiks. At the end of the meeting a religious verdict was
issued, determining the Jews' status and their relationship
with the Muslims. The Jews signed the verdict, but they have
yet to receive guaranteed immunity from the threats. Sa'ada
Deputy Governor Salem Al Wehayshi told reporters that the
problem would be taken care of as soon as possible to allow
all of the Jews to return to their respective home towns.
Yemen is home to several hundred Jews who do not want to move
to Eretz Yisroel. They maintain communal life, including a
cheder, but live in fear of their neighbors. According
to figures working among Yemenite's Jews this phenomenon is
manifested every time Israel faces a struggle with elements
in the Arab world. They say the Jews of Yemen are the first
to suffer retribution since they live in close proximity to
the country's Arabs.
