A relative of a Jewish couple from Yemen who made aliyah five years after their son was murdered in the country, expressed hope on Tuesday that the body of the slain son will be brought for burial in Israel.
Yaish and Taranja Nahari arrived in Israel from Yemen on Monday in a secret operation. They were assisted by the Jewish Agency.
In 2008, their son Moshe, a leader in the Jewish community in Yemen, was executed by Islamists in the market in Amran because of his faith.
Nahari, who was 35 years old at the time of the murder, was buried in Yemen and five of his children made aliyah to Israel. Last August, his widow made aliyah to Israel as well, along with another four of their children.
Yaish and Taranja Nahari had worked over the years to bring their son’s killer to justice. The murderer was sentenced to death but the punishment has yet to be carried out.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, the Naharis’ relative, Yitzchak Nahari, said the family had felt great excitement learning of their arrival. “We were at the airport and there was great excitement all night, but alongside it there was also much sadness over the son who was murdered in Yemen and remained there.”
Nahari, who made aliyah from Yemen over twenty years ago, expressed hope that Yaish and Taranja would quickly become accustomed to life in the Jewish State, adding, “It is not easy to come to Israel at the age of 80, but slowly one adapts. We hope that Moshe, who is buried in Yemen, will be brought for burial in Israel.”
He said that the operation to bring the elderly couple to Israel was conducted in secrecy. “We only found out about it a few days ago. The Jewish Agency went above and beyond for them. On Shabbat we will hold a big kiddush in their honor.”
Islamists have targeted Jews in Yemen with increasing frequency in the past few years, causing many to leave the country. In 2012, a leading member of the Sanaa Jewish community, Aharon Zindani, was stabbed to death. His body was brought to Israel for burial in a in a protracted and complicated operation.
Several weeks ago, members of Yemen's small Jewish community said that one of its members had been attacked and badly hurt in an anti-Semitic assault. The victim, Yosef Anati, was hospitalized in serious condition.
The attack took place in the northern Yemen town of Rayda. The background leading up to the attack is not yet known.
Reports in January indicated that a group of about 60 Jews from Yemen had arrived in Israel from Doha on a Qatari airline.
The operation was carried out under the auspices of the State of Israel and is intended to extract the remaining 400 Jews from Yemen.